Character interview questions:
Welcome, Hailey Langley. It’s good to have you on the blog today. Let’s start off by telling everyone about yourself. If I searched your name on Google, what would I find?
Hailey: Thank you for having me on your blog today. Wow! You go right for the tough questions. LOL! I doubt the Internet has my name. I was born in California and then lived in Texas for a few years…(whisper) working as an agent for the Special Crimes Agency (shhh!)…before I ended up on the East Coast. I went to college in Maryland, met the love of my life, Mark Langley, and we moved to Virginia. Now I have two great kids. My son Ethan is in high school and a daughter in middle school. Mark passed away last fall.
Oh, I’m so sorry.
Hailey: Thank you. Sniff. His death was unexpected. Mark worked for the Drug Trafficking Agency in Washington, D.C. and was working on a case. I knew his job was dangerous, but this came out of nowhere. No one can explain what happened. All I know is he died in a fire.
That has to be so difficult to lose your spouse.
Hailey: It’s been hard. Mark was my best friend. We told each other everything…well not everything. I’m learning that Mark had a few secrets that he kept from me. Visiting his former girlfriend in prison. Contacting a travel agent. Meeting our neighbors and never mentioning it. Lately, I’ve been talking to my former coworker, Officer Tom Parker. Going out to dinner. Doing activities with the kids. I’m trying to convince him to help me find out what happened to Mark. Something doesn’t’ feel right about Mark’s death.
Which family members are you close with?
Hailey: I’m close with my in-laws. Mark’s parents treat me like a daughter, which is nice, especially since my parents died when I was a teenager. Mark’s best friend David comes to visit every Friday for pizza night. He misses Mark, too. Parker thinks David is hiding something, but I told Parker that David is as honest as people get. He works for the CIA. (Laughs). He’s not doing anything shady.
Tell me about your kids.
Hailey: I wish I could say they’re doing great. Right now, my kids see a counselor to help them cope with losing their dad. My doctor prescribed anti-anxiety medicine for me, but I’ve had a lot of side effects. My son has been acting out, hanging out with the wrong crowd. I found a strange-looking pill on the carpet the other day. My friend Bruce Hanover is a researcher. I sent the pill to him to analyze it. My daughter Anna stays away from home a lot, playing with the neighbors. My family is a mess.
Do you work outside the home?
Hailey: I used to work as an undercover agent, but stopped when my in-laws got sick. I want to investigate my husband’s death, but my former supervisor won’t let me come back part-time. I need to be home for my kids, especially now. Last fall, I accepted a job at a university in town. I teach adjunct classes. Biology and biochemistry. It pays most of the bills, which is helpful since the coroner won’t declare Mark dead yet.
What do you mean—won’t declare him dead?
Hailey: Mark’s remains were burnt beyond recognition. See I told you. My life is a mess and I desperately need answers.
Let’s do something easier and go into a speed round of questions. I’ll ask and you just shout out your answer.
- What’s your favorite movie? Ghost
- What TV shows do you watch? Any comedy sitcom.
- What do you like to do for fun? Play board games with the kids. Monopoly. Scrabble. Life.
- Do you have any hobbies? Running—it relaxes my nerves.
- What’s your favorite flower? Roses. Mark used to bring me red roses all the time.
- Which dead person would they most want to meet? My Uncle Henry, my dad’s brother who died in college before I was born. There is something suspicious about his death and no one talks about it. I think my friend Bruce Hanover knows, but he’s too busy researching his Euphoria plant to leave his lab.
Book title: Saving Euphoria
Author: C. Becker
Genre: Romance Thriller
Blurb: Hailey Langley and her children struggle to cope with the shocking and mysterious death of her husband Mark. Her teenaged son is rebelling, and Hailey is dealing with physical and mental challenges as well.
Tom Parker, Hailey’s former partner from the Special Crimes Agency, comes back into her life. He warns her to trust no one even as he tries to rekindle the flame that connects them.
Everyone has secrets, even Parker, and some of those from the past threaten to destroy the present. Hailey fights to move forward after losing Mark, but she needs to figure out if she can trust Parker and risk taking another chance on love.
Buy links
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09SVMXYZT
The Wild Rose Press: https://www.thewildrosepress.com/bookauthor/c-becker
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/saving-euphoria-c-becker/1141022852
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/saving-euphoria-c-becker/1141022852
iTunes: https://books.apple.com/us/book/saving-euphoria/id1612065577
Contact info: https://cbeckerauthor.wixsite.com/cbeckerauthor
About the author (bio): Becker is the author of Finding Euphoria and Saving Euphoria. She is currently working on the third book to the Euphoria trilogy. As a medical technologist in a former career, Becker has never outgrown the attraction of using science in everyday life.
Becker enjoys hanging out with her family and Jack Russell, playing the piano, reading, and gardening.
Social media links:
Website address: http://cbeckerauthor.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/cbeckerauthor
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CBeckerauthor/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/beckercee/
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19026691.C_Becker
Excerpt PG:
He moved closer, his breath warming her face. “I don’t want to be a friend. I want more.”
Her eyes blurred. “It’s only been six months since Mark died.”
“Life goes on, Hailey. Mark’s gone.”
“Six months, Parker.” Tears burnt like acid splashing in her eyes. Six months was not nearly enough time to let go.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say it that way.” Parker reached over and held her hand.
The tenderness in his touch made an instant connection to her heart. Ashamed at her heart’s betrayal, she yanked her hand away and wiped a tear off her cheek.
He held her hand again and whispered. “I love you, Hailey. I always have. Somehow, life or fate, or whatever it is you want to call it, got in our way. I kept my distance when you married Mark, but I never stopped loving you.” He tightened his grasp on her hand. “Now I feel like an idiot because I waited too long.”
“Parker, please. I’m not sure I even want to get involved with someone again.”
“You’ve become so miserable. You’re a strong woman.” His face hardened. “Mark wouldn’t want you to waste your life grieving. He’d want you to go on—and at least try to be happy.” He caressed her cheek with his thumb. “I think deep down, you know it.”
Few people had her pegged so well. She bit her lip, “I do.”
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Thank you for hosting me today Kate! I had a great time with this interview!
Thank you for being here! I was great getting to know Hailey!
Absolutely fabulous interview. I really enjoyed it.
Thank you for stopping by, Lynn!