CHARACTER INTERVIEW BY KAREN BOOTH

I have a special treat for you today, my lovelies! Women's Fiction author and fellow '80s music lover (Duran Duran rules!), Karen Booth, is stopping by Books by Banister to share an interview she did with sexy rock star Christopher Penman, the hero of her new novel. Enjoy this fun Q&A and don't be surprised if the charming Christopher steals your heart as he does Claire's in Bring Me Back.

KAREN: Well, Christopher, I never thought we’d be doing this. Are you ready to submit to my questions?

CHRISTOPHER: This is quite an odd arrangement, isn’t it? You asking me questions? Don’t you already know what I’m going to say?

KAREN: Believe it or not, I don’t. You seem to do whatever you like, when you like, and how you like it.

CHRISTOPHER: I wouldn’t have it any other way, my dear. I must say, you look fabulous today.

KAREN: Thank you. You look great too, but then again, you always look great. Just don’t think the compliment is going to make me go easy on you.

CHRISTOPHER: I would expect nothing less.

KAREN: I have to admit that I was a bit stumped about what to ask you. Because of that, I turned to some of your biggest fans and asked them for questions.

CHRISTOPHER: Female fans?

KAREN: Do you have any other kind?

CHRISTOPHER: No, I suppose there aren’t many blokes who fancy me. Carry on.

KAREN: We’re going to start with some music questions, then we’ll move on to Bring Me Back. What inspires you artistically?

CHRISTOPHER: It’s quite often the most random and seemingly insignificant things—a headline in a newspaper, the sound of bacon sizzling in a pan, a coin on the sidewalk. Just a look from a woman can inspire a song and it doesn’t have to be an adoring look. A few sideways sneers have worked their way into songs.

KAREN: Interesting. I’m not surprised you worked bacon into your answer, by the way. How do you handle writer’s block?

CHRISTOPHER: I don’t handle it at all. It’s profoundly frustrating, so I tend to become quite grumpy. Otherwise, I wait for it to pass.

KAREN: If you could go back and tell yourself something as a musician just about to hit it big, what would it be and why?

CHRISTOPHER: Hire a good accountant, beware of women whose names have unusual spellings, and remember that the ride won’t last forever.

KAREN: And the why part of the question?

CHRISTOPHER: The accountant is self-explanatory, be smart with your money or it’ll go up in smoke. The thing about women should be common sense, but you’d be surprised how many blokes in bands will go for the first lovely to shake her Bristols at him. Those are the women who end up being right daft. As far as the ride not lasting forever, it’s the truth. Unless you’re bloody Mick Jagger, you will eventually bear witness to your own decline.

KAREN: Great answer. Now I want to move on to the topic of Bring Me Back.

CHRISTOPHER: Your debut full-length novel.

KAREN: My baby. What was your favorite scene in the book?

CHRISTOPHER: Hmm. That’s a toughie. I think perhaps the scene that second night after I first go to visit Claire, when we sleep in the same bed platonically.

KAREN: Seriously? There’s no sex in that scene. You must have been frustrated at that point.

CHRISTOPHER: Yes and no. Physically, I was extremely frustrated. On a deeper level, I was incredibly happy. That was when I first knew that Claire really liked me.

KAREN: You actually doubted that? Don’t all women like you?

CHRISTOPHER: Not the way that she does. She showed an entirely different type of appreciation for me over that weekend and it felt wonderful. I’d never felt like that before. So, sure, we didn’t do much more than snogging, but it felt perfect. I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else in the world.

KAREN: Are there any scenes that you wish I hadn’t written?

CHRISTOPHER: I can’t say that there are. Are there scenes that are difficult for me? Absolutely. The argument that Claire and I have when she first comes to LA is quite hard on me. I already knew then that I was in love with her and I’d never really had a woman challenge me on the level that she did. She wasn’t willing to give up her anger and disappointment in me without a fight, but that’s part of what I love so much about her.

KAREN: That’s good to hear.

CHRISTOPHER: Why are you smiling?

KAREN: Because I like listening to you talk about Claire that way. It makes me happy.

CHRISTOPHER: That makes two of us, darling.

KAREN: Now I’m supposed to ask you if there’s anything you can dish about me. And, for the record, I really hope there isn’t.

CHRISTOPHER: Aha! How the tables have turned. Hmmm. Well, one thing that struck me when you were writing the book is how emotionally invested in it you were. You had us up at four in the bloody morning on most days because you just couldn’t stop. You were a woman possessed. And the crying? How many boxes of tissues do you think you went through?

KAREN: Too many to count.

CHRISTOPHER: Precisely. But it’s wonderful. It only showed Claire and I how much you care about us. Couldn’t be happier about that.

KAREN: Okay, you’re going to have to cut it out or I’m going to start crying and I have no tissues with me.

CHRISTOPHER: We don’t want that to happen.

KAREN: One more question, and this one is not from me. It’s also highly personal.

CHRISTOPHER: Fire away.

KAREN: Do you want to share the story of how you lost your virginity?

CHRISTOPHER: Who had the bollocks to ask that question?

KAREN: It was my friend, Sara.

CHRISTOPHER: Ah, Sara. That naughty little minx. Hmmm. Well, you tell Sara that she and I can go out for a pint and after I’ve loosened up a bit, I’ll tell her the story myself.

KAREN: That sounds perfect. Can I come along too?

CHRISTOPHER: Absolutely. I’m buying.

Author Bio:  

I am a Midwestern girl transplanted in the South, raised on 80s music, Judy Blume, and the films of John Hughes. An early preoccupation with rock 'n' roll led me to spend my twenties working my way from intern to executive in the music industry. Much of my writing revolves around the world of backstage passes and band dynamics.

My first full-length novel, "Bring Me Back", is a story I had in my head for nearly eight years before my fingers hit the keyboard. Sleeping and eating quickly became a luxury, a plan I have since dubbed the Writer's Diet. I channeled teenage memories of plastering my walls with posters to weave the tale of music journalist, Claire Abby, and the dreamy British rock-star crush of her youth, Christopher Penman. "Bring Me Back" is a work of women's fiction published by Turquoise Morning Press in ebook and trade paperback.

I have released three erotic romances through Ellora's Cave, including "Long-Distance Lovers" (co-authored with fellow Ellora's Cave and Turquoise Morning Press author Karen Stivali), "Love My Way", and "For Keeps". "Long-Distance Lovers" features adorable British musician Tim Wentworth and "Love My Way" stars super sexy and slightly geeky rock star Peter Barrett. "For Keeps" is an older woman/younger man story completely devoid of musicians, but Cooper Hale, a 28 year-old software entrepreneur, makes up for his lack of musical talents with quick wit and unforgettable boyish charm.

When I'm not creating fictional musicians, I'm listening to everything from old-school Cheap Trick to Duran Duran to Superchunk with my kids, honing my Southern cooking skills (I make some mean collards), or sweet-talking my astoundingly supportive husband into whipping up a batch of cocktails.

Book Blurb:

Music critic Claire Abby is a single mom dreading her daughter’s departure for college and worried that turning forty will leave her career running on fumes. She’s floored when she lands a Rolling Stone cover story on 80s British rock legend Christopher Penman. She spent her teenage years fantasizing he was her boyfriend.

In person, Christopher is everything Claire feared he’d be—charming, witty and unwilling to address the rumors he’s dodged for a decade. Still, she contains her adolescent fantasies and manages to earn his trust, unearthing the truth and the devastating secret behind it.  His blockbuster story is her first priority when she returns home, a nearly impossible task when Christopher starts calling and flirting. She knows she should maintain a professional distance. She knows she should focus on the story. She knows it would be best to simply walk away. But how can she say “no” to the man she could never forget?

“Fast-paced, sexy and altogether irresistible, Bring Me Back is made all the more appealing by Karen Booth’s inside knowledge of the music industry. A flat-out fabulous read!”–Celia Rivenbark, NYT Bestselling author

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