Guest Blogger: Christine Warner

I'm very pleased to bring back the always a pleasure to have Christine Warner!  Christine is here to talk about an adventure...BLIND DATES *cue the drums for effect*

Take it away, Christine!





Thank you so much Nikki for inviting me to your blog and letting me take over!

Today I want to talk about rules regarding blind dates.  How come I think I’m an expert? Well, I don’t but I do have a bit of experience. Lol One, I met my hubs on a blind date. And, two…because my latest release—BACHELOR’S SPECIAL—starts out with a “not so blind” blind date between down-on-her-luck chef Jill Adgate, and sexy, billionaire extraordinaire Chet Caste—who has a few issues with trust and commitment.

Without giving any spoilers the blind date can’t be termed as such because in reality Jill and Chet met a year before. No names were exchanged, but an innocent—or not so innocent—kiss changed both of their lives.

Sparks fly the moment Chet realizes who Jill actually is while they are on their date. Before he thinks things through, he offers her sixty seconds to accept a deal of a lifetime. Will she or won’t she?

Teehee…all the titillating facts are in the book. So, I hope you’ll grab a copy and find out. Until then, here are a few rules to remember if anyone wants to set you up on a blind date.

And, just for kicks…please share in the comments if you’ve ever agreed to a blind date and would you do it again? And more importantly, if you think I’ve missed something in my list of rules….please share 

Rule 1: Feel free to say no thank you. If you don’t have the desire to go on a blind date, then say no. There should be no hard feelings because generally blind dates are arranged between friends. But—and of course there has to be one because I am a mother after all…lol—remember, you might not make a love connection, but you could very well make a new friend. What do you have to lose?
Rule 2: Help with the planning. Make sure you get some input on the where and when your date will take place. You don’t have to agree to everything that your CUPID is setting up. Choose a place, time, and activity that is comfortable for you.
Rule 3: Choose a place where you can have conversation.  You definitely don’t want to see a movie on a blind date. I can already feel the tension on this one. You don’t know each other well, it’s only normal you aren’t going to want to sit inches apart in dark room filled with other strangers. Awkward. Make it public…and someplace well lit—someplace you can have conversation…meet over coffee, a meal, a walk in the park—you can swing on the swings, play Frisbee, or paddleboat. Or get silly and go bowling, shoot a game of pool—there are so many possibilities. Remember, the idea of a blind date is to talk and get to know each other, so make sure to keep that in mind when planning your date 
Rule 3: Keep it short. Whatever you decide to do set a timetable. A good rule of thumb is 2 hours or less. Which makes meeting for a meal a perfect option. Now, I do believe if the CUPID who arranged your fix-up is also tagging along with their boyfriend/girlfriend to make is a foursome….you can lengthen the date time because a group date is more casual. Also, since CUPID knows each of you, they’ll help carry some of the conversation.
Rule 4: Keep an open mind. This goes back to me being a mom. But I have to repeat myself on this one. When you meet your date, keep the attitude that you might not make a romantic connection, but you could very well make a friendship connection. And, truthfully, can you ever have enough friends?
Rule 5: A blind date can lead to something unexpected. Okay, let’s say you didn’t hit it off in the chemistry arena, but you definitely are feeling the friendship. Since CUPID knew each of you well, it only makes sense that both of you have mutual interests—otherwise why would CUPID think you’d be a good match? You can never determine chemistry, but now that you have a new friend it stands to reason that your new friend might have friends with the same interests—and that adds more potential to the pool of new acquaintances, friends, or possibly love interests.

A bit about Bachelor's Special:

Jill Adgate wants three things from life: a successful catering business, a family, and the love of an exceptional man. What she has is no job, a mounting pile of bills, and her outspoken best friend—who sets her up on a blind date with the man who inadvertently ruined Jill’s life.

Chet Castle is a businessman who has everything, except the ability to trust. Burned by a money-hungry fiancée, he refuses to get involved in any relationship that has a shelf life longer than a head of lettuce.

Intrigued by her ambition—and determined to get her in bed—Chet offers Jill the chance of a lifetime: work as his live-in chef and he’ll help her get her catering business off the ground. When sparks fly in the kitchen, Jill realizes what’s cooking is a recipe for disaster…

EXCERPT:

Her body hummed as his smile wavered. Although he wore sunglasses, she’d bet her last dollar his gaze swept across her chest, lingering on the betrayal of her pert nipples pushing against the fabric of her suit.
Until this moment, shyness had never been a trait she possessed. Air stalled in her lungs, her palms grew sweaty, and she itched to cover herself with a towel. Even though her replica vintage swimsuit hid more than most sets of women’s underwear, she felt too exposed. She turned to the side slightly and folded her legs up. Not that it helped, but it made her feel a bit less exposed.
Chet slid his feet from his sandals, brushing a hand through his hair. The heat from the sun wasn’t the only thing scorching her skin. She trickled several droplets of water over her arms, but she couldn’t drag her focus from his toned flesh.
Jill soaked in his ripped abs and the obvious package of goodies covered by his brown swimsuit—the same sexy brown as his hair. Damn, did a man have a right to fill out a pair of swimming trunks like that? Flecks of hair, just enough to give him a manly
appeal, covered the etched muscles of his long, tan legs.
She licked her lips, hoping she could still speak. “Do you want
some privacy?” Yes, say yes. She needed an excuse to make an
escape without coming off like someone desperate to be making
an exit.
…
Hell no, he didn’t want privacy. Through the shield of his sunglasses, he inspected her body from the tips of her pink-painted toenails to the top of her brightly flowered swimming cap. Did people still actually wear those things? “No, you look comfortable. Stay and enjoy the day.”
“Oh…are you sure?”
“Sure.”
Amazed at his own ability to talk without his tongue hitting the cement, Chet turned to throw his towel and sunglasses on a nearby lounge chair. Damn. The red and white polka-dot halter-style suit featured a tight bodice, but her slender hips and shapely thighs hiding beneath a matching skirt grabbed his attention until all oxygen left his
blood. Even showing less skin than the average girl on the beach,
she far exceeded sexy and alluring.
Get a grip, Castle. She’s off limits, no matter how delectable.
He turned and stepped onto the diving board. He bounced along the surface as he made his way over the water. When he looked at Jill’s bathing cap covering her head, he held back his grin. The neon rubber flowers reminded him of something his
grandmother would’ve worn, but there the similarity ended. Everything beneath that cap was far from making him think of Grandma.


A bit about Christine:  

Christine Warner is living her dream in Michigan along with her husband, three children, one laptop and a much loved assortment of furry friends.
Besides laughing and a good round of humor, she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, reading, writing but no arithmitic.  A confessed people watcher, she finds inspiration for her stories in everyday activities.  She loves to read and write about strong heroes and determined, sometimes sassy, heroines.
A girl gone wild, at least where social media is concerned, she enjoys meeting other avid readers and writers on facebook, twitter and her website.


website:  http://christine-warner.com
Twitter under @ChristinesWords: https://twitter.com/#!/ChristinesWords
Facebook page : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christine-Warner/143430882396013
Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5763713.Christine_Warner

BUY LINKS:

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bachelors-special-christine-warner/1115250848?ean=9781622661312


Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bachelors-Special-Entangled-Indulgence-ebook/dp/B00CNTSVB6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369342052&sr=8-1&keywords=christine+warner

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Bachelors-Special/book-ymNN_qSIaUi8PBWwPe_JyA/page1.html?s=K2kMxRAOXE-3u7T7udMTew&r=2