It is my great pleasure and privilege to do this interview with my good friend and talented new author, Christine Ardigo. Thanks so much, Christine, for featuring on my blog. Her fabulous debut novel, Cheating to Survive, is now finally released.
When did you start writing?
About 2 years ago.
What’s the story behind your latest
book?
I had heard these radio shows where they caught men cheating on their
wives. Some of the poor wives begged their husbands to come back, asked what
they did wrong, and said “I still love you”. It was humiliating. I decided to
turn the tables on the husbands.
What is the greatest joy of writing
for you?
I love making up characters and scenes. It’s almost like lying about
events and getting away with it!
What are you working on next?
Book 2 in the series: Every 5 Years.
It takes you back in time to when it all began for lovers Heather & Nicolo.
When you’re not writing, how do you
spend your time?
I am a full time registered dietitian and personal trainer. I love weight
lifting and have done that since college. I also live by the phrase: Do something
every day that you fear. I’ve gone white-water rafting, rock-climbing outdoors
and jumped out of airplanes.
How do you approach cover design for
your books?
I popped on over to group on Facebook called Book Covers and Cover
Artists and every time I saw a cover I loved, It was from Kellie Dennis and Book Cover
and Design. (http://www.bookcoverbydesign.co.uk/) I knew she was the one for me and
never looked at another site.
Where did you grow up, and how did
this influence your writing?
I grew up on Long Island, New York and my books are all based there. I
have the beach, the bay, and the city all within a half hour away!
Do you remember the first story you
ever wrote?
Yup. I was obsessed with Nancy Drew mysteries so I wrote my own: Linda
Wells Mysteries. I wrote it in an old-battered, spiral notebook complete with
hand drawings! I was eleven-years old. I still have it.
What is your writing process?
I follow Larry Brooks - Story Engineering 8 Plot points. I write what has
to be in each plot point, and then fill in the blanks. (That’s the fun part!)
What do you read for pleasure?
Although I write Women’s Fiction & Contemporary Romance, I love books
like Hunger Games, or stories from Stephen King and Dean Koontz. I do love a
good romance though.
How much research goes into your
books, and how do you tackle that?
Most of it I make up but if I don’t know something, I Google it, ask
friends that have been in that situation or job, or even watch YouTube videos
to get a better idea of what a scene or character should look like. For
example, if I’m not sure what a four-year-old girl should be doing or saying, I
watch a video of one and then I can picture her.
Have you ever had writer’s block? How
do you deal with it?
Not yet. I usually get my best ideas driving to work. I have about a
40-minute commute. I will think of a scene, and then it comes to me as I drive.
The only problem is remembering it by the time I get to work and writing it
down. I’ve found myself writing things down on napkins in my car!
Describe a favourite scene in your
current novel?
It’s a scene with Catherine. I don’t want to give any spoilers away, but
her first encounter with her man, their first kiss, gives me Goosebumps every
time I read it.
What is the best comment you ever
received from a reader?
I love when people tell me my writing is so vivid, you actually feel like
you’re in the room experiencing it. But my favourite was someone that said:
“You got what you wanted. I finished the book and I can’t stop thinking about
it. I can’t get it out of my head. I keep thinking about certain scenes.”
What else do you have in store for
your readers?
All my books for now, will revolve around women having to make a
decision: Do they stay with the man they are currently with, or look for
someone that might be better.
Do you plan several books ahead or do
you work on one book at a time?
I do have 3 other books in mind, but I’m not revealing any secrets yet.
You’ll just have to stick around.
Book Synopsis
Can Cheating on Your Husband Bring
Unimaginable Pleasure or Completely Destroy Your World?
To her three daughters, Heather is a
fun-loving, silly mom. Her co-workers at Norlyn Plains Hospital think she has
it all, including a handsome lawyer husband.
But when a flirtatious new doctor chooses
Heather to spend his down time with, he reminds her of the man she regrettably
gave up so many years before. Each interaction breathes new life into her and
she gives in to the doctor’s seductions, threatening her fifteen-year marriage.
Her co-workers Victoria and Catherine, are
stunned by her actions, but when they see the positive transformation in
Heather, and question their own crumbling marriages, they wonder if she has the
right idea.
Can cheating on their husbands bring the
three of them happiness? Or will they be destroyed by the consequences?
Excerpt
Dr. Silvatri’s head sprang up. “You
mean if you and I were on a more personal level than it would be okay?”
“Of
course, yes, I mean no, I think it would be something that if you and I
were...” She squeezed her fist in
between her thighs. “Well, we couldn’t anyway.”
“Why
not?”
“We’re
both married.”
“Is
that a problem?”
Heather’s
heart pounded so furiously against her chest she felt dizzy. She stared at him
for a good fifteen seconds. “Your call,” she heaved out, her breathing rapid
now.
He no longer inched toward her.
Extensive thrusts propelled him across the room as if he had waited forever for
her to say those words. Right before his chair knocked into hers, Silvatri
leaped up, whipped it around in a half-circle and crashed back into it,
removing the obstructive backrest. He secured her cheekbones under his thumbs
and drew her lips in to his.
His juicy mouth smashed onto hers, biting and sucking,
like former lovers reunited. The feel of his powerful tongue against hers, was
exactly as she imagined. She drove back wanting to climb inside. Silvatri’s
right hand clutched the back of her head and clamped down on her hair.
They say it’s in his kiss, and it
was. Passionate and yearning, a deep desire concealed for months. There, in his
kiss, she felt it. Heather snagged it. A kiss. A tiny wish of hers, finally
granted and her life took on new meaning. One kiss and hope restored.
But in one swooping motion, he
removed his hands from her face, grabbed her ass and lifted Heather onto his
lap. Heather froze. Only a kiss. His mouth covered hers again, but with each
motion, she unraveled and let go. His commanding precedent erased the past
fifteen years of faithfulness she maintained with Lance. She wanted him, wanted
this.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. His
hands travelled from her ass, down her skirt and back up her legs. His thumbs
probed the tiny folds between her thigh and pelvic bones, teasing.
He
glided his hands to the underside of her skirt and cupped her bare ass. He
pulled away and they looked into each other’s eyes while their breaths poured
out in quick successions. “Wasn’t expecting that,” he panted.
She
smiled, hoping her face remained colorless. At least the thong she threw on
this morning redeemed her lifeless mommy apparel.
He
snapped up, hoisted her by her ass into the air like a small child, and took
two large strides over to the wall, pushing her against it. Silvatri released
her and then leaned in, rubbing his loose scrub pants against her body. She
questioned if he wore underwear as his erection hung down across his thigh. The
cucumber she cut for Rori’s snack yesterday entered her mind.
No.
Not now. No kids!
He
pulled away and staggered into the wall behind him, breathing as heavy as she.
“How private is this office?”
He
wouldn’t. Not here. Would he? Would she?
“No
one knows I’m in here.” He looked at the door. “It’s locked,” she continued,
“I’m the only one with the key.”
That’s
all he needed to hear.
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