Tell
us about yourself:
Hi.
Hello *waves* Thanks so much for
hosting me today. Let’s see, this is always a hard question for me to answer.
Half the time I don’t know whether to say I married my high school sweetheart,
have no pets, unless you count my three children, Thank goodness they’re
housebroken. Now if I could just get them to do the dishes and the bathroom. I
spend whatever free time I have with my family. Traveling to new locales is the
best thing in the world. Oh I also love, love, love chocolate, shoes, and
pretty things.
Do
you prefer
Milk chocolate or
Dark?
Milk
chocolate
Coffee
or tea?
Tea
Vodka
or tequila?
Maybe
Vodka. When I get a drink it’s usually mixed and fruity.
Romance
or a Thriller?
Both
Mystery or
Horror?
Definitely
Mystery
Did
you always want to be an author?
Yes.
What
authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult?
Carolyn
Keene (Nancy Drew Series) Mary Higgins Clark, Judy Blume, Lois Duncan and a
plethora of others. I used to keep track of all the authors and books I read
over a year’s time. When I did, it averaged out to seven books a week. A book a
day. OMG! That’s insane and I don’t mean just those little dinky paperbacks
either. I’m talking three to four thick novels (Sidney Sheldon, Steven King)
AND little dinky paperbacks. :-)
Did
anyone in your life influence you or encouraged you to be a
writer?
Most
definitely. My parents were a great influence in supporting my paper habit. :-)
I had lots of teachers, who encouraged me, and my siblings were great at asking
me to read them one more page.
What
is your writing atmosphere like?
At
this very moment, birds are chirping outside my window, the refrigerator in
humming through its cycle. When things fall silent, the faint rumble of traffic
from the highway mingles with tractors and the occasional overhead plane. Also
the hint of rotten eggs permeates the air. There’s a great deal of sulfur in
the area where I live.
What
is your favorite aspect or writing? Your Least Favorite?
My
favorite aspect is getting the words on the page. I love creating characters.
The least favorite aspect is interjecting emotion. I procrastinate and do my
best to avoid it, but in the end well I have to make someone laugh, cry, or
angry. :-)
Your
current book your promoting is:
Decadent
Seconds. Here’s the blurb.
As a
caterer, Darling gets to witness some of life’s happiest moments, but yearns
for a marriage proposal of her own. After years of waiting on her beloved to
pop the question, she gives up on ever having a happy ending of her own and
severs the relationship. When she learns she’s pregnant, she has no choice but
to face her child’s father on a daily basis as well as the love and attraction
she has for him.
Darryl Manning always believed Darling would be his forever.
After all he didn’t need a piece of paper to show her how much he loved her,
but when she leaves him to pursue her dream of owning a catering company and
raising his son, he may have to rethink his views on marriage. That is if he
wants a second chance at family.
How
did you come up with the your story line?
I
cut my finger last year and thought it would make an interesting way to get
Darling and Darryl back together.
How
do you choose your characters names?
It depends on the story. Some names have been picked
to create confusion, while others have been picked for their meaning. Many
times I pick names I like or haven’t seen used a lot. In Darling’s case, I
heard it off Lady and the Tramp. Lady’s owners’ names were Jim Dear and
Darling. Yeah, I know I need to stay away from cartoons, but how many people do
you know named ‘Darling.’ Nothing quite as glam for Darryl, I just haven’t used
that name for a hero before.
Thanks again for hosting me today, Tamaria. I really
enjoyed the interview.
Until next time, Indulge Your Inner Romantic.
Authors Bio: W. Lynn Chantale resides in southeastern Michigan.
Married to her high school sweetheart, they’ve been together for the last
twenty years, and have three children. She has a mad affinity for milk
chocolate, preferably Dove chocolate truffles or the caramel-filled squares
(Godiva is acceptable), and plays the bass guitar when the Muse begs for a bit
of distraction.
She’s also a member of Romance Writers of America as well
Greater Detroit Romance Writers of America, Passionate Ink and Kiss of Death
groups. She has one release, Seducing His Wife and a short story, Decadent Seconds
under contract with Whispers Publishing. Also look for Breaking Delia’s Rules,
from Breathless Press.
Excerpt:
Drunken laughter floated just above the thrumming bass line
of Lenny Kravitz’s Are You Gonna Go My Way, competing with the steady buzz of
conversation. Soft pastel strobe lights flickered through the muted
illumination. Darlene Williams, or “Darling” as she was known to friends and
associates, surveyed the banquet hall full of guests.
She heaved a sigh as she glimpsed a swirl of ivory on the
dance floor. For one wistful moment, where fairytales glowed bright and rosy,
she imagined her own wedding. Her fairytale didn’t have a happy ending. She
sighed again. Or a beginning.
A familiar face bobbed in the crowd, and her breath hitched.
Twice he tried to take her picture, and she was determined he wouldn’t succeed.
His gaze found hers, and her heartbeat matched the pounding bass line. He
turned away, and she focused on a set of broad, muscular shoulders. She could
spend hours smoothing her hands over his brawn. When he found her again, the
corners of his mouth creased, and a familiar tingle crackled through her veins.
Just once she’d like to not react when she saw him. Despite
the warmth knocking at the wall of her heart, Darling followed his movements to
a group of similarly clad women. When they clustered around him, he raised his
Nikon to his rugged face.
She loved his face, all angles and planes, and all that
sharpness melted away when he smiled. Sadness and longing wiggled through a
crack in her wall and squeezed her heart. They weren’t meant to be. Still she
stared after him, envying the way he leaned close to one woman and lowered his
camera. He gave a nod before moving away. When he passed beneath a wall sconce,
the warm glow gave his smooth brown skin the fine sheen of melted chocolate. He
should’ve been out of place in his black polo shirt and khaki slacks as he
moved among the tuxedoes and long dresses, but his sexy smirk and camera made
things easy.
The discordant clash of a body colliding with cymbals and
snare drum drew Darling’s attention toward the dais next to the dance floor. A
glassy-eyed young man in a tux tried to untangle his limbs from the instrument
without spilling his drink. Succeeding, he then lurched onto the crowded dance
floor and crashed into a couple of dancers. She shook her head when he sprawled
on the floor, still trying to drink from the glass in his hand.
Not her problem. Darling regarded the decimated buffet, the
food reduced to crumbs and half-dried globs of gravy—this was her problem.
Swiping sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, she lifted her gaze
again, this time scanning the room for the tall, sexy photographer. He was now
taking pictures of the drunk on the floor. Good, she didn’t want to run into
him or his camera again. Turning, she hefted the silver chafer by the handles
and placed it on the rolling cart behind her.
She reached for the next chafer, moving the serving spoon
aside when strong hands seized her shoulders. The spoon slipped from her grasp,
splattering white sauce on her black slacks, before settling on the floor. A
sensuous chuckle tickled her ear, sending warmth scurrying through her veins,
and puckering her nipples. Yanking free, she spun around to glare into dark
chocolate eyes. She shoved the owner of those eyes and straightened her
clothes. He laughed softly, his gaze drifting leisurely over her white chef’s
coat and work pants.
Darryl Manning, the sexy photographer, grabbed her hand and
gently tapped the thick bandage wrapped around her index finger. “What did you
do to your finger?” She tugged her hand from his grasp, wincing when she
smacked the digit on the chafer. “I cut it.” She bent to retrieve the spoon
from the floor, straightened, and placed the utensil in a gray plastic tub.
Darling wiped her hands on a towel. Darryl folded well-toned
arms across his broad chest, the black knit shirt he wore strained to
accommodate the expansion of muscle. She stifled a groan and the urge to run
her fingers along the bulging biceps and perfect pecs. Why did her body pick
today to rebel? “I don’t have time for this now,” she snapped, “What do you
have time for?” His rich baritone conjured nights of hot, steamy sex and
decadent morning afters. He lifted his camera, with a sexy smirk. “Maybe a
photo or two?”
She resisted the seductive note in his voice and placed her
hand on the lens. “I’m working.”
“And I’m not, just finished.” He stepped closer, the heat of
his body instantly warming hers. Darling tilted her head back to maintain eye
contact.
She studied his face, waiting for the familiar ache and
longing to subside. It didn’t. Being this close to him, surrounded by his
scent, a little soap and a whole lot of male, made her yearn to be in his arms,
to feel his full lips against hers. What was she doing? She couldn’t think
about him, about them. She moved away. Not today.
Darling turned as the click-click-click of his camera
captured her. Huffing, she stalked toward the kitchen. She caught the attention
of Pete, one of her chefs for the evening. “Could you finish breaking down the
buffet table while I take care of this?” She jerked a thumb to the hunk at her
heels. Light flashed in her face, momentarily blinding her, and she held a hand
to her eyes, blinking to clear her vision. “Don’t do that!”
Moving through the kitchen to a narrow staircase, she heaved
a sigh as the pulsing rock music faded to a dull roar. Darling entered her
office and smiled at the young man seated in a chair. “Thanks, Denny,” she
said. He was another employee, and she waited until he closed the door.
Darling knelt next to a car seat and dropped a kiss on the
sleeping infant’s cheek. White light zigzagged before her eyes. “Stop it!” she
said.
“But you’re so beautiful,” Darryl said.
Her stomach did a slow somersault at the compliment, but he
would need more than pretty words and his handsome face to woo her.
Straightening, she shoved a diaper bag in his general direction. “I have two
more weddings, a funeral, and an awards banquet. You trying to flirt is not on
today’s calendar!”
Darryl offered her a smile and her knees turned to jelly.
The man would be the death of her. The only reason she still spoke to him was
the sleeping toddler. If not for the baby, she’d have kept walking and never
looked back.
She brushed a stray curl from her face and planted her hand
on her hip when Darryl didn’t move. “I know you may not have anything to do,
but I really need to get back downstairs,” she reminded him.
He stepped closer, reaching a hand to tug on the lock of
hair she had just swept away. She sucked in a breath, his clean masculine scent
beguiling her. Her gaze dropped to the open collar of his shirt. If she pressed
her mouth to his warm skin, would he moan? Darling lifted her head, and he met
her lips with a kiss. Too stunned to protest, she sank into his kiss, savoring
the spicy taste of him and the firmness of his lips. He skimmed the curve of
her spine with his hands before resting them at her hips. Drawing her closer,
he brought her against the hard line of his arousal. Desire exploded, and she
wiggled her hips in hopes of easing the sudden tension at the apex of her
thighs. As if sensing her need, he cupped her butt, shifting her slightly until
he was wedged between her legs.
Lightning arced through her veins as he settled more firmly
against her core. She gasped, and he deepened the kiss, tongues dueling in a
fevered dance. Tightening her arms around his neck, Darling relished the
sensations vibrating through her system, and decided to enjoy them.
Lifting his head, Darryl stared into her face. For once she
didn’t care if he knew how much she wanted him, her fingers stroked the nape of
his neck. She regarded him a moment before he brushed his lips across hers one
last time before stepping away.
“I like flirting with you.” He trailed his fingers down her
arm.
And with those few words he ruined the mood. She drew a
ragged breath into her lungs and shoved his hand aside. How could one little
kiss leave her so edgy and uncomfortable? She couldn’t give in to the demands
of her body. She needed a clear head.
Hi! I'm having so much fun tiptoeing through the sand. I love your banner, it makes me happy and ready for a vacation.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I love the beach so I went with the theme. So grab a fruity drink and relax!
ReplyDelete