A Fresh (or Frozen) Idea with Guest Blogger: Patricia Eimer

Welcome debut author Patricia Eimer to the Book Boost.

She's here to discuss how her story came to be in aisle three and here's what she had to say...



"Where Did That Idea Come From?"

Ever since I nervously announced to the world at large that Entangled Publishing was taking a chance on me and publishing my first novel – Luck of the Devil—that has been the second most asked question I’ve received. We won’t even talk about the first question which is “can you introduce me to your agent?” Short answer: I don’t have one.

Anyway, back to the secret of where Luck of the Devil came from. What brilliant flash of lightening struck my brain and beamed Faith Bettincourt into my head fully formed like her own reverse version of a Greek Goddess? Okay, lean closer. Real close. Not that close.

Here is the secret I’ve never shared with anyone else. She came to me in the grocery store. Yep. Frozen Food Aisle 3 am frozen pizza run. There I am, middle of the frozen pizzas watching this young woman in nurses scrubs who looked completely frazzled, wandering the store and arguing with someone on her cell phone. I don’t mean to pry but its 3 am and I’m a writer. Prying into other people’s stories and then changing them slightly to make them funny is what I do.

And I hear the words: “I don’t know what the Hell I’m going to cook? Why am I doing the cooking? Satan is your mother after all. Why don’t you cook her something? Then it might be good enough.”

And it just sort of resonated in my head. Who hasn’t had the family reunion from Hell? Or had their in-laws show up at the doorstep with a big smile and a heart full of “you’re not good enough for my precious darling son?” I know I live through it at least once a year. More if my in laws are feeling particularly spiteful.

We’ve all been there. Even if we don’t want to admit it. And that is when Faith Bettincourt wiggled into my brain and said “oh sista you have no idea.” Which lead to me sort of stealthily following the young woman in mid breakdown through the store. Because at that point she was Faith Bettincourt for me. Frizzy hair falling out of its ponytail. Nurses scrubs covered in gunk. Totally flustered. The Devil’s youngest daughter in all her glory. Right there in the middle of the grocery store.

Shortly afterwards I went on vacation and had way too much free time on my hands. And up piped Faith. Before the vacation was over I was hip deep in her life and dying to know more. But it all started because of my love of pepperoni at 3 am and one very frazzled young nurse.

To be fair, I did give her my mother in law approved easy cheese cake recipe. Who knows if it worked for her but it always gives mine something to cram in her mouth so she’s too busy to criticize me. Here it is if you want to try it.


Patricia Eimer’s No Bake, No Fuss, No Muss Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients:
1 premade graham cracker crust
1 box cream cheese, left out to soften
1 container of Cool Whip (this can be flavored of you want to change it up a bit. I’ve used both chocolate and the French Vanilla before in different variations)
1 cup of sugar
2 tsp of vanilla
1 bag of strawberry glaze
Chocolate sauce to taste

Directions:
Cut the cream cheese into chunks once it’s softened and toss in a bowl. Add the sugar and the vanilla extract. Then add the Cool Whip and beat with a mixer until smooth. Once the mix is smooth, slowly start adding in the strawberry glaze and continue mixing. Then add chocolate sauce to taste still mixing. Once the whole mixture is consistently mixed together pour into premade pie shell and cover with that plastic lid thing they always give you. Put it in the fridge, pour yourself a glass of wine, and complain about how much work you had to put into making gourmet deserts for your guests. Hope your spouse is impressed with your efforts. Demand that they do the dishes.


A Note from the Book Boost: Hey Patricia! I remember when you took one of my classes way back when (how's that apron working for you? ;-) I'm so proud of you for getting your book published and I simply cannot wait to read it. Wait, wasn't I supposed to get a personally autographed copy? I'm pretty sure that's homework for all my students (nudge nudge, wink wink). Your story above is too funny. Dare I ask about what prompted a pizza run at 3 a.m.?


Blurb:

Being the youngest daughter of the Devil isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The days of teenage rebellion and vows of chastity made just to tick off her father are over, and now all Faith Bettincourt wants is a nice, quiet life. Unfortunately, thanks to the unexpected arrival of her demonically-downsized sister, a ditzy succubus roommate, and dear old Dad himself, Faith’s plans for a relaxing vacation spent watching reruns go up in flames.

Now it’s all Faith can do to keep the family reunion from Hell (literally) under wraps, and the angelically-inclined hottie across the hall from realizing there’s something weird about his neighbor. And, thankfully, it’s working. Until an angelic stalker shows up in a bid to steal her powers and take over the world.

Forget watching reruns. With the way things are going, Faith will need the luck of the Devil just to survive until Monday.


Excerpt:

“You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?” Lisa and I stared in revulsion at the freshly dead body of my former boss lying on the carpet in his office, wearing nothing but plaid boxer shorts, a striped tie, and his white lab coat.

“Faith, I’m sorry. I was hungry.” She winced and shuffled her feet like a guilty child caught sneaking into the cookie jar. She waved her hand at me, like I should know how it is.
I did. That didn’t make the consequences any nicer if we were caught. In a hospital. With the dead body of the head of pediatric surgery.

“You were hungry?” I pushed a lock of curly blonde hair behind my left ear.

“I see a man, I eat his soul. That’s what I do. It’s not like I enjoyed it or anything. I mean, have you seen Harold?”

“That changes everything, obviously. People will understand. Not. What are we going to do with him?” Some days I wondered why I bothered keeping a human job. Oh, right. I was an adult who didn’t want any involvement in Dad’s evil schemes. I was capable of being a productive member of society, rather than leeching off the human race like some overgrown demonic tick. And I had bills to pay. Crap.

“Could we shove him in the closet?”

“No, the stench would give him away.” I’d done a twelve-hour shift as charge nurse on the pediatric ICU and I was too tired for this shit tonight. All I really wanted was a cold beer and some mindless television. But no, apparently I got to deal with a dead surgeon instead.

Hello, I’m Faith Bettincourt, and this is my life.

Want More Patricia?

Visit her website here: http://www.patriciaeimer.com/

Pick up your copy of her book today! Click here.