Jerusha Agen – Romantic Character Interview & Excerpt – Part 2 of 2

Shannon here: Jerusha Agen shares insight into her characters’ romance from her latest Women’s Fiction title, This Dance. Comment or answer the question at the end of any post dated July 24 – 27 to enter the drawing for a copy. Deadline: August 8th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Jerusha:

• Do you have a favorite romantic restaurant?

Nye: Cullen would say it’s Mario’s, the Italian restaurant where we had a business lunch.
Cullen: You mean our first date.
Nye: That wasn’t a date. It was business.
Cullen (with a wink): That’s what you thought.
Nye: Not to give Cullen a bigger head than he already has, but I will admit that Mario’s is probably my favorite romantic spot with him now. It’s special. Even though that first time we were there was not a date.
Cullen: I always let her win.

• Nye, what simple gesture does Cullen do that melts your heart every time?

Nye: Okay, Cullen has to cover his ears for this. It’s his smile. That smile got to me even though I tried my best to resist it. Still gets me every time.
Cullen (smiling): Now you’re going to make me self-conscious.

• Cullen, what simple gesture does Nye do that melts your heart every time?

Cullen: She only has to look at me with those unbelievably beautiful blue eyes of hers. I pretty much end up a puddle at her feet.

• Nye, how soon after meeting Cullen did you know he was the one?

Nye: “The one,” is such an interesting phrase, but I don’t think that everyone has only one romantic love meant for them in this life. I don’t mean to be unromantic, but before I met Cullen, I had already met the man I thought of as “the one” for me. And for a while, he was the person God meant for me, but our plans are often not God’s plans. When that “one” was gone, I thought I had used up my one romance for this life. I actually hoped that was the case, because I certainly never wanted to experience the pain of losing such love ever again.
But God thankfully had other plans and brought Cullen into my life. I still resented God for hurting me once, so I was very slow to let go of my own ideas of what I thought was best and let Cullen into my heart. He and God were persistent in breaking down my defenses until I gave in. I knew Cullen loved me before I could admit that I loved him, and his love is what really won me over in the end.
But in a way, I knew Cullen was special from the first moment I met him because of the way I responded to him. He made me lose control of my emotions and responses. Basically, he scared me witless!

• Cullen, how soon after meeting Nye did you know she was the one?

Cullen: I’m going to sound much more clichéd than Nye, but the truth is I knew she was meant for me when I first met her. Well, at least I hoped and thought she was. I’d never been so drawn to a woman before in my life, and the attraction wasn’t just physical. I felt like she took a piece of my heart with her when she drove away that first time, and I wanted to get it back, ideally with Nye included.

• Which of you is most romantic?

(Both laugh.)
Nye: Cullen, definitely.
Cullen: I wasn’t going to say it, but…
Nye: You wouldn’t think a lawyer would have such a soft side, but Cullen is the most romantic man I’ve met. He knows just what will make me swoon every time.
Cullen (laughing): No swooning, please.
Romantic Excerpt from This Dance:
“Nye, look at me.”
She froze.
“Please.”
She couldn’t possibly stand her ground when he spoke with such tenderness. She took a step along the counter to get more space between them and turned.
She almost gasped at what she saw in his eyes this time. Dare she name it? Yes. It was love. Her first instinct was to melt into his arms. Then she realized the only thing she could do. She had to flee.
He must have seen her panic, because he stepped in front of her, blocking her path. He looked down at her, his face so very near.
She pressed against the counter, wildly hoping she could manage to think straight if she kept some small space between them.
“Do you want me to leave, Nye?” His deep voice was thick with emotion. “Is that what you want?” He slowly leaned closer and braced his arm against the cabinet behind her, boxing her in even more.
She had to look into his eyes.
They smoldered with barely bridled emotion.
About Jerusha:
Jerusha Agen is a lifelong lover of story–a passion that has led her to a B.A. in English and a highly varied career. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Jerusha is the author of the Sisters Redeemed Series, which includes the titles This Dance, This Shadow, and This Redeemer. Jerusha co-authored the e-books A Ruby Christmas, A Dozen Apologies, and The Love Boat Bachelor from Write Integrity Press.
Jerusha relishes snowy Midwest winters spent with her three large, furry dogs and two small, furry cats.
Visit Jerusha and sign up for her newsletter at www.SDGwords.com. Follow Jerusha on Twitter https://twitter.com/sdgwords and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JerushaAgenSdgWords.
About the book – This Dance: No love, no pain. No God, no games.
A tragedy three years ago destroyed Nye’s rise to the top of the dancing world as an upcoming tango star, and in the process destroyed her reason for living. She survived the pain and built a new life resembling nothing like the one she left behind, determined never to hurt again.
Nye’s emotional walls hold up perfectly until she meets a handsome lawyer and an elderly landowner. They seem harmless, but one awakens feelings she doesn’t want and the other makes her face the God she can’t forgive. Will these two men help Nye dance again?

Purchase Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1JWQqHj

Barnes and Noble:

Christianbook.com:

Question: Do you know how to dance? What kind of dance is your favorite to do or watch?