We caught up with Christie Craig, author of the new romantic comedy
Divorced, Desperate and Deceived, to discuss macho heroes, the allure of men in
uniform and second chances...
Of the three members of the Divorced, Desperate, and Delicious club, two have married police officers, but Kathy isn't sure she wants a man in uniform. What do you think is the biggest appeal of law enforcement heroes?
Heroes--we all love them. Most everyone's definition of a hero is someone who is willing to put his life on the line for others. Police officers do that every time they go to work. I also know police officers have a tendency to be a bit macho. And most women like our men a tad macho. Okay, let me clarify that, we like our "fictional" men a tad macho. We want them to come on a little strong, be a little too confident, but always to be tamable. Yes, in my books, my heroes might suffer from that macho gene, but where it counts the most they put the women they love above all else. And that trait is something women love, in real life and in fiction.
Kathy is a strong, modern woman readers can relate to but her divorce left her insecure about her abilities to please a man. What inspired her character?
Kathy's character was inspired by divorced woman I've ever met, including myself. I'm not going to say that there aren't women out there who have never suffered from the lack of self-confidence, but I've never met one personally. Divorce hurts, it brings out insecurities, and regret. Marriage is hard, and in spite of the divorce statistics, most women saying "I do" see love as being forever. When that doesn't happen, the questions and the self-doubt can hit like a bad case of stomach flu. In most instances, only time and maybe another man who teaches us to believe in
ourselves again is the Pepto-Bismol that can cure that little problem.
Stan/Luke is not quite what he seems at first, but both he and Kathy have secrets they have never told anyone. What makes them the perfect couple?
If I didn't write romance novels, I'd either be a stand-up comedian or a match maker. I love pairing up couples. To me, what makes a couple perfect is common beliefs, morals, the ability to empathize with each other's most difficult life experiences, and the capability to tolerate each other's flaws. Both Kathy and Stan/Luke have been let down by someone they should have been able to trust. They share common goals, to have a family and to live a simple life, and they share an appreciation of laughter (which is a common trait in all my characters.) Because both of them understand how
easy it is to bury a painful secret, they can forgive each other the
unintentional lies and help each other learn to open up.
There are lots of action scenes in Divorced, Desperate and
Deceived-shootouts, car chases, stake outs. How do you keep a plot fast-paced and suspenseful while maintaining the strong romantic element?
Years ago, a well-known romance author (I can't remember who it was) recommended to all wanna-be romance authors that you stick a post-it note on your computer that says: It's about the romance, idiot! I don't have that post-it note on my computer anymore, but it is forever stuck to my mind. While I offer humor and suspense, I attempt to never forget that what my story is really about is the romance. The humor and the suspense is about
what happens as these two people fall, unceremoniously and unwillingly, nose first into love. My logo and sort of my promise to my readers is: Sexy, Suspenseful & Seriously Funny. And when I do my last polish on my manuscripts, I check to make sure that most of all my scenes deliver on that
promise.
The Divorced, Desperate and Delicious series features heroines who've had their hearts broken before but learn to open up to love again. What draws you to this second chance at love theme?
Ahh, second chances. The experts say we write what we know and in my case, it couldn't be truer. Married at sixteen, way too young, I found myself in a difficult and painful marriage for almost seven years. Divorced, scared and a single mother of a four year old, I found my own second chance in a man who showed me love was worth believing in, and who taught me to dream again.
He wasn't a cop, he didn't have those perfect abs like my heroes do-not that his was bad, mind you. While he was a tad macho, he wasn't flawless-not that my heroes are-but he was perfect for me in the same way my heroes are for my heroines. I think our 25th year anniversary is evidence of that.
Your books are a blend of comedy, romance and mystery. Which authors have most influenced your writing?
I think I've read every book Susan Elisabeth Phillips ever wrote. I'm a big fan of Jennifer Crusie, Janet Evanovich, and Rachel Gibson. All of these authors make me laugh, they make me care, and remind me that love really is what makes the world go around. And while at times it might make you
crazy, it's the best kind of crazy there is.
Where do you get your ideas? Have you ever done any memorable hands-on police academy-style research?
No, I've never taken a hands-on police academy class. However, I have what I call a "cop in my pocket" a sergeant at the Houston Police Department whoanswers all my police related questions. He's a great guy.
Where do I get my ideas? I sometimes tell people I go to the idea store and rummage through the clearance racks to find a jewel. Something different. Maybe even a bit like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, something no one else would think about taking home. But I just know if I add the right elements to this discarded idea, I can make it sparkle.
Another way I answer is to explain that the idea fairy flew by and
accidentally dropped something and I found the treasure stuck to the bottom of my tennis shoe like a piece of gum. You know that ABC gum that is so hard to get off? Well, sometimes it's as if some fallen idea gets stuck in my head, and my first reaction is, "Get outta here. There's a reason the idea fairy dropped your butt. You are a complete reject!" But the idea hangs on and on, until I begin to see the value in it.
Now, neither of those answers are lies. Because it sometimes feels just like that. But I suppose the answer closest to the truth would be that my ideas stem from a collage of experiences, events, and moments that make up my own life and drive my imagination. Yes, my life really is that crazy.
You co-authored The Everything Guide to Writing a Romance Novel; any advice for aspiring writers?
Never, ever give up. Never stop learning, reading, or believing in
yourself. It took me ten years from the time I started writing that my first novel came out. It took another twelve years before I sold my second. But the day I sold book two, I also sold four books. Perseverance is the key.
Can you give us a sneak peek at what you're working on next?
I have two things coming up next summer that I'm very excited about. One is a nonfiction book, Wild, Wicked & Wanton: 101 Ways to Love Like Your In a Romance Novel, co-written with Faye Hughes. It's a humorous, self-help relationship book that points out all the things women can learn about love from romance heroines. The premise came when Faye and I realized that there
would be less divorces if people spent as much time plotting their
relationships as a romance writer plots their books. Through the course of a novel, romance heroines have a tendency to learn from their mistakes, women can learn from them, too.
I'm also doing the final polish to my June 2010 release from Dorchester, Shut Up And Kiss Me. I can honestly tell you that I think it's the funniest book I've ever written. But along with the humor is a story with a lot of heart. Below is a peek at my short synopsis of next book.
Shut Up And Kiss Me
Shala Winters, photojournalist and tourism expert, is in the tiny freckle of a town, Precious, Texas to work, not to be wooed by the Chief of Police or the town's wacky and eccentric characters. Heck, she gave love a shot once and it shot back, leaving scars in its wake. So explain why Sky Gomez, the annoyingly sexy police chief makes her want to throw caution, her clothes, and her heart to the wind.
Welcome To Precious. . .
Sky's American Indian foster father insists Shala is Sky's soul mate and fate can get pissy when you fight it. Sky sure as heck wouldn't mind the mating part where Shala is concerned, but a guy with his past, he's not about to let anyone get close to his soul. Fate, which Sky honestly doesn't believe in, can just get pissy. But when someone is willing to kill to get Shala's camera, the mystery of why and who turns this tiny Texas town upside down. Out of the chaos come skunks, fire ants, old-fashion saloon fights, a couple of love triangles, and a murder. But as Sky attempts to deal with the lunacy and unravel the mystery, Shala manages to unravel his heart.
