Today we have author Emelle Gamble visiting. Welcome!
What would you like to tell readers about yourself?
* Emelle Gamble became a writer at an early age. At six years old, she was bursting with the requisite childhood stories of introspection, and this itch to tell tales evolved into bad teen poetry and tortured short works that, thankfully, never saw the light of day, or an editorβs red pen.
* She took her first stab at writing a novel in an adult education class in Mobile, Alabama when her kids were in bed for the night. As βM.L. Gamble,β she published several romantic suspense novels with Harlequin Intrigue. She now publishes novels of Ordinary Women in Extraordinary Situations with SoulMate Publishing and Posh Publishing β¦works ranging from womenβs fiction to thrillers and romantic suspense.
* Always intrigued by the words βwhat ifβ, Gambleβs books feature an ordinary woman confronted with an extraordinary situation. Emelle celebrates the adventurous spirit of readers, and hopes each will enjoy the exciting and surprising journeys her characters take.
* Emelle lives in suburban Washington D.C. with her hero of thirty years, Philip, and two orange cats, Lucy and Bella. Like all good villains, the cats claim to have their reasons for misbehaving. Her children are happily launched on their own and are both contributing great things to society, their motherβs fondest wish.
* Emelle welcomes any reader interested in emailing her and hopes they will visit her website, or her Author Emelle Gamble FaceBook page.
Today Emelle Gamble will be talking about the first book she read that had a big impact on her.
* This is a really difficult question to answer, and I imagine it is for many readers and probably all writers.
* Iβll give you a βstages of lifeβ answer.
* When I was a child, I loved to read from as early as I can imagine. Board books, then chapter books, then mysteries. Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden, in particular. I loved all stories of trying to find your way home, or trying to find out who the bad guy was.
* Once I was in middle school, I would literally inhale any kind of historical fiction that involved British nobility. I loved court intrigue and unrequited love affairs, and the horses. Yes, I loved the horses in those books, and of course the stable boys.
* In high school I had fabulous English teachers that gave me books to read that still make me tremble β The Scarlet Letter. The Great Gatsby. The Confessions of Nat Turner, a book which I returned to the Librarian (who let me check it out even though it was on the βteacherβs onlyβ shelf) and begged her to tell me it really wasnβt based on true events.
* As a mom with two little kids, I gravitated to romantic suspense (honorable men and spunky women) and best sellers, always with a love of mystery. I wanted books to absorb, entertain, and end with a resolution that, because of smart sleuthing and big hearts, the world was a better place than at the beginning.
* Now I read everything. Non-fiction books that keep me up at night worrying, fiction that is provocative, novels that impress me, mysteries that rarely make me feel better about anything. HA!
* But to get back to our blog hostessβs question β the first book that had a big impact? As an adult, one of the first novels that rocked my world was The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher.
* It is a warm family saga about a woman with a bohemian upbringing and a lost true love. A woman who did what was expected of her, was βhappilyβ married and gave birth to three children, but always had a secret life inside her heart. This heroine, Penelope, suffered great losses during World War II, and afterwards, but stayed optimistic. She loved each of her children equally, but differently. Her life often surprised β but never defeated – her.
* This book showed the reader in me how complicated, challenging, heartbreaking and wonderful family life is. And it taught the writer in me that characters did not have to be all good or all bad in commercial fiction to be compelling. It is one of the few books I own that I have re-read multiple times, and I realized while writing this post that it contains many of those elements I always loved as a reader. Finding your way home. Solving a mystery. Intrigue and heartbreak. What a great book. If you havenβt read it, do!
A look into…
~ Blurb ~
* Jill Farrellβs college reunion is coming up, but she wants no part of it. The man she once loved, Swedish exchange student Max Kallstrom, is rumored to be attending, but that doesnβt tempt her as Max disappeared from her life the night before the graduation, and has never been heard from since.
* When her ex-husband, Andrew Denton, knocks on her door and announces he wants to make nice, and, βoh, by the way, one of their class alumni might be a murdererβ, Jillβs resolve to avoid the event hardens.
* Jill shuts Andrewβs efforts to reconnect down, and tries to put Max out of her mind. And thatβs that, until a second man knocks on her door, and the emotions of a time long ago overtakes her. Max Kallstrom tells Jill sheβs the reason he has come to California. He asks her to please let him explain why she hasnβt heard from him for fifteen long years.
* Sheβs willing to listen to what he has to say, but immediately realizes that her memories must guide her through a wrenching and dangerous few days. While her heart remembers a handsome young lover, she and her classmates are all different people now, and the reality of a murdered friend proves she canβt trust everyone.
* Whatβs not so clear is if she should trust anyone . . . especially Max Kallstrom.
~ Excerpt ~
* Was that a noise in the garage?
* The sound of muted rustling did not fit the normal night sounds. She took a step closer to the garage exit opposite the front door. Slowly she leaned forward to listen, but all was quiet.
* Tell me I didnβt forget to close the garage again. She visualized coming in from errands earlier, but could not remember if she had hit the button before she stepped inside.
* She set her laptop and paperwork on the kitchen table, turned on the teakettle, and headed resolutely back to the foyer. Iβll open it a crack, confirm everything is closed properly, and then sit down and get to work.
* She turned the knob and pushed the door open, and flipped the light switch. Her car was parked, and the garage was closed. But there was a cardboard box sitting on carβs passenger side trunk.
* The top was open and several books were piled next to it.
* βWhat the devil?β She stepped down onto the concrete and headed for the box.
* βHello, Jill,β the killer said.
* She yelped and grabbed her throat.
* A man rose from the crouch he was in beside the washing machine. He grabbed Jill with one hand, and aimed a gun at her head with his other. βStand still and be quiet. I wonβt hurt you unless you scream.β
* Shock and bitter anger nearly brought her to her knees as she registered who he was, and what a massive betrayal he had pulled off. Furious, she slapped at the gun and twisted out of the manβs grasp, and turned to run.
* Before she completely filled her lungs with air to scream, his pistol cracked against her skull and knocked her to her knees.
* There was black, and then nothing.
Buy The Second Man here…
Amazon
Find Emelle Gamble here…
Amazon Author Page | eMail | Facebook Page | Twitter | Website
Thank you for joining us here today, Emelle Gamble! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.
ANNOUNCEMENT! Emelle Gamble will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour! So be sure to leave a comment AND use this RAFFLECOPTER LINK to enter the drawing. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!
I am really enjoying following this tour, thank you for all the great blog posts and excerpts!
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Thank you, Nikolina. I’ve been enjoying the tour too, mostly because of great readers like you. What is the first book that made an impact on you?
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Oh, I honestly don’t remember… I started reading before I started school and have been reading my whole life…. But I do know the last one that made an impact on me – it was The gargoyle by A. Davidson! π
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Thanks so much for hosting today!
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Congrats on the tour, the book looks great, and thanks for the chance to win π
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Sounds like a great read.
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Great interview and excerpt, sounds like a great book!
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First book to leave a lasting impact….Has to be LITTLE BIG MAN, as an adult. As a child, MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN. Newest book as an adult SECRET SISTER…
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The story sounds interesting, thanks.
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Really great post, thanks for sharing the excerpt π
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I still have my Nancy Drew books!
denise
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What I like about Emelle Gamble is that she is a talented writer but hasn’t let it go to her head. She is a personable woman, who answers each of the comments made on her Facebook page. It’s kind of nice to get a glimpse of the author. And she is generous as well.
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Shared on G+ to help spread the word, have a great day! π
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My parents could never tear me away from my Nancy Drew books! Reading has always been an escape and I always enjoy hearing about an author’s favorite stories and authors. Thank you for sharing.
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