Helena Fairfax

What a beautiful day to day! Me and my guest are sitting outside admiring my roses, which have finally come into bloom after a cold and rainy spring. They’re looking gorgeous, and their scent is so heady in the sun. A lovely setting to welcome romance author Kristen Ethridge!

Where do you live, Kristen? I live just outside of Dallas, Texas

We think it’s hot today here in northern England, but I expect it seems mild to you after Texas!

Where is your favourite place in the world? That’s a tough one. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to some wonderful places like London and Paris, but I think my favorite place is Cozumel, Mexico. I just love the beach there, and it’s a nice, quiet town. You can go to touristy places, but you can also get back in the heart of the city and get to know the people and have a really authentic experience. Plus, like I said, the beaches are gorgeous.

Cozumel sounds a wonderful place. I’d love to go to Mexico!

Being a writer is a great job. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? I have been very fortunate to have not had a bad job. I’ve worked for managers which have made situations very difficult, but I’ve truly enjoyed something about every job I’ve had.

That’s lovely to hear!

What book do you wish you’d written? Probably Gone with the Wind. There’s a reason why those are some of the most enduring characters in literature.

Great choice. Can you believe it’s the seventieth anniversary of the film this year? I watched it again recently, and Scarlett and Rhett are as fabulous as ever.

What’s your favourite song? Right now, we’re singing a LOT of the Frozen soundtrack in my house. My girls and I love to belt out Let it Go like we’re the stars of our own musical!

That sounds fab!

If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and what would you say to them? Jesus. I’d simply say “thank you.”

What’s your happiest childhood memory? I have lots of wonderful, simple memories from my childhood–picking carrots out of our backyard garden, going fishing with my dad and my grandpa, dancing around my back yard with Debbie Gibson playing loudly on my cassette player, playing in the sprinkler in the summer, and swinging on a swing in an apple tree at my grandparents’ summer place.

Magical memories :)

If you had to marry a fictional character, from film, television, or books, who would it be? I’m a big fan of Ryan Gosling’s character in The Notebook.

What’s the most important lesson life has taught you? Keep going. There’s always something good around the corner. No matter how tough a single day is, as long as it’s not your last day, something good can come from any situation.

And finally, please tell us about your latest book, where we can find it, and where we can find your blog/website

Well, my latest book, The Cupid Caper, is a contemporary romance novella set at Valentine’s. Here’s the description:

Sometimes you’ve got to take Cupid’s bow and arrow into your own hands.

Amanda Marsh is in love with love. As a high school English teacher, she is surrounded by poetry and classic literature, including the love stories written by her favorite author, Shakespeare. She knows she’ll never find anything as romantic as the stories that have stood the test of time, so she’s settled on having a crush on chemistry teacher Luke Baker from a far.

Luke Baker left his career as a research chemist behind to share a love of science with students. And he’s about to make his pet project a reality as the curriculum lead for the district’s new specialized science and technology academy. When a poem shows up on his desk drawing him into The Cupid Caper, the Valentine’s Day-themed dance and fundraiser for Skyview High School’s Student Council, Luke dismisses the whole thing as a silly game. But when he realizes that winning the grand prize in The Cupid Caper is the one way he can help a star student attend the new STEM Academy, he decides to play along.

Paired together, the English teacher and the chemistry teacher both realize The Cupid Caper is more than a game, but neither can tell the other their feelings are no joke. When an education in happily ever after is on the line, will a man whose life has been ruled by the scientific method and a woman who quotes sonnets miss the mark, or will Cupid’s arrow finally ring true?

Right now, you can find it exclusively on Amazon:The Cupid Caper

In a few more weeks, I’ll have a new book out, Lucky in Love. I’m getting really excited about this one because it will be my first story in the Holiday Hearts series that is a full-length book, not a novella. Here’s a sneak peek at the cover. :)

You can find me online at www.kristenethridge.com. I like to blog about my favorite things: food, family, faith, and fiction. And I love talking to readers on my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kristenethridgebooks. If you’re on Pinterest, I post over there some too: www.pinterest.com/kethridgebooks and I infrequently tweet (hey, I’m honest!) at www.twitter.com/kristenethridge

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Thanks so much for coming all the way from Dallas, Kristen. It’s been lovely having you! And I love the sound of The Cupid Caper. What a fun romance!

If you have any questions or comments for Kristen, please let us know. We’d love to hear from you!