Cate: Woot, it’s C.C. Koen joining the Halloween bash today. C.C.,
please tell us a little bit about yourself.
C.C.: Thank you Cate and
readers. I’m excited to participate in the CM author spotlight and holiday
celebration. I’ve been an educator for over twenty years and spent most of it
reading children’s books. Now I use my free time to read romance, mystery, and
suspense. Writing romance is a new venture and an immense challenge for
me. I get to apply the writing experience I gained in education with my love of
romance stories. Who would have thought teaching and romance would make such a
great combination.
Cate: What do you love most about Halloween?
C.C.: Halloween has to be the
coolest time of the year ever. There’s no stress associated with it like other
holidays or celebrations. Except I guess if you forget to buy candy or don’t have
enough, then that can be cause for panic.
I have always loved Halloween and seeing the costumes evolve over time.
You can always tell which movies are popular and which have long-standing
impact. The other great thing about Halloween is that adults can dress up too, have
just as much fun as the kids, and no one looks at you funny. Ha! I guess that
depends on what you chose for your costume.
Cate: Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past?
C.C.: Well…this is going to sound so awful. Readers will think I was a
juvenile delinquent, but I’ll share the story any way. I have an older brother
and sister, by five and seven years, and we used to go trick or treating
together. In the 70’s (also dating myself), making homemade candles was a huge
fad. My sister loved it. BUT, we use to take the large wax blocks from the kits
she had and WAX neighbors’ car windows. Yeah, I know, total delinquent.
No, we were never caught, but we came close a few times. The things
kids do, right?
Cate: Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain?
C.C.: Yes, there have been
several throughout my childhood. Again, as kids we (my brother, sister and I)
were pretty superstitious. When I was younger I recall an instance where we
were sitting in the living room talking about spirits and ghosts. While we were
sharing scary stories, beliefs about spirits/ghosts, etc. the clock on the wall
came crashing down onto the end table, shattering into pieces. The clock had
been nailed to that same spot for probably ten years and there’d never been
an issue before. So yeah, that freaked us out.
Cate: What frightens you the most?
C.C.: I’d probably need to rank
order, because I have two:
1.
Fire
2.
Water, specifically drowning.
Then of course there are all the creepy crawlies like bugs, reptiles,
etc. J
Cate: Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own?
C.C.: Yes, when I was in
Gettysburg on vacation they hosted ghost tours. Very interesting. I have also
been on a tour in New Orleans, but it was more a gripe session than anything
else. I go on ghost tours for the historical value, not because I believe in
ghosts.
Cate: Any favorite Halloween recipes you’d care to share?
C.C.: I absolutely love POPCORN
BALLS. I couldn’t wait for Halloween each year so I could get them in my trick
or treat bag. The other great thing about having siblings was that we often
swapped our treats for items we liked the most. So, I always had the best
popcorn ball stash. I found a recipe for them online at allrecipes.com. No, I
have not tested it, so beware!
Popcorn Balls
Prep time: 10 minutes
Ready in: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Servings: 20
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup margarine
2 teaspoons cold water
2 5/8 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup marshmallows
5 quarts plain popped popcorn
DIRECTIONS
1. In a saucepan over
medium heat, combine the corn syrup, margarine, cold water, confectioners'
sugar and marshmallows. Heat and stir until the mixture comes to a boil.
Carefully combine the hot mixture with the popcorn, coating each kernel.
2. Grease hands with
vegetable shortening and quickly shape the coated popcorn into balls before it
cools. Wrap with cellophane or plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
Cate: Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it
online.
C.C.: My debut novel is:
INTENSITY
Available at Amazon and other retailers.
Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt?
C.C.: Blurb:
What would you do to improve
your life?
Twenty-one-year-old Serena Thomas is
faced with a tough decision. Unable to get ahead of debt and loneliness
since her grandmother’s death she finds a new job, placing the sheltered virgin
in an underground escort business. She tells herself it’s just a temporary life
choice, but destiny has a different plan. She meets a
mysterious and gorgeous man, who happens to be her new boss.
Will Serena fit in or will she be left all alone again?
Lincoln (aka: Linc) Jefferson has an
unusual life. He established The Lounge, an exclusive escort club for very
personal reasons. A place where the women say who, when, and what type of sex
they’re willing to have. The escorts possess all the power and the money. It’s
a business Linc guards at all costs. Trying to maintain the secrecy is a
constant challenge and one that’s tested when he enters into a relationship
with Serena. She tempts him unlike any woman, even though he’s surrounded by
beauty on a daily basis. The more time they spend together the harder it is for
him to keep his secrets. Will Serena stand by his side or will she abandon him?
Sparks and passion fly, taking these
two on a journey neither could have expected.
INTENSITY BUY LINKS
INTENSITY AMAZON PREORDER LINK
INTENSITY AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL PAGE
INTENSITY AMAZON UK PREORDER BUY LINK
INTENSITY BARNES & NOBLE PREORDER LINK
INTENSITY KOBO PREORDER LINK
INTENSITY SMASHWORDS PREORDER LINK:
Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme?
C.C.: Actually, the story
originated from a fantasy that came to me as I was driving to work. The story
kept evolving to the point I couldn’t sleep or eat, so I sat down and typed,
and typed, and typed. Three weeks later I had a complete manuscript, or at
least what I thought was complete. Over the next year and a half the story went
through countless revisions and changed immensely from the original, but the overall
theme ‘letting go of the past’ remained. It’s a story near and dear to my heart
and one I’m very proud of. Not only because I wrote it, but because I was able
to achieve a goal I never thought I could. *Fingers crossed* I hope readers
love the story as much as I do.
Cate: Anything else you’d like to share?
C.C.: I’d love to connect with
readers. You can reach me at the following links below. I have a Romance Blog
that I’d really like to have readers contribute to. The theme gives everyone an
opportunity to share their own love stories, book crushes, etc. I have monthly
topics posted for discussion along with my own experiences. It will give
everyone a chance to get to know me better too. Feel free to contribute as
often as you like. I’m a sucker for romance and since we all have stories to
tell, please share them. One of the topics you’ll find, First Kiss. We can all
relate to that, right?
WEBSITE: WWW.CCKOEN.COM
ROMANCE BLOG: C.C.CCKOEN.COM
FACEBOOK: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/CCKOENBOOKS
TWITTER: @AUTHORCCKOEN
GOODREADS: WWW.GOODREADS.COM/AUTHORCCKOEN
Cate: C.C. has a giveaway for you guys!
C.C.: I'll give away a signed paperback to a random commenter. Don't forget to leave your email address!
Cate: Thanks for being part of
the party, C.C.! Hope you have a spooktacular Halloween.
