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I have the lovely Eileen Griffin in my hot seat today, as she answers my nosy questions, so grab a cuppa and learn more about her.
Hi Doris. Thanks so much for having me on your blog today J
Q. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
A. I’m pretty quiet but I can be loud and rowdy with my family
and friends. I love to travel and have spent many summers backpacking across
Europe, including Italy where I absolutely love Florence and Venice. I’m
addicted to any kind of TexMex food and spend most of my free time reading or
writing.
Q. What made you write ‘this’ story?
A. I love cooking and had been talking to my co-writer about an
idea for a story with a sexy chef and some flirty banter in a restaurant. One
idea led to another and Dinner For Two
was born.
Q. Tell us about your cover.
A. I love my cover! I think it’s absolutely perfect because the
male cover model is so Tony as this uber-sexy chef who steams up the kitchen
with more than his spicy dishes. And the female cover model is simply stunning
with only her back showing, because there’s a scene when Tony helps Sonia into
a chef’s jacket and sweeps her hair out of the way from behind.
Q. Describe a typical day’s writing for us
A. I try to write a little bit in the morning; chat with my
co-writer, Nikka Michaels, at some point in the day about whatever project
we’re both working on – either together or separately; take a few hours off to
get my own personal things done; then I head to my local Starbucks in the
evening and try to write for at least an hour or two. (I love writing at
Starbucks because it’s away from my house and any distractions/excuses I can
come up with to interfere with sitting down to write.)
Q. What inspires you?
A. So many things inspire me to write – songs, news stories,
dreams. But I also see my friends undergo incredibly trying experiences with
dignity and grace, and they inspire me to never give up and to remember to
enjoy the things I’m lucky to have in my life.
Q. If you weren’t a writer what would you be?
A. When I was younger I wanted to be a rock star, but then
reality kicked in and I didn’t have the skills to swing the microphone stand,
smash the guitar, or get thrown in jail on a monthly basis. So I’m pretty happy
with my job of writer J
Q. Do your characters ever surprise you?
A. My characters surprise me ALL the time! I laugh every time I
hear someone say, “Just make them do what you want.” I try, I really do, but my
characters have minds of their own and oftentimes change the direction of a
story mid-scene. It makes me want to scream, but then I just keep typing and
roll with it.
Q. What could not do without when you’re writing?
A. Coffee. I live and breathe coffee while I’m writing. If I’ve
had too much, I end up staying up late and squeezing in a few extra words, but
usually it doesn’t affect me too much at night.
Q. What words of wisdom do you have for the aspiring authors
out there?
A. Don’t stop writing and actually go through the
querying/submitting process. So many times I think people write, but then stop
because they get frustrated. The key is to keep going. Also, you’ll never know
if you’ll get published unless you query and submit. Never give up.
Q. Where do you see yourself in ten year’s time?
A. In ten year’s time I hope to be backpacking across Europe to
places I’ve yet to visit, gathering ideas for new books J
Q. Do you have a favourite quote?
A. I have several, but one that I love because of the passion
behind it is from Wuthering Heights
by Emily Bronte:
“If all else perished, and he remained, I should still
continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe
would turn to a mighty stranger: I should not seem a part of it. My love for
Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I'm well aware,
as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks
beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am
Heathcliff!”
Q. Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?
A. I do. I would think all writers do. For me, I get writer’s
block when I get really stressed out in my personal life. I think the writer’s
block is my mind’s way of telling me to chill out for a while and take a break
so I can recharge and not run myself into the ground.
Q. What other books can your readers look forward to?
A. I have a M/M short story, “Claiming Ayden” that will be
published in an upcoming anthology by Evernight Publishing. And my most
exciting and recent news is that Nikka Michaels and I have a two-book M/M
series that will be published in later summer/early fall of 2014. The first
novel is titled In The Raw and is
about two culinary students.
Q. And finally can you share the blurb and excerpt with us?
Sonia Davenport has dreams of
coordinating and planning special events. When she’s given the opportunity to
plan a dinner for her boss and his shareholders, she jumps at the chance to
make everything perfect. Helping her plan the special night is the head chef of
the restaurant, Tony Mancinni, who is not only charming but goes out of his way
to make Sonia feel special during the entire planning process.
The dinner party almost turns
disastrous when an employee mixes up the orders and sets out the wrong food. In
a mad rush to save the dinner, Sonia and Tony realize their attraction to each
other when things heat up in the kitchen. However, Tony has to convince Sonia
that he wants more than just an extra set of hands in his restaurant – he wants
her to stay the night so he can convince her to stay for good.
EXCERPT:
Tony gently rubbed his finger along her bottom lip. "I had hoped everything would be perfect tonight because I wanted to impress you. When you came in for brunch that first Sunday and laid out your plans, not only were you beautiful, but you had a detailed description of what you wanted. On the catering side of things, you have no idea how attractive that is. Then, when you came in for your tasting, I didn't think I was going to make it through the afternoon without asking you out. But I have a strict rule: Don't date the clients until after the function is over. So I waited. Do you have any idea how hard it was to wait?"
Tony gently rubbed his finger along her bottom lip. "I had hoped everything would be perfect tonight because I wanted to impress you. When you came in for brunch that first Sunday and laid out your plans, not only were you beautiful, but you had a detailed description of what you wanted. On the catering side of things, you have no idea how attractive that is. Then, when you came in for your tasting, I didn't think I was going to make it through the afternoon without asking you out. But I have a strict rule: Don't date the clients until after the function is over. So I waited. Do you have any idea how hard it was to wait?"
Sonia shook her
head slightly, then let her lips part. Instead of replying to him, she slid her
tongue out to meet his finger, gently caressing the tip. He hissed in a breath,
his eyes fixated on her tongue and lips. Feeling emboldened by his words, she
leaned closer and drew his finger deeper inside her mouth, wrapping her lips
around it as she laved it with her tongue.
"Sonia,"
he whispered. "You're so beautiful. But I didn't ask you up here for
this."
She leaned back,
his finger sliding out of her mouth. All the nerves and doubts she'd felt
earlier were replaced by a heat that was coursing through her. She'd felt it
all night in the kitchen with him and it was stronger now that she knew he
wanted her as badly as she wanted him.
"I'm glad you asked me up here, Tony. But if we're being
honest with each other, I think dinner can wait. You see, I've lost my
appetite. For food, that is."
Evernight: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/dinner-for-two-by-eileen-griffin/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dinner-Two-Romance-Eileen-Griffin-ebook/dp/B00HDE2G6M/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1387303647&sr=8-16&keywords=eileen+griffin
All Romance eBooks ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-dinnerfortwo-1375536-149.html
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dinner-Two-Romance-Eileen-Griffin-ebook/dp/B00HDE2G6M/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1387303647&sr=8-16&keywords=eileen+griffin
All Romance eBooks ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-dinnerfortwo-1375536-149.html
Thanks again for sharing your blog with me Doris!
You are very welcome. This sounds fab!!
EILEEN GRIFFIN BIO:
Eileen Griffin lives in the Southwest but loves to travel and has spent many summers crossing Europe with nothing but a backpack on her back. She enjoys TexMex, lives for good wine, and has a certain penchant for purple unicorns. She loves reading all genres of books, but her current obsession is writing M/M with lots of boykissing.
Thanks for having me on your blog today Doris :)
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