Contemporary romance author, EMMIE DARK, is counted among one of the circle of incredibly talented writers that my fair city of Melbourne has produced, but sadly she is about to forsake the 'land downunder' for a far more exciting life in San Francisco. Our loss will be San Fran's gain.Emmie is a lady in every sense of the word and I am particularly grateful to her for teaching me how to wear a scarf properly. I love scarves but I turned up to a lunch looking like I'd thrown a piece of old rag around my neck and Emmie took me in hand. Every time I construct my neck wear now I think fondly of Emmie...
Emmie, I know you are a tea passionista (it has to be EXACTLY right!) so please share with us the secret of a good cuppa!
Yes, it’s very appropriate that I’m here taking tea with you! Although I am a quite demanding visitor to entertain when it comes to tea. For a start, I want a selection to be available. Many people think having English Breakfast and Earl Grey on hand is pretty flash. Nope. Not even close. I primarily drink herbal teas, so I’d like to be able to chose from green, rooibos, licorice, jasmine, and a few blended varieties, just to start with. Then the water has to be the right temperature (which, of course, varies according to the kind of tea you are serving). And no cups with the tide out – I don’t take milk, so I want a full cup, please! (Are you regretting inviting me, yet?) (AS: Not at all, George appreciates a guest who appreciates his tea making skills, don't you George? Quick, George, find the bone china...)
I remember meeting you just after you had sold your first book to Harlequin. Can you describe your emotions on getting “the call”?
It’s actually kind of a blur. I do remember that I almost missed the call – it was early morning and I was in bed with a cup of tea (of course) and my laptop, doing some writing. My phone rang and I debated about whether to interrupt my “flow” to take the call. I’m so glad I did! I remember jumping out of bed and just walking around from room to room, thinking, “Is this really happening?”
Can you believe it is nearly Christmas! What will you be doing for Christmas this year?
I’m about to move overseas, so this year I’m wringing every minute out of every day to spend time with my family and friends. On Christmas Day I expect to be drinking champagne, eating way too much food, and laughing over those terrible cracker jokes.
I believe you are leaving Australia for the siren call of San Francisco. How did this come about and what will you be doing in SF?
Yes, I’m shortly leaving my beloved Melbourne for my equally loved San Francisco. The opportunity of a new job beckoned and proved to be too good to pass up. I’m looking forward to getting to know San Francisco and making it my home. I’m sure there’ll still be lots of opportunities to write and I’m looking forward to the inspiration I’ll no doubt gain from new surroundings!
You are an inveterate traveler… What is the one place in the world you would recommend as your “must visit” place?
Ooh, this is a tough one! In honour of my soon-to-be home I’ll pick a place that’s very near San Francisco: Yosemite National Park in California. The scenery is absolutely jaw-dropping – it’s genuinely one of the most amazing places I’ve ever seen. (I’ve attached a photo of me there!) (AS: I loved San Francisco, although my enduring memory is of my sons getting food poisoning from some iffy crab on Fisherman's Wharf and throwing up all the way from San Francisco to Monterey)
Apart from your lovely Harlequin romances you have recently ventured out into the world of “indy”. What led to this decision?
I’d been working on DANCE WITH ME for a while and had discussed it with a couple of publishers. Unfortunately it doesn’t fit neatly into a category – it’s a romance, but it’s also sort of women’s fiction, although it’s a bit too sexy to fit into that genre. I still believed in the story and thought it needed to get out there, so I decided to try self-publishing. It’s been a real learning experience, but Dance With Me has been really well received, and I’m definitely working on doing more!
You have a new book coming out on December 16 (you heard it here first, folks!)… CHARMED… what was the inspiration behind CHARMED?
CHARMED is an erotic novella that’s coming out with Destiny Romance. It’s sort of a follow-up to SPELLBOUND, which came out earlier this year, although the two books are independent of each other, they just take place in the same ‘universe’. In SPELLBOUND, my heroine has a bit of an issue with psychic powers. I decided to take that one step further: what if there’s a witch who has total mastery of her psychic abilities but then she meets someone who is totally impervious to her powers? Someone who also just happens to be tall, dark, handsome and troubled? I hope that’s intrigued you!
Emmie, we wish you all the very best on your move to SF and we will miss you...
DANCE WITH ME
Polly Heatherton’s life isn’t turning out the way she’d thought. So after a very, very bad day that involves losing her job and breaking up with her boyfriend, she packs her bags, leaves Australia behind and steps out on the trip of a lifetime to work out what comes next.In Guatemala she meets incurable white knight Josh Byrne, an American trying to hold together his fractured family. That isn’t turning out so well, so instead he turns his heroic tendencies to rescuing Polly.
Josh and Polly have a fling that is supposed to be short-lived. Instead it sets them on a journey that takes them through three countries, two emergency room visits, one incredible dance lesson, and a hell of a lot of vino tinto.
Book buy links:
Link: http://bit.ly/DanceWithMeED
More information: http://www.emmiedark.com/books/
And a little more about Emmie Dark...
After years of writing press releases, employee newsletters and speeches for CEOs and politicians – none of which included any kind of kissing – Emmie Dark finally took to her laptop to write what she wanted to write. She was both amazed and delighted to discover that what came out was sexy, noble heroes who found themselves crossing paths with strong, determined heroines. And plenty of kissing.
Emmie lives in Melbourne, Australia, and she likes red lipstick, chardonnay, sunshine, driving fast, rose-scented soap and a really good cup of tea. Like, a really good cup of tea. She’s particularly fussy about it, and has been known to pack her own teabags when she travels. Most members of her family are too scared to make her a cuppa, in case they get it wrong.
