 Emmie Dark’s Grand Plan Posted by Anna Campbell Feb 21 2012, 12:19 am
by Anna Campbell You meet some terrifically nice people in this business and one of the nicest happens to be a debut author for Harlequin SuperRomance in March. I’m delighted to introduce to the lair Emmie Dark from Australia who is here to tell us about CASSIE’S GRAND PLAN. You can find out about Emmie and her books at her website: http://www.emmiedark.com/ Emmie, welcome to the lair! I’m so excited when an Aussie makes good! Congratulations on the release of your debut for Harlequin SuperRomance, CASSIE’S GRAND PLAN. Can you tell us about this story?
Sounds delicious. A bit Hepburn and Tracy. What were the inspirations behind this book? The inspiration for Hugh and Cassie’s story came from a number of different places, but primarily it was based my own experience and that of my family. I grew up in a retailing family—my parents owned furniture stores for most of my life (they’re retired now) and my sister worked in a furniture store for a number of years. I grew up with conversations around the dinner table about deliveries and orders and customer service. I’ve had more of a corporate career, so I was familiar with the concept of audits and consultants coming in to review your work. From a plot perspective, I just took those two things and asked myself—what if a consultant came to review a chain of furniture stores? In terms of their emotional journey, I really enjoy stories where the heroine is empowered and strong, and matched with a hero who is just as confident. Cassie thinks she’s got life all under control, but it’s not until Ronan starts probing that she realizes it might not be as solid as she thinks. We love call stories in the lair. Can you give us yours? The most amusing thing about my call story is how close I came to missing it! I have a personal work policy that I don’t answer my mobile phone before 8am, otherwise my working day has no boundaries. So when my phone rang at about 7.45am (I was awake, but still in bed with my laptop and a cup of tea—writing!) I considered whether or not I’d answer it. The number was blocked, so I figured I should probably take it. Then I heard my lovely editor Megan’s voice as she introduced herself and where she was from—and then said why she was calling! I jumped out of bed and raced to find a pen and paper to write down what she was saying because I knew I wouldn’t remember any of it. Mostly what I recall is being shocked to the point of speechlessness. Megan asked a few times if I had any questions, but I just couldn’t gather my thoughts enough to be coherent and ask any!
My second book is coming out with SuperRomance in August this year. It’s called IN HIS EYES and it’s a reunion story about two teenage lovers reunited after ten years, having been separated by a traumatic event. It’s set in a wine country, and my heroine, Zoe, is a winemaker, while the hero, Hugh, is the owner of a large wine conglomerate. I was able to use all the knowledge I’ve gained over long years of wine tasting to help write the book—I knew all that chardonnay drinking would come in useful one day! That sounds like fun research! Hic! Can you tell us about your particular corner of the world? I live in Melbourne, Australia, and I love my city. I feel incredibly fortunate to live in a city that really values things like art, writing and culture. I also live in a very pretty bayside suburb (not too far from where my heroine Cassie lives!) which means I can take a walk along the beach whenever I feel the urge. I hope that people reading CASSIE’S GRAND PLAN might enjoy the insight into Melbourne it gives them and maybe think of visiting!
I remember hearing a quote ages ago that was something along the lines of “the key to success is being ready when your luck arrives”. I think it’s very astute. There IS some element of luck to getting published—you have to have the right story in front of the right editor/agent, at the right time. The real trick though, is that when the planets align in your favour, you have to be ready to grab that opportunity with both hands and don’t let go! Great advice. You have a really great contest running at the moment on your website. Would you like to tell us about it? As a new author, I’m still excited about the idea of people actually reading my book. (Although I don’t know if that ever wears off, really!) If you’d like to go into the drawing for a $100 Amazon gift card, all I need you to do is to send me a photo of you, reading my book. Visit my website (www.emmiedark.com) to find out more.
I’m giving away a copy of CASSIE’S GRAND PLAN to one lucky commenter. Leave me a comment and tell me about your favourite piece of furniture—what makes it special to you? TweetPosted in Anna Campbell, Australian Authors, Bandita Booty, Cassie's Grand Plan, Debut authors, Emmie Dark, Guests, Harlequin Superromance, In His Eyes Comments140 thoughts on “Emmie Dark’s Grand Plan” |
  
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I also was lucky to gain invaluable insight from friends of mine who run their own vineyard and winery. That book is now done and I’m working on what I hope might be my third SuperRomance—I’ll keep you posted…
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Hi, Emmie! Great to “meet” you, and congratulations on your upcoming debut! I’ve loved reading SuperRomances for years, and yours sound just fabulous! I especially enjoy reunited lovers stories, so I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for In His Eyes this summer!
Favorite piece of furniture? I think our bedroom set–we splurged on a cherry set, including an armoire and dresser, and the color and finish always make me feel warm and happy. And it isn’t quite furniture (at least not in the movable sense!), but I’m now exceedingly fond of our wall of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves
‘Cuz I sure do love my books 
Fedora, I love the sound of the bookshelves. If I had my dream house, it would include a HUGE library!
Hi Fedora, thanks for commenting! Sorry, I replied to you in a separate comment that appears below, but I’ve figured out how this all works now!
Hi Emmie,
met your wonderful grandparents on the world cruise 2 yrs ago, must find your book and read it. Sounds great, love stories that are written about areas you know, and furniture I love….my bed with lots of pillows & a good reading light for night reads!
Fedora
Have fun with the GR and watch him around those book shelves he may try and rearrange them
Helen
HI Emmie and Anna
Oh I have your book downloaded onto by E Reader and am very much looking forward to reading it, sounds great.
Favourite piece of furniture would have to be the recliner in the family room where I read lots of books LOL but then I read a lot in bed as well and now that most of the kids have moved out I have taken over one of the spare rooms and made it my library with 4 bookshelves with all the books I have read in there love going in that room LOL. I also have my Mum’s china cabinet the ones that were around in the 50′ with the curved glass love it as well. Sorry I got carried away with furniture LOL.
Congrats on the release Emmie and thanks Anna for inviting Emmie along today
Have Fun
Helen
Hi Helen! Oh, how cool about having the book already. Hope you enjoy it. Actually it’s hard to pick just ONE piece of furniture, isn’t it? The china cabinet sounds lovely!
Oooh, Helen! Check you out, Ms. Quick Draw having the book alredy! Grins. Love the sound of that china cupboard.
Mornin’ Fedora! Congrats on catching the rooster today! And do watch him around the books as he WILL rearrange the bookshelves, and not in alpha order either. Drat him.
Last time he was here, he re-org’d one set of shelves into color order. All the red-bound books on one shelf….green ones….
Yeah, try finding anything in THAT system!
Grins.
How lovely that sounds, Fedora. I love cherry wood.
Hi Anna and Emmie! CASSIE’S GRAND PLAN sounds like a terrific story. I can’t wait to read it!
My favorite piece of furniture is a rolled arm, scallop-backed couch from the 1930s that’s been handed down in my husband’s family. It’s enormous and weighs a ton but it’s very elegant.
Good luck with that next Super. I’m sure it’ll be a winner.
Thanks Joan! Love the sound of that sofa. I love antique furniture too — even better if it has some family history attached!
Joan, the couch sounds lovely! I love old furniture.
HI Emmie and mega congratulations on your first book! I love the way you were able to meld your experience and that of your family to provide a background to the story. There’s nothing like writing what you know.
Fave piece of furniture? Probably the big wing chair we bought years ago and the matching ottoman. It sits in the corner of our lounge room with the best view in the house and is absolutely the best place for reading. Sigh.
They do say write what you know, don’t they! Love a good reading chair, that sounds wonderful.
Ooh, Annie, I love that chair and ottoman. Oh, you knew that right? It kind of gives it away when I comandeer it whenever I visit!
Anna – you don’t say? I never get near that lovely chair when you’re visiting. But I have my plan – a lovely new chair has been ordered. Not a wing chair but LOVELY and it’s going to be mine, all mine, even if you plead…
Hi Fedora! Thanks for commenting. Bookshelves still count, I think. I’ve recently joined Pinterest and I am absolutely loving all the glorious photos of libraries and bookshelves that are being posted there. I totally understand that love!!
Emmie, I’m trying to resist joining Pinterest! I need to do some writing and social media is so distracting because it’s so much fun.
I’m in the same boat, Anna! I’m resisting Pinterest and Scrapbooking for all the same reasons. Grins. Love all the cool stuff and I can get totally lost in it.
Lost in that means no pages written. Eep!
Jeanne, I know from my experience with Facebook and Twitter, that I’m extremely susceptible to total submersion in social media. And as you say, total submersion equals NO PAGES!
Hi, Emmie! Hi, Anna!
Emmie, congratulations on your debut release! With Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn-like chemistry brewing between Cassie and Ronan, I’m sure I’ll enjoy this book! My favourite piece of furniture is my desk. The house’s previous owner gifted it to me, and I think I know why — it’s too big to fit through the door. He must’ve built the study around it! I love it, though.
Vanessa, I love your desk and the built-in bookcases behind it. I think at least ONE of my fave pieces of furniture here is my desk too. It’s a solid walnut piece my dad picked up from a Telstra auction – silly people had replaced all the lovely old wooden desks with chipboard. He then did it up for me.
Too funny, Vanessa. We had to do that once. We owned a beautiful oak desk that absolutely dwarfed the family room, but simply could not find a way to get it out the door and into the van! I was very sad to leave behind such a lovely piece of furniture.
Congrats on your debut release, Emmie. I love the desk I’ve had since junior high. My dad bought it for me so that I would have a neat place to do my homework.
Hey, Jane, how cool that both of us have desks given to us by our fathers!
Desks are extremely important pieces of furniture! How lovely that yours has family connections attached to it.
Congrats on your new release, sounds really good. I guess my favorite piece would be the oak table and chairs with the claw feet that my dad gave me. I spent a couple of weeks refinishing it and I love it.
Virgina, the oak table and chairs sound absolutely lovely! You must feel great when you eat there.
Thanks Virginia, I hope you enjoy reading it! I have my grandmother’s dining table and I put a bit of work into finishing it as well. Makes it all that more special!
I have a foot stool my Father made. It has a padded top & hinges open. Great for storing magazines. It is one of the last things my Father made before the Alzheimers took a very firm hold.
In storage in the shed I have, or rather my daughter has, a dolls house, clothes hoist, doll’s cot & small saw horse that my Father made.
Scattered around the house are small tables we use for everything. I think each visit he brought up something.
Everything was made from discarded timber from building sites. My Father would talk to the Foreman & ask what they were going to do with such & such. They ALWAYS said HELP YOURSELF it was just going to the tip. They would help him load up the car. My Father went green way before it had a word.
These are all precious treasures.
Wow, Mary, how lucky you are to have those wonderful pieces your dad made. It’s wonderful that you treasure them so dearly. And what a cool story about him getting the timber!
What a fantastic treasure trove you have Mary — thanks so much for sharing your special furniture story!
For me the most important furniture is my pencil case. It is a gift from my mom at christmas day. Love it so much because it holds many special memories of me as a teenager
Aretha, how cool. Have you noticed how often people have picked pieces of furniture that have memories related to someone they love? I think that’s great!
I still remember my teenage pencil case, Aretha! I don’t have it any longer, but that’s probably not a bad thing. I remember it had “Michael J Fox” in a big heart on one side, and “a-ha forever” on the other. Too funny.
Hi Emmie! Welcome to the lair from a fellow Aussie! Thanks, Anna for bringing Emmie here today. Congratulations on your sale, Emmie and best of luck with Cassie’s Grand Plan. Love the title, by the way!
I’m undertaking a renovation at the moment so I would really appreciate a background in furniture retail in my family! Favourite piece of furniture is a toss-up between some lovely cane chairs and my bookcase (mainly because I love books so much!)
Christina, it’s such fun to have debut authors in the lair, isn’t it? And we love Aussie authors here! I hope your renovation is soon done – I bet you can’t wait!
Thanks for the lovely welcome Christina! It seems bookcases are a popular choice on the thread today!
Hi Emmie!
Congratulations on the release of CASSIE’S GRAND PLAN! And what a call story! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Anna for featuring Emmie today!
My pleasure, Nas. It’s a great call story, isn’t it?
Thanks Nas.
It’s a pretty good story — I’m just so glad I decided to take that call!
Favorite piece of furniture is my linen chest, it is special because I got it from my grandmother who very recently passed away , and also it is a really spacious chest with lots of room to store things.
Thanks for the chance to win.
Desere
Desere, the chest sounds lovely. And how wonderful that it hold so many memories of your grandmother for you.
Hi Desere — I’m loving the fact that so many people are posting stories about furniture that has a family connection or other memories associated with it. How great that you have that chest. I have my grandmother’s dining table and it’s very special to me.
Hi Emmie, My favorite piece of furniture is my recliner. My Mom bought it a few months before she died in 2006 and I always think of her when I sit to read.
Congratulations on your book release and I have added to my wish list. I love second chances love stories. Thanks for stopping by to chat and share with us.
Kallie, Emmie’s book sounds great, doesn’t it? And what a lovely story about your recliner. I”ve got a lot of furniture in the house that originally belonged to my parents – I definitely think of the link when I use it all.
Interesting you should mention a recliner, MissKallie. A month before my open-heart surgery I purchased a recliner and I often say it saved my life during recovery. I didn’t move from that chair except for restroom breaks, assisted by my husband, I read all of Anne Perry’s William Monk books, and I had a special place in my heart for that now-old piece of furniture!
Jo, I must check out those William Monk books. I’ve heard great things about them and they sound right up my alley.
Wow Jo, thanks for sharing that. I can quite imagine that chair became very important to you following that experience!
Thanks Misskallie — I hope you enjoy reading it when it makes it to the top of your wishlist!
There’s nothing better than a comfortable chair to relax, read and watch some TV in, I completely concur!
My favorite piece of furniture is a cedar lined hope chest. It was my great aunt Anna’s. Every time I look at it I;’m reminded of all the good times we shared.
Oh, how lovely, Laurie. And the chest sounds really nice.
I love those old hope chests! And I bet everything you store in there smells just lovely. My mother has a camphor wood chest that I have my eye on — once she gets sick of it, I’m pouncing!
My favorite piece of furniture is my bed. I found a bookcase bed at an estate sale and I had wanted one forever.
Dianna, I had major envy of my schoolfriends who had bookcase beds. Mind you, anything to do with books and I’m there!
Hi Dianna — a book case and a bed combined?? That’s an awesome idea! Bookcases have been very popular choices, but I love the idea of two-in-one!
Hi Emmie – so glad to see you in the Lair! Congrats on your debut – sounds fabulous!
Loved our trip to Oz last year and had such fun in Melbourne, at the conference and pottering around the city.
I have two favourite pieces of furniture – our gorgeous sleigh bed, which we brought home with us when we moved back from NJ, and a Lutyens bench. I’ve always wanted both of those and I so enjoy them.
I also have a pink polka dot armchair in the conservatory which was a cheap find that turned out to be the most wonderfully comfortable seat for curling up and reading (if I can get the cats off it!).
Anna, I’m laughing at you battling the cats for the most comfortable chair in the house!
Wait until you visit and they’re lying on your bed, looking up at you with those big green eyes! LOL
Snigger. Hey, I’m sure we can come to some accommodation. Perhaps they’ll let me curl up at the base of the bed!
Hi Anna, thanks for the lovely welcome and I’m so glad to hear you had an enjoyable visit to Melbourne. I love my city – especially today, when we have blue sky, a light breeze and plenty of sunshine!
Hey there Emmie! congrats on the new release. My favourite furniture would have to be my mother’s french polished sideboard. Inside the cupboards it smells faintly of camphor. And I have a photograph of me standing in front of it when I was about 2. All over sized pjamas and red curls. Sigh. It was a long, long time ago.
Wow, Keziah, what lovely memories. And how wonderful you’ve still got the sideboard. The old furniture in our house is all red cedar and it all has a lovely smell too.
Oh, how cute, Keziah! It sounds like a lovely piece and you have some wonderful history to go with it too!
(waving) Emmie and Anna!
Emmie, congratulations on the release of your book! It sounds fabulous!
My favourite piece of furniture is an old desk that I “rescued”. It was painted green and purple and I stripped it back to the wood and varnished it with a high gloss finish. I love woodgrain!
Sharon
Sharon, how lovely that you’re another desk lover. I wonder if I love my desk so much because it saw me through my early dreams of being a writer. My parents gave it to me in my third year of university and I felt like a ‘real’ writer every time I sat at it. Still do!
Hi Sharon! Love that you put some hard work into your favourite piece. That always makes things a little more special, I think.
Good Morning from the east coast of the US, Emmie! And Welcome to the Lair!
Love the sound of your book, and adore your call story too. Glad you didn’t miss that call!
I adore furniture and “house things” and gravitate to wood pieces, mostly. My favorite piece is a slightly tatty chair in our bedroom. It’s been re-upholstered twice, and I originally bought it used at a tag sale for $10. Grins. But it’s comfy, curl-up-in-it size, and firm back make it a great reading chair. Big surprise that THAT’S the criteria, right? Also, it has a view over the backyard, which is just lovely, so it’s the “best seat in the house” as my DH frequently says. Grins.
The other fav piece is at my sister’s house. She has this sideboard I covet. Grins. Weighs a ton, but absolutely gorgeous.
Jeanne, laughing at you coveting the sideboard. You sil doesn’t count the silver once you’re gone, she counts her sideboards! LOL!
Hi Jeanne! Nothing is more important than a good reading chair IMHO! And you also need a pretty view so you can stare out and consider what you’re reading from time to time too. Sounds like you’ve got the perfect spot!
My favourite piece of furniture? It’s got to be my late-Grandma’s piano. It’s a Paling & Co. 1920′s Victor upright piano. Grandma and Grandpa bought it second hand in the 1970′s and when she passed away, she gave it to me – music and all! My Aunt tried to get it off me, but I’ve hung onto it. And in the last three years it’s been moved from the storage facility and into my home – where it belongs – so I can play it.
I’ve gone from not knowing what to do with my left hand to being able to confidently go and place my both hands onto the keyboard, look up at hte music and know exactly where I’m supposed to be; all in 2 years. But playing a song? Well, all in good time.
Mozette, how wonderful that you’ve got that fantastic old piano. I think old pianos have a wonderful tone compared to modern ones – well, maybe not a Steinway, LOL! Good luck with learning to play a song. I bash away at the piano when I’m working on a book. Find it helps the subconscious to work on story ideas.
Actually, my piano tuner – Martin – absolutely fell in love with it the moment he took the front top board off and begged me to be my tuner for the rest of my life (I know it sounds like a marriage proposal!)… but he loves the old ones too.
You see, he told me that the old pianos – particularly mine – are the ones that the electric ones try to sound like now. So, whenever I hear an electric piano, I often have a small smile on my face; and it’s not because I’m enjoying the music, it’s because it’s trying so hard to be something it’s not.
Mozette, how wonderful that your favourite piece of furniture is turning into a lovely hobby for you too! Wish you the best of luck for producing a song one day soon!
My favorite piece of furniture is an antique camel back sofa that belonged to my husband’s family. I often sat on it during big family get togethers while I listened to all the jokes and reminiscing. All of his sisters loved the sofa too so I always assumed I would simply enjoy seeing it in their homes. When my MIL was downsizing and finally decided to get rid of it, no one else in the family was willing to take it and it ended up in our home. I’m still happy every time I sit on it and look out the window.
Julia, that sofa sounds lovely. And how wonderful you love it so much and you ended up getting hold of it.
Sounds like a gorgeous piece of furniture, Julia. Thanks for sharing your story!
Emmie, welcome to the Lair and congratulations on your debut! Both of these sound wonderful. We especially like stories about wine in the Lair. *g*
My favorite piece of furniture is an oak writing desk with a drop-leaf front that belonged to my grandparents.
Nancy, another desk fancier? I think we should institite a club! Actually I love those wonderful traveling writing boxes from the Regency and Victorian era too. Whenever they come up on Antiques Roadshow, I salivate. Although honestly, they’re not terrifically practical in this day and age, are they?
No, Anna, they’re not, alas. I think they’re cool, too. But writing actual letters has gone out of vogue. It’s too bad. You can hold a letter in your hand and see the writer’s actual handwriting. Not so with an email.
Hi Nancy, thanks for the welcome! I’m glad wine stories are popular in the lair! Hopefully I’ll be able to twist Anna’s arm and have her invite me back when my new story is on the shelves.
Hi Emmie,
My favorite piece of furniture was an old rocker recliner we used to have. Our children were conceived in that chair,I spent alot of sleepless nights as a pregnant woman in that chair. I feed babies and watched movies with a baby boy who refused to go to sleep in that chair.
Wow, Gail, that’s a pretty significant piece of furniture. I’m gathering from your post that it’s gone to the big furniture shop in the sky. How sad!
Great story Gail! What an important role that chair has played in your family! Pity you don’t have it any longer.
Hey, Emmie. Welcome to the Lair! And congrats on your debut. There’s nothing quite like that excitement of seeing your first book on the shelf. Be sure to have someone take your photo the first time you see your book in a store.
Hmm, I don’t really have furniture with sentimental value. But all my full bookshelves do make me happy just looking at them.
Trish, I love my overflowing bookshelves so much too. Kinda makes me reluctant to move to ebooks. Having said that, my shelves have overflowed to untidy piles in the garage. Hey, I don’t have a car so it’s not a garage, it’s a car-library! But I’d love to get some more bookshelves and have all the books in their place. It’s so hard to find that ONE book you want in a pile on the ground!
Thanks Trish! Bookshelves are meant to be untidy, I think. Otherwise you can tell it’s a ‘designer’ bookcase and not a ‘booklovers’ bookcase.
My favorite piece of furniture is my oversized chair that I read in. I can rock with my foot, and read all comfy, and block out the world!
Bookshelves are second in line however!
Lisa, that chair sounds wonderful!
A comfy reading chair and nearby bookshelves sounds like pretty much the perfect combination, Lisa! Thanks for sharing!
Hi, Emmie, welcome to the Lair!
Your books sound intriguing. And the best part looks like the city. I’d love to visit Melbourne. How fortunate you are to live there.
Jo, Melbourne’s a really cool city. It’s not as immediately spectacular as Sydney is but it’s full of wonderful secret places and great cafes and wonderful shops. I always love visiting there.
Thanks Jo. I do feel really fortunate to live in a city that I love. I hope you get a chance to visit sometime!
Oh my goodness, furniture. To acually USE, like lounge in or to LOOK at. As far as looking at my favorite is a delicate small desk and chair I found at an antique store many years ago and paid FAR too much for. It’s so tiny, I can’t really use it and I think it dates back to the beginning of the 20th Century. Women must’ve been much smaller then, or at least not spread their writing materials as far as I do!
Jo, that desk and chair sound lovely. Mum and Dad had a beautiful polished cedar telephone table that’s on the same sort of scale. And I mean, who USES a telephone table???!! It sits in the entrance hall with the guestbook lovely Christina Bandita gave me sitting on it. I always feel kinda like an Edwardian lady when I see that
Hi, Emmie. Congrats on your debut book!
I have 2 pieces of fave furniture. The first is a grandmother clock that my dad made for me. It’s beautiful and I treasure it because Dad made it.
The second is my new queen-sized bed. It’s a replica of a bedframe from the 1940s (I think). It’s a tad bit high, though; I have to give a little hop to get into bed.
Is a clock a piece of furniture? Oops, maybe not, but it’s still my fave furnishing in the house.
Deb, I think a grandfather or grandmother clock counts as furniture. They’re large and take up floor space! How cool that your dad made it for you!!
Deb, of course you can count your clock! It sounds lovely. And I love the sound of the high bed. It sounds quite Regency. I love seeing the little sets of mahogany steps tucked under those elaborate beds. Kinda adds a human touch to it all, you know?
The clock definitely counts as far as I’m concerned, Deb! And even more especially as it was handmade. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of someone having a hand-made clock. That’s fabulous.
Welcome to the Lair, Emmie and congrats on the debut book!!
Favorite furniture, huh? This is easy!
Well, I have a growing family, 3 kids, 2 in-laws and five grandkids. So a few years back, as the kids were moving out, I redeocrated my front room into a dinning room. Then I went out an purchased this huge dark walnut table with two leather covered captain’s chairs for the ends and cloth covered chairs for the sides.
I adore it.
Surprised my hubby, too. See, I squirrled away the money where he couldn’t spend it on electronics, so when I dragged him shopping, he thought, “Oh great, another credit bill.” Only, I paid cash. AND because I paid cash, we got a discount!! Oh and the store was having a fall clearance sale. So I got a $6000 table and custom chairs set for …..$3500!!
So, now we have all family dinners/birthday celebrations/holiday get-togethers around that table!!
Wow, Suz, that’s seriously clever shopping. I did a major appliance shop a few weeks ago – everything here had died in one fell swoop. I needed you with me!!!! The dining table sounds lovely. I’d love it if one day I got to eat off it when I came to visit!
Of course you can come eat dinner here, Anna! The last time all the Bandits were in Dallas, the room was in major remodel/redecorating mode, so that’s why no one got to see it then! I think Joanie saw it when she came in for Dreamin In Dallas last year.
Suz, we had a great dinner out in Dallas, didn’t we? So strange to think we were all in so many ways strangers to each other back then.
If there’s anything better than owning a piece of furniture you love, it’s knowing that you got a bargain too!! Great story Suzanne and I love the sound of that dining setting — it sounds both very grand and comfortable.
Great interview ladies! All the best for your release~
Wow, I try not to have intimate feelings for furniture, The few times I did it was the sentiment attached to it, like a chair that belonged to my grandparents. I kept it until it fell apart. I do like the new desk and chair I recently bought for my writing cave, glass door shelves, cherry wood, big, swivel leather high back seat. Love it.
Karyn, the office furniture sounds lovely. Actually I think there’s something really soul-affirming to write in an environment we love. One of the things I adore about this house is my lovely office. It’s big with lots of storage space and a big bookcase my parents gave me and that lovely old desk and a couple of noticeboards covered in postcards from people and places I love. Always makes me feel good!
Thanks Karyn! It’s hard to get attached to things and then have to throw them away, I agree. I still miss a cane chair that quite literally fell apart on me many years ago!
Hi Emma!
What a wonderful story about taking life experiences and turning it into a book.
My favorite piece of furniture is my bed and I wish I could spend more time in it
It’s a sleigh bed with a padded leather headboard and footboard. I believe it was advertised as part of “The Hemingway Collection.” See – A writer was meant to own this bed 
Congrats on the Super. I’m reading some for the RITAs and really enjoying these books. Much success to you.
Donna, I think Supers would be one of my favorite Harlequin lines these days. They have some marvelous authors. There’s our wonderful RITA-winning Beth Andrews. But also Sarah Mayberry and Helen Brenna and Molly O’Keefe and… I could go on and on.
Emmie, do you have any favorite Super writers you’d recommend?
Donna, I’m laughing at you in your Hemingway bed. More power to your right arm, my friend. I’m kinda picturing you dangling a fishing line over the side in the hopes of catching a marlin!
Thank you Donna! I’m so glad you’re enjoying SuperRomances. I agree with Anna (but then I would, wouldn’t I!) that Supers offer some of the best reads in Harlequin these days. My favourites are definitely those Anna has already mentioned. Sarah Mayberry is an auto-buy for me, as is Joan Kilby, a fellow Melbournian! Right now I’m reading Jeannie Watt’s “Undercover Cook” and really enjoying it.
Welcome, Emmie, and congrats on your debut! Superromance is a fabulous line to write for (though I may be a bit biased *g*) I’m looking forward to reading Cassie’s Grand Plan!
Since my husband builds furniture I have several ‘favorite’ pieces including a gorgeous cherry dry sink and a four-drawer dresser
Thank you Beth!! It’s a real honour and a privilege to be part of the Super Family. Not only filled with great authors, but lovely people too…
Beth, how lovely that your husband builds furniture. There’s something about a man with a saw
*or a man wearing nothing but a tool belt…;D
But then, he would have to be careful with that saw! *snort*
Snort indeed! The unkindest cut of all!
My favorite piece of furniture is my bed, which I do more reading in than sleep. It’s comfy, cozy and a great place to read. Second would be my pantry/bookcase. I like the doors because it keeps the dust from collecting on my books.
Na, what a great idea about the pantry bookcase! It’s kind of like those glass-fronted bookcases you see in the stately homes. Very clever!
Na S — I would have to say that my bed is one of my favourite pieces of furniture. It’s certainly where I spend a lot of my time! And like you — not just sleeping. I actually like to do a lot of my first-draft writing with my laptop and a cup of tea propped up in bed!
I am always looking for new author to read so glad I surfed in to the blog. Your book sounds really good.
My favorite piece of furniture is a small smoking stand that has ben in our family for a very long time. it is all lined with copper and is beautifully decorated.
Joye, the smoking stand sounds lovely! I love family heirlooms – there’s so much history tied up in them, isn’t there?
Hi Joye — thank you! I’m very glad you stopped by to read too! I hope you enjoy the book.
Hello……..congratulations on your new book. Can hardly wait to get it.
My favorite piece of furniture is my dining room hutch which my husband made for us over 35 years ago. Handmade with great care and it has a place of honor in our home. I hope one of our children would like in their home. It’s nice to have a happy memory with handmade furniture.
Judy
Thanks Judy! Your hutch sounds lovely — definitely destined to become a family heirloom.
Sorry I got ripped away in an untimely fashion. I had two library talks today so had to run. See you had great fun in my absence and that Emmie has been keeping you entertained.
Judy, the hutch sounds really cool!
Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments! It’s been just lovely reading through your stories of your favourite furniture items and hearing about all the memories and history and pleasures that are attached to them.
I really appreciate the lovely warm welcome you’ve given me to the “lair” and hope I can come back and visit again soon.
Thank you Anna for the opportunity to meet everyone! I hope you all enjoy reading Cassie and Ronan’s story!
Emmie, my pleasure. I’ve really enjoyed the furniture stories too.
Congratulations Emmie ~ I’m looking forward to reading Cassie’s Grand Plan.
My favorite piece of furniture is an old iron double bedstead. It came from my husband’s parent’s place and he was born on it. Needless to say it does have a new mattress and box spring but the frame is the real deal.
Wow, Kaelee, that’s a genuine piece of family history!
The GR is back with his first lurve today! Congrats, Fedora!
G’day Emmie and CONGRATS on your debut! Can’t wait to read it! I am sure my Mom will love it as well. She has a thing for Aussie romance writers!
I have two favorite pieces of furniture. One resides at my Mom’s as I don’t have room for it here. It is my antique piano. La Campbell has seen a photo of it. It was my first piano and my Mom bought it at an auction for ten shillings when we lived in England. It is an incredible piece with gorgeous scroll work and the original pink silk above the keyboard. And yes, it has real ivory keys.
My other favorite piece is over 100 years old and I inherited it from my great aunt. It is a gorgeous swan-armed low set rocking chair. The brocade is original but somewhat worn. She sat it in it for hours and did needlework or worked on quilts or drapes or made lace. It sits in my sewing area.
Louisa, you and I shared old piano love. I love the tone and the touch of those old pianos. I’d love you to come over and see mine. And I love the sound of the rocking chair. I always wanted a rocking chair!
Two favorites:
1. My parents couldn’t afford a crib when I
was born, so his boss gave them a rocking
chair which did double duty as chair and crib.
Mr. Krieger’s parents brought it over when
they came to the U.S. from Germany. It had
been in their family for over 50 years. Add to
it my age (75) and it would be over 125 years old. I say “would be” because it was lost in a
house fire some years back. I loved that chair!
2. I love my “Big Comfy Couch” because that
is where I snuggle up with books, a hot drink,
and a warm coverlet. I’ve spent many an
afternoon pleasantly whiling the time away!
Pat Cochran
Pat, that’s so sad about the chair being lost in a fire. It sounds absolutely lovely. And yeah, I hear you on the couch. I love mine too. In fact, I”m completely wrecked after my day of publicity so I’m about to go and collapse on it and drink red wine. I think that sounds like an excellent plan for the rest of the evening!
This sounds like a book that must go on my tbr shelf..
My fav pieces of furniture are the new 42″ Flat screen TV I got for Christmas and the beautiful cherry wood tv stand I bought to put it on..
I had to laugh Kathleen. I got a new TV last week and I’m in love with it. Beautiful picture and wonderful sound. Great stuff!
Thanks so much to everyone for giving Emmie such a warm welcome. Thanks, Emmie, for being such a great guest.
Don’t forget to swing back to see who won the copy of CASSIE’S GRAND PLAN. It sounds like a great read!
There’s no particular piece of furniture that is my favorite.