Hello everyone. Thanks for coming back to Dana Littlejohn’s blogspot! Today we have Jerri Ivory, from Releasing the Baggage, in the hot seat for a character interview. Thanks for coming by and talking to us today, Jerri.
No problem. I don’t mind doing public relation spots at all. Thanks for having me.
DLB: That’s great. So, Jerri, in essence, your story, Releasing the Baggage, is a romance murder-mystery kind of thing?
Yes, it shows how even though I am affected by the craziness going on in your life I can’t let it stop me from taking care of the everyday challenges.
DLB: A real tragedy took place at your firm recently, didn’t it? Could you give us the scoop.
I usually make it my business to stay out of the rumor mill, but it I heard that my boss, Mr. Townsend, was cheating on his wife. According to the mill she came by one night after closing and stabbed him with his letter opener! The other partners were appalled that he would let his personal life leak into his business life. They were looking for another partner before he was even put to rest.
DLB: Wow. That's some real drama. I hear also there are also two hotties that are interested in you, during this story, Felix Sanchez and Detective Campbell.
When I was introduced to Felix I was attracted to him immediately, but he was Linda’s friend. That’s how I saw him and where he was going to stay. When Detective Campbell came on the scene he was very handsome and very available. I could tell he was interested in me and I saw no harm in getting to know him, but I was under investigation. Nothing could happen until I was cleared and the case was closed so we were at a standstill personally.
DLB: One of the other partners asked for a favor. He gave you a case and it turned out to be a nasty settlement. Care to share a little about that?
Working for another lawyer is never easy or fun, but Kimberly Davies turned out to be a complete nightmare! She was arrogant, rude, disrespectful and downright nasty to people for no reason. I handled her case as quickly as I could and was very glad to be rid of her when it was over.
DLB: You lead such a busy life as a lawyer, do you have time to develop and nurture a love relationship?
In truth, no I don’t.
DLB: How long has it been since you've "been with someone?"
Wow, I wasn’t expecting such a direct question about my love life, but I did agree to be candid so… It has been almost three years since I slept with a man.
DLB: After such a long struggle to stay away from men, have you finally dropped your guard enough to meet someone?
I think it was more like my friend Linda destroyed my firewall, pried open my defenses and shoved Felix inside them. LOL She felt we would be good together.
DLB: Is it fair to say that there was something special about Felix and your instant connection was not the result of a low resistance?
Felix is definitely someone special. The feelings that his presence creates in me is almost overwhelming.
DLB: Well, this has been a very informative interview, Jerri. I hope all works out well for you at the end of your story.
Hey no problem. I like doing these things and if I’m in a sequel I will be sure to let you know.
DLB: I will keep that in mind. Thank you, lovely readers, for coming by and checking out Jerri Ivory’s interview. We can only hope that it sparked enough interest to buy the book. Releasing the Baggage on October 25, 2011 at Secret Cravings Publishing!
Blurb:
Jerri Ivory was over divorce cases, but when your boss asks you to do him a favor... During the important case, her boss is killed and she becomes a suspect all while she is trying to get to know Felix, a man her friend Linda hooked her up with. With all the chaos and mayhem going on in her life, can Felix slow her down long enough to show her they were meant to be?
Excerpt:
Jerri smiled and relaxed in her chair. “This is nice restaurant. I’ve never been here before. Have you?”
“No. I had no clue where we should go, so I Googled for a good place for a first date. This place came up with four stars for ambiance and four stars for food.”
“That’s great. We can experience it together.” The waitress came to take their order. Jerri waited for her to leave before continuing their conversation. “So, you said you haven’t been in a relationship in a long time. Does that mean you haven’t dated since your divorce?”
“Yes, but what I meant was I haven’t had a relationship since before my wife, but, that is also true. I haven’t dated since the divorce either.”
“Oh. Are you and your wife still friends?”
“I wouldn’t go as far as saying friends, but I wouldn’t call her my enemy.”
“So, what happened . . . if you don’t mind me asking?”
He hesitated.
“If you don’t want to talk about it, I completely understand,” she rushed out. “In fact, forget I even brought it up. God, I suck at this. I’m sorry. That’s not really first-date conversation, is it? I don’t know what I was—”
Felix waved his hand. “No, no, it’s okay. I was actually just wondering myself what happened.”
“Oh.”
The conversation paused when their food was delivered.
“I guess what really happened was we just grew apart. That’s the only thing I can think of. I didn’t know it at the time, but we had different agendas and were on different paths from the start. She didn’t want to do the work it takes to bridge the gaps.”
“So, it was all her fault, huh?” she asked skeptically.
“No, I’m not saying that at all. It’s never one person’s fault when two people are involved in a relationship.”
“So, you believe a marriage is a fifty-fifty thing?”
“Actually, I think it’s more like one hundred-one hundred. Each person should bring one hundred percent into their marriage, not fifty percent.”
Jerri sat quietly eating for a while contemplating his words. “Hmm, you sound like you didn’t want the divorce, Felix,” she finally asked.
“I didn’t.”
Her head snapped up. “You didn’t?”
“No, I don’t think you get married to get divorced. It’s supposed to be ‘until death do you part.’ I was willing to work on it, but she wanted out.”
She nodded and pushed her plate back. “Do you still love her?” She reached for her glass and, not realizing it was empty, brought it to her lips.
He chuckled at the look on her face when she realized it was empty and refilled it for her. “No, I don’t. I don’t think I had for a long time before she asked for the divorce.”
Jerri sipped her drink. “So, I guess that kind of makes you a little bitter toward the whole marriage thing, huh?”
He shook his head. “Absolutely not. She hasn’t poisoned me toward getting married again at all. I still think it’s a beautiful thing. As long as it’s with the right person,” he added. “She obviously was not the right person for me, and I wasn’t for her.”
“I’ve been privy to a lot of divorces—some decent, most not—and the one thing all those people have in common is none of them took their marriage seriously anymore.” She shrugged. “I don’t know, the whole thing has kind of soured me a little to the whole idea.”
Felix reached across the table and covered her hand with his. “I still take it seriously. Perhaps all you need is some positive relationships to combat some of that negativity you’ve been exposed to.”
Over the candlelight, their eyes met in a hypnotic trance. The same feeling had come over her when he held her as they danced that slow, sexy salsa dance. Something deep within the depths of those sultry honey colored eyes called to her. Jerri felt like she was falling, losing herself within those sensual golden pools. She tried to speak, but her mouth and her brain had momentarily lost disconnection. Her body was leaning across to him and he was doing the same. The sudden clank of the plates crashing into each other as the waitress came to remove the dishes brought her back to reality, making her aware of her surroundings. She chuckled away her embarrassment and sat back in her chair.
“So, Felix, are you always this charming or is this a ploy to get into my panties?” she asked playfully.
His blush was instant as he tried to laugh it away. “Charming? No, I’m just being me, but if you find that charming, then I’ll take whatever extras come with it.”
“I don’t know, Felix, you might not want to get into my panties,” Jerri said jokingly. “To push past the coohie cobwebs would be a hell of a workout, even for someone in as great a shape as you are.”
Confusion settled on his handsome features as he absorbed what she said, and then he burst into fits of laughter. “I don’t think I’ve heard that particular metaphor for abstinence before.”
Jerri nodded and picked up her glass again. “Well, unfortunately my friends keep me updated on such things.”
“Well, I think we’re in the same boat, then, Jerri. It’s been a long time since I had sex, too, years, in fact.”
“So, I guess that makes us both second-time virgins, huh? It’ll be like starting all over again if we ever hooked up.”
“Yeah, I guess it would be.”
Their eyes met over the candlelight again. An entire conversation passed between them without a single word being said aloud. Each one understood exactly what the other wanted and needed. Felix was the first to break the heavy, sexually charged silence.
“Check, please!”
