Dating Cary Grant by Emelle Gamble - Interview and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Emelle will be awarding a $50 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter and digital copies of Dating Cary Grant will be awarded to 5 randomly drawn commenters. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

What do you do when writer's block hits?

I don’t believe in writer’s block. I believe in stressing over not knowing what to do next or how to do something hard and consequently being all over the place, disorganized and panicking. So when THAT happens I make a list of what I need to do, sit my butt down in the chair, and start checking off the list.

I can always work. Sometimes it is not ever going to be seen by another person, but writer’s write. So I write. One word at a time…it always works!

What reality show would you love to be on? Why?

None. I hate reality shows. Okay, I take that back. HGTV can said to be a reality show network, right, because there are real people? So I want to be on Property Brothers. I don’t want to sell or buy, I just want them to come and redo my deck and bathroom and repaint my kitchen cabinets. For FREE. I guess this would be a FANTASY SHOW. HA! But this is what I want.

Which of your characters would you most like to meet IRL? Why?

I want to meet Cary Grant. I know, I know, he’s not with us anymore. But he is a character in DATING CARY GRANT, so he’s my choice. I want to go out to dinner with him, and bring him afterwards for dessert and coffee, and listen to him talk about Ingrid Bergman and Audrey Hepburn, and Jimmy Stewart. And Katharine Hepburn. I’ll even bring hubby, Phil-the-fist. I think Cary Grant is that kind of man, women love him, men admire him, and anyone would love to spend time with him!

What four literary characters would you most like to have over for dinner?

Fun! Okay, I’m inviting Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. And Sam Spade from The Maltese Falcon, Scarlett O’Hara from Gone With the Wind and Penelope Keeling from The Shell Seekers. I loved all these books to madness…and I’d love to slap some sense into Heathcliff. If I couldn’t do it, I’m sure Penelope could. Or Sam Spade could. And then things would end better for Heathcliff and Cathy. Writers always want to change the endings of books, even other writers’ books.

A modern Manhattan fairy tale starring…

Tracy Connor, a New York City career woman who loves her job and classic movies.

Mike Connor, her estranged husband, a small town Mayor who loves his wife but doesn’t seem to have enough time to see her.

The handsome stranger, Philip Adams, who lives downstairs from the small sublet Tracy has temporarily moved into. He’s charming, funny and looks a lot like her very favorite screen icon, Cary Grant.

Dating Cary Grant is a romance all about New York City career woman Tracy Connor struggling with real issues with her real guy, her husband of six years, Mayor Mike Connor of Cukor, Connecticut. Tracy is a smart woman, but some of her problems with relationships are partially caused by her unrealistic expectations that real guys should – and can - behave like matinee idols. Mike’s problems are also caused by the fact that he’s such a great guy and overextends his heart, and his appointment calendar, to every constituent, friend or stray animal who crosses his path.

Tracy is also being stressed by a TV reality show intent on showcasing Tracy and Mike’s personal life, as well as the imminent takeover of her employer, a small, private television station, by a billionaire with unlimited funds and no taste.

Dating Cary Grant considers just how selfless a man needs to be to meet his wife’s expectations, and just how honest a woman must be with herself about what she’s willing to give, and give-up. And Cary Grant is along to help prove that any woman’s search for ‘Mr. Perfect ‘ might take her to a surprising place to find him.

Enjoy an excerpt:

Her husband rested his big hands on the door. “Look, can I just come in for a few minutes?”

Tracy stared at him and realized Mike was nervous.

Nervous.

She had never, ever, seen her husband nervous, in any situation, in all the time she’d known him. He was an experienced attorney as well as a public official, a man naturally at ease with people, all people, even people pissed off because their property tax bill went up or angry because the jury ruled against them. People didn’t make Mike Conner nervous.

He listened, shook hands, and proceeded to logically explain how he was going to fix everything, no problem.

He had never even seemed stressed when they met with the marriage counselor, she thought. But at this minute, Mike Connor was nervous.

She lowered her voice. “It’s the middle of the night, Mike. Please.”

“I know what time it is.” His eyes studied her face, and then swept down her body with the force of a physical touch. “And I know you’ve got a headache, but let me say you look great. Really great. And you smell wonderful. Is that new perfume?”

“No. It’s the same perfume I always wear.” She watched as Mike’s eyes dropped to her cleavage and her face burned over the fact she had chosen this sweater with another man in mind.

Suddenly she visualized that other man, showing up with a bottle of aspirin. Though she hadn’t done anything wrong, nothing positive would come from Mayor Connor meeting Philip Adams outside her apartment door, of that she was sure.

“Mike, you really need to go.” She stepped across the doorway as if to encourage him to head for the stairs.

“Am I interrupting something?” He pointedly looked over her shoulder.

“No. Of course not. Not that it’s any of your business.”

“How’s that? We’re still married, aren’t we?”

“Yes, we are. But after everything we’ve been through the last couple of years, I’m a little surprised you’d insinuate something like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like I’d cheat on you.”

Mike’s face paled. “I wasn’t insinuating that. Look, just a few minutes, okay? I smell coffee. And I could sure use a cup.”

Tracy sent another glance down the stairs. “There’s a 24-hour deli a block over. You can stop and get some on the way back to your car. I’m not trying to be difficult, but I just need some sleep. I’ve got to go into work all day tomorrow, and Sunday I promised to meet Posey early in SoHo, so whatever you’ve got to say --”

“--I’ll buy you pancakes. You love pancakes. Even in the middle of the night, right?” He reached out and gave her arm a squeeze.

Her heart softened but her tone remained unchanged. “I’m not hungry, Mike. I’ll call tomorrow and we’ll set up a time where we can talk more. Please, just don’t push me.”

About the Author:

Emelle Gamble was a writer at an early age, bursting with the requisite childhood stories of introspection. These evolved into bad teen poetry and worse short stories. She took her first stab at full length fiction in an adult education writing class when her kids were in bed twenty years ago. As M.L. Gamble, she published several romantic suspense novels with Harlequin. Soul Mate Publishing brought out Secret Sister, a paranormal women’s romantic fiction novel in the summer of 2013. This was followed by the novella, Duets, in November, 2013, and the follow on novel starring the characters from Duets, Molly Harper, in January, 2014.

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.

Website ~ Facebook ~ @EmelleGamble

Secret Sister is now available on Amazon!
Once and Forever is now available on Amazon!
Duets, a novella, the prequel to Molly Harper: Amazon
Molly Harper now available on Amazon
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