Interview with Christy Gissendaner

Today we are happy to have Christy Gissendaner with us, she will be talking about her book A Most Dangerous Affair and a little about herself and other works. Coffee Time wants to take this time to welcome Ms. Gissendaner! Welcome!

Hi Christy would you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Just a little bit? I can’t give you the whole story? LOL! Well, I’m a Southern gal, born and raised, who is constantly on the go. I shuffle my writing between a full-time job and a part-time gig as a Karaoke DJ. I also write under the pen name, Robin Danner, so you can imagine I stay pretty busy. I love dogs (I have 9) and consider myself the “Blackjack Queen”. That’s pretty much it, short and sweet.

Christy, I had the pleasure of reviewing A Most Dangerous Affair, and it was truly HOT! Can you tell us where your idea came from on this book?

Actually, I don’t know where it came from. When I started writing AMDA, I was a senior in college. I wanted a break from studying Organic Chemistry (arghh!), so I began to write instead. It basically flowed from there.

A Most Dangerous Affair is on the suspense side, is that a favorite to write? Or do you have a favorite genre to write?

AMDA is probably the closest to suspense that I’ve done and is definitely the most “serious”. I typically write comedies, which you will see a bit of in my upcoming release, especially with the token “old lady” character.

I noticed on your web site, that in 2002 is when you decided to start to get serious with your writing. Did something happen to push this decision?

Yes, it did. In 2002, I came to the end of a paperback historical and noticed a call for submissions from the publisher. I thought to myself, “Self, I can do this.” So I dusted off my year-old manuscript from college and sent it in.

Christy, you started something called, Behind the Muses, what exactly is that ?

It’s a group of 11 authors from various genres. We’ve each taken on the identity of a Greek Muse although we took the liberty of counting Mnemosyne (the mother) and Sappho among our ranks. I’m Thalia, the Muse of Comedy, of course. The BTM gals are great and I’m proud to announce that we’ve contracted a three book anthology with Triskelion for the original nine Muses. To find out more, you can visit www.behindthemuses.com.

What are you working on now Christy?

Whew, what am I not working on? 😉 At the moment, I’m working on an addition to Triskelion’s Still Sexy Ladies Guide series. It’s a paranormal, a genre which I’ve grown quite fond of recently. And here’s a bit of a scoop….dogs play a major role in this one!

Christy because you are living in the South, do you think where you live helps with inspiration?

Hmmm…this is a hard one. I love my hometown and I wouldn’t move for anything, but usually I base my stories in other cities that I’ve visited. Two of my favorites are Vegas and Atlanta, so the South does make an appearance sometimes.

What has changed the most, since you have become a published writer? Severe lack of free time! LOL! Actually what has changed the most is me. I used to be horribly shy, still am at times, but since I’ve become published I’ve broken out of my shell. Writing gives me confidence, I guess.

Do you have a routine for writing? Or just when the mood strikes?

I have a routine for virtually everything but writing. I try to write every Sunday, which is the only day I don’t have anything else to do. Any other time, I wait for the mood to strike. And I know I shouldn’t, but I also juggle several WIPs at a time. When I’m ready to write, I work on the one that matches my mood that day.

Christy, what is your favorite part of a story to write?

The End. 😉 No, seriously, my favorite part is dialogue, especially the fun, light-hearted banter I usually do. I’m a bit of a talker, so you’ll find my characters often are too.

What is the least favorite to write?

For some reason, endings give me fits. It’s that last, final sentence that I debate over, sometimes for hours. I’ll type, delete, type, delete, type until I finally land on something.

Congratulations Christy on A Most Dangerous Affair going mass market in August!  Are you excited about that?

Actually I think I’m still in shock. I saw AMDA listed on Amazon and one of the Muses told me, “Cool. Mass market.” It threw me for a loop for a moment. I looked again, blinked a couple times just to make sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me, then proceeded to email everyone I knew.

Christy, I know that authors really do not have much to say on their covers, would you as an author like to be able to choose the cover of your book?

I’d rather leave the cover to people who have artistic ability, since that’s one talent I lack. With Triskelion, we do get to give input on our covers, but I’m pretty much a “I’d like a hunk on the cover” kind of gal. With one of my Robin covers though, Beth Williamson (my co-author) and I had a tremendous amount of input. We worked hand in hand with April Martinez to create the artwork for Vixen Virgins. If you’d like to check it out, surf by www.robindanner.com.

Would you give us your web site address?

Sure! I just gave one for Robin, but you can find the real me, Christy, at www.christygissendaner.com.

Of all the books you have written, do you have a favorite?

I love them all, but if I had to choose I would say A Most Dangerous Affair, if only because it’s the first book I completed.

Christy; I noticed on your web site you had a few of your favorite authors listed, are you still a big reader?

Not nearly as much as I’d like to be! I’m wading through the stack of freebies from the RT Convention at the moment. And I recently ordered the final Bridgerton book from Julia Quinn. I think I might cry when I finish it. I’ve followed the series for seven years so it feels like I’m losing a friend.

Is there anything you would like to say to your readers?

Yes! Buy my book! 😉 I love to hear from my readers and I appreciate all the emails I’ve received.

Christy I really enjoyed chatting with and loved reading A Most Dangerous Affair, thank you so much!

Thank you, Wateena!

Another HOT interview with a HOT author!