Saturday, February 16, 2013

Mary Hughes - Edie and the CEO Interview


Edie Rowan is passionate about workers’ rights, wanting her Sixties protester grandparents to be proud of her. But championing the little guy gets her in trouble with sexy CEO Everett Kirk. Kirk is Mr. Ultra-Executive with his expensive hand-tailored suits and his eyes the steel blue of a finely tempered sword—but for the intriguing contradictions of his neat ponytail and square workman’s hands.

Edie’s latest disaster, a teambuilding exercise gone facepalm wrong, leads to a knockdown drag-out with rival manager Bethany “The B”—or add the “Itch”—Blondelle. The incident is the last straw for Kirk. He sends Edie to management camp and to her shock, announces he will drive her there himself. She wonders why he would want eighteen hours of enforced intimacy with her, even as she’s dazzled by his sparkling white smile and killer dimple.

Everett walks away from the confrontation with a headache. For years he has protected Edie from the fallout of her righteous crusading, but this may be the last time. A corporate backstabber is trying to eject Everett from his job. Even so, he’s looking forward to spending time on the drive with Edie, attracted to her sunny red curls, fiery personality and fine dark eyes.

Then a snowstorm forces them to seek shelter in an empty mountain cabin. Edie thinks she will take the lead in wilderness survival but Kirk proves more durable than his Italian loafers and silk sweater would suggest. The extended stay rubs them together in all sorts of ways, kindling emotional and physical flames. But when their corporate shells burn away, what secrets will be revealed?

Buy Link: Kindle

I’m really excited to have Mary Hughes stop by and answer some questions for me today, about Edie and the CEO. If you’re like me, you were laughing while reading the excerpt above. I’ve been told the rest of the book is just as funny and that you shouldn’t try to drink anything while reading it. Now, on to the interview.

Hi, Mary. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and answer some questions for me.

Thank you, Kim, for having me here today! Love your banner, by the way.

Thank you very much. Edie and the CEO is your first step into the Contemporary romance genre. For those who don’t know, you typically write paranormal romance. Did you find it easier or harder to write?

Easier by far. There’s no world building to do so there are fewer explanations dragging the story down.

I read an excerpt on your website for the book. It actually left me with my mouth open... Oh my gosh.. What was your inspiration for the book?

Thanks for the kind words. (Smiles) The short answer? The story is my own experience as a child of the 60s finding a job in the 80s & the humorous clash of hippies meeting the material world. Edie’s passionate about workers’ rights, which gets her in trouble with sexy CEO Everett Kirk.

The longer and more serious answer is that I was the youngest in my family, so was aware of the 60s (and early 70s) through my older sibs. It was a time of protest and change, of dreams and conflict and most of all environmental awareness and grassroots uprisings. But by the time I went for my computer degree in the 80s, that had about-faced to the world typified in Madonna’s “Material Girl”. I personally faced the struggle of my grassroots ideals versus feeding my family and getting ahead in my career. Just as Edie does in the story, I had to go through a lot of conflict to find the right balance.

What three things should we know about Edie and Everett?

-Edie is brash and crusading and cares deeply about her people.

-Everett is more complex, having weathered corporate infighting. But he wasn’t always a suit and has a number of secrets, including his discreetly siding with Edie in the employee-management corporate tug of war.

-Edie and Everett’s bickering is the squabbling friction before the physical flames ignite. (Big Smile)

What do you want readers to take away from the book, besides sore cheeks, because they laughed so hard?

You’re too kind! The best thing about writing is touching another person’s life. I feel that if my stories take readers away from their troubles for a little while, I’ve done my job. (Smile)

Thank you again Mary. I’m looking forward to reading this book and laughing very hard. I’ve already been warned to not drink anything, because my drink will end up on my Kindle or the floor. (Smile)

Thanks again, Kim.


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