Have you ever read a book and found yourself wondering what a given character would say if you had the chance to interview them?  Me too!  Fortunately, being an author, and fiction being what it is, I have found this is entirely possible.  In fact, I frequently interview my major characters before sitting down to write the first draft.  This interview with heroine Sunny Drysdale, however, was conducted after publishing my novel, Exploits.  I thought it might be fun to check in with Sunny, and get her perspective on events after they had played out.

Happy Reading!  Clara

An Interview with Sunny Drysdale:

If you had it to do all over again, would you do anything differently when you found Boyd’s body in your car?

It’s easy to think if you knew all your mistakes in life ahead of time, you could avoid them.  What’s not always immediately clear, however, is how avoiding those mistakes will change, not only the way events play out in your life, but who you become as a person because of them.  Growth is a result of trial and error…of making mistakes and learning from them.  While deciding to try and return Boyd’s body to Darla was clearly the wrong decision, I really grew as a person, becoming more self-confident and courageous in the process.  More importantly, if I hadn’t been en route to Darla’s that fateful morning, I wouldn’t have come across Jeremy, stranded on the side of the road and in need of a lift…and might never have met the love of my life.  So, taking everything into account, I’d have to say no…I wouldn’t change a thing.

When did you first become aware of Darla Arnold’s negative/competitive feelings toward you?  

Shortly after attending her open house in Delray Beach, it became clear she, for whatever reason, really had it in for me.  I think it was only two weeks after that she began posting negative reviews of my books online and tagging me in her social media posts.  From there the animosity really escalated.  I was stunned and hurt when the harassment started, and did my usual crawl into my shell routine.  Now I’d be much more likely to call her out on the behavior…and take more proactive steps to try and stop it.

Have you heard anything from Darla since your rescue from the cave? 

She sent me e-mail a few days after our rescue, complaining about how Jeremy and I were hogging the limelight.  I did mention to Lila Goodwell that she might want to interview Darla also, but that suggestion was not well received.  Apparently, something went on between them that really upset Lila.  I’m not sure what it was, and frankly, I’m glad not to be a part of it.  Anyway, she did say thank you for saving her life, and shortly after that she started dating Armani, at which point I stopped hearing from her.  I think she’s happy now…at least, I hope she is.

Tell me about Lou Narducci. Did you expect to find him funny?  Are you still in touch? 

Oh gosh…I never expected to find him funny…or even human really.  I think my writer’s imagination had built him up to be some terrific monster…like a one-eyed Cyclops or something.  Discovering that was, in fact, funny…and just a human being like anyone else surprised me.  Although as a writer, I should have known better.  After all, that’s always something I’m trying to portray when writing the villains in my books, that they are real people.  As for being in touch with Lou, yes, I write to him in prison, (he’s a little miffed his lawyer wasn’t able to get him off the hook), much to Jeremy’s chagrin.

Going back to the night you first saw Jeremy at Mindy and Earl’s wedding reception…what is the one word that comes first to mind?  

Destiny

How about when you saw him stranded on the side of the road the next morning? What one word would describe that encounter?    

Insanity

When did you first realize you loved Jeremy?

The romantic in me wants to say it was love at first sight…and it was probably close to that, however, I think in reality it was our second date when he drew me out of my shell and got me onto the dance floor.

When did you believe he loved you?

When he saved me from the cave and didn’t arrest me.

What’s next on the horizon for you? Any new books in the works?   

Haha!  Funny you should ask.  I’ve just started a time travel where Lady Elaine travels forward in time to present day.  Guess I wasn’t lying to Jeremy after all! 

Any news in the Jeremy department?

I’ll let you look at the ring on my left hand and answer that question for yourself.  We’re still working on a date.

Book Title:  Exploits

Category/Genre:   Mainstream Romantic Suspense

What would you do if someone left a dead body in the backseat of your car?

Publicity-shy author Sunny Drysdale is forced to find out. After bumping into celebrity impersonator Boyd Bradford at a wedding reception the night before, and seeing him leave with rival author Darla Arnold, Sunny knows exactly who to blame for his appearance in her car. She’s suffered countless dirty tricks at Darla’s hands, and Sunny is determined this one will be the last. Her plan to return the body to Darla is thwarted, however, when she is flagged down, corpse still in car, by handsome police Chief Jeremy Jennings.

How can you love someone if you can’t trust them?

Jeremy is torn by his attraction to Sunny. If life has taught him anything, it’s that relationships are a trap. Worse still, he has two main suspects in Boyd Bradford’s disappearance, and Sunny Drysdale is one of them. With counterfeit bills popping up all over town and Boyd rumored to be a mob hit, Sunny is either in way over her head, or a beautiful, but devious criminal. His head says she’s only using their romance to distract him. His heart is determined not to care. Telling himself his interest in Sunny is only about solving his case; Jeremy loses himself to the passion simmering between them.

Will these two ever be honest with one another, and give in to the desire tempting them both? Or is their romance doomed to a catastrophic end?

Bestselling romantic suspense author, Clara Grace Walker, writes about fictional worlds populated with characters living out soap opera style lives.  Expect sex, murder, and more than a little back-stabbing inside the pages of her books. Her debut series, Desire Never Dies, is comprised of three books, Gratification, Gossip and Redemption, all of which have made their mark on Amazon’s bestseller list.  People and circumstances are rarely what they seem in these stories, and getting to the truth can be a dangerous thrill-ride.  So hop on board and hang on by your fingertips as you read your way to Happily Ever After.

Currently, Clara is immersed in the romance, danger and intrigue of her four-book series, Sex and Secrets. The first book in the series,Exploits, was released in July . Learn more on her website.

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