Emelle Gamble loves book clubs…they have readers, who are
her favorite people. They read books and talk about books,
her favorite things to do. And all the best book club
meetings Emelle has gone to have snacks! Enter below and
your book club will get books…and a $50 gift card to buy
pumpkin pies for all!
My new novella, Duets, is in a compelling collection
called ONCE AND
FOREVER. This anthology includes 4 additional original
novellas from my critique group partners which range from
Regency romance, to contemporary romance to a fabulous new
writer’s debut, The Psychic Detective.
Duets offers alternating looks into the lives of two
women who would seem to have little or nothing in common.
Screen star Molly Harper is on the verge of marrying a man
who has swept her off her feet, thought perhaps hasn’t swept
all her feelings for her first love away. Anne Sullivan,
happily married for twenty-five years, is fighting to hold
onto the man she loves, and hold off a confrontation that
could shatter her family’s image of what they are.
Duets confronts a past secret that ties these two
women’s lives together, just as chance events turn Molly and
Anne’s worlds upside down.
In December of 2013, a full length novel MOLLY HARPER, will
continue the story three years later of the all the
characters you meet in Duets.
Here's an excerpt from Duets
Molly saw Cruz before he saw her, which was the way she
liked it. It gave her time to measure his mood, and remind
herself not to jump into his arms as she had all the years
they were lovers.
He stood outside on her mother’s patio, the breeze ruffling
in and out of the rose and lilac bushes, the sun shining
down through the gently waving trees onto his tanned face.
Though he was a big man, tall and broad shouldered, he was
light on his feet and never seemed to take a false step. He
had a natural grace that Molly associated with professional
dancers.
Of course, he was too macho to have considered that career.
She grinned, remembering his embarrassment the one time
she’d suggested it.
Cruz leaned down, his shoulders straining against his white
tee-shirt, and picked up her ancient cat. He hugged Cleo to
his neck, gently stroking her fur as he murmured in Spanish.
Molly’s chest tightened as Cleo rubbed herself against
Cruz’s day-old beard. She put her hand to her cheek and
remembered how his face felt when he didn’t shave.
Was he here to see Marta?
It was Thursday and he usually came to LA on Friday
afternoon to have lunch and catch up with his mother, after
Friday morning office hours with his students at Santa
Barbara College.
Did Marta call him last night and tell him I was coming
home? Does he already know about me and Ben? Molly wondered.
She pushed her hair off her forehead and walked out to the
patio.
“Hey, Cruz!”
He turned at the sound of her voice, the cat purring against
his shoulder. He put Cleo down and walked to her. “Molly.
When did you get in?”
“A couple of hours ago.” She gave him a brief hug as a
familiar frisson of heat up crawled up the center of her.
She brushed a kiss against his cheek and stepped back. He
smelled like sun and soap and the best moments of her life.
“You look great.” Cruz folded his arms over his chest and
took her in, all of her, with a sweep of his brown eyes.
They crinkled as his grin unfolded. “How long are you going
to be in LA, chica?”
“Just a few days.” She put her hand to her suddenly dry
lips, and was distracted by the gleam of the enormous
diamond on her finger. Quickly she stuck her hand in her
shorts pocket.
What do I do? Just blurt out the news? Go get us some drinks?