Helena Fairfax

A long while ago I wrote a post on the rise of the geek as romantic hero, and I’m delighted to say that today’s guest, Chris Redding, has a whole series of nerd romances. I’m looking forward to checking them out!

Where do you live, Chris? New Jersey. I’d rather not get more specific than that.

Mum’s the word!

Where is your favourite place in the world? The South of France. It’s just so beautiful. I’d dreamed of seeing the Mediterranean since I was in high school. When I did finally see it, it was spectacular. I found the countryside and the whole vibe of the place to be really relaxed.

Oh, I love that area, too. I agree about the vibe, and Nice is magnifique!

Being a writer is a great job.  What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? I was a dumper for a newspaper. You take the classifieds from the computer and print them on photo paper. Then it had to go through this machine to be developed. Lots of nasty smelling chemicals and I’m amazed I didn’t birth two-headed children. It was a crap job with no respect.

Interesting. I’ve never heard of that job before.

What book do you wish you’d written? That’s hard to say. I don’t think that I would have written any book already published in the same way that the author did it. Or I could say anything that’s on the bestseller list so I’d be raking in that dough.

What’s your favourite song? I don’t have a favourite. I love so much music and listen to it when I write.

If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and what would you say to them? Julia Child and I’d have her teach me how to debone a chicken.

A useful skill.

What’s your happiest childhood memory? I was with my cousins outside of Pittsburgh and we stayed up all night outside in sleeping bags. There were 14 in that family and one of them was my age, Joel. We were inseparable when we were kids.

If you had to marry a fictional character, from film, television, or books, who would it be? Probably Jake from my book Incendiary. He’s just so sweet and sexy.

What’s the most important lesson life has taught you? Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. John Lennon had it right.

That’s a great lesson.

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

My latest book out today is A View to a Nerd.

Waking up next to a dead guy can ruin your whole day. When a wise-cracking interior decorator wants to put her past behind her, the dead body of the mayor’s son makes it pretty clear that won’t happen too easily. A conservative former computer geek for the FBI is holding on too tightly to his past. His wife died under suspicious circumstances and he believes the decorator has the information to solve the case. Unfortunately for him, she isn’t talking… until a series of events convinces her she needs protection especially when her biggest secret threatens to destroy both their lives.

This is book two in the Nerds Saving the World Series. Originally published as A View to a Kilt.

You can purchase it at Amazon. (Buy link forthcoming.)

The paperback will be out by the end of February and will be available everywhere.

Thanks for having me today.

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It’s been a pleasure, Chris! You can also find Chris on her blog, on Facebook or on Twitter.

If you’ve enjoyed Chris’s interview today, or have any questions or comments at all, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you!