Chesterfield couch, in royal purple – just perfect for our distinguished guest on tonight’s show.
Tuesday Book Club is usually the home of marvellous authors and their new releases, but I have someone very special joining me today – it is New York corporate lawyer Elizabeth Langtree who visits us courtesy of Eva Scott’s upcoming release Red Dust Dreaming.
Hi Elizabeth,
It’s wonderful to meet another namesake.
Hello Elizabeth. Lovely to meet you too. Feel free to call me Lizzie. All my friends do.
Thank you Lizzie, welcome to Australia, you must be pleased to escape the bitterly cold winter in New York.
I left New York when it was still summer and arrived in the Alice Springs in the Australian winter. To be truthful I could not tell the difference! Winter in central Australia is like summer at home.
Tell our readers a little about yourself. What do you do in New York? What is your profession?
I’m a corporate lawyer at home in New York. I work for my father’s firm. Lots of boring business contracts. Before my life was taken up by work I used to like to go horse riding and I loved to paint. Cannot remember the last time I did either of those things.
My parents have a house in the Hamptons and I love going there in the summer to kick back and catch up on my reading. I’m single – wish I wasn’t but you’d be surprised at how hard it is to find a good man. Even in a city as big as NYC.
Hmm sex and the city – I think you could be right! Is this your first time in Australia?
Yes, it is. My sister, Angela, moved here several years ago. I had no idea she was here or I would have visited sooner. Angela was estranged from the family. She passed away from breast cancer and I’m here to pick up my nephew, Luke, and take him home.
Do you plan to see much of the country while you’re here?
I do hope I can make some time to visit the sights. Luke was born in the desert so he’s never seen the sea. I’m sure he’d love to visit the zoo. I hear there’s a really good one in Sydney. And an amusement park too – Lunatic Park or something?
You might be getting confused with Parliament, but pretty close. What’s the biggest culture shock you’ve encountered since arriving?
Better to ask me what I found similar to home! Everything here is a culture shock – the colour of the earth is extraordinary! Ruby red. And the sky vaults so high, like I’m in a snow dome with no snow in sight. Then there’s the quality of light, very very different from what I’m used to. Then the homestead is nothing like any house I’ve ever been in. Your version of barbecue is different to mine. I could go on and on and on….
What do you enjoy most about Australia?
I love all those things I’ve already mentioned. They freak me out and make me feel more alive than I’ve been for years, all at the same time. I love the art from the local Aboriginal art community at Yuendumu. I am so inspired by the way they represent the landscape and the colors they use. This is not the Australia from the tourism ads I’ve seen back home. This is more magical than even that.
Has anyone cracked any Crocodile Dundee jokes yet?
I’ve had the knife joke. A pretty obvious one right? And the one about taking photos of indigenous people. You really do have to remember to take the cap off the lens!
Thank you very much for spending some time with me Lizzie. I won’t ask you about your future plans because I know everyone will be interested in finding out for themselves in Red Dust Dreaming.
Blurb
In the battle of duty versus desire, only one can survive the hot Australian sunshine.
Elizabeth Langtree’s has her life in order – safe, organised, planned. Sure, she has her troubles, but they are nothing she can’t handle. Then everything is turned upside down when her family send her to Australia to collect her orphaned nephew.
It all seemed so simple in New York, but Australia is nothing like she expected, and she soon falls under the spell of the Outback – the station, the lifestyle, and the seriously sexy owner who has been caring for Luke since the death of his mother.
Elizabeth soon discovers that what seemed simple a world away is anything but, and her duty is at odds with the dictates of her heart. She must choose, knowing that a mistake will not only cost her everything, but destroy the future of a devastated little boy.
Excerpt
Red Dust Dreaming: another dream romance from Eva Scott.
“You know it’s wrong to put those ideas into Luke’s head, don’t you?” Elizabeth hissed at him from across the table.
“Don’t look at me.”He raised his hands in mock surrender.“All of that came from your sister.”
“New York smells and there are no horses?”She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him with those blue eyes.
“Okay, so that bit was me,” he admitted.
“And I bet you think it’s all very funny, don’t you?”She glowed with a strange kind of beauty when she was fuming.
“You’ve got that wrong, sister. This isn’t a joke to me. This is war. You’re trying to take Luke away from the only home he’s ever known to give him to people who his mother spent her life trying to get away from.” He leaned towards her, palms pressed flat against the table.
Elizabeth pushed her chair back and stood up. “You’re the one who’s got it wrong, buddy. And if you cared so much for my sister and her son why didn’t you marry her and adopt him?”
Caden’s chair scraped loudly on the floor as he rose to his feet. “My relationship with Angela is none of your business. She lived her life the way she wanted to.”
Elizabeth gasped in outrage. “What are you implying?”
“Implying? Nothing at all. I’m not implying anything I’m saying it plainly. She ran away from your dysfunctional family and made a new family here with us. We’re Luke’s family, maybe not by blood but sometimes blood just doesn’t matter.” He noticed he’d walked around the table to face her. When had he done that?
“I live my life the way I want to.” She narrowed her eyes, her fists were balled up at her sides.Unless he was mistaken she was sizing him up.
“Right, sure you do.You did whatever Mummy and Daddy wanted.I bet life is just peachy. Well it wasn’t, to hear Angela tell it.” Caden really hadn’t meant to start this fight. If he could take it all back he would but the words just kept pouring out of his mouth uncensored.He had to stop before they both all went too far.
“My childhood wasn’t so great either but I made the best of it.Angela rebelled every inch of the way and look where that got her!”
“What exactly are you implying?”
“I’m not implying anything.I’m calling it as I see it.She ran away to hide in this godforsaken place and left me to face our parents on my own.”Her hands were on her hips and her cheeks were flushed. Damn she looked pretty!And that particular fact only fuelled his anger.
“I can’t stop you from taking Luke to New York.Believe me if I could I would. Just ask yourself this question, if New York is so damned good why did Angela run so far? Why did she deny your parents their grandchild? Why didn’t she tell you she was dying? She had a choice and she exercised it. She chose freedom. Do you really want Luke to wind up as uptight and miserable as you are?” He’d gone too far now. His words whirled about their heads like a flock of startled sparrows. Caden’s heart pounded in his chest.In some strange way he was having Angela’s argument for her, the one she never got to have. He’d heard her side of the story a thousand times and part of him justified his cruel words in defence of Angela.
Elizabeth looked as shocked as if he’d slapped her, and in some way he had – verbally. His bravado evaporated as he looked into her eyes.Fury and pain lurked in their blue depths.He’d ignited both tonight.
“I am not uptight,” she bit out between clenched teeth. She looked so angry, so small and alone in his kitchen there was only one logical thing to do.
He took a step closer, inhaling her scent of sultry summer flowers.“Oh really,” he said before crushing her to him and kissing her with everything he had.
Buy Link
Escape Publishing: http://bit.ly/escapepublishing
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1AsLmBd
Amazon Aus: http://bit.ly/1BIa3wj
iTunes: http://apple.co/1xqGgEd
Short bio
The lovely and talented Eva Scott
Eva Scott writes contemporary romance set in her homeland of Australia and historical fiction set in the Ancient World. Her books offer passion and adventure in some of the most beautiful and intriguing places in the world. Her heroes and heroines are strong, sassy and ready to rise to their challenges, and learn a little bit about themselves along the way.
Having lived overseas for several years, Eva returned to study Anthropology before heading off to live in Papua New Guinea for a year. There she met the love of her life, author G.W. Gibson, who was stationed there with the Australian Defence Force. The rest is history, romantic history.
She now lives on the Redcliffe peninsula with her husband, small son and an assortment of animals. When Eva is not writing she enjoys mentoring first-time authors, cooking up a story, practising yoga and getting out on the bay on her stand-up paddle board.
Personal links –
http://www.evascottromance.com/