Meet Emelle Gamble, author of 'Secret Sister'

Emelle Gamble is kicking off her Name Before the Masses Tour with me at Books to Light Your Fire. Get to know her a little bit better and find out more about her latest book, Secret Sister. Remember to leave her a question or a comment below!

What was the inspiration behind 'Secret Sister'? 

 I am a diehard romantic at heart, and during a conversation with my critique group, I said I was sure that, even if every single thing about my appearance changed, my husband (yes, my true love) would recognize the ‘me’ inside.

Which character is the most like you?  

Probably Cathy Chance. Bossy. Kind. Talks too much. Loves her husband and her friends unconditionally. Likes cats.

Which scene was your favorite to write? 

 I really loved the scene where Cathy tells Nick who she is…I cried during it. But was really really nervous he wouldn’t say what I hoped he would, if that makes sense.

You used to write as M.L. Gamble. Why the name change?  

M.L.Gamble is tough in these electronic times…I got completely different streams of info when I left out the periods and/or changed the spacing! Hence the very clever (HA) Emelle…which I thought was slightly sexy and foreign, but which my hubby pronounces as Emile, as if I am a 50 something balding foreign agent.

Please tell us about your previously published works.  

I wrote Romantic Suspense for Harlequin Intrigue. They were fabulous to me as a new writer, let me push the envelope a bit as my plots were heavy on plot and secondary characters. I love those books. Especially because no one has cell phones or tweets.

On what projects are you currently working? 

 I’ve contracted with Soul Mate Publishing, the publishers of Secret Sister, to bring out another novel, Dating Cary Grant. It’s about a girl, her estranged husband, and yes, the ghost of Cary Grant, who lives downstairs! It will be released in early 2014. I’m thrilled about it, it was heaven putting words in Cary Grant’s most handsome mouth!

How has publishing changed over your writing career? Do you like the way it works now, or do you long for the good ole days?  

It has changed in every way possible. I’m doing hours and hours a week of publicity, which in the old days of the 1990s was unheard of for a category romance writer. Back then I did a couple of newspaper interviews for the local folks, and a couple of book signings. Now, since I work with a small press publisher, I am a complete department of publicity! I am equally exhausted and exhilarated. As for what I long for…it’s only to put out a great book that finds its readers.

Writers are often told to write every day and to write what they know. Aside from these classic bits of advice, what is the best writing advice you have ever received?  

I’ve become a fan of outlining and using good old note cards at the beginning of constructing the novel. Never used to do this. I find it helps order your thoughts, and your plots, and cuts out a lot of plot restructuring. One idea, or character, or scene on each notecard, and then play around with them. Oh, and write every day. It’s a cliché because it works.

Do you prefer to read books in the same genre you write, or do you like to mix it up more? 

 I read broadly. Love mystery. Love nonfiction. Have grown to love Regency.

What are you reading right now? What is next in your TBR pile? 

 I just bought Sue Grafton’s new book. It’s like a reward, coming back to this master. Ditto a re-read of a recently reissued book by Jackie Weger, a book called Beyond Fate that solidified the reality to me that writing in any genre required polish, voice and emotion. She’s about the best Harlequin writer ever…so I’m delighted she’s reissuing.

What is something readers may be surprised to learn about you?

I got flowers from Clint Eastwood. A lot of them. Because he thought I was hot! (HA…fantasy moment.) No, his production company sent them to me because they wanted to run a motorcycle into a phone booth and not kill the stunt man. I worked at Pacific Telephone at the time, and I got the thing moved. Clint did sign the card, making my day.

Is there anything else you would like to add?  

Buy Secret Sister and read it! It’s the book of my heart, and while writers can’t always believe what readers tell them about their books, I’ve been told by nearly everyone that they can’t put it down! What’s better than being lost in a book?

Thank you so much for your time!

Thank you, Andi!

Secret Sister

by Emelle Gamble

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

To their friends, Nick and Cathy Chance have the perfect marriage. High school sweethearts who’ve been together for ten years, they’ve weathered challenges and are as committed as they were when they first fell in love. Cathy trusts Nick, Nick’s world revolves around his wife, and the future looks golden.

To everyone who knows them, Cathy Chance and Roxanne Ruiz have a perfect friendship. They connected in grade school and since then have been each other’s confident and trusted advisor. Cathy loves the gorgeous Roxanne like a sister, Roxanne has fun-loving Cathy’s back in every situation, though lately there’s been tension between these two best friends…

And then, on a sunny summer morning, the unthinkable occurs, throwing into doubt the truth of what each of these people really know about themselves and one another.

Will Roxanne’s sacrifice be too little, and too late? Should Nick’s love for his wife be strong enough to risk trusting his heart more than logic? Can Cathy’s devotion to Nick give her enough strength to convince him to see her for who she really is?

Secret Sister proves how strong, how stubborn, and how trustworthy love can be as Nick and Cathy and Roxanne are challenged to overcome the secrets, the lies … and one extraordinary twist of fate that turns their lives upside down.

Read an excerpt:

 

When I ‘woke up,’ strange words to use after being unconscious for what was surely days, not hours, I felt remarkably lucid. Which is to say, I opened my eyes and saw and understood that I was in a hospital bed, there were nurses working in the area outside my glassed-in room, and I was hooked to an I.V. and some other kind of machine.

I didn’t know the story of how I got here, but assumed it was bad. I remembered hearing, somewhere, that I had been in a terrible car accident, but I was blank to any other details.

For instance, I didn’t know my name.

I examined the contents of my brain and started a list of unknown things. Where was I? No clue. What day was it? I looked outside and saw blue sky. Zero. I was blank to the most basic of information.

My chest tightened and a roar began in my head. Don’t panic. I gulped air, blinked; fought to stay awake.

“Roxanne. Roxanne Ruiz. Do you know where you are?”

I didn’t recognize that name. In my brain I saw a face. A kind face, smiling. A great looking guy with strong arms and blue eyes.

But I had no idea who he was either …

Buy it on Amazon

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Emelle Gamble was a writer at an early age, bursting with the requisite childhood stories of introspection which evolved into bad teen poetry and took her first stab at full length fiction in an adult education writing class when her kids were in bed. As M.L. Gamble, she published several romantic suspense novels with Harlequin. She has contracted with Soul Mate Publishing for Secret Sister, summer of 2013, and Dating Cary Grant, an early 2014 release.

Always intrigued by the words ‘what if’, Emelle’s books feature an ordinary woman confronted with an extraordinary situation. She most enjoys reading stories that surprise and amaze her, and hopes her readers will enjoy the challenging and exciting journeys her characters take.

Emelle lives in suburban Washington D.C. with her husband, Phil, her hero of thirty years, and two orange cats, Lucy and Bella. These girls, like all good villains, have their reasons for misbehaving. Her daughter, Olivia, and son, Allen, are happily launched on their own and contributing great things to society, their mother’s fondest wish.

Email: emellegamble@aol.com

Website: www.EmelleGamble.com  

FaceBook: Author Emelle Gamble

Twitter: @EmelleGamble

Emelle will be awarding a $100 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during this tour AND her Reviews Tour. 

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