What did a licensed, master curmudgeon do on prom night? See inside! Interview with Claire Gillian, author of The P.U.R.E.!

Claire Gillian is a licensed master curmudgeon. Yes … she is. She has a certificate and all! So rather than talk about her curmudgeony-ness, I decided to make her walk down memory lane and tell us all about her those early high school years — pre-curmudgeonness. 🙂

Nerd? Geek? Jock? Snob?

I probably leaned closer to the nerdy set but I never really had too many problems fitting in with whatever group I happened to find myself amongst. I guess that’s my military brat upbringing. When you’re ALWAYS the new kid, you learn to blend. My peers thought of me as very smart and somewhat silly.

If that doesn’t get you interested in this brand new author, check her out at all these other places:

If I could do it all again, I would …

I’d probably be a lot bitchier to the boys who acted so stupid because they were popular and thought they had a God-given right to behave badly. Back then, I bit my tongue and ignored their silly ways. I see why so many high school girls angle for the college boys.

On the positive side, I’d have been more assertive about telling the boys I did like how I felt. There were also some really nice gentlemen, who I’m sure have grown up beautifully and would probably be a joy to know now.

There is no better class than…

I always liked gym, mostly because I was a gymnast and a cheerleader. I loved field hockey and soccer too. Softball was my nemesis, however, because I have a limp-wristed, wild throwing style and I can’t catch worth crap. In track, I could pump out a decent 440, because it was long enough to wear out the sprinters. Golf was semi-fun as was tennis. We didn’t have a pool at either of my two high schools, and I’m sad about that because once I got to college, I spent a LOT of time in the pool and would have loved to have been on a swim team vs having to do it as a Master (the over 25 set).

Let’s talk about the first car…

I always wanted a car like Nancy Drew—a blue convertible Mustang. I learned to drive in a blue convertible. It wasn’t a Mustang alas but a Chevy Malibu. The first car I ever bought myself was a four-speed Ford Escort station wagon. I didn’t take good care of it because I knew nothing about tune-ups or changing that stuff called oil. At the end of my three year loan, I traded it in for Nissan Maxima that I loved to death!

There was a hot teacher … her/his name was …

I can’t think of a single hot teacher. They were always so old to me. Now they’re pretty hot because they’re twenty years younger than I am (at least), but my sons and husband would have a fit if I pointed out the yumminess of any faculty member.

Now, before we get to the last question, let’s look at Claire’s book …

No one ever said Gayle Lindley’s first job would be a killer.

Fresh out of college, Gayle’s career path should follow the yellow brick road straight to the top. Thanks to a menial errand gone wrong, a wayward tongue, and a randy supervisor who won’t take ‘no’ for an answer, Gayle’s stuck in corporate hell.

Discovering a company secret only turns up the heat.

The one part of her life not going down in flames is her friendship with the gorgeous, but intensely private, Jon Cripps. Jon would make the perfect consolation prize for Gayle’s pity party if dating a co-worker wasn’t career suicide. Then again, with all Gayle has been through, maybe falling in love is the lucky break she needs.

Hitting the cool sheets with Jon soothes her mind and body, but it also enrages whoever’s behind the smokescreen she’s uncovered at work. Someone is willing to kill to protect their secrets, and Gayle and Jon are the targets.

With both her heart and livelihood at stake, Gayle’s early career-limiting moves could turn into life-terminating ones.

Favorite one-line review about the book

This story was very well written and I loved a romance around a profession that most people think of as less than sexy, where both characters are very intelligent.

Favorite 6 sentences from the book

“The elephant in the room trumpeted for attention. The kiss. My lips on his. Did I use my tongue? Oh God, I don’t even want to think about it.

I shrank in my seat as fresh brain cells replaced their fallen comrades, the memories coming into sharper focus.

Buy it now …

or find it on Goodreads

But before you go, one last question …

What really happened on prom night?

I didn’t go to prom so I think I probably watched Laverne and Shirley or read a book like the Three Musketeers or Pride and Prejudice. Neither scary nor evil though Milady and Cardinal Richelieu had a rather evil natures, didn’t they?

Did I mention I really did not like high school? Do you see why I’m a curmudgeon by now? Surely you must. I might have lived in a teenager’s body for a few years, but there was always an adult inside struggling to get out. Now there’s a teenager inside struggling to escape because the body is wearing out and she refuses to accept that.

Congratulations, Claire! Good luck with The P.U.R.E.!

Have more questions for this author? Ask in the comments!