Interview & Giveaway with Christine Warner author of Two Timing the Boss!

Please help me welcome author Christine Warner to Reading with Holly to talk about her book Two Timing the Boss! :) Don't miss the excerpt and giveaway below!

Holly: Hi Christine! Would you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Christine Warner: Definitely! But first let me thank you for having me on your awesome blog today!

Let’s see… I live in Michigan along with my husband. Two of our 3 kids live at home and we share our space with 2 golden retrievers and 2 very spoiled cats. I love to cook, read, laugh, watch movies and spend time with my family and friends.

Other than that I am slightly addicted to social media, chocolate and coffee. I enjoy meeting and talking with other authors and readers and pretty much anyone in general!

Holly: When did you realize that you would like to write and publish a book?

Christine Warner: When I was in elementary school I won an essay contest and then a young author’s award for a book I wrote that was bound and displayed in our school library. From those 2 experiences I was bitten by the writing bug. I dabbled in it off and on for years, but really nothing serious. Growing up and life got in the way but it was always at the back of my mind.

My sister knew about my dream of writing and about 3 years ago gave me a gentle nudge, then a forceful shove.  Lol  And here I am J  

Holly: Can you tell us a little bit about your book Two Timing the Boss?

Christine Warner: I’d love to!  This is a fun story about twin sisters who would do anything for each other…well, let me share the blurb J

BLURB:

To secure the funds for her twin sister's surgery, Farah Smith will need to sacrifice her values as well as alter her appearance to work for a man she finds morally bankrupt. With a blonde wig and stilettos strapped on, Farah’s a clone of Keller Donovan’s harem of past assistants, insuring a position within his company.

The moment Farah and Keller meet, she realizes her most daunting task isn’t the job, but fighting an attraction to a man whose ruthlessness is as legendary in the bedroom as it is in the boardroom.

Disillusioned by his parent’s disastrous marriage, Keller Donovan is determined no relationship should have more than a six-month shelf life. But after he meets Farah Smith, all bets are off. Suddenly he wants more than a personal assistant and private bed warmer. Unfortunately, his offer of an affair doesn’t sit well with her, despite the stranglehold she's put on his heart.

Can Farah and Keller find happiness and love over deceit and libido? Will the two embrace each other or hold fast to past history?

Holly: Where can we purchase Two Timing the Boss?

Christine Warner: You can actually purchase Two Timing the Boss and my other book (which was my debut) Some Like it in Handcuffs at the following links. Both are available in print and ebook. Just go to the links and type in the titles or my name and they’ll be there.

http://thewildrosepress.com/

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

http://www.amazon.com/

Holly: Can we expect more novels from you in 2012?

Christine Warner: That’s kind of up in the air right now!  Lol  I have a book with Entangled Publishing but I don’t have a release date yet…so stay tuned. And I hope to have several ready to sub my years end for a hopeful release in 2013.

Holly: Are you working on anything at the moment?

Christine Warner: I’m actually working on 3 stories at the moment. Two contemporary romances and another romantic suspense. I’m excited about them, and hope to finish all of them up by years end.

Holly: Can you tell us a little about your first publishing experience?

Christine Warner: The first book I wrote was Some Like it in Handcuffs which is a light-hearted romantic suspense with humor. I submitted the manuscript to The Wild Rose Press and they contracted the story. The process was long for my first book, about double the amount of time it took for Two Timing the Boss to release. If memory serves me right, I submitted that first book in December 2010 and I was offered the contract in April of 2011. From there I went through a couple rounds of edits and galleys and got the book cover and then the release date, which was March 23^rd of this year.

Now Two Timing the Boss, like I said, went a lot quicker. Only eight months between submission to release.  Gotta love that!  lol

Holly: Your life is a romantic comedy; what humorous but very embarrassing thing happens on your first date/when you meet the love of your life?

Christine Warner: How come I’m having visions of either getting sick on some carnival ride or a wardrobe malfunction?  lol

Holly: How much of you or people you know do you think make it into the characters in your novel(s)?

Christine Warner: I think it’s a mixture. I’m a people watcher and also a good listener and have taken things from my own life experiences as well as what I’ve heard from friends, family and co-workers. I don’t believe you could pinpoint anything to one exact person, but it’s a recipe of several people. There’s nothing better than borrowing traits and habits or experiences from real people to make your own characters more 3D.

Holly: Do you think you will have a follow up book to this novel or is it just a stand-alone novel?

Christine Warner: I originally wrote Two Timing the Boss as a stand alone, but have had several people ask me to write Farah’s twin sisters story. Although I really enjoy Karah and love her larger than life personality, I’m not sure I’ll write her story.  I have a huge folder of story ideas and outlines and many of them are already shouting out to me to write them next! lol

Holly: Why this genre(s)?

Christine Warner: The first romances I read were contemporary and they’ve always remained my favorite. I feel like I know them best and I like the fact that they take place in the here and now. Makes it seem like it could really happen…to anyone at any time!

Holly: What is the hardest part of writing in your opinion?

Christine Warner: The balancing act. Finding time to write, have family time, market yourself…I admit I’m horrible at personal time management!

Holly: Do you have anything you would like to say to your readers?

Christine Warner: First off, thanks for coming by today! Also, please leave a comment to be entered for a chance to win a copy of Two Timing the Boss.

Also, I would love to have you answer a question for me in the comments afterward.  Ready?  Here’s my question…lol 

Holly: What is the easiest part of writing in your opinion?

Christine Warner: Definitely coming up with story ideas. I can get an idea from a television show, a sentence, a single word, something in a conversation, a picture…they possibilities are endless.

I have an overflowing folder of ideas for future stories. I just hope I can write them all!  lol

Random Quickies!

Holly: When do you prefer to read?

Christine Warner: Usually in the evenings. The house is settled and I can totally let myself fall between the pages of a good book.

Holly: Ebook or hardcover/paperback?

Christine Warner: I still love holding a paperback book in my hands, but I also have a NOOK and I am filling it up pretty quickly. I like the convenience of it. So I can’t really choose…it just depends on the book and my mood.

Holly: Favorite color?

Christine Warner: Love the bold, brightness of RED!

Holly: Night or day?

Christine Warner: I find it easier to write during the day—early morning to be exact—but I am a total night owl and love to stay up late, or should I say early into the morning.  Bad, bad habit.  lol

Holly: Dark Chocolate or Milk Chocolate?

Christine Warner: How about any chocolate?  Lol  White chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate…if it’s got chocolate I prefer it! 

Two Timing the Boss

Christine Warner

Farah Smith is on a mission: secure the funds for her twin sister’s surgery.  She’ll do whatever it takes to succeed.  Even if that means putting her values aside to work for a man she finds morally bankrupt.  But when the real Farah meets her new boss, she wonders if she’ll be able to resist his sexy advances long enough to help her sister.

From the blonde wig, to the stilettos strapped around her ankles, Farah’s a clone of Keller Donovan’s harem of past assistants.  She can’t believe she’s let herself be talked into the disguise, let alone working for the man planning to demolish the hospital her sister so desperately needs, but the salary he offers is the only way she’ll be able to afford her sister’s surgery.  The moment Farah meets Keller she realizes her most daunting task isn’t typing, spreadsheets or organizing travel arrangements, but fighting the growing attraction toward a man whose ruthlessness is legendary in the boardroom as well as the bedroom.

Determined not to end up in a disastrous marriage like his divorced parents, Keller believes all relationships should have a shelf life of sixth months or less.  But when he meets Farah, all bets are off.  He not only wants her to continue as his personal assistant, but his own private bed warmer.  Unfortunately, his offer of an affair doesn’t sit well with her fairytale dreams or the strangled hold gripping his heart.

These damn shoes would be the death of her. She could read the headlines now: Penniless P.A. Falls to her Death while on Job Interview.

Almost to her destination, with no more mishaps, her confidence surfaced. Okay, maybe mastering this heel thing wouldn’t be such a big deal. Her steps became light, almost bouncy.

Although she sensed Keller Donovan behind her, she didn’t let it deter her feeling of success. She stepped onto the large black and red area rug, less than ten feet from her target. The leather chairs.

“Oh!” Farah’s spiky heel caught on the edge of the expensive rug. Her legs shook and she shot her arms out from her sides, circling them like a bird about to take flight. She fought to regain balance inside the ridiculous stilts strapped to her feet. A brawl to the death. Over when she looked down to see the rug coming up to kiss her face. She threw out her hands, sucked in a breath and closed her eyes, scrunching her face as she prepared for impact.

But nothing happened. There were stars all right, and a blazing jolt of electricity shot from her toes, up her legs, through her body and exited with the small gasp that escaped her lips. Somehow Keller Donovan had grabbed her around the waist before she met the floor.

Heat burned her cheeks. He may have saved her body from bruises, but her ego, and whatever confidence she’d walked in with had shattered.

“Let’s not have an accident before your health benefits kick in.” His breath tickled her ear from behind. Chills hugged her backbone.

His touch released an unsettling flutter in her abdomen. She sucked in her stomach from the pressure of his strong arms wrapped around her middle, afraid to breathe.

Christine Warner is living her dream in rural Michigan along with her husband, three children, one laptop and a much loved assortment of furry friends.

Thanks to her older sister, Christine learned to read and write before kindergarten and from there her love of books grew.  She still owns the first book she ever read, a tattered and well loved edition of The Kitten Twins.

Besides laughing and a good round of humor, she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, reading, writing, but please—no arithmitic.  A confessed people watcher, she finds inspiration for her stories in everyday activities.  She admits to having a future stories folder bursting at the seams, the trouble is trying to decide which story to start next.  She loves to read and write romance about strong heroes and determined, sometimes sassy, heroines.  And she has a fascination with true crime novels as well.

A girl gone wild, at least where social media is concerned, she enjoys meeting other avid readers and writers on facebook, twitter and her website at christine-warner.com.

Website / Facebook / Goodreads

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