Tag Archives: Italy

January 7, 2017 · 9:33 am

New Release: Training Tessa by Debra Doggett

Please help me welcome Debra Doggett, a fellow Authors Helping Authors member who has a brand new release!

I used to tell people I got a history degree because I didn’t have to take math classes for it. That was only part of the reason, but back then being a history nerd didn’t give off the best aura. Even my dad said he didn’t understand how I could take those classes because history was boring. It was one of the few things we disagreed on. Growing up, my hero was James Michener. It wasn’t only that he could write like nobody else, but he wrote history. His work inspired me, and one day I plan to write my own historical epic. My first attempt at dipping my toe into that goal was Training Tessa. I set this story in Renaissance Italy, one of my favorite time periods. It gave me an excuse to dig back into that time and place, making the writing fun. One of the biggest reasons for it, however, was the way sensuality permeated art, and life. Yes, there were lots of naysayers, but artists in particular began to look at the human body as sensual. That concept fit well with the story. I hope the story fits well with you.

Blurb:

Meretessa Brexiano believes in love. Her heart yearns for a true bond with the man she weds. She also believes she can change her fate. Refusing the marriage her father has arranged, she strikes a bargain with a man she hopes can teach her the art of seduction. Nicolo da Parma is a businessman with a reputation as a connoisseur of women. Their sensuality is the palette he has painted on since his youth. This time, however, he may have struck a bargain which costs more than he planned. Training Tessa might be the greatest challenge to his own heart Nicolo’s ever had.

Excerpt:

Nicolo reached a hand toward her. “Seduction is a slow process, Tessa, a process which begins with you. It begins in here.” He tapped her forehead. “Do you even know what your own body looks like?”

She moved, grateful for even a small space between them. “That’s ridiculous! Of course I know what I look like. I see myself every day.”

“Ah, but do you really see? How can you tempt a lover with a body you are not even aware of?”

Before she could protest, he swallowed up the small, safe distance. Strange sensations stirred within her, leaving her without the ability to form the words she knew she should be saying. Nicolo’s fingers untied the lace along her bodice. He slipped the thin scarf through his hand with a sensual caress that made her shiver. What would those fingers feel like against her skin? As his hand slid over her shoulder, his fingers nudged her dress down, letting the fabric glide to the top of her breasts. He leaned in close and for a moment she thought he might kiss her. Tessa wondered what his lips would feel like, what they would taste like.

Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Training-Tessa-Debra-Doggett-ebook/dp/B01GAF0EYK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483472306&sr=8-1&keywords=debra+doggett

Bio:

Debra Doggett has been writing since childhood. Keeping stories in her head while raising three daughters, pursuing her BA in History and working as a museum professional has kept the writer inside her alive. She has also written, performed and directed for the stage, her second love.

Author links:

Debra Doggett | Facebook

Twitter: https://twitter.com/dgdoggett

www.amazon.com/author/debradoggett

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2266264.Debra_Doggett

A Bloody Good Cruise – Diana Rubino

I’m pleased to introduce Diana Rubino and her latest release, A Bloody Good Cruise. It’s about vampires on a cruise…are you kidding me??? LOVE the premise, the title, and the cover! Plus, she’s sharing a fun interview.

*** Diana is giving away a free PDF copy of the book to the first person who can answers this question: Who are the 3 historical figures you most would have wanted to meet? (Please be sure to provide your email address in your comment)

BLURB:

A BLOODY GOOD CRUISE is a fun-filled blend of the vampire world and luxury cruises.Romance writer Mona Rossi’s book sales are slipping. She needs new ideas and fast! Her vampire love, Fausto Silvius is a doctor aboard the Romanza, a luxury cruise ship. Holding a “Motion on the Ocean” writer’s cruise sounds like a great idea. What better way to combine a career boost with romance? But they soon discover hunters on board who give chase to Fausto and his fellow vampires. While he longs to bring Mona into his world, how can he convince her to join him with fringe lunatics on the hunt? In the prime of her life she’s not sticking her neck out for a shot at eternity.

Excerpt:

Mona forced a dose of cheer through her jangly nerves. Vampire hunters wouldn’t have the balls to attack Fausto and his friends on this ship. Security was tight. “Well, you’re here, so does that mean you’ve been going out, and aren’t confined to your house any more?”

Fausto shrugged. “Almost. I couldn’t wallow in self-pity forever. And I knew seeing you would make it worthwhile.”

She smiled and gave him a genuine Italian cheek pinch. “I’ll cheer you up, faccia bella, you can count on that. You must feel safe.” She gestured at the tacky duds. “I mean, relatively speaking.”

“Don’t let this scare you, but –” He glanced around over the rims of his shades. Uh-oh. Whenever he said “don’t let this scare you,” it scared her. “I got an ominous message at the doctor=s office earlier.”

“What?” She swallowed a lump. “What kind of ominous message?”

He looked away, shaking his head. “Nothing to get alarmed about. The hunters just want me to know they’re here. After the initial jolt wore off, I said, ‘okay, I’m being stalked again.’ But I’m used to it. It doesn’t make me constantly look over my shoulder like in the old days. My family’s murder gave me a reality check. If they want me, they’ll get me. I can’t let it interfere with my work, or what little leisure time I have here. And you shouldn’t either.” He gazed at her adoringly and cupped her cheek. His hand was surprisingly warm. “But you’re still scared. All the blood’s drained out of your face, and not in a good way.”

Author Bio:

As a romance author, I’ve cultivated a loyal following. I am active in my RWA (Romance Writers of America) chapter and attend author/reader events at local bookstores. Local and regional columnists have given me a good deal of publicity with interviews and articles. I advertise in Romantic Times and the RWR to keep my name before readers, and have held several contests on my website, which RWA and RT have promoted. In my other life, I own an engineering business, CostPro, Inc., and am Director of Marketing.

Kindle link: www.amzn.com/B00ILXYAI6

Amazon Paperback Link: http://amzn.to/1loSASo

The Wild Rose Press Link: bit.ly/1k8Vlrs

Where did you get the idea for A Bloody Good Cruise? Was there anything unusual, any anecdote about this book, the characters, title, process, etc, you’d like to share?

I wanted to combine Italian vampires, comedy and cruising in one package, so I hopped on my imaginary ship The Romanza to get my characters in all kinds of trouble. I envisioned the hero, Fausto, as actor Vincent Irizarry (Dr. Hayward on All My Children). That made my job so much easier. He is THE perfect vampire. Italian vampires and hunters (the Vampire Ball Busters) leave the field wide open for comic relief, and I had plenty of chances in this story. Since I’m hooked on cruising and I’m Italian, I didn’t need to do that much research. The name Fausto came from an Italian woman I met in the 1980s, Fausta. I knew I had to use some version of that name in one of my books.

My husband and I are hooked on cruising, and my very first cruise was on the Eastern Mediterranean, beginning in Rome and ending in Istanbul. The ports of call included Rhodes, Cyprus, Santorini, and Egypt. Because I love Italy and cruising, I wanted to combine those passions with a humorous story about vampires and how they face prejudice in the human world.

I met an Italian woman named Fausta in 1983 and always loved that name–I always planned to use that name in one of my books someday. I finally got the chance with the hero Fausto, close enough!

The actor I envision for the hero Fausto is Vincent Irizarry, who played Dr. David Hayward on All My Children. He is every bit the perfect vampire.

Do you have another occupation, other than writer? If so, what is it and how do you like it?

I own an engineering business with my husband Chris. I’m Director of Marketing, which I enjoy. I like to meet people and ‘work a room’.

What do you love that most people don’t like and wouldn’t understand why you do?

I don’t know if most people don’t like this, but when I visit a historical site, I must touch everything I possibly can, for that link to the past. I got yelled at in Warsaw for touching one of the keys on Chopin’s piano, but I wasn’t leaving there until I touched it!

What do you dislike that most people wouldn’t understand?

Ever since I’m a little kid, I never liked to eat meat. Nobody understood it in those days, and since vegetarianism is much more common now, more people understand it, but I still get weird looks sometimes.

What’s the main thing that you could get rid of in your life that would give you more writing time?

If only I could get by on two hours’ sleep!

What is one word you would use to describe yourself? What is one word you think others might use to describe you?

I describe myself as curious. Others would probably say earthy.

What’s your favorite book of all time and why? What’s your favorite childhood book?

My favorite book of all time is THE AUTIOBIOGRAPHY OF HENRY VIII by Margaret George. It transports you to Henry’s time as if you’ve time traveled. My favorite childhood books are from a series about a girl, Trixie Belden, who solved mysteries, very much like Nancy Drew.

What do you want readers to come away with after they read A Bloody Good Cruise?

That prejudice can be overcome, and that there’s nothing like being on a cruise ship.

What actors would you like in the main roles if your book were made into a movie?

The hero, Fausto is definitely Vincent Irizarry! She’s not really an actress, but the Long Island Medium, Theresa Caputo, would be a great Mona.

What is your favorite quote?

“I am still learning.” –Michelangelo

Thank you for the interview, Diana. Now, she has a question for readers…

What is it about a book that makes you buy and read it rather than putting it back?

6 Comments

Filed under Entertainment, For Writers

Tagged as cruises, Italy, paranormal, Romance, vampires

June 15, 2014 · 12:58 pm

New Releases from The Wild Rose Press plus Fun Facts & Fave Lines

I am proud to share some of the latest releases from The Wild Rose Press… Please check out the books and follow these authors on Twitter and Facebook, etc.

Enjoy the wonderful stories, fave lines, AND the fun fact tidbits…

Frances Evesham with An Independent Woman, Historical (Victorian) mystery romance Novel

Northanger Abbey meets Downton in Victorian England

Fun Fact: One day, my mother took me to the old Post Office in a tiny English Cotswold village where she grew up. There, I met Great Aunt Annie, a maiden Victorian lady, almost a hundred years old. Tiny and neat, with cotton-wool hair styled in a careful bun at the back of her neck, Aunt Annie bustled about, making cups of tea and cutting slices of fruitcake.

Aunt Annie lived quite alone, content, full of lively interest in the world and its news. She would have adored the internet.

Philomena, the Independent Woman of my novel, is, like Aunt Annie, a Victorian woman: self-sufficient, spirited and capable. The Victorians invented and built things. They engineered steam trains, bridges and factory machinery. Their photographs suggest they were solemn and unsmiling, but that was because they had to keep still for 30 seconds for every shot.

I believe the Victorians were like us inside, nursing their own hopes and dreams of adventure, love and happiness. I’m having fun writing their stories.

A few lines from the story:

Philomena leaped in the air and turned, terrified.

Lord Thatcham, tall and menacing, glowered at her from the doorway, his eyes ablaze with fury.

Click HERE to order from The Wild Rose Press and to order from Amazon, click HERE

Webpage: http://francesevesham.com/an-independent-woman-coming-soon/

Find Frances here:

Website and blog: www.francesevesham.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/francesevesham

Facebook: www.facebook.com/frances.evesham.writer

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Marilyn Baron with Homecoming Homicides A Psychic Crystal Mystery Book Two, Mystery and Suspense Novel, Dark romantic suspense with a humorous twist

Psycho Meets Miss Congeniality

Fun Fact: When my daughter was a homecoming contestant at her university in a small North Florida town, I attended the pageant and noticed a man approach each contestant for her autograph on his pageant booklet. That sparked my imagination and was the inspiration for this story. I wondered what would happen if that man was a serial killer. The fictional college town, Graysville, was patterned after the town where I went to college, Gainesville, Florida.

A few lines from the story:

“All right, you immature rat bastard, listen up. I am going to pick up the phone and have you reassigned. It’s obvious we can’t work together if you can’t get over yourself. Okay, we had sex. Let’s just get that out on the table.”

Click HERE to order from The Wild Rose Press and to order from Amazon, click HERE

Find Marilyn here:

Blog: Petit Fours and Hot Tamales www.petitfoursandhottamales.com

Web site: www.marilynbaron.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarilynBaron

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marilyn-Baron/286807714666748?fref=ts

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4722647.Marilyn_Baron

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Diana Rubino with A BLOODY GOOD CRUISE, paranormal novel

“How would a ship swarming with vampires liven things up?”

Fun Fact: My husband and I are hooked on cruising, and my very first cruise was on the Eastern Mediterranean, beginning in Rome and ending in Istanbul. The ports of call included Rhodes, Cyprus, Santorini, and Egypt. Because I love Italy and cruising, I wanted to combine those passions with a humorous story about vampires and how they face prejudice in the human world. I met an Italian woman named Fausta in the mid-80s and always loved that name–I always planned to use that name in one of my books someday. I finally got the chance with Fausto, close enough!

A line from the story:

“All the blood has drained from your face, and not in a good way.”

Click HERE to order the paperback from The Wild Rose Press and to order the ebook from Amazon, click HERE

Find Diana here:

www.DianaRubinoAuthor.blogspot.com www.DianaRubino.com

https://www.facebook.com/DianaRubinoAuthor https://twitter.com/DianaLRubino

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Heidi Wessman Kneale with AS GOOD AS GOLD, paranormal historical novella,

What would you pay for the chance at love?

Fun Fact: In the Seventeenth Century, gold and silver were the standard coinage throughout Europe. However, each country minted their own coins. Even these changed from time to time, often depending on the whimsy of whoever was king at the moment. Our Heroine Daywen Athalia, had she been wealthy enough (she isn’t) to deal with gold coins, she would most likely have been familiar with British Guineas.

Our Hero Bel MacEuros is fond of stealing foreign gold. Here, he has stolen some Bavarian Guilders. It was entirely possible he could have also stolen some Florins, depending on where he was thieving in the German States.

The Gypsy woman Alishandra doesn’t care if her gold is Guineas or Guilders. For her, gold is gold and rather fungible–she’ll take it in any form, unless it’s cursed. Like this gold was.

A few lines from the story:

“Lachlan,” she said, her voice quivering ever so slightly. “Would you marry me?”

He studied her for a moment, then sucked his teeth. “I’d hate tae break your heart. I dinnae want tae marry ya.”

!!!Currently on sale from The Wild Rose Press and Amazon, $1.99!!!

Click HERE to order from The Wild Rose Press and to order from Amazon, click HERE

Find Heidi here:

Heidi Kneale blogs at http://romancespinners.blogspot.com

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Lynn Shurr with A Wild Red Rose, Contemporary Western Novel

As a rodeo bullfighter, Clint Beck is unafraid of wild things, but can he tame a beautiful gold-digger and win her heart?

Fun Fact: When I began to do research on bull riders for The Convent Rose which preceded A Wild Red Rose, I often watched the Professional Bull Riders on TV and attended rodeos. While I admired the courage of the bull riders, I was even more taken with the bullfighters who put their lives on the line to save a downed rider. They are heroes, too. Those who read the first book know Renee will not be easily tamed. I thought a rodeo bullfighter just might be up to the task.

A few lines from the story:

“But people like us don’t deserve true love.” Renee Niles to Bodey Landrum

!!!Currently on sale at The Wild Rose Press for $2.50!!!

Click HERE to order from The Wild Rose Press and to order from Amazon, click HERE

Find Lynn here:

www.lynnshurr.com

http://lynnshurr.blogspot.com and www.romancingthejock.com

Friend Lynn on FaceBook at Carla Lynn Shurr Hostetter

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Cait Jarrod with Entangled Love, Romantic Suspense novel

In the question of love and death, where does the truth lie?

Fun Fact: My family and I took a trip to California a few years ago. When I started writing the story, the sunny setting came forth as a perfect location for the characters to move forward with their relationship. Santa Monica beach is beautiful.

3 of the author’s favorite lines:

“I’ve wanted you since we were teens” ~ Ryan

He’s making me say it. “I want you.” ~ Emma

“Now that’s settled, I have a dumpster to see about suitcaes.” ~ Niles, Ryan’s Butler