Thank you for joining us on the Virtual Book Tour for Stranger Than Fiction, a Romantic Suspense by Emelle Gamble (first published in March 1989; this edition 8 August 2015, Posh Publishing, 206 pages). This is the first book in the Classic Romantic Suspense series and, for a limited time, you can download your copy for FREE!
PREVIEW: Check out the book's synopsis and excerpt below, as well as details about the other four novels in the series, and our Q&A with author Emelle Gamble. Read the first two chapters with Amazon Look Inside.
Emelle Gamble will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Please do take part: comment on our post and follow the tour where you will be able to read other excerpts (☀), interviews (ℚ), and guest blog posts (✉).
Synopsis | Teaser | The Series | Author Q&A | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops
Synopsis
Romance, murder and a cozy group of writers you’ll want to write home about!Set in New York City and Narragansett, Rhode Island in 1990, meet Claire Kennedy, successful mystery book editor at Cauldron Press. Her most famous client, the reclusive Sarah Winesong, has written her first new novel in five years, and Claire is ready to break out the champagne! And then, in walks Tony Nichols. He’s gorgeous, angry and full of accusations that start with "Cauldron Press stole my book" and end with "Sarah Winesong is a fraud".
This contemporary cozy mystery has a stellar cast of would-be villains and one real one who will stop at nothing to eliminate his nefarious scheme from coming to light, including stalk and try to kill Claire and Tony!
Teaser: Excerpt
Tony had not shown up to get her at the inn, nor had he called with a message. She had checked the inn not more than a half hour ago. Was his lack of punctuality further proof of his criminal makeup, she wondered?
Her determination not to be manipulated propelled her up the stairway to the second floor. The lighted hallway was empty of any security guards, secretaries or students to direct her. Turning away from the stairs, Claire walked toward a closed office with English Department stenciled on the frosted glass and knocked.
There was no answer. A lectern stood next to the door, and .the black notebook on it listed the instructor’s office hours. Turning hastily to the Ns, Claire found the entry.
Nichols, A.A. (Tony), Assoc Prof, Creative Writing #319.
The space for appointments was crossed through with a large black X.
She ought to just go see Sarah Winesong, Claire thought as she hurried down the hall. If Mr. Harrison and Tillie had not babied the author all these years, Cauldron Press might not have been in this predicament. And she would not be chasing around after Tony Nichols.
Claire took the stairs up to the third floor, pausing out of breath on the landing. A black arrow with the numbers 311-321 led her to the left.
That hall was dark, the only illumination coming from the gray sky visible through a single window at the far end of the corridor. All the offices appeared locked and unoccupied.
There was no lettering on the frosted glass of room 319 other than its number, and the small metal nameplate holder above it was empty. Claire’s stomach churned. She rapped loudly and waited.
Nothing. “Tony? Are you in there? It’s Claire.”
Her inquiry was met with silence. Rubbing one hand with the other, Claire looked around. Though everything was silent, she had the feeling that someone was nearby. Gingerly she put her hand on the brass doorknob and turned it. It opened easily, into almost complete darkness.
“Tony?”
The instant she spoke his name, the shrill cry of the telephone rang out like a startled sentry’s gun. Clutching her chest, Claire gasped and stepped back.
With a sigh of exasperation, she decided to answer it and groped for the light switch. As she did so, she noticed the room was dense with the odor of Tony’s tobacco. Inhaling, she tried to ignore the vivid pictures that rose to mind. She found the switch and flicked it and the room lit up.
The first thing Claire saw was the blood pooled on the dingy carpet just inside the office door.
She froze. Dully she realized the phone had stopped ringing. Then her ears picked up a new sound. In the hallway she had just vacated, she heard the creaking of a door hinge followed by footsteps.
Footsteps that were coming closer.
Frantic, Claire snapped off the light and moved deeper into the small office. Her hands groped in the dark for a weapon. Heavy, leather bound books were everywhere. Gripping the smooth surface of a large, anonymous text, Claire raised it above her head and waited.
A bulky silhouette filled the doorway as the hallway light tumbled into the room. Though Claire had made no sound, it was clear she had been spotted. Without a word, the figure lunged across the small office at her. She brought the book down squarely on the intruder’s face and the corner of it stabbed into his cheek.
She was tackled and thrown against the edge of the desk while her attacker howled a curse at her blow. Claire struck him repeatedly with the book.
As they both crashed to the floor, Claire beat him with every bit of adrenaline pumping into her body. Then, quite suddenly, she knew who it was cursing her in the dark. She recognized the strong hands that hugged her waist, the wavy hair brushing against the tender skin on her arm.
Her body identified her captor even when her terrified mind had not. “Let go of me, Tony. You’re hurting my arms.”
He was straddling her hips. She could now clearly see his eyes in the dim light from the hall.
“Claire, what are you trying to do, kill me?”
Her determination not to be manipulated propelled her up the stairway to the second floor. The lighted hallway was empty of any security guards, secretaries or students to direct her. Turning away from the stairs, Claire walked toward a closed office with English Department stenciled on the frosted glass and knocked.
There was no answer. A lectern stood next to the door, and .the black notebook on it listed the instructor’s office hours. Turning hastily to the Ns, Claire found the entry.
Nichols, A.A. (Tony), Assoc Prof, Creative Writing #319.
The space for appointments was crossed through with a large black X.
She ought to just go see Sarah Winesong, Claire thought as she hurried down the hall. If Mr. Harrison and Tillie had not babied the author all these years, Cauldron Press might not have been in this predicament. And she would not be chasing around after Tony Nichols.
Claire took the stairs up to the third floor, pausing out of breath on the landing. A black arrow with the numbers 311-321 led her to the left.
That hall was dark, the only illumination coming from the gray sky visible through a single window at the far end of the corridor. All the offices appeared locked and unoccupied.
There was no lettering on the frosted glass of room 319 other than its number, and the small metal nameplate holder above it was empty. Claire’s stomach churned. She rapped loudly and waited.
Nothing. “Tony? Are you in there? It’s Claire.”
Her inquiry was met with silence. Rubbing one hand with the other, Claire looked around. Though everything was silent, she had the feeling that someone was nearby. Gingerly she put her hand on the brass doorknob and turned it. It opened easily, into almost complete darkness.
“Tony?”
The instant she spoke his name, the shrill cry of the telephone rang out like a startled sentry’s gun. Clutching her chest, Claire gasped and stepped back.
With a sigh of exasperation, she decided to answer it and groped for the light switch. As she did so, she noticed the room was dense with the odor of Tony’s tobacco. Inhaling, she tried to ignore the vivid pictures that rose to mind. She found the switch and flicked it and the room lit up.
The first thing Claire saw was the blood pooled on the dingy carpet just inside the office door.
She froze. Dully she realized the phone had stopped ringing. Then her ears picked up a new sound. In the hallway she had just vacated, she heard the creaking of a door hinge followed by footsteps.
Footsteps that were coming closer.
Frantic, Claire snapped off the light and moved deeper into the small office. Her hands groped in the dark for a weapon. Heavy, leather bound books were everywhere. Gripping the smooth surface of a large, anonymous text, Claire raised it above her head and waited.
A bulky silhouette filled the doorway as the hallway light tumbled into the room. Though Claire had made no sound, it was clear she had been spotted. Without a word, the figure lunged across the small office at her. She brought the book down squarely on the intruder’s face and the corner of it stabbed into his cheek.
She was tackled and thrown against the edge of the desk while her attacker howled a curse at her blow. Claire struck him repeatedly with the book.
As they both crashed to the floor, Claire beat him with every bit of adrenaline pumping into her body. Then, quite suddenly, she knew who it was cursing her in the dark. She recognized the strong hands that hugged her waist, the wavy hair brushing against the tender skin on her arm.
Her body identified her captor even when her terrified mind had not. “Let go of me, Tony. You’re hurting my arms.”
He was straddling her hips. She could now clearly see his eyes in the dim light from the hall.
“Claire, what are you trying to do, kill me?”
Stranger Than Fiction
Available NOW for FREE!
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US:
The Series: Classic Romantic Suspense
Diamond of Deceit | When Murder Calls | If Looks Could Kill | Dead Magnolias |Click on the book cover to Look Inside the book on Amazon and read an excerpt.
Diamond of Deceit
Dead men don't rob banks ...
Set in San Diego, California in 1990, bank executive Emma Kingston was on vacation when the vault blew up. A man was killed – and his identity strangely obliterated by acid. A king’s ransom littered the floor around him – but not a thing was stolen from the hundreds of safe deposit boxes. Insurance investigator Philip Rowlands proposed a chilling explanation for the bizarre break-in. After years of hunting down Coop, Emma’s fiancé, Philip claimed to have tracked him to the scene of the crime. Philip doesn’t believe Coop’s dead, and Emma doesn’t believe she can trust Philip. Will the new man in her life lead to solving the mysteries around her late fiancé, or is he obsessed and simply another mistake she must avoid making?
[First Published September 1990, this edition21 November 2015, 245 pages]
When Murder Calls
A single mom, her hunky new employee, and a serial murderer known as The Grim Reaper. This romantic suspense novel set in Melbourne, Florida in the spring of 1991 introduces you to Megan Summers and Jack Gallagher, two strong-minded people who find their feelings for one another tested to the limit as they work together to defeat a crafty foe When Murder Calls [First Published January 1991, this edition 7 October 2015, 240 pages]
If Looks Could Kill
Catherine Grand owns a lookalike celebrity agency, Grand Illusions, supplying actors and impersonators for parties and concerts. Brennan Richards is a reclusive rock star who retired from performing ten years ago. When Catherine hires an actor to 'be' Brennan, he shows up and tells her he won't stand for it. Classic Romantic Suspense, originally published by Harlequin, set in 1991 California. [First Published October 1991, this edition 17 October 2015, 221 pages]
Dead Magnolias
Romance, murder and a gothic Southern family you won’t soon forget!
Set in fictional Port Jackson, Alabama in 1994, meet Teresa Worth, private detective. She’s a single mother living with an all-consuming heartache. Her ex-husband has kidnapped their young daughter and disappeared into thin air. Teresa struggles to go on with her life while conducting her own investigation into their whereabouts, at the same time she holds home and career together.
Teresa is hired by the family of a dear friend to find out the facts surrounding the woman’s shocking death by a hit-and-run driver. The same day of her friend’s funeral, Teresa meets Wells Talmadge, scion of a wealthy Port Jackson family, who also hires her to find out what’s happened to one of his employees.
[First Published May 1993; this edition 7 August 2015, 221 pages]
About the Author
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 editor’s 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 ‘M.L. Gamble,’ 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 …works ranging from women’s fiction to thrillers and romantic suspense.
Always intrigued by the words ‘what if’, Gamble’s 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 mother’s fondest wish.
Emelle welcomes any reader interested in emailing her at emellegamble@aol.com and hopes they will visit her:
Giveaway and Tour Stops
Enter to win a $25 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveawayRemember to comment to win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Follow Stranger Than Fiction's tour at:
Nov 17: Reviews by CrystalNov 24: One Book Shy of a Full Shelf
Dec 1: Christine Young
Dec 8: FictionZeal
Dec 15: Rachel Brimble Romance
Dec 29: Read Your Writes Book Reviews
Jan 5: Archaeolibrarian - I dig good books!
Jan 12: BooksChatter
Thank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteThank you for the posts and the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting this last stop on the tour! What a beautiful site!
ReplyDeleteReaders, tell me, what do you love most about romantic suspense books - the romance or the mystery?
This sounds really exciting.
ReplyDeleteThanks, MomJane. I think if you like cozy type mysteries this would be a good one to try. And the retro 1990s thing is fun! Good luck.
DeleteCongratulations Emelle on the new release. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
ReplyDeleteAs for romance vs mystery, I like a little of both in my romantic suspense stories. Thanks again.
Good luck, Sandy. And I like a little of both, too, just have to really believe in the mystery, but will accept almost any love story. HA!
DeleteI have enjoyed the tour and learning about your book.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rita. Good luck in the drawings and thanks for following.
DeleteNice teaser and this edition published on my birthday last year. I will download the free copy! Sue M. Van/Haven Malone
ReplyDeleteGorgeous name, Haven. You sound like a romantic suspense heroine! I hope you enjoy the book - do let me know what you thought. XXX
DeleteSounds like a great series, thanks for sharing the teaser!
ReplyDeleteGreat post and to answer your question, Emelle-I'm more drawn to the mystery. This has been a terrific book tour! Good luck!
ReplyDeletethank you for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt, sounds like a book I can sink my teeth into and I enjoyed following the tour and learning about Stranger Than Fiction, thanks for sharing and Good luck
ReplyDelete