When it comes to my writing, I enjoy slipping little details
from my real life into the story. It may be a name for a character mentioned in
passing or somewhere the main character went that I’ve been to. They’re like
little Easter eggs that people in my life may recognize. Here are seven that I
slipped into Tempting Friendship.
Gerry the beer snob.
Okay, so my husband isn’t exactly a beer snob, but he likes
to try different beers and judge them. He would get along with Gerry great
because they could discuss the different flavors of beer and he could trust
Gerry to give him a good recommendation. Also, it’s a joke between hubby and I
that any spilled alcohol is alcohol abuse.
Grand Taqua Falls
GT Falls is a mash up of Grand Rapids, where I have family,
and Tahquamenon Falls which is a huge waterfall and tourist trap near me. Other
things in GT Falls that I pulled from real life is 28th Boulevard.
There’s a street in Grand Rapids called 28th Street and it’s so busy
that any construction has to be done at night. My grandma used to live on Hazel
Street, and my last job was on Spruce Street.
The Crown’s Inn
The restaurant is based on one I worked at called Weber’s
Rustic Inn, but Adira’s office is based on the office at my last job, Penny’s
Kitchen. It was tiny and cramped with a filing cabinet that had stuff piled on
it.
Rum and Light Coke
No, I’ve never heard of a customer saying this, but working
in restaurants since I was 18 I have heard some pretty weird requests. Like the
fish tastes too fishy. That did actually happen. Cajun spice is too spicy. A
friend once asked for pasta primavera without the veggies. That’s the point of
the dish. Otherwise, you’re just having alfredo. Then there’s the customers who
order an item and when you bring it out say, “I didn’t order that.” That one
happened a lot.
Quinn and Gerry
wanting to kick customers out.
That happened to me a lot during summer time. Restaurants
are crazy busy where I live then because of tourists, and after four hours of
non-stop cooking, you just want them all to GO AWAY. More than once I begged
waitresses to make it stop or to lock the door. If I was cranky, I’d swear
about customers.
Keane not wanting to
no-show.
You know what really sucks? When your coworker doesn’t show
up for their freaking shift! Yeah, there’s a reason Keane doesn’t do it because
I’ve had it happen to me countless times and would never dream of doing it to
another person. You’d think this would just happen with slackers, but no, I
once had a professionally trained chef no-show.
Quinn and Keane
I had real people in mind when I was imagining them.
Youtubers, Liana Kerzer and Jeff Holiday where kind of who I pictured when
writing. Of course, when it came to the cover, I couldn’t find a model with
long dread locks and no shirt, so I had to make do.
Other Easter eggs are Geralt is a reference to The Witcher
games, as is Witch Hunter 3, GTA, and Street Rage are references to real games.
I hoped you enjoyed learning about the Easter eggs I threw
in the story.
At first, Quinn isn’t impressed by Keane. He’s
cocky and has sex on the brain. The polar opposite of her. Despite their
differences, something blossoms between the two.
Never one to take things seriously, Keane is an incubus
coasting through life without a care. When he meets Quinn, her lack of reaction
to him piques his interest. No human has ever been able to resist him.
As Keane and Quinn struggle to understand what
is going on between them, something sinister rocks their world. Young incubi are
vanishing, and Keane's friends go missing. Someone is after his kind. When
Quinn is kidnapped, Keane must uncover who is behind the abductions and get to
her before it's too late.
Buy:
About the Author
Patricia never
set out to become a writer, and in fact, she never considered it an option during
high school and college. She was more of an art and band geek. Some stories are
meant to be told, and now she can't stop writing.
She
writes New Adult under the name Patricia Josephine and Young Adult under the
name Patricia Lynne.
Patricia lives with
her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small
petting zoo, and has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow.
Social Media Links:
My kids are really picky about their beer so I appreciate a character like Gerry. And people not showing up for work is the worst. Do any of these character remind you of anyone you know? Did you ever recognize a location in a story as somewhere you've been?
13 comments:
haha heard the alcohol abuse a time or too. How can fish taste too fishy? Always hear some weird things. Working them into a story can sure be fun.
This was great to read and I wish Patricia good luck with her book.
Yvonne.
Thanks for being a guest today, Patricia, and sharing all the 'fun' things about working in the service industry.
Grats to Patricia!
Thanks for having me. It was fun.
Well, some fish do have a more mild taste than others, but yeah, that was a ridiculous thing to hear.
Thanks, Loni.
Glad you enjoyed it. =)
Many congrats to Patricia! Was fun learning about the different real-life inspirations for Tempting Friendship...
Fish that has gotten too old is sometimes described as being “too fishy.” Still, that’s not what you want to hear when you are waiting tables.
Your story sounds like a great read!
Hi Susan and Patricia ... it does sound an enticing book to read ... especially re the restaurant business - good luck with it - cheers Hilary
Congrats on new release.
Good luck
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