Covers, characters and a giveaway!

by Emmie Dark

Hi Lovecatters! It's an exciting month for me. Not only has my brand new novella Spellbound hit the e-shelves with Destiny publishing, I've also just received the cover art for my June SuperRomance!

I've totally been blessed by the cover fairies this month. Check out Spellbound:

Isn't it gorgeous? Sexy, a little mysterious, and somehow magical -- perfectly in sync with the quirky spice of the story. Personally, I also think that guy has one very sexy shoulder/chest. I think, maybe, it's because he's wearing a singlet and not showing just bare skin. What do you think? Are we in the romance world a little weary of naked-chested hunks? (Is such a thing possible??)

And here's the cover for Just For Today...

I've got a story about the cover for Just For Today. It's funny how different books can be. For me, most of the time when I'm writing, I don't usually have an exceptionally strong sense of how my characters look. I mean, I know what color their hair is, and their eyes,  as well as any quirks like scars, etc, but when I picture them in my mind's eye, I don't often have a crystal-clear image of their faces.

That was totally different with Just For Today. I knew exactly, right from the start, what my hero and heroine looked like.

My hero was the spitting image of Jensen Ackles from the TV show Supernatural. He seems to be a perennial favourite with romance authors -- I do see his mug pasted up on Facebook more often than most.

And I think you can see why.

Apart from the jaw and chiselled chin, the hair was a big thing. My hero, Sean, does his hair exactly like that. And it gets referred to a lot in the book.

My heroine, Jess, also sprang into my mind's eye just as quickly and fully formed. She was Erin Karpluk from the TV show Being Erica. (If you haven't seen it, you absolutely must! It's wonderful!)

Jess had that same long, flowing hair and very natural, down-to-earth look. She's also a little older than Sean (a little more world-wearied, too) and I thought the two of them worked perfectly together. (I was thrilled to discover, long after the book was written and submitted, that Jensen and Erin shared screen time in the show Dark Angel -- unfortunately not romantically!)

Now go back and look at the cover for Just For Today -- don't I owe the talent scouts in the art department at Harlequin a beer??

I haven't got my advance copies of Just For Today yet. But leave a comment and I'll send one lucky commenter a copy as soon as they arrive. You'll be among the first in the world to read it!

How much notice do you take of the way characters look on the covers as compared to how they're described in the book? How clearly do you picture your characters when you're writing?

G'day Y'all

by Emmie Dark

Hello lovecatters! As you might have guessed from my posts on LoveCats, I tend to travel quite a bit and I'm often posting from different places in the world. Well, it's the same deal this month and that's why my post is a little delayed -- after all, it is still Wednesday (morning!) here in Los Angeles!!

And I have to say, winter here in LA beats the stinkin' summer weather at home in Melbourne right now. We've got blue sky, sunshine, about 25 during the day. Chilly enough at night to need a jacket, but that also means snuggling into bed with the doona. Quite frankly, it's no wonder the rich and famous choose to base themselves here.

Venice Beach. Yes, it is winter.

Spotted my first celeb yesterday -- Jason Segel from "How I Met Your Mother". He was just walking down the street with his arm around his girlfriend, all casual-like. (I imagine his girlfriend is probably someone famous too, but I don't pay enough attention to the right kind of magazines to know that. In fact, I have probably walked passed dozens of celebrities but I just don't know who they are!)

Last weekend I went to Texas to visit with a friend. I got to see Dallas and the gorgeous city of Austin. The slogan for Austin is "Keep Austin Weird", and it's definitely my kind of weird. The city is full of food, music and quirky peeps. It's also the home of the Texas Longhorns (college football team) of whom I have become a serious and loyal supporter (at least, I own a lot of merchandise now). One of these days I'll actually get to see a game, but at least this time I got to meet Bevo, the team mascot -- not surprisingly, a longhorn steer.

G'day, y'all.

Texas is definitely a place for good food and lots of it, if you're so inclined. My friend (a native Austonian) took me to the secret, best barbecue place in the whole of Austin. Do you remember the opening credits of The Flintstones? Where Fred pedals his car into the diner and gets served a rack of ribs that are so huge they tip the car over? Yes, that.

Just a small dinner for me, thanks.

I had the "junior plate" which consisted of two ribs. TWO. I managed to eat one. It was delicious and I kept eating way beyond "full" because it was so yummy. (Oh, and FYI, the beer I drank is a local brew called Shiner Bock, a brewery that's been around for decades which was formed by European immigrants who definitely knew how to made a decent lager.)

The only thing I missed out on in Texas? I did not once see any sexy cowboys. I didn't even see any non-sexy cowboys. Still.... that's just a reason to go back!!

PS -- My good news is that while I'm over here I'm working on the copy edits for my brand new erotica novella, "Spellbound", due out with Destiny Romance in March! I'll keep you posted.