Behind the Curtain with Emelle Gamble

Behind the Curtain with Alexa Bourne Behind the Curtain with Kimberly Quinton

Behind the Curtain with Emelle Gamble

Good morning and welcome to Behind the Curtain with Emelle Gamble. I love finding new and interesting authors who write great romantic suspense. Emelle has brought along three books for three people who read her three statements and figure out which one isn’t the truth. Be sure you leave your guess and email address!

Bio:

I’ve been writing fiction my whole life…first story at five was about a lost bunny asking all his fellow creatures if they could tell him what kind of animal he was… “Am I a deer, Mrs. Bambi…Am I a cat, Mrs. Kitten?”

From there it was bad teen poetry, stab-in-the-dark attempts at ‘real’ literature (which I very rightly shredded) and then college, marriage, blessed motherhood, several moves around this great country of ours while I wrote, studied and submitted. I was first published by Harlequin Intrigue’s line of romantic suspense as ‘M. L. Gamble’ and wrote seven books for them.
After a five year hiatus due to something called LIFE, I started sitting at the computer again and Secret Sister was born.
My books are always relationship stories about women and the men they love and the friends they hold dearest, but they’ve also always had a little touch of something else, a mystery here, a ghost there, something extraordinary that gave the folks in my imagined world a little extra to deal with.

I am an unabashed romantic…which is why I jumped at the chance to introduce Cruz Morales, Molly Harper and Ben Delmonico to my readers. Their story, Duets, appears in the November, 2013 novella collection Once and Forever. This original anthology centers on that one true love that is often too early, too complicated, but always too true to forget.
Their story will continue in Molly Harper, coming soon. Enjoy! And let me hear from you at www.EmelleGamble.com any time.

You won the lottery! But there’s a catch. You can only keep half and must give the rest a charity. Which one will you choose? How do you spend your half?

Red Cross gets half. They truly are the first responders in this world of catastrophe. Other half gets split a bazillion ways with family and friends and a few scholarships to help kids with their education. I’m a true believer in the ‘teach them to fish’ lesson of giving.

You’re having a Halloween party. What costume did you choose? Why?

I’m wearing Harry Potter’s cloak of invisibility so I can watch everyone else be goofy. People watching is many writer’s #1 favorite pastime, so what could be better while I’m grabbing all the candy corn and settling in for a night of inspiration.

If you could be one of the heroine’s from any of the books you’ve reviewed, who would you be? Why?

I don’t review many books, but if I could be one of the heroine’s from one of the books I’ve read, I’d choose Scarlett O’Hara. I mean, my gosh, she’s a train wreck and thick as a board, but she actually learns in my opinion. She survives because of what was good about her despite what was bad about her. And for my money, when it was all said and done, I think she finally did find her happy ever after. Not sure it was Rhett Butler, but I’m betting it was someone yummy.

Is there something in your jewelry box of sentimental value?

Half of what’s there is gifts, so yes, I’m a real fool for tokens from loved ones. Favorite is my string of pearls hubby ‘Phil-the-fist’ gave me on our third married Christmas. He’s terrible at keeping secrets, so I knew I was getting them when he asked me on December 23rd, while we were watching one of the uber-romantic jewelry chain commercials, “Do you think those pearls are 24” or opera length?” I laughed for an hour and my former marine, Mr. Macho hero kept saying, “What? What did I say?”

What was your favorite TV show when you were a kid?

I loved, loved, loved Mission Impossible. Nothing was out of reach…these guys changed appearances, countries, faked wars and looked fabulous doing it. Heaven.

What is the first thing you notice about a man?

Interesting question. I think I’d have to answer ‘demeanor’. Those smart, friendly vibes that come from a good man’s heart right thru his eyes always perk up my interest.

What turns you off faster than being wet down by a fire hose?

Mean or bigoted jokes. Was attracted to a guy once, having drinks and getting to know him when he told a racially insensitive joke and laughed heartily. I went cold. I didn’t feel superior, just incredibly disappointed that a handsome and intelligent guy like that thought any woman would think he was funny.

If you were in the “Miss America” talent competition, what would your talent be?

HAR. I have no talents that can be showcased on a stage in a skimpy outfit. Unless I could sit at my computer and have my words projected above me (I can hear the snoring now-double HAR), I would bring nothing to that little sideshow.

What is one of the things you would put on your “bucket” list?

Holding a grandchild in my arms. Can’t wait for that day.

Okay! A couple of quickies:

Tennis shoes or sandals? Surely you jest. I’m a California girl and don’t give up my sandals until Christmas Eve even though I know live on the east coast.

Football or baseball? Baseball. I want an athlete who can speak a whole sentence when he retires.

Color of fingernail polish? “Jamaican Me Crazy” purply red delight.

Morning person or nite-owl? If morning is 11 a.m. I’m there. But 11 p.m.-2 a.m. is my most fun and alive zone.

Now for the fun part! Tell us two truths about you and one lie. I will use Random.org to select the winners!

1. I have seven orange cats. The vet named me ‘Cat lover of the year’ which means ‘Cat lover who sent me to Cancun this year’.

2. I was adopted at age 5 by my mother’s second husband. He and my mother never told the sister and brother they had together about this fact until we were all in our 30s. Can you say ‘Let’s pretend something is true even when it isn’t?’ I’m sure this is a large part of why I am a writer. And for the record, despite this, they were great parents.

3. Clint Eastwood sent me a desk full of flowers and a personally autographed poster with his thanks for having a phone booth moved while he was shooting a movie in San Francisco.

BLURB ABOUT SECRET SISTER:

Nick&Cathy. Cathy and Roxanne. Two best friends. One husband.

It’s not what you think….

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.

EXCERPT FROM SECRET SISTER:

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 …

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Email: EmelleGamble@aol.com
My Blog: emellegamble.blogspot.com
Facebook: Emelle on Facebook
Twitter: Emelle on Twitter
My Goodreads Page: Emelle on Goodreads
Follow the Secret Sister Blog Tour: Goddess Fish Promotions