Thursday Tales: Interview with Christy McKee and a Giveaway

Hi! Thanks so much for coming today. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

It’s my pleasure to be your guest today, Carrie Ann. You’ve got a nice looking blog here. Lots of sexy covers and, well, I guess everyone can see for themselves.

Tell us a bit about your book.

The premise: the heroine receives a windfall that completely changes her life. This is not  a rags to riches tale, although that’s part of it,  but a story about a talented woman in the enviable position of suddenly having the means to make her biggest dream come true and being too filled with self-doubt and guilt to embrace it. She’s met the perfect man for her, but fears she will never fit in his high powered, sophisticated world.  If she can’t pull herself together, she runs the risk of losing it all

Is this part of a series?

Yes, it’s book #1 of the Shores of Lake Champlain series.

What was your favorite part?

It’s a funny scene where Pierce is giving their housekeeper, Mille, static about her suddenly being everywhere and never giving him and Gabrielle any privacy. She tells him it’s a PG rated household and to knock it off. Then she rolls her enormous watering cart right in front of him and gives him a big squirt in the face.  

Why did you choose to write romance?

I write romance because I want a happy ending.

Rate your story in terms of steaminess

Looking at Maybe Too Good to Be True in terms of the “steaminess” factor, I’d have to give it 4 steam puffs out of a possible 5. How do I explain the “puffs” system? I’ll break it down. One steam puff for a hot love scene, half puffs for sexy, stolen kisses or those sensual seductive “almost got there” scenes. You will just have to read the book to determine how many whole and half steam puffs add up to 4.

What are you reading right now?

Wilder by Christina Dodd. It’s part of her Chosen series. 

I know this is like asking who is your favorite child, who is your favorite romance author (s)?

I’m taking a little wiggle room here. For humorous contemporary, I’d say Susan Elizabeth Phillips; for paranormal, definitely Lara Adrian, for more mainstream, Jodi Picoult.

What is your favorite romance book or series?

The Midnight Breed series by Lara Adrian

Boxers or Briefs?

I think boxers look dorky. Of course it could be because I’ve never seen them on the “right” person. Until then, I’ll go with briefs.

Chocolate or Vanilla?

I come from a noble line of chocoholics, so it’s in my blood. Chocolate, of course.

Do you have a special piece of clothing you wear when you write?

Not really, but I always write in my bare or “socked” feet.

What is next for you?

I have two WIPs going. I’m working on another contemporary romance, Too Close for Comfort, and my first ghost story.

Interviewer: Gabrielle and Pierce, what were your first impressions of each other?

Pierce:

Pierce chuckles as he wipes one of his big hands across handsome face. “First time I saw Gabrielle was in an 8 x 10 glossy and my heart stopped.  She is one beautiful woman,” he looks across the room at her. “Curious about who she was,” he continued, “I flipped the photo over and felt like I’d been kicked in the gut. Stamped in blood red ink, was the name of a private instigator. No one wastes time and money checking out a friend, so I knew one thing, Gabrielle had to be an enemy.”

Gabrielle:

Gabrielle gave a baby pig snort. “Yeah…well that certainly didn’t stop you from putting your hands all over me.”

“That’s right. This Neanderthal came charging into the dining room while I was trying to retrieve my dog, Max. He almost tackled me to the ground, ranting about someone stealing his cookies. My first impression was that he was a raving lunatic. Then when he tried to explain away his actions, telling me he’d mistaken me for a little boy named Jimmy, I decided he was delusional and had probably escaped his cage in the attic.   No matter how handsome, confident and sexy he appeared, none of that trumped crazy.”

What are your favorite parts about each other?

“I’m assuming this isn’t a question about favorite “body parts,” Pierce grins. “Because Gabrielle has...” He sighed. “Okay, I get it. First off, we are not into finishing each other’s sentences. It nauseates me when people say that about their partner.  This might sound too simplistic, but at the end of the day, I can hardly wait to go home and see her. No matter how rotten a day I’ve had, I know when I look into those green eyes of hers; all of the crap that I’ve dealt with that day vanishes.”

Gabrielle smiles. “I don’t want to name more than a few or Pierce will get a stupendously large head. “For the first time in my life, I have a man who never judges me; Pierce never criticizes my choices and backs off to let me figure things out on my own.” She crosses her long legs. “I grew up in a house of conditional love. If I was good, my father would reward me; if I was not, he withdrew his attention as punishment; sometimes not speaking to me for days. I know if I screw up, Pierce will always be there. He’s already proven it several times.”

What’s next for you?

I have two WIP. Too Close for Comfort is a companion to Maybe Too Good to Be True. It will be the second book in the Shores of Lake Champlain series. There’s a male ghost who is haunting me, telling me he won’t “leave” until I tell his story so he can move on.

Secondary Characters

Practically every good story, including romance, has its secondary characters. They come in all species, shapes, and sizes, and can range from the family dog—who is an excellent observer—to the curmudgeon of a grandfather who gives surprisingly sound advice. These characters can’t simply “be” in the story; they have to add something of value to it, even if it’s advice. Having a forty something woman knocking on a widow’s door selling Avon adds nothing to the story, but if the Avon lady was at the hair salon and over heard that the little grandmother is going on her first date in over 40 years, she has a purpose. She’s going to do granny’s make up and give her the confidence boost she needs for her date and probably get a healthy order for her trouble.

Secondary characters can also have their own story lines albeit a minor one in the overall scheme of the main story. For instance, there is a newly engaged couple who invites their “single” parents to meet and discuss wedding details; the parents might meet and detest each other on sight. Surprising everyone, the two fifty year olds end up deciding to live together—to their children’s shock— is a thread that will interest other middle age readers. Appealing to a broader reader base is something we all need to consider.

Thank you so much for having me over today, Carrie Ann.

Christy

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

My addiction to reading emerged  when I was ten and down with measles. My mother, trying to keep me entertained,  brought home a stack of Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew books. Within days, I’d consumed them all and asked for more. That’s when it truly began−the pleasure of reading which would eventually lead to my writing.

I can’t pin point precisely when I knew I was different from everyone else−at least from my tight group of  hometown friends. Didn’t everyone have movies playing in their heads starring beautiful  characters leading adventurous lives in exotic places?  NO—they did not. Did that mean  they  were normal and I was the odd, slightly wacky duck?  My answer to that conundrum came when I attended my first writer’s conference in Savannah. Nervous about being on my own at the crowded event, a kindly writer from Texas took me under her wing and introduced me to at least a dozen writers.  Surrounded by so many writers who were so like me, I  fit  right in. I wasn’t an “odd” duck after all; I’d simply been in the wrong pond!

As a result of that conference, my desire and conviction to write blossomed. Still working a full time job at  a Louisiana cancer center,  I carved out time to write every night and on weekends. My first manuscript went through four incarnations, and a year under the bed,  before success came knocking.

Today my family and our two Labs—Lambeau, the Green Bay Packers unofficial mascot  and Gracie, who is just plain, sweet Amazing Grace—live  in a picturesque little town in Ohio wrapped around a lovely town square with an intricately carved gazebo where weekly band concerts take place all summer long.   

http://www.christymckee.com

http://christymckeewriter.blogspot

http://twitter.com/ChristyMcKee

BLURB:

Gabrielle March is summoned to an oceanfront estate in Massachusetts by the matriarch of Atlantic-Hastings International where she is presented with a hefty block of shares as amends for a crime committed against her family. The stock—worth several million dollars—can give her the means to make her dream come true if only she can muster the courage to break free from her past and believe in her unique creative talent.    

Pierce Hastings, son of Gabrielle’s benefactress, grudgingly agrees to take her under his wing and acclimate her to Atlantic-Hastings.  Never one to mix business with pleasure, Pierce stuns himself when he ignores his own self imposed rule. Gabrielle’s complete lack of artifice, unvarnished honesty and quirky sense of humor are intoxicating to him―and he’s rapidly becoming addicted. He’s blindsided when Gabrielle confesses that, in spite of her growing feelings for him, she will never fit into his world of power and privilege and has no desire to try.

Excerpt 

             So much for him making this easy on her. Was he enjoying making her squirm? "For making a giant leap to the wrong conclusion and for calling you some pretty nasty things."

            His blue eyes held hers, giving no clue to his thoughts.

            Why didn’t he say something? "Pierce, I made a hasty assumption without bothering to check my facts. If one of my employees did the same, I’d fire them on the spot. It was completely unprofessional. I’m sorry."

            "Apology’s not necessary, Gabrielle. Believe me, I’ve been called considerably worse.”

            “So, we’re good…we’re even?” After all, he’d put his hands all over her yesterday when Max swiped his sugar cookies.

            “Even?” His steely eyes fixed on hers; the black wolf daring Red Riding Hood to blink.    “As in the score is tied?”

            “Yes.” No way was she going to be the first to blink.

            “No.” The wolf’s eyes grew more intense.

            “No?” Shit. She almost blinked. “Why not?”

            “I only play to win.” He smiled like the true wolf he probably was.

            “Good for you. But I don’t want to play anymore.” Snappy repartee wasn’t in her skill set. She took a sip of her still piping hot coffee. Why had she even bothered to apologize? It was just making everything worse.

            “Taking your toys and going home, are you?” A sexy chuckle rumbled up from his broad chest.

            “No.” She tried to sound blasé, unaffected by his male intensity. “I’m going to enjoy the day and get to know the Hastings family better.”

            “Excellent.” He blasted her with a charming smile. “You can start with me.”  

 Christy will be awarding a digital copy of Maybe Too Good To Be True to a randomly drawn commenter at every stop and a $30 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.