aka an interview with Emily, with the excellent questions posed by Isabel…

Isabel~ What was the first romance novel you ever read? Was that novel the reason you’re a devoted fan of the genre?

Emily~ The first romance novel I read (from what I can remember) was a Casey Stuart book which I can’t remember the title of. I know that not much later I read Johanna Lindsey’s MAN OF MY DREAMS though and that’s when I got really into the genre. (I love the Mallorys!) I think it was Lindsey rather than Stuart that really got me interested (I was still a bit young when I read Stuart).

Isabel~ How long have you been writing romance? Could you tell us about what you’re writing about, the time period, H/H, etc.?

Emily~ Well, I’m not sure how to reply to that. I’ve been writing stories ever since I was little, and by the age of 14 I noticed that no matter what I was writing someone always fell in love! I think this is when I figured that I should probably be writing romance (I used to want to write fantasy).
I’m working on a Regency set historical at the moment which now needs to go through revisions. I’ll see if I can describe the book (I’m very bad at summarizing things like that though… Hence my problems with queries and synopsis!)

When Jessica Howerty was eight years old she fell (quite literally) for her brother’s friend Jacob Hurst, the Earl of Wortham, and she never quite recovered. As a grown-up woman she knows that Jacob is the last man on earth she should be interested in, and she’s made a point out of staying away from him. Yet she can’t help comparing every other man she meets to him, and invariably they come up short. When Jacob’s father, the Duke of Ashbrook, asks Jessica if she could spend the summer at his estate to keep his visiting niece company, she’s secure in the knowledge that it’s the last place Jacob would be seen at, and is happy to accept.
Jacob Hurst is a rake through and through, and he has no thoughts of ever settling down (it would make his father far too happy). After a long ago argument with his father he’s rarely ever home, but word that his father is planning to marry Jessica Howerty brings him back to Holcombe Hall with the intention of stopping a possibly disastrous marriage. Why - exactly - he doesn’t want his father to marry Jessica he can’t really explain - even to himself.
As he arrives at Holcombe Jessica doesn’t seem to understand what he’s implying, but Jacob has proof, and he’s not going to let the young title-huntress get away with what he thinks she’s planning. But how can he expect his father to stay away from Jessica when it turns out - after a stolen kiss - that he’s not able to keep his hands off her himself?

Isabel~ What is your writing schedule like? I believe you have a full time “pay the bills” job, how do you find time to write?

Emily~ Good question. It’s really difficult to find the time. In my old job I could write during the lunch hour, but nowadays that’s not possible. So I’ve taken away the hour or so before going to bed when I would normally read, and I write instead. Then I try to get something done in the weekends as well. Easier said than done though… I really admire the romance authors who somehow manage to juggle a writing career, a family and sometimes even a day job.

Isabel~ How many MSs have you actually finished? Have you submitted any of the MSs to publishers yet?

Emily~ I’ve finished one (A ROSE FOR ANGEL) and I’m working on the revisions for the second, TAMING OF THE RAKE. I submitted a query letter for ROSE once, but I have to write a synopsis before I can submit it to most places. It’s my task for spring; to finish that synopsis! Because I want to start submitting seriously this summer.

Isabel~ Do you have any publishing houses you look forward to submitting your book to? You live outside the U.S. are there publishing houses in your part of the world that you’re interested in?

Emily~ To be honest I’m not really looking at the publishing houses over here. Most of the big ones are in New York, so I’m targeting those. Avon is probably my “dream” house, but I’ve got a list of other ones that I want to submit to as well (such as Berkeley, Dorchester etc.)

Isabel~ What is your biggest fear “writing” fear?

Emily~ Hmm. I don’t know, really. I guess finding out that my writing is really crap. Not as in ‘a bit bad and you can fix it’-crap, but ‘complete junk that no one would ever want to read and I have no talent whatsoever’-kind of crap.

Isabel~ Do you have any favorite authors you’d like to meet in person (you don’t have to name them all, LOL)? If so what would you say to them?

Emily~ My two auto-buy authors at the moment are Teresa Medeiros and Julia Quinn, so I’d probably want to meet one of them. And once I got the stardust out of my eyes I’d probably be extraordinarily eloquent and say, ‘Er.. um…*clears throat* Is that really you?’

Isabel~ What’s the first thing you will do when you get “the call”?

Emily~ Faint. Or wait, I’d probably pick up the phone and say, ‘Hello.’ Oh wait, you mean after I’ve hung up again… Faint.. Again. Seriously? I don’t know. I’d probably call my mom and scream in her ear… (something I’m certain she’d appreciate…)

Isabel~ Does your family know you write romance?

Emily~ Yes. My sister has even read my first MS. While she gets bored if I go on and on about my stories for too long she’s otherwise quite supportive. We were in Paris last year for a long weekend, and I remember sitting in a cafe at one point plotting an idea for a future MS, and she was actually helping with some ideas. For the rest, no one’s really read it, but they all know that I’m doing it and they’re impressed that I’ve finished a book (well, almost two by now), whether I get published or not. So that’s nice.

Isabel~ What’s your favorite dessert? I know you’re sick of Chocolate Easter eggs LOL…

Emily~ Oh, I don’t know. It varies a lot. I have periods when I like one thing, then other periods when I prefer something else. At the moment I have a ‘thing’ for vanilla ice-cream in rose-hip soup.

Isabel~ What are you currently reading?

Emily~ Well, due to me sacrificing the reading for the writing… Not a whole lot. But while taking a break between finishing and revisions I managed to (finally!) read Lisa Kleypas’ DEVIL IN WINTER. (And it was really good!) At the moment I have a medieval crime novel on the bedside table, but I only manage a few pages a week!

If there’s anything else you’d like to know, feel free to do so. But if they’re insanely stupid, don’t expect me to answer (though I still might!). You’re also permitted - though not advised - to call me a nutter. In any case, I am now off to do what I do every day… Try to take over the world!!!