But when Eva meets Gil, a local bartender, she figures a little innocent flirting won't hurt her relationship with Tony, her ever-faithful boyfriend back home. But just when things turn less innocent with Gil, the trip starts throwing curveballs at not only her but her friends too. By the end of the trip, they've all fallen in love, sometimes with the wrong people - and with consequences that may tear their friendship apart forever...
You can read my review on Goodreads.
In addition to being a great writer, Molly is also a lot of fun. I had the pleasure of interviewing her about the book:
CT: I know you spent some time in Scotland prior to writing this book. How did that come about?
MR: I developed a serious Anglophilia (or technically all-British-Isles-philia) during college, which only deepened when my parents took my sister and me there for a 10-day tour in the summer of 1995. I was determined to go back and spend longer there, as less of a tourist and more of a working citizen. Luckily, if you're an American college student, there's a program for that (BUNAC), so I signed up. After graduating, I spent three months in the UK, in the fall of 1996, most of it in Edinburgh, where I had a job in a hotel. Anywhere in Britain would have sufficed, really, but I ended up choosing Edinburgh because it seemed more exotic than England. Of course, now I want to get to know other parts of Britain equally well!
CT: What did you love most about Scotland? It's okay if you can't just pick one thing!
MR: Being a smellophile as well as a Britophile (sorry, I keep making up words), I'm tempted to say I loved the smell of Edinburgh best--it's this rich, toasty, malty scent from the breweries and the distilleries, which tints the air just enough to be unique and lovely. But I've heard they may actually have added filters to those breweries, and lost the citywide smell lately (if so, I grieve!). Anyway, what I love equally well is a more permanent feature: the ancient architecture. What they call the New Town in Edinburgh was built in the 1700s--that's in contrast to the Old Town, built in medieval times. In the American West we have virtually nothing like that. "Lewis and Clark camped here" signposts are about the most historic features we have. So walking streets and exploring buildings that have been there for centuries was a fascinating thing for a Northwest Yank girl to do.
CT: What don't you miss at all?
MR: Feeling locked into the bus and train system if I wanted to go anywhere, because I was too terrified to attempt to drive on the left side of the road (and the right side of the car).
CT: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you want to go and why?
MR: Ah, where to choose? To round out the British Isles, I'd like to visit Ireland, where I have ancestry and where I can surely enjoy all the greenery and ancient buildings. But after this long, dark, cold, wet Seattle winter (which has seemingly lasted over six months), I'm tempted to choose a peaceful, warm Greek island that smells of fig trees and seawater, and serves really good gyros.
CT: Just for fun: Barefoot or socks? Bikini or one-piece? Hardwoods or carpet? Dog or cat person?
MR: On that Greek island I'd be barefoot. At home, usually Smartwool socks, though now that you mention it, they do become a slipping hazard on our hardwood floors (which, nonetheless, I like better than carpet). Would I wear a dashing bikini on that Greek island? Hmm, perhaps. But after giving birth to two kids I'm likelier not to want to draw attention to the saggy skin around my waist, so a one-piece may be more realistic. Dog v. cat: I am kind to, and fond of, both, but since I know so many people with cat allergies, our family is likeliest to get a dog if we have to choose a pet. Though really we'd probably start with something quieter and lower-maintenance, like a rabbit.
CT: What are you working on now and where can we find other books you've written?
MR: Right now I'm staring down revisions for a couple of novels. The one I have highest hopes for today (an honor that changes weekly, if not hourly) is a YA urban fantasy involving a guardian angel stuck in human form in rural California. Though dealing with angels, it's not "inspirational"; it's my own version of angels and heaven, created to serve the story, rather than coming from any particular religion. Meanwhile, I should soon tackle final edits for a novella that could be called paranormal romantic comedy, and I hope to announce the release of that one before the year's out. All of my books can be found online at the usual sites: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, AllRomanceEbooks, etc. Details are, of course, also at my site: http://www.mollyringle.com/.
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Thank you, Cyndi--or "cheers," as they say in the UK! These were fun questions indeed.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview!
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