By Emily Iannello
THE TANGO is regarded as the Everest of dance; an addictive mix of pleasure, pain and passion.
Just ask Geelong author Alli Sinclair, who’s fallen in love with the fiery dance and all things Latin.
Sinclair has signed a deal with international publisher Harlequin MIRA for a three-book series based on dance, with South America’s tango leading the way.
Her novel, Luna Tango, the first of The Dance Card trilogy and due for release next week, is set in Argentina.
The main character, Dani McKenna, is an Australian who discovers that her family connection to tango is deeper and more complex than she imagined.
Sinclair “always had a book in hand”, writing her own stories as a student at Belmont High School, she said.
Later years spent in other countries, including Argentina, Peru and Canada, enhanced her appreciation of dance and inspired the The Dance Card series.
“Each book is centred around dance. Luna Tango is set in Argentina, the second book in Spain and the third in Paris,” Sinclair said.
“All the books have a family saga mixed in with a mystery and romance.
“There are two stories to every book – an historical and a present-day story. The historical story spreads across decades and doesn’t get solved until the present-day story.”
Although never a “tango diva or ballerina”, Sinclair said she loved the energy and passion of dance.
“I’ve always been fascinated with everything tango. I did a lot of it when I lived in South America.
“Everyone can interpret it differently. You might have two people look at tango and one’s moved to tears of sadness and the other to tears of joy.
“This is reflected within my characters – the three women all have different experiences with the tango.”
Sinclair spent four months writing Luna Tango followed by a year of revisions. She has now started work on Flamenco Fire, due out next year.
“I’ve also got a couple of ideas for other stories. The next one will be centred around theatre.”
