Book Title: MARRYING THE NANNY Character Name: Emma Wright   How would you describe your family or your childhood? In a lot of ways, I had a very privileged upbringing. The northern tip of the South Island in New Zealand is a beautiful part of the world. My parents were professionals, so we had all the perks of upper-middle class—a sailboat and a membership at the club. That wealth and status turned my brother into the biggest d!ckhead alive. He teased (bullied) me constantly and encouraged his wife to use me as unpaid daycare. I did all the running around for our parents, but I thought that was just part of being a family. Then I learned that my brother knew my husband was cheating on me and never told me. I might have got over that eventually, but our parents were friends with my ex’s parents, so it turned into a whole thing at Christmas. I was the excluded from my brother’s ‘so it wouldn’t be awkward.’ That was the last straw. I sold everything and moved to Canada.   What was your greatest talent? At the time? I was pretty good at selling houses, but I walked away…

Hi Fresh Fiction! Thanks for having me here today!   1–What is the title of your latest release? THE PROSPECTOR’S ONLY PROSPECT   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?  A divorcee takes her sister’s place as a mail order bride and arrives in gold-rush Denver, but the prospector who needs a mother for his three children knows she’s not the bride he ordered.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?  My editor was looking for a western and I love the Rockies so I pitched gold-rush in Denver and she liked it.   4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?  Absolutely.   5–What are three words that describe your hero? Hardened, intelligent, marshmallow-center   6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?  Oh, gosh. I learned so much about the period and politics (the more things change, the more they stay the same!) I learned about women’s rights (and lack thereof) and mining methods and exactly how rough life was back then.   7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I revise as I go. It’s a way for me to get unstuck….

“I’m not asking you to forgive me, only to trust me that this was necessary. For both of our safety.” Her vision blurred with instant, furious tears. Helpless anguish. “I can never trust you. Do you realize that? How could you even suggest it?” “Have I ever hurt you?” he demanded tightly, then swore and looked away, seeming to realize as he said it that he was inviting the vitriol that climbed like bile into her throat. “I meant physically. Look, I’ve been waiting for the right time to resurface. I need to know you’re safe when word gets out that I’m alive. As of today’s debacle, it’s out. Please come with me and let me explain.” She realized the ache in her other hand was from gripping her phone this whole time. All those people inside this tiny rectangle, all those “friends” who’d been so sympathetic, eating up her grief like bitter chocolate bonbons. Where were they now, when she was in real trouble? Not here. She fingered her pendant, thinking of Nels. He was a reliable friend, but they weren’t exactly soul mates. She didn’t have anyone. That’s what she’d come to terms with since Giovanni’s disappearance. For…

Writing for Harlequin Presents, I always know my hero will be exceptionally wealthy. It’s part of the promise to our reader that she will be swept into a glamorous world of luxury, visit exotic locations, and have a passionate encounter with a hero who is lord of all he surveys. These powerful men believe they’re impervious to love, or at least that they can control whom they love the way they control everything else. That arrogance has been winning my heart since I found Harlequin Presents. (Which was in high school! I won’t tell you how long ago that was, but I married my high school sweetheart and our kids are now grown). I have always adored the ruthless, embittered heroes who take an entire book to let down their guard and admit they’re falling for their plucky heroine. It makes the way they turn to mush when a baby is in the picture all the more satisfying! (Think of the old cartoon with the bulldog and the wide-eyed kitten.) I swoon when they discover they are hopelessly ill-equipped to look after a baby, yet suffer a surge of protectiveness that forces them to rise to the challenge. When I…