Excerpt:A very handsome waiter approaches us, all masculine energy and charm. With his arrival comes stronger pinpricks under my skin. It’s akin to getting zapped in winter from static. But as I glance around the restaurant, everyone else is carrying on as normal so I sit and try to act normal as I look up at the sexy as sin man. I’d peg him as thirty perhaps. Ebony, silky hair, styled back off his face. Deep eyes, Roman nose and full lips. What is it with Italian men? Are they all attractive at this age?
My eyes fully appraise him as my pulse jackhammers. My neck feels flushed, causing beads of sweat to form. God, can he see my reaction? I’m mesmerized like a hormonal teen, riveted to the spot.
His full smile adds to his beauty and for a moment even Bianca remains mute as he greets us. There’s a presence about him I can’t define. It’s that certain something that ‘just is’. The X Factor. Energy is pouring off him and I’m in the line of fire. Can someone please bring me a cold glass of water? Or an industrial fan?
She quickly recovers though and offers a ‘ciao’ which I robotically mimic, enthralled by his rugged beauty up close. The flickering light of the candle on our table, catches his high cheek bones and full mouth, stealing my attention for way too long. His short-sleeved black shirt fails to cover a tattoo which disappears up his forearm.
“Do you speak English?” Bianca asks for my benefit, a little too loudly might I add. When I peek at her, she’s wearing a knowing expression, right eyebrow raised, lips tipped up. Her foot taps mine under the table. When did she begin staring at me like that? Probably when I answered him like Siri.
“Of course. I’m fluent. I’ve been learning it since high school. Would you like a drink first?” That voice. Every syllable and word hit me front and center. The tone sounds like a deep lullaby I could be rocked to sleep with. Sheesh. What is happening with me tonight? Am I hormonal? My menstrual cycle is on point, my period not due for another two weeks so it can’t be that. If this heat doesn’t settle down, I’ll need to step into the bathroom to splash cold water on my face. I’m pretty sure the restaurant is air-conditioned too.
I look back to the waiter who is blatantly ignoring Bianca and watching me with his shockingly beautiful eyes. Eyes one could stare into if they wished to find all the answers of the universe. Eyes which see right through you and invoke a sense of belonging. As if you’ve seen them before. Familiar. Comforting. Ones I want to dive into and never leave.
They’re turning me into a hot mess. I need to get my act together. I’m acting so out of character. Like a schoolgirl, not a forty-year-old divorcee. My hands fidget on my lap as I glance around the room. It’s not big. A cozy, intimate space with guests lined up outside the door like we were moments ago. I count the tables. Fifteen. That’s all. I’m guessing they need to expand soon. Either that, or they want to keep it the way it is.
My eyes are drawn back to Mr. Handsome as he flicks his attention from Bianca and back to me again. It truly is getting too unbearably hot in here.
“Two glasses of your best wine. And would it be possible to have a garlic bruschetta?”
“Sure. Let me get that for you.” Finally he turns and saunters back to the kitchen, leaving me with heated cheeks and a flutter in my belly. But as soon as he’s gone, the temperature cools back down to normal. That’s strange. Is he running a fever? Does his body temperature run abnormally high all the time?
“Maybe he’s the one,” Bianca laughs. “He was checking you out.”
“And clearly younger than me. He was probably just being friendly to the tourist.”
But I doubt my own words. Men don’t make prolonged eye contact if they aren’t interested. Pity we’re leaving the day after tomorrow. I’d probably come back just to see his face again. A girl can dream. But how can he possibly be the one? Not the first hot Italian guy to speak to me. It couldn’t be that easy.
Interview
1. What literary pilgrimages have you gone on? I
haven’t been on one yet, but I’m planning on traveling to Italy next September
to retrace the steps of the characters in my current book, Six Degrees of
Separation. I’m going with my cover model Alejandro Salomone who plays Nico in
the book. He’s going to get into character and we’ll recreate some of the
scenes.
2. What is the first book that made you cry? A
Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole. I don’t normally cry in books but that one
got me.
3. Does writing energize or exhaust you? Writing
does energize me but it depends how long I’m writing for and what type of
scenes I’m writing. I get lost in my work and time goes by so fast. Writing is
therapy for me so it’s definitely energizing.
4. What is your writing Kryptonite? Work. I work
4 days in a ‘normal’ job and I’d love to be able to do it full time. While I
love the work I do, I love writing more so sometimes, it can interfere with my
mojo.
5. Did you ever consider writing under a
pseudonym? No. I always wanted to be transparent as a writer. I want people to
associate my name with my books and be able to connect with me as a person. It
wouldn’t feel authentic to me.
6. What other authors are you friends with, and
how do they help you become a better writer? I’ve met so many wonderful people
over the years who I consider friends. We help each other become better writers
by supporting each other. That’s important because writing is a fairly solitary
career. Most of the time you’re in your writing cave on your computer. Helping
to promote other authors ia a huge part of it too. Most of my writing I’ve
learned on my own with practice so I wouldn’t say anyone has helped me become a
better writer as such.
7. Do you want each book to stand on its own, or
are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book? When
I begin a book, I don’t necessarily think it’s going to be a series. I write
from the heart and whatever idea I have gets put onto paper. I don’t plan. I
fly by the seat of my pants. I’ve written 20 books so far and they’re not all
connected. Some are series and some are stand-alones. It depends on the
characters and the story. I have allowed secondary characters to have their own
stories though. I the Crow series, book 3 is about the secondary characters.
8. What authors did you dislike at first but grew
into? I haven’t grown to like any books I disliked at first. If I dislike a
story, I generally don’t finish it and won’t read more of that author. I read a
lot so if I find an author I like, I’ll read more of their books.
9. What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
It’s funny because I’ve been caught so many times buying Tik Tok trending books
and not finding them good and then I’ll randomly find an unheard of ‘second
hand’ book at work and love it. One of my favorite books is A Beautiful Dark by
Jocelyn Davies.
10. As a writer, what would you choose as your
mascot/avatar/spirit animal? I have three. Lions, Tigers and Elephants. I have
so many elephant figurines and feel drawn to these three animals the most. I
believe I have the heart of a lion. A warrior. It takes the heart of a lion to
persevere with writing as long as I have.
11. How many unpublished and half-finished books
do you have? I have three. I don’t know if I’ll ever finish them! One is a
fantasy romance based on the God of Love. I began writing it and just wasn’t
feeling it so I put it aside.
12. What did you edit out of this book? This book was pretty good. I didn’t really
edit anything out of it. One of my earlier novels I have to edit, 50,000 words
out of it because the editor said it was too long! That wrecked me!
13. If you didn’t write, what would you do for
work? I don’t write full time so I’d be doing what I do four days of the week.
I help manage a thrift store which is geared towards helping those less
fortunate. We donate clothing to domestic violence charities and help the
homeless. It’s rewarding.
14. Do you hide any secrets in your books that
only a few people will find? No. I don’t believe in secrets. I’m always totally
transparent. I have called characters in books the same names as people I know
though. Does that count?
15.
What is your favorite
childhood book? Noddy and The Famous Five. I’ve been reading since I can
remember but Enid Blyton played a huge part in my journey and my love of books.
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