Today we have visiting with us author Rhys Ford ,on the day of the release of her new novel Dirty Deeds ( a Cole McGinnes story )
she sits down with Cole to ask him some questions
read and enjoy 🙂
It’s been a couple of years since I’d last sat down with Cole McGinnis. He agreed to take some time out of his day and catch up, choosing a Korean bakery and coffee shop near his neighbourhood. I am there first, settled in with a very strong hot Vietnamese coffee when he comes in. If I had any question about my server being gay, the look he gave Cole as the man came through the door ended any speculation.
Los Angeles is nippy enough for a jacket but inside of the bakery is warm. He’s stripping off a worn black leather jacket as he moves towards the table, his long legs eating up the distance quickly. His hair is shorter than the last time I saw him but he’s gained about fifteen pounds of muscle. I’ve seen the t-shirt he’s wearing before. It was looser then and the soft burgundy fabric moulds to his chest and arms, its Dr Pepper logo stretched over his defined pectorals.
He orders a latte as he sits down, sweetening the request with a smile. The pretty boy with the order pad practically floated away on Cloud 9 but Cole didn’t seem to notice, more focused on saying hello to me than anything else.
Hello and the cupcake sampler I’d let the pretty server con me into ordering.
“Go ahead,” I say, pushing the plate at him. “Let me know if you find something not too sweet. I’m not a big fan of frosting.”
“Here, this one.” He plucks an orange-chocolate treat from the platter, setting it down on the plate in front of me “More bittersweet than sugary. Goes good with coffee.”
His fingers daub through a pink swirl of frosting, bringing the foamy mess up to his mouth. I see the server drop the cup of coffee he’d been about to place on a tray. The sound of the shattering ceramic cup made Cole flinch and he glanced over his shoulder, suddenly keenly aware of any movement around him. His gaze flits over the server and his body relaxes, his casual smile coming back to his handsome face when he turns back around.
“So, you got some questions for me?” He thanks the server who brings over a latte but his attention is mostly on the cupcake he’s licking clean of frosting. There is a sprinkle on his lip and he rubs it off with the ball of his thumb then sucks the purple candy off. There is a bit of a little boy in his face when he looks up at me, a bit bashful at being caught licking his fingers clean. “I’ve got a bad sweet tooth.”
“Yeah, let’s give it a go.” I grin back at him. It’s hard not to. His smile is infectious and I can see the change in his manner. Things are a bit settled than they were a few years ago. There are still shadows lurking in his green eyes but there’s definitely a lot more joy.
How are you and Jae doing? Since the last time we heard from you?
C: Wow, good. We’re doing good. He’s pretty much all healed up. And bendy. Very bendy. He started doing yoga to get back the mobility in his shoulder and it’s been… really nice.
Have you thought of doing yoga yourself?
C: I tried. It didn’t go well. I’ll stick to the ring. Safer for everyone and the furniture. We’re short a lamp because of me and I don’t think the cat’s ever going to forgive me for landing on her.
How are you doing learning Korean?
C: Boy, you’re just drilling me here. I can do a lot of things, but I suck at languages. I mean I got enough Spanish—SoCal Mexican—to get by. The Korean I’ve got, I fought for. It’s kind of why he calls me agi. It’s his way of making fun of me because I called him baby and that’s what I latched onto. It’s the wrong damned word but now it’s kind of ours. ‘Course if you ran across a couple of guys calling each other ‘infant’ in public, you’d think they were nuts.
He doesn’t mind my shitty Korean and sometimes we try a new phrase. He is in serious pain when I try to pronounce things. So, I know the foods. Or I’m learning the foods—so much damned food. But I can order food, ask where the bathroom is and say I love you. What more do I need? Especially the I love you.
Why haven’t you started carrying your gun on you since you have a conceal weapons permit?
C: I actually have started carrying because well, Sheila. Fucking Sheila. I don’t know. The weight of it—it’s too much. There’s a smell to a gun, you know? The oil. The powder. Sometimes, I shoot one or catch a whiff of one and I’m standing there with blood on my hands. Rick’s blood. Fuck, my blood. So yeah, carrying’s a bit rough.
Last question—what are the chances of putting a ring on Jae’s finger?
C: Oh man. Wow. That’s… wow. Okay, give me a minute.
Lets talk about this. So much has changed since…shit, so fucking much. Think about it. Society’s kinda flipped over in midstream. Ten years ago, you didn’t even see two guys kissing on television. Or if you did, it was hidden up in the pay-channels. Now, totally different. And if it’s taking me a bit of time to adjust, you’ve gotta think about Jae. He just was shoved out into this world six months ago. He was holding his breath his entire life because he was drowning in fear. Will I marry him? I’d love to fucking marry him. Hell, I’d fucking love to not marry him if that’s what he wants.
I don’t need anything but him. However he wants me.
§
We finish the cupcakes—well he does. I pick at the orange and chocolate creation and it’s good, a spackle of rough sugar on top 
instead of icing goes a long way in dialing back the sweet. The server packs up the rest of the treats just as Jae-Min Kim joins us and the tragic look on our waiter’s face would be comical if his pain wasn’t palatable. Cole hesitates as he stands but Jae leans in, boldly kissing him on the mouth before heading over to the counter to order a coffee to go. Jae turns to ask Cole if he wants another latte and Cole nods a yes at him.
“Would I marry him? You bet. Will I wait for him if he wanted me too?” Cole’s smile is complicated, mostly love but also bittersweet. He definitely loves the man standing at the counter. That much is evident in everything he does, even as he picks up the duffel bag of equipment Jae’s left on a chair. “Yeah. I’d wait fucking forever.”
§
Dirty Deeds by Rhys Ford (Book 4 in the Cole McGinnis Series)
Sheila Pinelli needed to be taken out.
Former cop turned private investigator Cole McGinnis never considered committing murder. But six months ago, when Jae-Min’s blood filled his hands and death came knocking at his lover’s door, killing Sheila Pinelli became a definite possibility.
While Sheila lurks in some hidden corner of Los Angeles, Jae and Cole share a bed, a home, and most of all, happiness. They’d survived Jae’s traditional Korean family disowning him and plan on building a new life—preferably one without the threat of Sheila’s return hanging over them.
Thanks to the Santa Monica police mistakenly releasing Sheila following a loitering arrest, Cole finally gets a lead on Sheila’s whereabouts. That is, until the trail goes crazy and he’s thrown into a tangle of drugs, exotic women, and more death. Regardless of the case going sideways, Cole is determined to find the woman he once loved as a sister and get her out of their lives once and for all.
Rhys Ford’s Dirty Deeds may be purchased at: Dreamspinner Press
About Rhys Ford
Rhys admits to sharing the house with three cats of varying degrees of black fur, a black Pomeranian puffball and a ginger cairn terrorist. Rhys is also enslaved to the upkeep a 1979 Pontiac Firebird, a Toshiba laptop, and a purple Bella coffee maker.
My Blog: www.rhysford.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rhys.ford.author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rhys_Ford
And at the Starbucks down the street. No really, they’re 24/7. And a drive-thru. It’s like heaven.
My books can be purchased, folded and first chapters read at Dreamspinner Press. http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com
GIVEAWAY
On top of this lovely interview and visit Author Rhys Ford is offering a $20 Gift Certificate to one Lucky winner!!
Leave a comment to enter , what is your favorite cupcake ? 🙂
Good Luck!
Contest ends april 5 th
Wow, so cool to see the man outside of the books.
Thank you for letting me be a fly on the wall.
You do know that I was your waiter, right?
And why didn’t Ichi drop by? I want to go head to head with Bobby before things get out of hand… Boxing? Hell…I know karate. : )
Oh, this was so cool. Thanks.
Loved the book, and I hope others do as well. And yeah…soooo bendy. ;D
Bendy Huh? This sounds good. I’ll take any chocolate laced cupcake on offer.
I live vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting.
I really love reading character interviews and getting to know them so much more. This one was great. I would want a chocolate ganache cupcake.
I am looking forward to reading Dirty Deeds, I have read all Rhys’ previous books. Thanks for the giveaway.
I am in search of the best carrot cake cupcake….still searching. 🙂
Lemon with chocolate icing.
I love chocolate so it would have to be a chocolate cupcake with chocolate icing of course. Loved the interview please count me in for the giveaway………………..thank you
ShirleyAnn@speakman40.freeserve.co.uk
Ummm….Can we make it a muffin instead? Like a cranberry walnut muffin with cream cheese frosting and a tall chai latte with nutmeg sprinkled on top? Oh, dahm…now I GOTTA go hit Starbucks…
Sigh…I love character interviews. Red velvet would be my favorite, a taste of chocolate but not too much and a bit of sour with the cream cheese frosting, perfection!
[…] Over at Sid Love’s! […]
Kentucky Bourbon Pie cupcake from Gigi’s…SOOO good
Love, love, LOVE this interview. And Cole. Thanks, Sweetie!
Sometimes I learn more about a character through an interview like this than through 100s of pages of novel. I’m with Cinders. Lemon with chocolate icing, all right!
Red Velvet is my favorite too. My mother used to make a heart shaped red velvet cake for Valentine’s Day every year from scratch so the flavor always reminds me of that. Great interview thanks for sharing!
jasdarts@hotmail.com
My taste is a bit plebian. I love Chocolate with Cream Cheese Icing – a very thin layer of icing. My Mom used to make these for us …
Started reading Dirty Deeds last night. So good. Delicious in fact! Delicious like a chocolate cupcake covered in chocolate buttercream. I made some red velvet cupcakes that were pretty awesome too. 😀
Fabulous interview! My favourite cupcake is vanilla with strawberry buttercream frosting – yes I have a (very) sweet tooth!
Thanks for this great interview! Chocolate cupcakes – really dark chocolate – with chocolate or peanut butter frosting are probably my favorite, but red velvet with cream cheese frosting is a close second.
Just give me the cream cheese frosting and no one will get hurt.
Did someone say red velvet?? My all time fav! Just like this series is one of my all time favorites. Thanks for the great interview and post. And for the chance to win.
goaliemom0049(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks for the interview. It’s great to get more insight into a character outside a storyline. Favorite cupcake is made by my daughter. Red velvet cupcake with homemade cookie truffle icing. Yum.
Gotta love a caramel cupcake with brown butter frosting, yum. Great interview with Cole, a nice little pit stop in the book reading, soon to start chapter five, can’t wait, soooo good!!
Loved the interview!! My favorite cupcake is called Sweet Georgia Brown.. Get it here in Savannah at Sweet Carolinas Cupcakes. Cream cheese frosting.. The cupcake isn’t toooo sweet, dense pecan flavor with nuts and PEACHES of course!
Loved the interview .. cupcakes what’s not to love…
I am very fond of banoffee cupcakes. I love this series and am really looking forward to reading Dirty Deeds.
Great interview. My favorite cupcake is devil’s food with strawberry frosting!
I have a definite weakness for Jae and Cole. And corn muffins with real sweet butter. Loved the interview, Rhys, it felt dynamic and real and sweltering!
Cole’s interview gave me the warm fuzzies 🙂 My favorite cupcake is from Zinnia’s Bakehouse in my hometown (Ft. Wayne, IN). It’s Guinness chocolate cake with a Bailey’s Irish Cream butter cream frosting. It is soooo good. They had a strawberry lemonade one once too, it’s was delicious.
Hmm those cupcakes look good! Lol
Will be starting Deeds in bit…can’t wait to find out what happens 😉
Carrot cake cupcake with cream cheese frosting is my favorite. Thanks for the interview and giveaway!
jen.f {at} mac {dot} com
Great interview. I’ve downloaded my copy and can’t wait to read it. Love your stories, always intriguing and sexy.
I love red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.
Thanks for the giveaway.
Great interview! Black bottom cupcakes are my favorite. Thanks for the giveaway!
great interview 🙂
carrot cake with cream cheese topping
Woohoo! Yay for another Rhys book! My favorite cupcake is a S’more cupcake.
So excited for this book! Favorite cupcake: choclate cupcake with choclate peanut butter frosting with a little Reese’s peanut butter cup on top! <3!
Loved the interview–poor waiter! Favorite cupcake–hmmm, I would have to say Black Forest !
I love this interview with Cole – I can’t wait to read this book – I’m so glad they are in a good place. He seems so happy and Jae- yum! And my favorite cupcake would have to be a Salted Caramel Cupcake.
Great interview. My favourite cupcake isn’t from all the fancy ones on offer today – although I adore the frosting! It’s the simple cake my mum used to make when I was growing up. She made Butterfly Cupcakes out of simple vanilla cakes – a little divot was cut from the cake, the dip was filled with jam and cream, and the piece of cake removed from the top used to make the wings. Simple but yum!
Vanilla cupcake with gobs of vanilla buttercream frosting, YUM! I downloaded Dirty Deeds this AM and can’t wait to get a few free minutes to get started.
I love character interviews. Thank you so much Rhys for your books, they truly keep me entertained in every chapter. I would take any cupcake with chocolate in it.
What a fantastic book! I just love those boys. And any sweet and sugary cupcake is a good cupcake. I had a raspberry lemonade cupcake once that was amazing.
I have read all the book int his series and can’t wait to read this one.
Oh great post! It’s always fun to see a character outside the story.
I don’t have a specific cupcake I like. My only request is that it is chocolate and have some kind of fruit preserve in the center.
I like spice cake with a butter cream frosting.I can’t wait to start reading this book!
I am so excited about Dirty Deeds and I love that we get to see the next layer of Col and Jae’s lives. As for cupcakes, I’d have to say chocolate with strawberry icing.
Hmmm…57% into the book…lovin’ it…can’t put it down.
Favorite cupcake…Fat Elvis. It’s a banana cupcake with a smooth peatnut butter cream frosting…topped off with a nice chunk of candied BACON. Yummmmm.
Great interview! I’m a fan of any and all sweets, but my favorite cupcake would probably have chocolate involved. 🙂 Thanks for the giveaway!
Great interview. My favorite cupcake is mini carrot cake cupcakes or red velvet cupcakes. Thank you for the giveaway.
marsh10(at)netzero(dot)com
love the interview. my favorite cupcake is dark chocolate with bittersweet chocolate frosting
thanks for the interview! Can’t go wrong with cupcakes – my favorite might be homemade chocolate coca-cola cupcakes. 🙂
Great interview! I’m partial to any type of chocolate cupcake but really cupcakes in general are awesome!
jengardenATgmailDOTcom
Wonderful interview, thanks for doing so.
My favourite cupcake: Everything red Velvet!
Love the interview & the series. Just finished reading the book, after that ending can’t wait for the next 🙂
My favourite cupcake? Anything chocolate, perhaps chocolate/raspberry!
I’m loving the character interviews! I like to make chocolate stout cupcakes with ganache on top, or German chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting…
I don’t have a favorite cupcake. Thank you for the giveaway!
blackasphodel(at)yahoo(dot)com
Loved Dirty Deeds!!!!!! I love me some Cole and Jae! As far as cupcakes, give me anything with dark chocolate and a hit of cayenne or salt and I’m happy.
I haven’t had really any specialty cupcakes so I’d have to go with a dark chocolate cupcake with dark creamy frosting. You know the kind that is so sweet it makes the roof of your mouth tingle.
penumbrareads(at)gmail(dot)com
I have never actually ate any specially cupcakes. I have always live in really small towns until less than 6 months ago. And I am currently dieting, both for my health and just because I NEED to lose weight. I am planning on checking out a local cupcake bakery when I hit a certain point in weight loss, as a sort of reward. I will get one cupcake and then go straight back on my diet (which is more just making better eating choices). I do love just plain white cupcakes with whipped frosting though 🙂
June
manning _J2004 at yahoo dot com
Can you love just one cupcake? Because, cupcakes!
I love character interviews. This was great. I just finished Dirty Deeds and I loved it and Ohhh that ending. Can’t wait to see how that goes. And I love chocolate cupcakes!
I never met a cupcake I didn’t like. My favorite would have to be the one I was enjoying at the time. Impossible to pick a favorite. Already downloaded Dirty Deeds. Thanks, Rhys, for your wonderful stories and delicious characters. Wondering what a Cole & Jae cupcake interpretation would be.
I like strawberry and cherry cupcakes and I hope to try more different cupcakes mevalem258ATgmailDOTcom
Vanilla is usually my favorite flavor
mmm….. i want mine chocolate just like jae min eyes, yumy….
Congrats to AlexaKira !
Um, why am i being congratulated? Did I win something? A date with Ichi or Jae min or no…not Cole? Cole? I won a date with Cole? When? when? OMG ! I have to go shopping…