Christine D’Abo had her debut with Ellora’s Cave in 2007, with the release of The Bond That Ties Us, Book 1 in the Eternal Bonds series. Praised for her “sexy-hot prose and deeply intriguing characters” by USA Today best-selling author Julianne MacLean, Christine has gone on to pen exciting, steamy romances for both Ellora’s Cave and Samhain that have quickly made her a reader favorite.
Chat with Christine! Christine d'Abo will be joining us on Sunday, June 14th from 7 to 10 pm eastern at the Sierra Dafoe readers club!
Sierra Dafoe: Christine, thanks for joining us this month! So to start with, tell us about the upcoming print release of All Bottled Up, your Samhain debut -- are you excited? When will that be coming out?
Christine D’Abo: Thanks for having me, Sierra! I really adored writing All Bottled Up, especially since I set part of it in Halifax. I was living there at the time and have grown quite attached to the city, it was nice to be able to share a small part of it with everyone. The print release is scheduled for November 1, 2009. Honestly, I can’t wait to get my hands on it--the cover is gorgeous!
Sierra: All Bottled Up is already available in ebook format from Samhain, and reviewers have been loving it! Coffee Time Romance says… “This is a fabulously fun and playfully erotic love story. Jerod and Viola are vivacious, full of life, and refreshingly normal. I especially love how the author develops Viola’s transformation in a purely natural way. She is someone we can all relate to, and her story is a real pleasure to read.” Tell us a little about the story!
Christine: We’ve all had those days when we look in the mirror and think, “Lord, why would anyone look at me twice.” It doesn’t matter if you are in a long term relationship or not, we all want someone to really take the time to look at us and see the spark of the beautiful everyone has. With All Bottled Up, I wanted to explore the power those feelings can have over a person, and the impact it can make when we take the time to look below the surface. And really, who can resist a genie story?
Sierra: How did it feel to get that first acceptance for The Bond That Ties Us from Ellora’s Cave?
Christine: I was in complete and utter shock. I’ve always written little stories, bits to amuse myself, but it took a long time for me to seriously consider writing a novel. I’d completed a historical first, and while I loved the story, it didn’t quite capture what I wanted as a writer. Then I sat down and penned The Bond That Ties Us—more for the challenge of seeing if I could pull off an erotic futuristic than anything else. I’d only submitted it to Ellora’s Cave with very little expectation that I’d sell it. When I got the email from my editor saying she wanted it, I was at work. The people around me wondered what had happened when I yelled out, “Oh my God!” before slapping my hand over my mouth. Needless to say, it’s been a fantastic ride since then.
Sierra: When you first wrote it, did you envision it as part of a series, or did the Eternal Bonds series develop as you went along?
Christine: Not in the least! My editor was the first to ask if I had any other books planned for the Eurus colony. I hadn’t even considered it until she put the bee in my ear. Then I started getting emails from readers asking for Sara’s story…and Taber’s story. Lots of people wanted to know about Taber, which I couldn’t believe. I’d only intended him to be a background character! But I really enjoyed writing in that universe and thought the other characters had interesting stories of their own. It really took on a life of its own at that point.
Sierra: Congratulations, by the way, on recently contracting your fourth book in the Eternal Bonds series, The Bond That Saves Us. When is it coming out, and can you give us any hints about it?
Christine: Thank you! I don’t have a release date yet, but I’m hoping it will be later this year. For those of you following the series, this is Sean’s book. I had to do his story last, as it took me this long to redeem him from his actions in The Bond That Ties Us. When we first meet him in The Bond That Saves Us, he is still a lonely man, who has given up on himself. It’s only when he meets Amy Bryson, a ship’s captain, does he realize he has something left to give. He has to help Amy get around a group of drug runners, while she attempts to pilot her ship in a race. Of course, sparks fly between them, encouraged on by Amy’s powerful pheromones.
Sierra: Are there any recurring themes you see in your stories? Ideas or motifs you find yourself returning to repeatedly?
Christine:
I’m very much a believer in redemption and forgiveness themes. There is something fundamentally powerful about watching people find a spark of goodness in the most difficult of situations. I feel it’s important to give people the benefit of the doubt, look beyond their actions to their intentions. It can say a lot more about an individual than words alone.
I also love playing with the idea of balancing opposites. Whether that is in personality traits, good vs. evil, or simply two sides of a problem, it’s interesting to see how people move from being passionate about a position, through to negotiating a compromise, or better yet, having to reevaluate their position entirely when faced with new information.
Sierra: In your view, what makes an erotic romance “come alive”? Both as a reader and a writer -- what makes a story really sing for you?
Christine: For me, it’s always been the reading between the lines during a love scene. Actions tend to only tell half the story. When I’m in the middle of a great erotic romance, I get pulled in by the character’s inner thoughts as they explore their relationship with the other person. The mind can be a very sexy thing.
Sierra: And what else do you have coming up?
Christine: I have several new projects underway. I’ve just finished up book one in a new paranormal series, and am also working on a new erotic futuristic novella. Hopefully, you’ll see them both soon.
Sierra: Finally, where can readers find out more about you and your books?
Christine: My website is always the best place to see what I have coming out next (www.christinedabo.com). I’m also an active blogger and have recently joined the ranks over at Twitter. You can find me at http://twitter.com/Christine_dAbo.
