One of the things authors are asked over
and over again is, "Where do you
get your ideas?" And our response is always the same,
"Everywhere."
Let me give you an example of everywhere.
Four years ago I was sitting in the spring sunshine, outside a smart French
café, chilling out and people watching with my daughters. I have two daughters
of marriageable age. They're beautiful (they'd kill me if they read that, but
I'm their mother so I get to say it) independent, career-oriented,
super-smart... and ruthlessly... single.
And as a contemporary romance writer having
my girls and their life-long besties in my life is literary 'gold-dust'. You would not believe the dramas about body
issues, clothes, the heartbreaks, the falling madly in love with the wrong man,
I've witnessed over the years. Anyway, we were revelling in the vibe; listening
to a language spoken faster than a speeding bullet, savouring chocolate
pastries, drinking coffee shots, eyeing immaculately turned out women,
beautifully dressed man candy - when my eldest daughter decided to spill all
about a blind date. To say we were surprised is an understatement, because she
tends to keep pretty tight-lipped about this sort of thing (probably because her
mother writes romance).
Apparently, one of her work colleagues had
'the perfect man' for her and set-up a date. Now my daughter is nobody's fool.
She knew nothing about him, but he sounded, in her own words, 'normal', so she
thought she'd give him a chance. However, she also decided on the venue and the
time, just in case the whole thing went pear-shaped.
Meanwhile, her sister and I were sitting
wide-eyed listening to the tale. I was wondering if they'd put something in her
coffee because she never, ever, discusses boyfriends with me. Can't think why.
So after work, at the appointed time on the
appointed day, she arrived at the busy bar of an upmarket hotel to meet her
date. First impressions were not great, apparently his hair was at least one
day overdue for a wash and his fingernails were not exactly clean and bitten to
the quick (she has a thing about nice hands). But she soldiered on, deciding to
have one drink before she let him down gently and left. He very kindly bought
her a drink, a soft drink because she was driving.
And then he sat back, gave her the
once-over, his eyes lingering on her breasts, and said,
"Dontcha think the rooms in this place
are too expensive for a quickie?"
She blinked, opened her mouth to speak, but
he beat her to it.
"You're obviously gagging for it,
love. Why don't we drink up and find somewhere cheaper."
It's not often my daughter is rendered
speechless, she takes after me in that respect. But she kept her cool, placed
her drink on the table, and excused herself to visit the restrooms.
Once there, she took off her shoes, used a
stool to step onto a big glass sink to open the window, tossed out her shoes,
her handbag, climbed out (she's bendy, she does yoga and pilates), ran to her
car, and left.
By this time her sister and I, visualising
the creep waiting and waiting for her to return and maybe even asking bar staff
to check the toilet, were howling with laughter.
Wiping my eyes, I said, 'Good for you,
baby.'
Then, looking at us with big blue eyes, she
gave us the kicker.
"That's the second time I've done it.
I always meet my first dates there. Last time the bar staff let me leave
through the kitchens in case I broke my neck climbing out of the window."
And right there Reckless Nights In Rome was
born - download it free at stores listed below.
Now it's your turn to spill the beans.
What's the worst/best/funniest first date
you or your bestie have had.
The world demands to know.
And the lovely Lee, thank you for having
me.
Leave a comment for a chance to win an eBook copy of my latest release,
Desert Orchid.
CC
was fourteen when she read her first romance - 'The Grand Sophy' by Georgette
Heyer. And right there her future as a romance author was born. Of course, it
took a while. Writing romance, she was told by her teachers, does not an income
make. In order to write about the lives of others, she needed to live a very
full one of her own. And she did.
Fast
forward a few decades later: a husband and three children and a couple of
careers, she found her fourteen year old self again. And decided to follow her
dream and write a contemporary romance. Five years later and Reckless Nights In
Rome, book one of The Ludlow Hall series, was published. CC loves to write
about deliciously handsome men and strong women. Since then Reckless has been
downloaded over 450,000 times and hit the best seller lists across thirty
countries. There are now five books in the series published with two more
coming very soon.
CC is also working on a
paranormal romance series, The Vampyre Legal Chronicles. She loves those
suckers, so watch this space!
CLICK HERE To
Receive News of CC’s Latest Releases
***Christine's winner is Liz Flaherty! Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing details!***
3 comments:
OMG!!! Congrats on bringing that girl up right!!! I got nothing to compare!! But I gotta ask... will she share the story with the 'friend' thought this was 'the perfect guy"?
God, that's hilarious! Kudos to her. Now I have to go wash my hands because reading about that loser made me feel sticky. :-)
Thanks for the awesome post! What an awesome, smart and independent woman! Best wishes to all of you :)
Post a Comment