A quickie with…Christine Darcas
Photo: www.christinedarcas.com
Christine Darcas is a freelance writer, novelist and Dancesport competitor. She is also the reigning Queen of Bling after blowing the competition away with her gorgeous ballroom dancing gown at the ARR Awards last month.
Christine has written two novels, Dancing Backwards in High Heels and Spinning Out, both of which draw on her experiences as a dancer.
BOOK GIVEAWAY: Christine is giving away a copy each of DANCING BACKWARDS IN HEELS and SPINNING OUT. For a chance to win, tell us what style of dance you find most romantic and why.
Some rules: Post your answer as a comment to this post. Multiple entries are fine. By entering, you give us permission to quote your entry in future blog posts and articles. The winner will receive one each of the titles listed above. Overseas readers are welcome to join in. The giveaway ends midnight on Saturday, April 23 AEST. Wandergurl, Decadence and I will pick our favourite answer. The winner must confirm their email address within one week after we announce the result on the blog.
Website: www.christinedarcas.com
Social networks: Goodreads
Genre: Women’s commercial fiction (but often referred to as Chick lit)
Latest release: Spinning Out
Where you do your best writing
Over breakfast at the Carpark Café in Camberwell, Victoria. It’s very weird, but I get into the creative zone there even when mums are nearby fussing with crying babies.
Favourite thing in your writing space
My cat. She sleeps in my inbox.
Best food and/or beverage to accompany a good read
A cup of tea and a buttered crumpet.
One thing you would never do in the name of research
Get naked. I thought about it for a minute when I was considering how to research a character who turned out to be a gigolo … but only for a minute. Okay, maybe two minutes.
How friends and family would describe you two days before a deadline
Reasonably calm, but I don’t work to as tight a deadline as other writers I know.
One book you’d save in an emergency and three words to describe it
Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon: clever, sexy and totally engaging.
Your life in a book—what would the title be? In which genre or category would it be shelved?
Actually, there was an autobiographical touch to the title of my first book—Dancing Backwards in High Heels. A lot of women do it, but that doesn’t make it easy. It would be shelved in women’s commercial fiction.
One book you loved as a child
Ozma of Oz by Frank L. Baum. She was so exotic and pretty and smart. I wanted to be her.
Describe yourself as the heroine of a romance novel
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, determined to contain her sensitive nature. Too often, it took them by surprise. With her wise cracks and boisterous laughter, they expected her to be bold. But boldness often fought her.
Best advice for surviving the zombie apocalypse
Surrender. Become one. It will put an end to any body issues you might have.
Favourite method of procrastination
Dancing!
Do you kill fairies?
Rarely—only when I worry that a character I really like might be killed off. That way I can brace myself!
SPINNING OUT
Hachette Livre | 9780733624964 (C format) | Excerpt
Ginny is not sure what she wants….New York or Melbourne? Career or love?
Ginny and Barb might be mother and daughter but as far as Ginny is concerned they are very different.
At thirty-three, Ginny has her own apartment in New York, a prestigious job in an advertising agency and an on-again/off-again romance with Simon. Ginny sees herself as a realist and resents her mother for allowing her to dream big as a child.
Things might have worked out … until Simon cheated on her, her boss fired her and emotionally burnt out Ginny decides to take a break. She doesn’t consider crossing the globe to visit a friend in Australia for three months running away. But then she meets Lachlan and is forced to choose between career or love, New York or Melbourne. Her mother and best friend have their opinions about what she should do but Ginny is determined to make her own way … not realising that everything she does is shaped by her lifelong insecurities.
Booktopia | Borders | Fishpond | Pages & Pages | Readings | Via author (autographed)
As part of Aussie Author Month, we’re running a series of Q&A-type posts featuring authors who write romance fiction or fiction with romantic elements. Each post will feature the same set of questions or prompts. We tried to make them fun and easy for the authors—and we hope you enjoy them, too!
Ballroom, not the competition type ballroom dancing that’s all glitz and sparkle, specifically a waltz. Holding each other so close you can almost feel the other’s heart beat, often barely moving to the music. It’s intimate!!
I’m going to go with Tango, I can’t tango to save my life, but it’s just so sexy, all that pent up emotion and restraint being expressed through the dancing. I still get a squee every time I watch Antonio Banderas and Katya Virshilas in Take The Lead. Their tango is the perfect example of two people who aren’t in love but you can believe that they are because it’s just so good.
Having been a dance teacher in another life, I would have to say Contemporary Dance. I just love the raw nature of it, and because it is so freeform, it’s a unique way of expressing the emotions and complexities of love. A well choreographed contemporary routine with a male and female is always compelling and magical to watch!
The most breath taking romantic dance for me, was Al Pacino playing the character of blind Slade, dancing with Gabrielle Anwar in Scent of a woman. I could feel the emotion – almost taste it – they were expressive, passionate, suggestive and of course romantic. I have heard ‘Por una cabeza’ played for the tango many times; however, this time it left me breathless. So for me, without question, the tango.
I’d have to agree with Cataluna and say ‘Tango’. It’s not just the incredibly seductive movements, the passion or the sexual overtones – it’s the stirring nature of the music and the unique rhythm. Oh, and those Latino men…
My partner and I started dating during Melbourne Comedy Festival six years ago. We were both doing shows and late at night we would find ourselves at the Festival Bar dancing badly and enthusiastically to 80s cover songs. I think it was the slow arm wave and body sway of New Romantic dancing (a la Duran Duran or Spandau Ballet) that really sealed our love.
Ballet…a slow pas de deux. two dancers in sync and expressing their feelings through movement and expressions.
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