An Interview with Darby Davenport,
Author of Walk Away with Me
I'd like to welcome romance author, Darby Davenport, to the
blog today as part of the celebration for the launch of her new novella, Walk Away with Me. You may know Darby
under her other pen name, Emlyn Chand.
You're fairly well
known as a YA author, why did you decide to start writing romance as well?
My life-long love affair with reading knows no bounds. I
find it hard to write in only one genre when I enjoy reading so many. While I
plan to right much more YA (I have to finish the Farsighted series, after all), I'm also drawn to romance in
particular. Who doesn't love a happy ending that leaves the reader feeling warm
and cozy? My cheerful romances help to counterbalance my dark and brooding YA.
Together, they form the complete picture of who I am as an author. I wouldn't
trade either for the world!
What are you doing
differently with one pen name versus the other? Are you worried that the two
different names will fracture your author identity?
It's definitely scary starting all over with a new pen name.
I have 9 books out as Emlyn Chand, and this is just my first as Darby. YIKES!
My publisher and I decided it would be best for me to take on this new romance
alias to protect my younger readers from accidentally picking up a book they
shouldn't be reading. My Bird Brain Book
series is for readers ages 3 and up, while Walk
Away with Me is really only for the 18+ crowd.
At first it was difficult figuring out where Emlyn ended and
Darby began, but now I've really started getting into the whole multiple
personalities thing. Yes, I have to start over with my author brand, but on the
other hand... I get to start over! I've learned so much since first releasing Farsighted back in October 2011. I now have
the opportunity to do everything better, stronger, faster. Maybe the lessons I
learned as Emlyn will unlock a higher success for Darby. I don't know what the
future holds, but I'm so excited to find out!
What is your favorite
thing about the romance genre?
The idea that no matter how bad things get, everyone in
entitled to a happily-ever-after.
You dedicated Walk Away with Me first to your dogs and
then to your husband—why?
As much as I love my husband, this book really was written
for the dogs. The two dogs in the book are modeled after our three dogs at
home. My Lhasa Apso, Rugby, played a huge role in my love story with my
husband. In fact, during our early days dating, Rugby would get so upset when
Falcon wasn't around that he refused to eat, to play, to do anything but mope
around and try to electrocute himself by chewing on cables. True story!
Dogs are such loving, intelligent creatures, and it breaks
my heart that so many of them are without homes. Walk Away with Me isn't just an opus dedicated to my dogs but to all rescue dogs. There's even a special section in the back of the
book where I talk about my lovable mutts, how they came to me, and why everyone
should consider giving one of these wonderful animals a second chance at life.
What kind of reader
will enjoy Walk Away with Me?
Obviously, I primarily had a female audience in mind, but if
fellas are willing to give it a chance, I think they'll find Charlie is a woman
they can get behind. Lovers of animals, nature, Thai food, and Cesar Milan will
also enjoy the story :-)
About Walk Away with Me
A man with a painful
past, a woman who fears commitment, and a dog with only one more chance at
life--together, can they find love?
***
What is Charlie Rockwell supposed to do when the sad Rottweiler's
eyes connect with hers through the TV screen and work their way straight into
her heart? She adopts him without a second thought or the slightest knowledge
how to take care of the large, needy dog with the traumatic past.
Ethan Porter is not happy when a savage Rottweiler picks a
fight with his mild-mannered Golden Retriever at the dog park. But his anger
quickly dissipates when tears begin to form behind the eyes of the dog's
beautiful owner--eyes that are far too familiar for his liking. Disregarding
his instincts, Ethan can't deny her plea when she asks him to teach her the
basics of dog ownership.
Can he ignore the fact that she bears a strong resemblance
to his ex and finally learn to trust again? Will she find committing to both
man and dog more exciting than the freedom of a single, unrestrained life?
Walk
Away with Me is just
$2.99 for the eBook and $9.95 for the paperback. Here are all the links you'll
need: Amazon
US, Amazon
UK, Barnes
& Noble, Smashwords, Kobo
Books, GoodReads.
***
"Lovable
characters, compelling plot, and an exciting twist that will leave you on the
edge of your seat as Charlie and Ethan find their
happily-ever-after." ~ Lucy Kevin, New York Times bestselling author
of THE WEDDING KISS
About Darby Davenport
Darby Davenport never believed in
love--that is, until it happened to her. Now she's a firm believer that every
story is a love story, and has taken to writing out her favorite romantic
fantasies and sharing them with the world.
Darby, who also writes young adult
and children's fiction under the pen name Emlyn
Chand, lives in suburban Detroit with her own personal soul mate--fellow
writer, Falcon Storm--and
private zoo, which includes a music-loving Sun Conure, hyper-active Golden
Retriever, and two scrappy little rescue mutts.
You can connect with her at www.DarbyDavenport.com.
Contest :
Read the First Chapter of
Walk Away with Me by Darby Davenport
The scrawny Rottweiler's eyes connected with
Charlie's through the TV screen, begging her to save him.
What if nobody else
calls in? What if I'm his last chance at finding a home? Well, crap. I can't
just let him die. She grabbed her cell phone, called the local news station
hosting the adoptable pets segment, and signed on the dotted line. Not once did
she think she might be making a mistake. Not once did she consider the fact
she'd been unable to commit to a man—or even a roommate—longer than two measly
months.
And now she planned to commit to a one-year-old canine
coming straight from a neglected past?
Well, adventure had certainly found her, whether she'd asked
for it or not.
The rescue volunteers didn't ask many questions before
inviting her to visit the kennel and come pick him up. If they had, maybe she'd
have changed her mind.
She might have seen this as a move with the potential of
becoming the biggest mistake of her entire life. Worse than the time she'd left
mid-semester her junior year to travel to India in search of the answer to
life. Worse than the time she'd got so caught up in the cinematic excitement of
V for Vendetta she'd shaved her head
in homage. Even worse than the time she'd practically eloped with a guy she'd
only dated three weeks, because it seemed like a good and wildly romantic idea
at the time.
At least she'd talked herself out of that one.
But what good did escaping one bad decision do her, if she'd
just replaced it with another by committing herself to a strange dog for, at
minimum, the next ten years?
Charlie took a deep breath and gripped the steering wheel
until her knuckles turned white. No going back now. She may have been
impulsive, but she had a heart, damn it, and she wouldn't abandon a dog no one
else wanted in the first place. Definitely too late to change her mind at this
point. "Now or never," she said to the hula dancer figurine on her
dashboard before grabbing her purse and slamming the car door behind her.
"Oh, you must be Charlotte Rockwell." A volunteer
with a sloppy button-up shirt and a way-too-large smile greeted her the second
she entered the shelter.
She nodded, pretending her feet were one million pound
weights gluing her to the linoleum floor below—the only way she'd be able to
avoid making a break for it.
"I'm Angela. Come on and follow me to the back."
Her oversized smile grew even larger as she turned and trotted toward the back
of the building.
Charlie's eyes darted to the floor to check if Angela's
shoes sported actual springs.
"I'm sure Ruby told you everything you need to know
when she stopped by for the home check, right?"
She nodded, even though she didn't have the slightest idea
who Ruby was. The woman certainly hadn't been by her house for a visit.
"Perfect! Rugby's such a sweet boy once you get to know
him. I'm so glad he's finally found a good home. You must be thrilled."
'Once you get to know
him?' What does that mean? She
was this close to changing her mind and dashing straight out of there, but
when they pushed through the large metal door to the kennel, Rugby glanced up
at her with those same sad eyes that had melted her heart in the first place.
She was screwed.
"Hi, Rugby," Angela cooed in a goochy-goo voice.
"Look who it is. Your new mommy's come to take you home. Who's a good boy?
Yes, you are."
Charlie sank to a squatting position and stuck her index
finger through the metal fencing.
Rugby stretched and raised himself into a sitting position.
He sniffed her hand delicately and gave her a huge sloppy lick.
"Oh, see. You two are perfect! Best buds already,"
Angela squealed. She rattled off a litany of instructions, shoved the folder of
paperwork into one hand, and the leash to Charlie's new 115-pound baby in the
other, and together dog and woman headed home.
Ethan stifled a laugh as he watched the
petite blonde tear into the dog park at the end of her Rottweiler's leash.
Hardly three seconds passed as they sprinted from the parking lot to the first
entry gate.
When the girl unhitched the second entry gate, her dog ran
away at lightning speed, not even allowing her to remove his leash. Her eyes
darted from side to side as if to make sure nobody had witnessed the mishap.
Luckily, Ethan looked away before she could catch him
staring. He allowed his gaze to settle on her again as she ran after her
squatting dog with a plastic baggie cupped over her hand.
Despite the circumstances, she was beautiful. Blonde hair
escaped from her pony tail and clung to her cheeks in tendrils. Her delicate
lips and nose were balanced by huge brown eyes and thick lashes. She almost
reminded him of....
He snapped his attention away. Couldn't be thinking like
that. Not today. He needed a distraction, and fast.
"Tuck!"
His golden retriever jogged over and nuzzled Ethan's thigh.
"Good boy." As he scratched the dog's head, he
sensed her eyes on him, but he refused to look—refused to give her any reason
to come over and attempt to start a conversation. When had he become such a
bitter old man?
He was hardly thirty—way too young to write off the opposite
sex altogether. He should still be in his party phase, flirting with any pretty
girl who happened to look his way, taking as many of them to bed as possible.
But, no, he wasn't like that—even though he often wished he was. Would have
saved him the heartache of....
He grabbed the ball Tuck had dropped at his feet and hurled
it toward the horizon as hard as he could. The dog raced after it in a blur of
golden fur and pounding feet.
Too late, he noticed the massive black blur moving in on the
ball from the opposite side of the park.
"Rugby, no!" the blonde girl screamed, but her
reprimand fell on deaf ears.
The two dogs reached the single ball at the exact same time.
The Rottweiler bared his teeth, a low growl emanating from his throat, but Tuck
wouldn't back down. The poor dog didn't even realize what was about to happen.
Why would he? He'd never run into such an aggressive, undertrained beast
before.
Tuck barked an invitation for the other dog to play, and
Ethan took off running to save his poor, over-trusting pet from the inevitable
fight.
The hairs on the back of the Rottweiler's back bristled. His
growl grew louder, more defined. And he lunged at the unsuspecting Retriever.
"Rugby, no!" the girl screamed again as she, too,
raced toward the scene.
Tuck whimpered and ran back to Ethan, but the other dog
slinked after him with a predatory gait.
"Hey, lady. How about controlling your dog?" he
spat.
The blonde grabbed the end of the leash that was still
attached to her dog and pulled him back. "I'm so sorry. I...." A
sudden onslaught of tears overwhelmed her attempt to speak.
Great. Now Ethan
felt like a bigger monster than her damned dog. "Hey, it's okay. Tuck's
just fine. No harm done." He patted the dog's head and turned toward the
other side of the park, but before he could gain much distance, she spoke
again.
"Really, I'm sorry. I've only had Rugby for a few days,
and I don't really have any experience with dogs. I thought if I brought him
here, I'd see how more experienced people act with their dogs. Maybe learn a
thing two." She sniffed back a tear and stared up at him with large, brown
eyes—far too familiar for his liking.
Why did she get such a
difficult breed if she knows nothing about taking care of a dog? Ethan wondered.
Still, he felt like he should offer something helpful before parting ways.
"Good luck with your training. Try watching The Dog Whisperer if you have time."
His hold on her eyes broke when Rugby stood on his hind legs
to lick the tears from his owner's face.
She chuckled and gently pushed the Rottweiler back on all
fours, then wiped the slobber from her cheeks with the backs of her hands.
Turning serious again, she said, "Thanks, I will, but... I just don't know
what to do. I'm his last chance. The shelter had him for weeks. He even
appeared on the adoptable pet segment of the news three separate times. Nobody
wanted him except me. If I can't make it work, I'm practically signing his
death warrant."
Ethan frowned. What could he say to that?
"Hey, your dog is really well-behaved. Maybe you can
help us?"
Crap. He didn't
want to spend time with a girl who reminded him way too much of the woman who'd
turned him off love altogether, but at the same time, he couldn't refuse if it
meant saving the dog's life.
"I—I'll pay. I'll pay whatever it takes. Only, please
help us." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and offered a weak
smile.
"Okay, sure," he gave in. "And don't worry,
you don't have to pay me anything." He didn't return her smile. He
couldn't let her think he was doing this for any other reason than to save the
dog.
"Oh, thank you. Thank you so much!" She wrapped
her arms around him in a tight hug. "You have no idea how much you're
helping me. Thank you, thank you, thank you."
Warmth spread through Ethan's body. He took a deep breath
and let his arms go slack. She's just a
girl, he reminded himself. Just a
girl.
"I'm Charlotte by the way. Friends call me
Charlie." She released him from the hug and tucked a strand of hair behind
her other ear.
"Ethan." He drew a business card from his wallet.
"Call me, and we'll set something up."
As soon as she accepted the card, he retreated to the other
side of the park and tried not to think about how her touch had stirred
something deep within him. A girl. Just a
girl.
About Walk Away with Me
A man with a painful
past, a woman who fears commitment, and a dog with only one more chance at
life--together, can they find love?
***
What is Charlie Rockwell supposed to do when the sad
Rottweiler's eyes connect with hers through the TV screen and work their way
straight into her heart? She adopts him without a second thought or the
slightest knowledge how to take care of the large, needy dog with the traumatic
past.
Ethan Porter is not happy when a savage Rottweiler picks a
fight with his mild-mannered Golden Retriever at the dog park. But his anger
quickly dissipates when tears begin to form behind the eyes of the dog's
beautiful owner--eyes that are far too familiar for his liking. Disregarding
his instincts, Ethan can't deny her plea when she asks him to teach her the
basics of dog ownership.
Can he ignore the fact that she bears a strong resemblance
to his ex and finally learn to trust again? Will she find committing to both
man and dog more exciting than the freedom of a single, unrestrained life?
Walk
Away with Me is just
$2.99 for the eBook and $9.95 for the paperback. Here are all the links you'll
need: Amazon
US, Amazon
UK, Barnes
& Noble, Smashwords, Kobo
Books, GoodReads.
***
"Lovable
characters, compelling plot, and an exciting twist that will leave you on the
edge of your seat as Charlie and Ethan find their
happily-ever-after." ~ Lucy Kevin, New York Times bestselling author
of THE WEDDING KISS
About Darby Davenport
Darby Davenport never believed in
love--that is, until it happened to her. Now she's a firm believer that every
story is a love story, and has taken to writing out her favorite romantic
fantasies and sharing them with the world.
Darby, who also writes young adult
and children's fiction under the pen name Emlyn
Chand, lives in suburban Detroit with her own personal soul mate--fellow
writer, Falcon Storm--and
private zoo, which includes a music-loving Sun Conure, hyper-active Golden
Retriever, and two scrappy little rescue mutts.
You can connect with her at www.DarbyDavenport.com.
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