Romantic Suspense, Anyone?

Today my guest is romantic suspense author Chris Redding with an excerpt from her book The Drinking Game. Try it--you'll like it!

My son is an aspiring filmmaker. We often talk about directors and actors. We see movies together. It’s a love we share. It’s nice that at 16 he will still share this with me.

He gave me the inspiration for this blog post. If one of my books was made into a movie, who would act in it and who would direct?

Christopher Nolan is my son’s favorite director. I’ve watched Inception and Prestige with my son and loved them. So I guess he’s my favorite director also. His movies all have multiple layers which I enjoy. My brain just works that way.

I decided to pick The Drinking Game. It’s out on Kindle and print on Amazon right now. Go buy it. I’ll wait.

(Hums)

Got it. Good. You’ll find it is a thriller with many layers to it. Like I said, it’s how my brain works.

So if The Drinking Game was made into a movie, I would have Christopher Nolan direct it. Hands down. I think he could do justice to it. He might even make it better than the book which I think very few movies are.

For my hero, Sean Gaudette, Christian Bale would be my first choice. Having seen him in a few movies, I find him extremely talented. I think he could capture the darkness of Sean.

For my heroine, well, this was a tougher choice. Jennifer O’Grady is a redhead and there are fewer of those. She’s prissy and statuesque. Nicole Kidman would be too mature. Amy Adams isn’t tall, but she probably could play the part successfully.

All set. Now I just have to wait for Hollywood to come calling.

The Drinking Game

Excerpt:

Sean wrenched the wheel of his police-issue sedan and had to slam on the breaks when the car in front of him stopped short. “Wouldn’t want to ram that Porsche.” His insurance rates would double.

The car moved and Sean followed it up another floor. It pulled into the spot reserved for the Prosecutor’s Office. Stunned, he stared at the taillights from a moment.

“What the—”

He jammed the stick into “park” and flew out of the car. A redhead with legs up to her neck disembarked, and when she saw him, her hand went to her purse. Planting a hand on his hip, he made sure she could see his gun under his arm. “That’s reserved parking.”

Closing the door, she turned to face him fully, obviously not impressed by his sidearm. “I know. I have business with that office.” Her gaze never wavered and he wondered briefly if she was a cop. Her flat shoes that only a nun would wear, combined with the crisp peach suit, didn’t convince him. Probably a shrink.

“You still can’t park there.”

She made an obvious look past him and pointed. “There’s a spot opening up behind you.”

A car started and he looked where she indicated. Sure enough, someone was pulling out. Maybe on a normal day, he’d let it pass. Unfortunately for the redhead that he’d consider taking to bed, this was not a normal day. He’d found his partner dead last night. Only caffeine kept him upright at the moment.

To top it off, his boss didn’t want him on a crime scene he should work, because he was the best.

His gaze swung back to her. She locked her car and dropped her keys into a black leather briefcase. “Problem solved,” she said and flashed him a practiced smile.

“No, it’s not.” She had torqued him now.

The smile fell off of her face and she visibly stiffened.

“You still parked where you shouldn’t have,” Sean said and took a step toward her. His height of just over six feet usually intimidated people. Standing only inches shorter then he was, she remained nonplussed.

But he wasn’t ready to let it go. “What do you want at the Prosecutor’s Office?”

Her lips formed a straight line before she said, “That’s none of your business.”

Sean hitched up his pants, then wondered why men thought that macho. Instead he fixed his gaze even more securely on her dazzling green eyes. He bet she charmed her way out of lots of speeding tickets with those eyes. She didn’t blink. She didn’t even try to flirt with him, as if she knew she was in the right. Arrogant bitch.

“If you’re done with your macho posturing, I have someone to see.”

Shoulders squared, she brushed past him to the elevator. He stared at her back in disbelief. Had she just dismissed him?

Screeching into the parking place, Sean locked the car and hurried to catch up with her. He stepped onto the elevator with her.

Her gaze took him in, but she showed no reaction. He probably was a sight with hollow eyes and a caffeine buzz going. He straightened his tie.

“Since you obviously work for the Prosecutor, maybe you could help me.”

“Help?” He leaned belligerently against the wall. This chick has balls. “Why should I help you?”

“The words ‘To serve and protect’ come to mind.”

He whistled. “Next you’re going to give me the speech about how you pay my salary.”

Author Chris Redding

She brushed a hair out of her face with one creamy white hand. “Hardly, since I don’t live here. I don’t pay taxes here, therefore not your salary.” She waved a hand. “Never mind. I’ll find him on my own,” she said and turned to the front of the elevator.

There’s that dismissal again, as if people followed her orders without question.

A long, thin nose complemented her profile. Reddish blond hair seemed to go in all directions out of her hair band. She stood with her pink lips pressed together, maybe afraid of what words would escape from them.

“Who?” Sean asked, his curiosity getting the best of him. What business could a looker like this have at his office? And could he get her phone number? Might be an interesting challenge to see this woman lose it while underneath him. A delicious chill went through him.

Not his usual type, mind you. This lady was a tall glass of water. Sean preferred shots, easily consumed and just as easily forgotten. He’d be too curious as to what she looked like the next morning to slink out in the middle of the night.

Her head turned back to him. “Who?”

“Who are you looking for?”

She looked him up and down as if deciding if he really wanted to help. Taking a piece of paper that had been folded in exact fourths out of her pocket, she opened it and scanned the words. “His name is Detective Sean Gaudette.”

He stared at her as the doors opened onto the ground floor of the parking deck. She put a long-fingered hand out to keep the door open. “Do you know him?”

He brushed past her then turned to look at her. “Lady, you’re looking at him.”

###

Chris Redding lives in New Jersey with her husband, two sons, one dog and three rabbits. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in Journalism. When she isn’t writing, she works part time for her local hospital.

Chris's next book, A View to a Kilt, is due in September from Echelon Press.

Chris Redding on the web:

www.chrisreddingauthor.com

http://chrisredddingauthor.blogspot.com

www.twitter.com/chrisredding

www.facebook.com/chrisreddingauthor