BEAUTY AND THE BRIT
Available at all online retailers now (links below!)
From Avon Impulse/HarperCollins
Find BEAUTY AND THE BRIT:
We
girls love our romance heroes—and one of our favorite things to do is get the
straight skinny on what they find romantic, sexy even, about life, love, and
especially their heroines. In other
words—give us an interview with a hero any time and we’ll rush to find out what
his favorite color is, how he felt when he met his heroine, and what made him
fall in love with her.
But,
I found out something fun the other day when David Pitts-Matherson from BEAUTY
AND THE BRIT met up with my husband, Jan Selvig. I wanted to know what my guy
would ask my hero. Guess what? Ain’t the
same things I’d ask—not even close!
But
the questions led to some great answers and David seemed relieved to have some non-touchy-feely
questions to put his mind to. Never
fear—I got in a couple of girly questions at the end—but, mostly, here are all
the simple guy things Jan wanted to know.
Jan Selvig: Here you go, David, since my wife is making us do
this thing, sit and have a home-brewed beer, and let me start with this: how
the heck did you end up in East Podunk, Minnesota all the way from England?
David
Pitts-Matherson: Good beer, Jan, thanks. And, good question—it
does seem odd, doesn’t it? Bottom line is, because of the unhappy circumstances
surrounding my discharge from the army—you might remember from the book—my
then-fiancée left and my father was none too pleased with me. I felt a very long trip to someplace less
judgmental was in order, so America was my choice of destination. Wouldn’t you
know, my mother, an ace of a busy-body, determined that my father should plan a
trip as well and we should go together. He traveled around teaching riding
clinics, and I followed until I found the farm in Minnesota for sale. It was
love at first sight—I stayed and sent my father on his way. I’ve never looked
back.
JS: Where are you
from in England?
DP-M: I was born in
the north, in the Yorkshire dales. My grandmother had a bed and breakfast there,
which is where my mum and dad met. Da’ moved in, married Mum, and we stayed
there until I was six. After that we moved to Kent where my father built his
successful riding stable—and where I learned the horse business as well.
JS: Are you related
to royalty?
DPM: There are times when we all wish we could get
some good out of a direct line to the Queen. Sadly, I have no provable thread
to the Windsors. There’s a rumor that my mother’s great uncle, who married into
our family, was a cousin to a cousin of Prince Philip-but I’m afraid that puts
me pretty far down the line of succession.
JS: What do you
think of Prince Charles?
DPM: Well he got a
rum go in life, didn’t he? I mean, really. He’ll be seventy, like tomorrow, and
what’s he had to do all these years? Wait to be king. What kind of job is that?
It’s no wonder he’s a bit bonkers. At least he has Camilla—not that the whole
thing with Diana wasn’t tragic. But Camilla, turns out she’s a bit of all
right. Stable. Keeps her place quietly. People like her well enough. Better
than Charles I daresay.
JS: Have you ever
seen the Crown Jewels?
DPM: Sure, yeah, on
a school trip to London once. I was just a proper tourist like everyone else.
It seemed like a lot of gold wasted on scepters and things to me and what for?
But it goes back centuries, I suppose, so it’s impressive.
JS: Have you ever
met a Druid?
DPM: (Nearly
snorting beer out his nose). Nobody’s ever asked me that before. You know what?
I have, actually. My mother had an old friend once who studied the ways of the
Druids. She used to travel to these stone circles all over England and Scotland
and participate in the old solstice rituals or whatever they were. She was
nutters, the old girl, but my sister and I loved her. She’d bring us sweets
from all over the country.
JS: Have you ever
shopped at Harrods? Can you really get anything
there?
DPM: I’ve been into
the store but I’m not much of a shopper. My Mum is shopper enough for half of
England. I’ve heard you can order everything from golden toilet seats to
camels, but the weirdest thing I’ve ever known about was when my Mum ordered
fifty gold-plated toothpicks the year my father won an Olympic gold medal. Splashed
down a couple of hundred quid, I think. How mad is that?
JS: Is it true all
you eat in England is lamb and fish-and-chips?
DPM: (Laughing again.) Why, because of all the
sheep in Yorkshire? In truth, we did eat a lot of lamb in things when I was a
kid, and I hate mutton. But fish-and-chips were rare at home. That was a town
treat. Although, ever had mushy peas? Mum made those and served them with everything.
I miss a good dish of mushy peas.
JS: I have had them—and I don’t blame you for
missing them.
JS: Have you ever
met the Queen—because of your father’s status as an Olympian, for example?
DPM: I haven’t ever, but we did meet Princess Anne
and her family. Since she’s an accomplished horsewoman, she was at the
reception for my father after he won his equestrian medal. She’s pretty down to
Earth. Now her daughter rides. My dad has taught her.
And
here’s where I (Liz) jump in to stop the travelogue—since my husband is clearly
as big a fan of England as I am. But I have to ask a couple of romance
questions—or I’ll be drummed from the girls’ club!
Liz: David, what was your first impression of
Rio—remember her?
David: (Laughing)
Nobody ever forgets Rio once he or she has met her. My first thought was that
she was a little human volcano. Fiery red on top, with flashing blue sparks
from her eyes and steam coming from her ears when she was on a tear. But it
turned out that she was tough but a big faker about blowing up. She’s nothing but
soft and kind and understanding beneath it all. And smart and practical. Best
thing that ever happened to me.
Liz: Will you stay
in the U.S. now? Or would you and Rio ever consider going to England to live?
David: I’ll take Rio
there as often as she’d like to visit, but, no. I’ll never move back. I’m a
U.S. citizen now, and I love my adopted country. I love England, too, but this
is home—with Rio.
Liz: Tell us about that tattoo. The one for Rio.
David: All I can say is—I wanted something that
would prove I’d do anything for her. Considering what a hard time I gave her
about tats, this seemed like the perfect thing. Infinite infinity. I actually
quite like it now.
Liz: Can you
describe it?
David: Don’t you think
it would be more fun if people read the book to find out?
Liz: You’re
right! Run out and buy the book everyone!!
And
that’s all the time and room we have. David and Jan—thanks so much for the
awesome interview. I certainly learned things about David I never knew!
David: My pleasure!
And thanks for the beer, Jan. You can interview me anytime. Your questions were
easier.
Jan: Thanks for your
time, David. I’m gonna run now and get
you that home-made maple syrup I promised you.
I
hope everyone enjoyed the goofiness! I have three e-books to give away this weekend—one
each of “The Rancher and the Rock Star,” “Rescued by a Stranger,” and “Beauty
and the Brit.” Just leave a comment for
a chance to win. Let me know your answer to ANY of the questions we asked
David! Or ask one of your own.
Come
back on Monday for two excerpts from BEAUTY AND THE BRIT and a chance for more
prizes!