Christine Warner is here today on her book tour to promote Some Like It In Handcuffs, a humorous light-hearted romantic suspense novel. Enthusiastic reviews talk about the great characters in this fun "sensual, suspenseful, and hilarious" mystery. Don't miss an excerpt from the book after my interview with Christine.
About the book:
Sunny Kennedy, the only female in a family of blue blood male detectives, is determined to prove testosterone isn’t the only qualification required to solve a cold case. Handcuffed while undercover, then taken to the precinct by an attractive detective, her domineering family demands she work with Detective Judson Blackwolf, or she’s off the case.Judson Blackwolf thinks women in law enforcement should work behind the scenes. The prospect of working with his Captain’s sexy daughter doesn’t thrill him. He only agrees in hopes of solving the murder of his one time mentor’s daughter. Once the case is over, he’s moving to Montana to heal his wounds from the loss of his last partner.
But when their investigation takes a dangerous turn, Sunny and Jud soon realize their feelings for each other cannot be denied.
Interview with Christine:
How long have you been writing, and how did you start?I’ve always enjoyed writing. From the moment I won an essay contest and then a Young Author’s award I was hooked...and that was elementary school.
Then of course life took over and my time was filled with school, dating, work, jobs, getting married, and having a family. Through all those years I would talk about how much I wanted to write a romance book. Especially after I finished one. LOL. My sister took the brunt of this abuse.
Finally she got tired of hearing me say it and told me to do it. That was about four years ago. And now here I am...I’m loving it, and I’m very happy.
What do you like best about writing?
My favorite part of the writing process is starting a story. I love getting to know my characters and their traits. It’s like meeting a new friend.
What’s your least favorite thing?
My least favorite part is when I run into a roadblock and I can’t figure it out. Sometimes it’ll take me days before everything falls into place and I can continue to write. The entire time all I can think of is the chapters coming later, but I can’t write out of order. Drives me crazy. LOL.
How did you come up with the title of your book?
It just popped into my head one day. Truthfully, I don’t even know what I was thinking about when it did. I do remember I was in my car driving...which is how most of my ideas come to me.
Do you have another job outside of writing?
I do. I work about thirty hours a week at a large hospital. I work every weekend, which can be a bit of a bummer, but it also affords me five days off each week to devote to my writing. I love that part!
How did you create the plot for this book?
After the title popped into my head, I started thinking about the characters that would go along with the title. They had to be humorous and spunky. I also knew I wanted this to be a romantic suspense, but a lighthearted one. From that five word title I came up with a plot, scenery, and my characters and all their quirks and oddities were born.
Have you ever bought any books just for the cover? Did you enjoy the book(s)?
I don’t know if you’d say I bought a book based solely on the cover, but that is generally the first thing that will draw me to a book when I’m shopping for my next read. From that point I read the back cover blurb and if I’m still interested I’ll flip through a few pages and reads bits and pieces. I have a process to buying.
What do you do to market your book?
Lots of things...I wish I knew if what I was doing was right. LOL. I talk about my book on blogs, do tours, pass out business cards when I’m talking to someone in person and the subject comes up. I also promote here and there on Facebook and Twitter. I don’t let it consume every conversation or post or tweet, but it is mentioned from time to time.
If you have any tips...I’d love to hear them!
Check out my Marketing for Dummies (And Indies) page!
I am planning to do a promotion on Goodreads for my next book Bachelor’s Special, coming out from Entangled Publishing in June. That’ll be a new adventure for me.
How do you get to know your characters?
I start out each story by doing a quickie plot and character sheet. I describe their looks and give them quirks. But I really don’t think I get to know them until I start writing them. Sometimes it can take me well into the third or fourth chapter before I have them totally figured out. When that happens I generally have to back-step to the beginning and make sure it flows.
When you start a new book, do you know what the entire cast will be?
I would generally say yes, but there have been a few times when a new character will just appear halfway into my writing.
How do you name your characters?
Teehee...that is one of my favorite parts. I actually have a file filled with hero and heroine names—-first and last. I will file them away when I hear them. Working at a hospital, I’ve come across some pretty interesting ones—-and since it’s so busy there are lots to choose from. As a matter of fact, I came up with Judson’s name when I worked in the ER. We had an elderly patient come in with that first name and I instantly loved it and knew that was the name of my hero.
If there isn’t a name in my “magic” file...I surf the web and baby name sites. That’s always fun.
What would your main character say about you?
That there’s a little bit of me or someone I know in every one of my characters.
What book are you currently reading and in what format (e-book/paperback/hardcover)? I go in spurts with reading. I am always drawn to romance and true crime. I know, odd mixture. Right now I’m in a true crime reading mode and am reading one of my favorite true crime authors, Ann Rule. The book is titled In the Still of the Night, and it’s a hardcover. Her books are always great reads.
My true crime fascination might last me a couple of months, then I shift back to romance, then back to true crime. It’s never ending. LOL.
Might I suggest a cozy mystery based on a true crime, with a little romance, titled Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction? (cheesy grin)
How do you handle criticism of your work?
If you are talking reviews, I believe they are all based on opinion and not everyone is going to like your work. Sure, criticism hurts, but it is opinion.
Now if you are talking criticism by a critique partner, I take that as something to learn by. I might not always agree with their opinion, but I do try and look it with an open mind. Sometimes as an author we are so close to a story we might miss something that our critique partner spots right away...so we should read and consider each of their comments and/or suggestions carefully.
Do you have a routine for writing? Do you work better at night, in the afternoon, or in the morning?
My main routine is to be somewhere quiet and comfortable. I also find I’m more productive in the morning. My mind is fresh and free of clutter.
Tell us one weird thing, one nice thing, and one fact about where you live.
We live in a small town and the one weird thing that comes to mind is when we moved here years ago and were just settling into our home. We had a knock on the door and when I answered it the guy wanted to know if we’d seen any llamas walking through our yard. I am sure I must’ve given him an odd look, but come to find out there was a llama farm down the road from us and a few busted out and were taking a field trip.
A nice thing about where I live is that it’s quiet and you see a lot of wild life. I love living rural.
One fact about where we live is that it’s a small, close knit community.
If you could take a trip anywhere in the world, where would you go?
There are so many places I want to go...but the place I would visit first if money was no object would be the Hawaiian Islands. All of them...and I’d get to stay a month on each one.
I might as well dream big, right?
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a contemporary romance that I hope to send to Entangled Publishing on proposal. So keep your fingers crossed for me.
They're crossed! Come back when it's published--we'd love to hear about it. And thanks for stopping in today.
Excerpt from Some Like It In Handcuffs:
“This isn’t how I wanted it between us.” Judson grabbed the neckline of her sweater, dragging her body to meet his with a solid thump. Sunny licked her lips in answer to the question in his eyes. He lowered his head to move his mouth over hers.Sunny closed her eyes, a small whimper escaping her lips. She didn’t want it like this either, but that wasn’t possible. Unable to resist her attraction she accepted it wasn’t an affair, or a long distance romance she craved, but for him to love her back. It was all or nothing for her. Her heart sank. She accepted this as their goodbye kiss.
With no thought to what was happening upstairs, Sunny rose up on her toes demanding more. Her lips pulsated against Judson’s. When his hand trembled against her cheek in a soft caress she lost touch with reality.
“Judson.” Sunny’s weakened body drifted farther into Judson’s as his fingers glided down her arms, pulling them to her sides where their fingers intertwined. He forced them behind her before his tongue thrust into her mouth.
Their bodies molded together, she heard her own heartbeat and his as well when he curved his fingers around her rear and squeezed.
That’s when the click of the handcuffs against her wrist connected her to the handle of the locked cupboard.
“What the hell...Judson?” She looked up at him, her knees shook, her body still inflamed with fever.
“Like I was saying, you wait here and I’ll go upstairs to check it out. Backup’s already been called, so you’re safe until your brothers arrive.” Judson winked before walking toward the steps to the third level. Once he reached them he turned toward her and smiled. “Gotcha,” he whispered with his notorious grin.
About the author:
Christine Warner is living her dream in rural Michigan along with her husband, three children, one laptop and a much loved assortment of furry friends.Besides laughing and a good round of humor, she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, reading, writing but no arithmetic. A confessed people watcher, she finds inspiration for her stories in everyday activities. She loves to read and write about strong heroes and determined, sometimes sassy, heroines.
A girl gone wild, at least where social media is concerned, she enjoys meeting other avid readers and writers on Facebook, Twitter, and her website.
Find the book:
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Wild Rose Press
