Meet Miss Emma Wallingford, heroine of SWEET DECEPTION

Lady criminologist, Miss Emma Wallingford, unknowingly finds herself tangled in the dangerous final mission of Lord Derick Aveline, a spy who also happens to be her long lost first love. But when deception, however sweet, is the name of the game, no one can be trusted. And every love—and every life—is at risk. (Second in the Veiled Seduction Series).

Meet Emma Wallingford…

Thank you for coming back to celebrate the release of my second novel, SWEET DECEPTION, which was released yesterday!

Also yesterday, I introduced you to our hero, Derick Aveline. Today, meet his childhood nemesis turned heroine, Miss Emma Wallingford.

The Inspiration:

For me, Emma was a cross between Professor Charlie Epps, from the crime show, NUMB3RS and Professor Temperance Brennan, from the crime show, Bones. (Is it any surprise, then, that throughout most of Sweet Deception, Emma is hunting a killer?)

If I were better in photo shop, I would play around and see what kind of face I could come up with from these two, but I think the art department at NAL did a fantastic job, and indeed, I looked at this early rendering of Emma many times while writing.

Now, let’s introduce you…

NAME: Emma Annalise Wallingford (29)

THE OUTER PERSON:

A firecracker. As petite as Derick is tall, she is compact and full of energy.  She is delicate boned, with wide shoulders.  Her eyes have an endearing asymmetrical shape, with the right eye being slightly larger and more almond shaped, her nostril a touch larger, her lip slightly more plump…a fact that the perfectionist in her has always noticed. Her eyes are amber, glowing almost gold against her pale skin and dark hair. Her teeth are tiny, white and straight and her smile is kind, and while given freely to those around her, is rarely used for herself.

She moves quickly, is always moving…on the go, mentally and/or physically.  When she is working mentally, some part of her can’t stand still, she constantly rubs the fingers and thumb of her left hand in  circles against each other.  Maybe to activate both sides of her brain?

She dresses practically, with little use for fripperies and will, indeed, throw on anything available.

THE INNER PERSON:

Miss Emma Annalise Wallingford is…well, peculiar.  Not in a bad way, of course, but everyone in her small northern Derbyshire village has known since she was a child that Emma possessed a mind unlike most, brilliant in a way that escapes their understanding.  And while many consider it wasted on a woman, the villagers and businesses have come to rely on Emma’s sharp mind and logic, as more than once her suggestions have helped the town and its people prosper.   As the sister of the local magistrate, Emma has gradually taken over her brother’s position since the accident several years ago that left him in a rolling chair and that has since deteriorated his faculties.  While Emma enjoys her role, she also feels out of place.  She finds it somewhat difficult to relate to others…her mind works on a different plane, and she can be overly literal, very black and white. She’s perceived as eccentric but she feels socially awkward.

She’s also obsessed with perfection, hence—or perhaps because of— her love for mathematics and its perfect nature, and is therefore hyperaware of her own imperfections.   Still, overall she’s happy, though a desire to do more with her abilities and energy burns within her.  Mostly through correspondence, she has been working on a large scale project aimed at using statistics and cartography/geography to better discern patterns and find a correlation between crime, poverty and education levels to fulfill that need. The realities of her personality and of the life she has chosen, as well as a painful broken engagement have convinced her she’s not destined for love or marriage, but she believes all lives have a purpose, and plans to use her gifts to benefit mankind.

I hope, with these brief introductions, you can see how the logical, practical Emma and Derick, the spy who relies on gut instincts, will clash.

Come back tomorrow to learn one of the movies behind the theme of SWEET DECEPTION…

Leave a comment for me today to be entered into a drawing for a copy of my debut, SWEET ENEMY (or if you've already read it, I will substitute another historical romance...many to choose from!) You MUST leave your e-mail in the comments section to be eligible… Here's a question for you: Who have been some of your favorite female criminologists, past or present, from books, television or movies?

Heather Snow is a historical romance author with a degree in Chemistry who discovered she much preferred creating chemistry on the page, rather than in the lab.  She lives in the Midwest with her husband, two rambunctious boys and one very put upon cat.  Find out more or connect with Heather at:

www.HeatherSnowBooks.com

Facebook www.facebook.com/AuthorHeatherSnow
Twitter www.twitter.com/HeatherSnowRW

SWEET DECEPTION Available NOW:

Rainy Day Books (my local indie)
Amazon (Kindle Edition)
Amazon (Mass Market Paperback)
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Books-A-Million
IndieBound
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