End of Summer

It's the end of September which means the end of summer and the beginning of fall.

Of course, where I live, it's hard to tell the changing of the seasons. The San Francisco Bay Area has so many different micro climates it allows a person to drive 20 miles and the temp can change anywhere from 10-30 degrees. I always dress in layers for this reason. But I don't mind.

With the passing of summer also comes football season, it's one of my favorite times of year. I love watching NFL games on Sunday, Monday and later in the season Thursdays. I also occasionally watch college football on Saturdays.

So do you have a favorite season of the year?

Guest Today: Katherine Grey

Today my guest is Katherine Grey. Welcome Katherine, glad to have you here.

Tell us a little about yourself:

I was born and have lived in upstate NY my entire life, though as the years go by, I hate the NY winters that seem to last eight months out of the year more and more. I’ve always had a vivid imagination and loved books from a very early age. As I grew older, I found myself reimagining books and movies with endings I wanted, rather than they way they really were. These daydreams soon led me to start putting pen to paper and writing my own stories. Please come and learn more about me at my blog. http://katherinegrey.blogspot.com

What do you like the most and the least about writing?

I love the heady feeling of getting those initial first pages down of a new story. I also love when the characters start taking on lives of their own, taking me down paths I hadn’t originally intended for them. (Okay, sometimes I hate this too.) What I like least is revision even though I do at least two revisions per manuscript. Sometimes, I can get too caught up in rewriting a scene, trying to follow all those “rules” that are drilled in your head when you’re first starting out and end up feeling like I’ve revised the life right out of it.

Give us a peek into your latest published work:

Impetuous is a historical romance set in the Regency period. It’s my debut novel and was released through The Wild Rose Press on August 26^th.

Here’s the blurb:

Mateo de Montayas, an impoverished Spanish count, comes to England to recover a stolen family heirloom and to satisfy his hunger for revenge against the man who destroyed his family. Arriving in London, he learns his hated enemy died three years before but has left behind a daughter. What better way to retrieve the heirloom and exact revenge than to use her to his advantage?

Teresa Darlington will do anything to keep scandal away from her frail mother and prove her father wasn't a thief, even risk her reputation in a race to find the missing heirloom before the Count does. But she didn't count on falling in love with the man determined to ruin her family. Can she find the heirloom before he does and protect her family, or will her heart lead her in a different direction?

What’s next on the writing horizon for you?

I currently have a novella involving a secondary character from Impetuous under consideration with The Wild Rose Press. I’m working on two separate writing projects right now. One is another historical romance and the other set in the present day so it’s easy to switch from one manuscript to the other.

Is there anything you want to tell readers?

I try to encourage readers to give new authors a try (and not just because I am one.) I’ve read some really great books written by first time authors who have gone on to achieve great things. I’d also like to thank everyone for their support.

Excerpt:

This is a short scene from the beginning of the book.

With hatred running hot and molten through his veins, Mateo de Montayas stared at the stately mansion across the street. The windows were aglow with light. Laughter and music spilled out to fill the night air. He shifted position under the shadowy oak tree hoping to catch sight of his quarry. The high and mighty English baronet who celebrated inside had destroyed his family.

Mateo slipped the miniature portrait from his breast pocket. A thin leather cord wrapped around his fingers as he gazed into the eyes of the laughing beauty pictured there.

“I couldn’t help you then...” The pain of failure threatened to overwhelm him. He shoved it down, deep down into a dark place in his soul. He took a deep breath, fighting the anger that rose within. “I will make him pay for your death.” His fingers closed around the small oval. “I swear it, Madre. I swear it.”

Links:

Here are the links to purchase Impetuous.

The Wild Rose Press click here

Amazon click here

Barnes & Noble click here

Thank you, Marie for having me. It’s been a pleasure visiting with you.

Guest Blogger Jannine Corti Petska

Today my guest is Jannine Corti Petska and she's talking about her current release.

Tell us a little about yourself:

I’m a typical Italian mother and grandmother who dotes on her family and protects them fiercely. I’m half Sicilian and have a devilish temper, which no one in the writing community knows about or has seen. There’s always a charge there, and I believe it’s the reason my heroes are terribly stubborn, ornery and downright irascible. But they all have a good heart. My heroines are fairly high strung and temperamental as well.

If you’d like to read more about me, my bio can be found on my website: www.jcortipetska.com.

What do like the most and the least about writing?

I’d have to say I like the aloneness. I like being home, working on a book, playing with my three Rat Terriers, puttering around in my garden. The solitude helps me concentrate better.

What I don’t like is the aloneness. Dogs can’t hold a conversation. I can only do so much in the garden. And when I hit a road block in my current book, I can take just so much of losing myself in housework or something else that might stimulate my brain. Usually, I’ll go window-shopping for a change of scenery. I’ll grab a Starbucks now and then.

Give us a peek into your latest published work?

THE LILY AND THE FALCON is the first book in my four-book Italian medieval series. It’s set in 15^th century Florence and delves into the tug-of-war between two powerful families for control over Florence. It was first published by Kensington in 2000.

When Cristiano de' Medici asks for Bianca degli Albizzi's hand in marriage, she is outraged. Cristiano's family has long been a sworn enemy, and her father's blessing confuses her. Wed only to end the war between Florence's two powerful families, headstrong Bianca vows she will teach her handsome husband her loyalty cannot be bought...even by someone so seductive.

Cristiano, a well-known warrior with the wealth of a king, could have any woman he desires. But for the sake of peace, he ends up with a defiant bride who awakens his deepest passion. Her vengeful scheming puts them both in peril, but is he willing to sacrifice his life to safeguard the woman he loves?

What’s next on the writing horizon for you?

I’m researching book 4 of my Italian medieval series, after which I’ll research and write book 3 of my medieval psychic sisters trilogy. After that, I haven’t decided yet. There is a notebook filled with notes on over 20 different stories I’d like to write. And I have a shelf of plastic file bins with about 7 other stories I had started researching and abandoned. Then there’s the 8 or so manuscripts I’d like to rewrite. So there’s no shortage of work. However, after I’m finished with my medieval trilogy next year, I will then decide whether or not I want to continue writing. It’s a tough decision to make, but at this point in my life, it’s something that must be considered.

Is there anything you want to tell readers?

I’d love to hear from you. My contact information is on my website.

Excerpt from The Lilly and the Falcon

This short scene is from an outing Cristiano de’ Medici and his betrothed, Bianca degli Albizzi, take. Prior, their conversation had drifted to his previous lovers.

“May I see your hand?”

When he hesitated, she took it anyway and turned it palm up.

“What fetish is this?” he demanded, uncertain of the puzzling grooves that suddenly invaded her features.

“I am reading your lines.” He tried to take his hand away, but she held fast. “You are mischievous by nature, a knave and a thief.”

“I am not a thief,” he objected.

She gave him a coy look. “Mayhap not of property or belongings, but of hearts, I propose.”

He scowled. “Are we back to my lovers again?”

“No, my sensitive lord.” She brushed the underside of his fingers, causing a shiver to race recklessly up and down his spine. “Your long fingers and broad palm reveal much of your character.”

“Explain this witchery,” he commanded, taking back his hand.

“Reading the palm is a science,” she told him with a slight frown. “Many Florentines seek the advice of seers and palm readers, though none would readily admit to it. Know this, my lord. Were I a witch, I would cast a spell on you.”

Then witch she was. What other explanation had he for his obsession with Bianca degli Albizzi?

Buy links:

Digital click here

Paperback click here

Thanks for being here today Jannine.