This month, I welcome the wonderful and talented Christine d’Abo to my blog.
Christine is a fellow Toronto Romance Writers member, and her latest book Gilded Hearts released on January 7, 2014.

Welcome Christine. Please tell us about yourself.
My name is Christine. I’m 5’10” tall with dyed hair and hazel eyes. I like long walks on the beach…err. Not that kind of description? Oh, okay.

I’ve been published for the past eight years, though like most authors, I’ve been writing for a lot longer than that. I first started seriously writing when I was home on maternity leave with my second daughter. We’ just moved to Virginia Beach from Canada, and I was feeling a bit out of my element. Writing gave me a way to ground myself and survive being a stay at home mom.

I got my start in erotic romance, but I have tried my hand at writing science fiction, historical romance and straight mystery. However, I always seem to come back to romance. Not only do I love the promise of the happy ending for my characters, I love the way that the community of authors and readers that come together. (What Christine didn’t mention is that she has over two dozen novels and novellas published. That’s a lot of work in eight years!!)

Do you have a process for coming up with character names and book titles?
Character names are the fun phase of planning out a book. I normally will spend some time on Babynames.com looking at the meanings and trying to find one that fits with the personality that I’m going for. I also look to make sure that the hero and heroine’s names balance one another, while not reusing a name from one of my previous books. It can be a challenge sometimes!

Tell everyone about your current book (which admittedly I haven’t finished. I started reading it on my Kindle just before I lent my e-reader to a friend.)
Gilded Hearts is a different type of book from my previous ones. First off, it’s not erotic romance, which has been a staple of my writing career for a number of years now. I was looking for a change and had a great idea about setting a story in an alternative London. That world is comprised of different guilds that wield great political power, and futuristic technology.

The story is set around the Jack the Ripper murders, which is a big personal interest of mine. I wanted to find a way that would explain not only the killings, but also their sudden stop. But placing him in the world of the Archives, I was able to do that.

Sounds exciting. How about a blurb for my readers?
FIRST LOVE IS NEVER FORGOTTEN

Piper Smith is an Archivist, one who extracts memories from the dead-and her first job is more difficult than she ever imagined. Not only is her subject the victim of murder, but the first man to arrive on the scene is the last man she ever expected to see again: handsome, tormented, and devilishly sexy Samuel Hawkins. Years ago, he fled the Archivists’ Guild unceremoniously, leaving behind both unanswered questions . . . and Piper’s aching heart.

Sergeant Samuel Hawkins of the King’s Sentry can hardly believe the strong, beautiful woman before him is the same shy girl he once knew. His instincts scream to hold her, to kiss her, and to make amends for disappearing from the Archives-and her life. Yet when Piper’s extraction of the victim’s memories reveals something unsettling, the line between ally and enemy suddenly begins to blur. And the question becomes whether their fragile love will blossom or fade like a distant memory.

Buy Links
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CO7GH22
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gilded-hearts-christine-dabo/1115250980?ean=9781455550500
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/ebook/gilded-hearts-1

OK, quick quiz before you disappear…
• Desert island book or movie?
Just one?? I would grab anything I could by Mary Balogh. I don’t think there is a book of hers that I haven’t enjoyed.
• Favorite meal?
No laughing, but when I’m going for comfort food my favourite is runny eggs on toast with lots of butter. (Sorry, I laughed.)
• Pet peeve?
Even though I’m guilty of doing this myself, it drives me nuts when people just stop mid (Laughing again!)

Where can we find you on the web?
My website is http://www.christinedabo.com , where you can find out about my release schedule, backlist and current news. While I don’t have a blog, I love to chat on Twitter (@Christine_dAbo), post lots of craziness on Tumblr (http://christinedabo.tumblr.com) and I do have a Fan Page over on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Author.Christine.dAbo)

Thank you for stopping by Christine, and best of luck with Gilded Hearts.
Thank you for having me!!