Melanie craft could hardly have dreamed of her present lifestyle when as a younger woman she worked as sales clerk, bartender, pastry chef, cocktail waitress and a housecleaner. She even briefly held a job as a Swahili teacher, although she admits she did not speak the language.
But Craft, now a
romantic novelist, has crowned her career by marrying her fiance of several years, the Oracle tycoon and yachtsman Larry Ellison. Her website says she "lives near San Francisco with two cats, nine ducks, and her fiance" (who is not identified).
But she has given a few clues about the identity of her other half. Her first novel, A Hard-hearted Man, revolves around an affair between an entrepreneur and the first woman to challenge him. "Ross Bradford exuded wealth, power and sophisticated charm. He had a head for business and an eye for beauty, but it was his heart he never trusted and no one could ever breach," says the blurb.
Craft's next offering, Man Trouble, deals with a romance author trying to seduce a billionaire.
The couple, whose wedding was confirmed this week, married before Christmas beside a waterfall at Ellison's 18ha Japanese-style compound in California.
Craft, 34, is 25 years younger than the Oracle chief. But Ellison, who has been married three times before, has no plans to grow old. He is pouring money into the coffers of scientists researching the hormone DHEA, which some believe may slow the ageing process.
- INDEPENDENT
