Welcome Wednesday presents Maria Grazia Swan

Today's guest on Welcome Wednesday is an author I’ve made contact with through one of my Facebook groups – Maria Grazia Swan.  That said, I don’t know much about Maria so I’ve been very nosey.

- Isn't this a great title for a book?

But, before I launch into asking her to share things with us I’m delighted to tell you she’s offering a ***GIVEAWAY*** signed print copy of her book – Bosom Bodies– to one lucky commenter. 

She’s offering the **free copy** of Bosom Bodies worldwide so it really doesn’t matter where you live, just make sure you leave an email contact address and we’ll be in touch with you if you’re her lucky winner!

I’m delighted to welcome you here today, Maria, and very pleased to share your answers.

Where are you originally from?  

Italy.

How lovely! It’s many years since I’ve been to Italy but I have great memories of the fantastic cities I visited. That’s not where are you currently staying, is it? 

I live in Phoenix Arizona.

Assuming you are bilingual, have you written and published work in more than one language – English and Italian for example?  

As a child I had short stories in Italian and French, won my first literary award at 14, in Belgium.

That’s a fantastic achievement. Is writing your only occupation, or do you have other daily jobs? 

I sell Real estate.

I imagine you need to be out and about quite a bit for that. Where, and when, do you do most of your fiction writing? 

In the evening, in my office- I have a home office for writing and Real Estate work.

Do you only write in one genre, or for one particular age group? 

I write mystery/suspense with romantic elements. I also have a lot of experience with non-fiction/ relationships mostly for people over 45. Book and columns; or as they call them now, blogs.

When did you first decide to write fiction?  

As a child. My school essays were always a big hit! I grew up reading Agatha Christie, in Italian.

Wow! I can’t imagine how such a quintessentially English sleuth translates to Italian.

Please share your latest release with us.  

Bosom Bodies is my very first Indie, second book in the Mina’s adventures series. It is a suspense with romantic elements and has a cover a little out of the ordinary.

It is definitely a striking cover! Were there any triggers which led to the plotline for Bosom Bodies?

Since this is book 2, well, it is a follow up from book 1,  and yes I get my inspirations from my aspirations…this one has more romance.

How much research did you have to do?  

The book location is Southern California, Orange County (Disneyland?) I moved out of California in 1994 so I was FORCED to go back to explore the beautiful beaches and such…very hard work. Seriously, the only research I had to do was in regard to the Harley and the gun. Don’t want to say too much.

What about settings? Do you include places you’ve been to…or just invent?  

I guess I just answered that question above: all real places, so far. I was in Italy in October taking lots of pics and talking to people. My next 2 books will be located in Italy and I may have to make up the town or they won’t let me back.

What are you currently working on? 

 Book 3 of Mina’s adventures - no title - takes place in Italy. I’m reissuing a non-fiction book because I finally received a reversion of rights from Dorchester. It’s titled: Mating Dance-Rituals for Singles who weren’t born yesterday. I also have a Suspense with my agent, presently being shopped around.

Thank you, Maria. Great answers, and now to find out more about Bosom Bodies!

Italian-born Mina Calvi has a way of finding trouble, but when she offers to help a friend by moonlighting at Bosom Bodies restaurant, it’s trouble that finds her. The body of the restaurant manager is discovered on the beach, a hit and run victim, and Mina’s VW Bug is impounded as the vehicle used in the crime. Stunned beyond belief, Mina is suddenly up to her ears in assault, betrayal, smuggling and murder. Now the police are watching her. The mob is targeting her. And who comes riding to her rescue on a metal steed—none other than the cook at Bosom Bodies, the mysterious Diego. Is he more than a bad cook and a good lover? Is he protecting her, or setting her up? Scared, clueless and on her own, Mina struggles to reclaim her life and stay two steps ahead of those stalking her, but it’s a treacherous path and she’s losing ground fast.

Buy from amazon

Maria Grazia Swan was born in Italy, but this rolling stone has definitely gathered no moss. She lived in Belgium, France, Germany, in beautiful Orange County, California where she raised her family, and is currently at home in Phoenix, Arizona—but stay tuned for weekly updates of Where in the World is Maria Grazia Swan?
As a young girl, her vivid imagination predestined her to be a writer. She won her first literary award at the age of fourteen while living in Belgium. As a young woman Maria returned to Italy to design for—ooh-la-la—haute couture. Once in the U.S. and after years of concentrating on family, she tackled real estate. These days her time is devoted to her deepest passions: writing and helping people find happiness.
Maria loves travel, opera, good books, hiking, and intelligent movies (if she can find one, that is). When asked about her idea of a perfect evening, she favors stimulating conversation, spicy Italian food and perfectly chilled Prosecco—but then, who doesn’t?
Maria has written short stories for anthologies, articles for high profile magazines and numerous blogs tackling love and life. She engaged her editorial and non-fiction skills for Boomer Babes: Tales of Love and Lust in the Later Years.

Her romantic suspense novels

Love Thy Sister and  

Bosom Bodies are available at Amazon.com.










Website: MariaGrazia.tv
Contact Maria: mariagswan@gmail.com
-or- touch base with her on Facebook

Thank you for visiting today, Maria, and my very best wishes for great sales of your 'Mina' series.

Don't forget to leave that comment to win the signed print copy of Bosom Bodies. (Just leave a way of contacting you, please.)

Slainthe!

Tuesday snip - The Beltane Choice

Today is a snip day in more than one way ...but more of that later. 

The complete first chapter of The Beltane Choice is featured by D.Renee Bagby on 
http://drb1stchp.com/2013/03/the-beltane-choice-by-nancy-jardine/ today.

And... on the tab above marked 'The Beltane Choice Chapter Two' you'll be able to catch the complete second chapter from my romance adventure set in Celtic/Roman Britain in AD 71. 

Grab a drink, settle in, and enjoy the read!

The Beltane Choice has some excellent 5* , and some 4*, reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. If anyone has a blog where they feature reviews, and would like to read and review The Beltane Choice, please leave me a comment - with an email contact in the comments box  - and we can arrange that. 

Slainthe!

Monday Moments presents Helen Howell

My guest today is fellow Crooked Cat author, Helen Howell, an English-born lady who now lives in Australia. Helen has recently had a Crooked Cat release, a novella called 'I know you know'. 

To get to know Helen a bit more I asked her some pertinent questions. 

You write in different genres and write work in different lengths. Is there a genre you feel most comfortable to work in?

No, not really. I enjoy stretching myself in different genres. The ones I probably write the most in are fantasy, horror and noir, not because it’s particularly my comfort zone, but mainly because I have more ideas than say for romance or slice of life. However, I think this is why I like writing flash fiction so much,  because it gives me a chance to find out what I can do for instance with a romantic story and humour.  

How long have you been a published writer?

The first time any of my fiction or poems were published was back in 2010.  It was a real thrill to see my work in print. Since then I have had various flashes published in e-zines and just last year in another two anthologies.

How many books have you published so far?

One. A fantasy fiction for children aged 9 years up to adults who like mid grade fiction,  called Jumping At Shadows. It was self published and got a good response from those who read it.

Are your books available in print, or only in e-book formats?

Jumping at Shadows is only available in e-book format. But my new Novella I Know You Know will be available in both e-book and printed formats.

What’s the genre/ subgenre of your most current book launch?

I like to call it a Psychic Thriller. Is there such a genre?  Why did I choose that?  I think the term describes perfectly a story that has a supernatural element along with a strong sense of suspense that has the ability to grip the readers attention and become a page turner. To me then a psychic thriller would indicate a supernatural suspense story that hopefully has you glued to the book.

             

Tell me a little about it, please.

When Janice, a tarot reader, with the aid of her dead grandmother, sees in the cards that a new client of hers, a Mr. Edgar Kipp, is a serial killer, and Edgar suspects she knows, what will Janice do?  As Edgar plans her demise, the race begins.  Who can Janice tell? Who will believe her?  Which one of them will survive?

Were there any triggers which led to the plot line?

Well I’m a retired professional Tarot Reader, (although I still do read, I just don’t advertise,) and I am aware that it is possible to see things in the cards about peoples situations. I got to thinking what would happen if you could see that someone was really dark like a serial killer, and what if they could sense that you knew what they were?  How would that play out?  To me that was an interesting scenario. But what would it also be like if a dead relative who was a talented fortune teller could speak to you from beyond the grave? How could that impact on the whole story.  And then, I Know You Know was born.  It first saw the light of day as a serial on my website, which ran for five seasons with six short episodes per season. It met with such a good response that I decided to extend it and turn it into a short novella.

Who are the main characters of the story?

The two main characters are Janice, the tarot reader and Edgar Kipp, the serial killer. Supporting roles if you’d like to call them that are Janice’s dead grandmother, and Kipp’s dead mother along with D.C.I. Rob Tate.

Who is your favorite character in the book?

I feel I should say Janice, but Edgar Kipp is such a strong character that he makes you just want to find out what he will do next.  Edgar’s damaged goods, a product of his own upbringing and of not fitting in with others. Always on the outside looking in. I found him an interesting character to write and to try and get into his head and see things from his perspective.

How much research did you have to do?
I did do some research of serial killers, what motivates them etc.  The interesting thing is that they appear to be ordinary people that don’t stand out from the crowd. It could be the person living next door to you.

How have you managed to find your publishers?
Anthologies and e-zines etc. I’ve just submitted my work and either it was accepted or not. For Jumping At Shadows I self published. This new novella, I Know You Know, is being published by Crooked Cat Publishing.  I originally had a story in their FEAR anthology and thought they may be interested in this novella. So I submitted it to them and they accepted it.

You were born in England but have lived in Australia for a long while. Has that influenced your book settings?
Actually when I write, my settings all tend to be influenced by England. I lived there until I was 31 years old, most of the impressions I gained during my growing up period have stuck with me. I’ve never set anything in Australia although I’ve lived here for 30 years now. I think England will always be my influence.

Are any of your books are illustrated?
The short answer to this is no. ^_^  Although I’m told Jumping At Shadows would be great with illustrations.

What are you working on right now?
Right now I’m working on another fantasy fiction called Wizard, that I have just started showing on my blog as a new serial.

Helen:  Thanks Nancy for inviting me over

Delighted to have you, Helen!  
 

Helen can be found at:

Twitter: @Helenscribbles

Amazon Author Page: 

amazon.com/author/helenhowell

Helen’s Author Page at Crooked Cat can be found here: http://crookedcatpublishing.com/helen-a-howell/

Jumping At Shadows is available from Smashwords http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/204743

Thank you for popping over from Australia, Helen,  to be on Monday Moments. 

To find out more about Helen's new novel please click here to pop over to my Promotions and Book Reviews Blog where you'll find the blurb and an excerpt from 'I know You Know'. 

Slainthe!