
Emmie likes to write about sexy noble heros and strong if slightly damaged heroines. I have to confess I'm a fan of her work and have a preference for these archetypes myself. I also share her love of red lipstick, rose scented soap, a good cup of tea.
Hi Emmie, congratulations on the release of your third Harlequin SuperRomance, "Just For Today"
Can you tell us in your own words what your love story is about?
Just For Today is the story of Sean and Jess. Jess is a thirty-something divorcee who’s wondering if her opportunity for love has passed her by. Sean is an author who loves the limelight and makes sure he’s never anywhere long enough to grow roots. It starts off as a fling – one night for Jess to rediscover her sensual side and for Sean to sate his attraction to the gorgeous Jess. But of course it doesn’t work out that way as life throws them together over and over again!
Jess is older than Sean, do you think this makes it harder for Jess to let herself have a relationship or is it a double edge sword?
I think in the end, the age difference is just something Jess uses to justify her fear of letting Sean close rather than an actual barrier to their relationship. Yes, Sean is immature in some ways, but some of what Jess perceives as immaturity is actually more just plain “fun” – fun that she hasn’t let herself feel in a long time.
In your letter to the reader you talked about how much research went into understanding Jess's life as a vet. You talked about moments involving tears but there were some lovely moments too. Can you tell us about one or two of those experiences?
I don’t have any pets of my own because I travel too much to take care of them. So when I was writing about Sean and Jess caring for dogs, I reached out to friends and family to ask them for stories. I heard some hilarious tales of misadventures. But I think most of the lovely moments involves dogs getting themselves into trouble and then being saved or cured by hero vets. Here’s to all those hero vets out there!
Did you learn anything from writing your book or was it sharing what you have learned?
I always learn as I’m writing – I’d like to think that with every book I write I get better and better. I hope so, anyway.
Is there a message in Jess and Sean's journey that you hope readers will grasp?
I don’t think I deliberately set out to communicate any particular message. But looking back now, I guess the theme that comes through strongly, particularly through Jess’s storyline, is that it’s important to have courage in love. Even when – especially when – you get battered and bruised by a relationship, you need to find the courage to try again.
What inspired you to write this?
A few different things went into the melting pot that became this book! I did attend a wedding a little while ago that I didn’t really enjoy and found myself sitting around watching the world, just like Jess does in the first scene of the book. (Although there was no delicious Sean-like person to spy on, unfortunately!) And I’m very involved in social media and was watching a few different celebrities and how they interact with their followers on Twitter and wanted to bring that into a book too.
Were there psychological challenges in bringing this story to life?
Probably the most difficult scene for me to write was one towards the end of the book. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but there is a scene where Jess helps out an injured dog. The scene was based on a clip someone posted to Facebook with the title of “all this puppy needed was a hug” or something like that. I watched the clip a few times to really capture the dog’s experience and it was pretty distressing. Although it, like the book, has a happy ending, so that was a relief!
Yes, we really do love a happy ending. Thanks so much Emmie for your thoughtful answers and helping us to get to know a little about Jess and Sean and your journey to bring them to life.

Just For Today… is now out in North America! Some people might not be aware, but Harlequin books are a little like magazines, in that they only stay on the shelf for one month. So make sure to head out and grab your copy in June! But don’t worry, if you miss out, you can always get a copy from Amazon or Book Depository too. Best places to find Just For Today… on the shelves are Walmart, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million and Target.
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