Trish Perry – Romantic Character Interview & Recipe for Romance – Part 1 of 1

Shannon here: Trish Perry shares insight into her characters’ romance, a summer recipe for ham salad, & a chance to win an e-book copy of the novella collection, In Love and War, which includes her latest contemporary romance, More Than Meets the Eye. Comment or answer the question at the end of the post to enter the drawing. Deadline: June 18th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Trish:

• What’s the most romantic thing your hero ever did for your heroine?

Phil did a noble thing in protecting Jensy from news that would have made him look better in her eyes but would have hurt her feelings about herself. She didn’t know how romantic his gesture was for quite some time. Noble men can be so romantic.

• Do your hero and heroine have a favorite song?

It isn’t introduced as their favorite song, but it does play a role in their budding romance. It’s “You’re Beautiful,” by James Blunt. It was a hit song when Jensy and Phil were in high school together, years before. It’s about a man who meets eyes with a beautiful woman on the subway and realizes they’ll never see each other again. Just the opposite of the future Jensy and Phil desire.

• What simple gesture does your hero do that melts your heroine every time?

He accepts her for whom she is, even when her behavior is less than admirable.

• How soon after meeting the hero did the heroine know he was the one?

Jensy didn’t like Phil, and her animosity toward him was rooted in their past experiences. So she fought her attraction to him, despite his consistently decent behavior. So she doesn’t come to her romantic realization until the latter part of the novella.

• Who is most romantic, your hero or your heroine?

Phil is most definitely the most romantic. Jensy is focused on her career, possibly as a way of protecting herself from the risk of romantic involvement and possible hurt.

• Who said, “I love you” first, your hero or your heroine?

Phil was the first to say he was in love with Jensy. He actually said it to someone else before he even told Jensy, which instigated an interesting conversation between Jensy and him.

• If you hero and heroine end up married, where will they go on their honeymoon?

Both Jensy and Phil are creative. So I think they’ll end up in Paris, enjoying romance, beautiful art, and classic architecture.
This is a great little recipe for summer lunches, handed down to me by my former mother-in-law (to whom it was handed down by her mother). I love it, and I don’t even like ham. I don’t even like ham salad, usually—I think it’s the low-sodium that does the trick. Sometimes I use green olives that are stuffed with almonds. Excellent.

BEV’S HAM SALAD

Ingredients:
1 One-pound chunk of low-sodium ham (just have the deli department cut a thick slice for you, or two half-pound slices—not regular, thin slices)
3 Eggs, hard boiled
1 7 ounce jar (drained) of green olives
3/4 Cup mayonnaise (may add more or use less, depending upon how moist you like it)
Directions:
Cut ham into smaller pieces and pulse it in a food processor to a rough, grainy consistency (or put through a meat grinder). Place in mixing bowl.
Pulse eggs in same fashion and add to ham.
Pulse green olives in same fashion and add to ham/egg mixture.
Add mayo in phases, stir the mixture, and test for moisture. Add more mayo as needed to get a consistency you like.
Can be served in a sandwich, on a bed of lettuce, or alone, with other picnic-type foods like potato salad or chips, etc. So easy and so tasty!
About Trish: Award-winning novelist Trish Perry has written twelve inspirational romances for Harvest House Publishers, Summerside Press, Barbour Publishing, Forget-Me-Not Romances, and Mountainbrook Ink. She has co-authored three devotionals for Summerside and one for Broadstreet Publishing. She has served as a columnist and as a newsletter editor over the years, as well as a 1980s stockbroker and a board member of the Capital Christian Writers organization in Washington, D.C. She holds a degree in Psychology. 
Trish’s latest contemporary romance, More Than Meets the Eye, in In Love and War, releases June 2016.
About the novella – More Than Meets the Eye 
Jensy St. Martin is not pleased when she recognizes the latest ad man to join the Washington, D. C. agency she has long considered her professional home. Phil Quinn was a cocky, love-’em-and-leave-’em type when they attended the same high school ten years ago, and she senses he hasn’t changed much since then. When the two ad designers are forced to work together on a campaign, Jensy learns more than she wants to know about the man, and his growing attractiveness becomes the least of her worries. 
Question for Readers: What is your experience with realizing that your initial impression of someone turned out to be completely wrong or unfair? 

Come back June 13th for Jerusha Agen!