Between a Book & a Real Place with Christy McKellen

Ok, so before I introduce my fabulous guest today you should all know I am in ATL. My daughter is shooting a commercial for Pigtails and crewcuts kids hair salon and then supposed to be heading on over for an extra role on this show called The Walking Dead. Still waiting for her call time though on TWD gig. UGH. Point to all this is I scheduled this guest blog waaay before I knew any of this was happening so forgive me if I'm slowwww today. Busy Busy! On to the good stuff!

Welcome to another Monday edition of Between a Book & a Real Place. Today I have the pleasure of hosting author Christy McKellen. Her spicy romance "Her New Worst Enemy" is available now digitally and in paperback. I can't wait to get this one in my TBR list.

Hi HJ, it’s fabulous to be here today.

                          HJ: Thank you for being here! 

                        How important to you are the names of your characters?

                        They have to fit perfectly in order for me to believe in them. No mean feat! If the name’s wrong I find it incredibly hard to connect with a character. I always choose the names before I start on the story and once they feel right I’m ready to write about them. It’s amazing how difficult it is to get a name that works that isn't someone you know — very important to avoid that, especially in a romance novel.


HJ: I bet Christy, I know I wouldn't want my 78 year old neighbor Tom thinking I'm writing romance novels with him as my saucy hero. lol

                         

What are the occupational hazards of being a writer?

 

Physically, for me it’s suffering with a bad back – I contort myself into all sorts of weird positions when I’m sitting and writing. I have to force myself to get up and move around to avoid seizing up.

Socially, I can become so caught up in the world of my characters my mind will drift off in the middle of a conversation with someone as an idea occurs, which can be very embarrassing.

Do you laugh at yourself ever?

I try to. I’m a sensitive soul and it’s essential to remind myself that things aren’t usually as serious as they seem. Seeing the funny side really helps with that. I always tell my husband when I’ve done something stupid so we can both laugh about it. It’s freeing to do that and helps me put things into perspective again.

How do you feel about being interviewed?

Odd. I’m an introvert by nature and find it challenging talking about myself — but in a good way. Sometimes I learn things about myself that I hadn’t thought about before. It’s also incredibly humbling to me that anyone would be interested in what I have to say. Being invited onto wonderful blogs like yours is a real boost to the ego!

Are you jealous of other writers?

Of course! But you have to turn those feelings into something positive to keep you driving ahead and improving you own writing.

Favorite season?

Autumn – or Fall as it’s called in the US. I love the smells and the colours are amazing when the leaves turn here in England. There’s something magical about the atmosphere, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it is… It’s the season for Halloween — which the kids love dressing up for — and Bonfire Night in the UK, when we set off amazing firework displays and stand around in the cold consuming vast amounts of hot chocolate.

HJ: I’m so jelly you’re in the UK FYI.

Did you enjoy this interview?

Absolutely! It’s lovely to spend some time thinking about myself for once (I have three kids so I don’t do it very often J) Thanks so much for having me here today, I’ve had a blast.

Formerly a Video and Radio Producer, Christy now spends her time as either a slave to her children or her muse. When she’s not writing spicy romance, she can be found stomping around the South West of England, glomming her to-be-read pile or escaping from real life with her rather delicious husband. 

Christy loves to hear from readers. You can contact her at: 

http://www.facebook.com/christymckellenauthor

https://twitter.com/ChristyMcKellen

www.christymckellen.blogspot.com


Six months ago Ellie Holdsworthy’s life was all planned out - kids, wedding, happy ever after - until her boyfriend dumped her for another woman. When her best friend Penny, an heiress to a small fortune, looks set to run off with a gold-digger, Ellie has to save her from certain doom - and fast. Unfortunately, the only person who can help is the one person she’d rather not ask . . .

Little does Ellie know, persuading her brother’s best friend - commitment phobic, playboy businessman, Gideon DeLancy - to hold an intervention at his beautiful Georgian manor would be the easy part. Keeping her hands off him is a whole other matter.

Gideon doesn’t intend to fall for his friend’s snarky sister, and he sure as hell doesn’t expect their weekend to develop into a full-on sex-fest. When passion takes a strangle-hold, their differences don’t seem to matter. After all, a torrid weekend affair should be the easiest thing in the world to walk away from, so why are they finding it so difficult . . . ?

Sensuality Level: Hot

Buy links: 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Worst-Enemy-Crimson-Romance-ebook/dp/B00AKERZ5E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355936764&sr=8-1&keywords=christy+mckellen

itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/her-new-worst-enemy/id585813097?mt=11

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/her-new-worst-enemy-christy-mckellen/1114001442?ean=9781440562778