PROMO Blitz: Reclaimed by @marcella_swann #romance with a #giveaway

Contemporary Romance

Date Published: May 30, 2018

Beyond all else, Samira Foster wanted one thing: Elliot Dowling. He was her passion, her need. They were just kids but she knew it was real. The way he kissed her; the way he held her. Yet he’s the one thing that was denied her. The scion of a powerful and wealthy family, she’s now the head of Foster Acquisitions. But she doesn’t have it all. The pressure, the demands, the wolves. And she’s all alone. She needs someone. She needs him. And she’ll have him … even if it destroys her.

 Excerpt

Elliot slowly began to realize that, despite the adrenaline flooding his system, nothing had truly changed since he had walked away years ago. He had to fight not to reminisce of the days they spent together, whether it was at the park, the lake or hiking the trails while the world waited back in the city. She was still the perfect girl, and now woman, that every man dreamed of, and he knew that she had no business slumming it with the likes of him. Samira’s eyes started to glow in the same way they used to when she looked at him. She could see deep into his soul, all of his feelings, and right now he wondered if she knew the truth.

“I almost gave up hope trying to find you,” she said. “It’s been years since you disappeared. I was beginning to think I would never see you again. Then the name Dowling Holdings came across my desk and I heard you’d returned. Why didn’t you reach out to me?”

“I thought about it, but there’s things…”

“I know.” Samira nodded. Her smile faded slightly, but she suppressed the frustration that Elliot knew she must’ve been feeling. “I had my investigators do a complete work up on Dowling Holdings. The only thing they can’t tell me is why you left. Was it because of what your father did?”

Elliot shook his head, he was certain there were things no one could know, and truthfully said, “My father’s actions might have held something over me at one point, but that doesn’t shadow my decisions anymore.”

Samira looked confused, then sad for a split second. “Was it me? Did you not reach out because of something that I did?”

Elliot once again shook his head. “God no, Sam, you’re amazing!”

He watched something click in her head, and even though he had never told her what happened that night, she figured it out.

“It was my dad then,” she said. “He never approved of us; even if he never told me, I knew that he hated the thought of us together. Did he threaten you? Forbid you from seeing me?”

Elliot could not look at her. Samira’s face flushed with anger as she continued, “Two and a half billion dollars in profit last year from a holding company that you built yourself. If you can’t see how impressive that is, I would be shocked! That was your hard work and determination! If my dad was even alive, he would not have a leg to stand on to keep us apart.”

“Sam, I wanted everything to be just right, or at least, cleaned up…”

Samira stood up. “No, Elliot. I don’t believe you. Everything you’ve gone through, everything you’ve built, doesn’t matter. You’ve let him stand between us for all these years. He was my father, and no matter what he said, I was never afraid of him or let him run my life. You could have everything you want now, but instead you just keep trying to prove yourself to a dead man.”

Samira got up, clearly upset, and headed for the door.

Every part of him wanted to run after her, and take her into his arms again, but where would they go from here? He saw now how crazy it was to bring her back into his dark world again.

About the Author

Marcella Swann has been putting words on paper for as long as she can remember. After working for years in the hard-edged world of journalism, she now devotes her time to writing contemporary romance stories of strong-willed women who win the men of their desires.

As passionate about love as the beauty of a story well told, Marcella is a complete romantic and believes everyone desires their happily ever after.

A small-town girl from Louisiana, Marcella now lives in New York City and starts each day walking her Yorkie in the park. She also swings a mean kettle bell at the gym and loves Karaoke nights with her friends.

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PROMO Blitz: Snafu Fubar: Nothing Heroic by @authorbobdixon #humor with a #giveaway

Adult Humor

Date Published: Oct 2016

*****WARNING*****

If you are easily offended, then this is NOT the book for you. Please put it down and back away slowly. However, if you have a warped sense of humor, please read on.

In the town of Lost Hope, Florida reside two heroes unlike any others. These champions of justice go by the names of Snafu Fubar and General Nuisance. Nightly they patrol their fine city to protect it from evil's grasp. And by 'patrol' we mean they sit on a porch, appropriately nicknamed 'The Fucking Nuisance Cave', drinking beers, smoking cigars, and talking about sex.

Excerpt

   Meanwhile, across the street from the trailer park, in a convenience store that General Nuisance and Snafu Fubar frequented, a robber had just entered, brandishing a pistol.  He pointed it at the clerk behind the counter, a young boy who had not yet reached legal drinking age and who still had a zit party in full swing on his chubby face. “Put your hands in the air and give me the money!” The clerk looked confused for a moment and then shrugged.

    “I can’t do both.”

    “Huh...what?”

   The clerk rolled his eyes. “I can’t put my hands in the air and give you the money.”

    “Fine. Put one hand in the air and hand me the money with the other one.” The robber gestured with the gun.

   “OK, which hand?”

    “Right…no, wait a minute. Left.”

    “Left hand up or left hand get the money?”

     The robber banged his head against the counter three times and glared at the clerk. “Left hand get the money.”

    Ding Ding.

      The robber and clerk both looked toward the store's door, through which a female customer had just entered. She was blond, with a great body and nice rack, but her face was ugly as sin. “Can I get twenty on pump five?”

    The robber stepped towards her, motioning with the gun. “Lie down on the floor now!”

   “What? Really? Have you seen this floor? I’d probably have a higher chance of survival if you just shoot me. I think I’ll take my chances!”

    The robber glanced down at the floor. “OK. Point taken. Just sit on the floor.”

    “Really wish I hadn’t picked today to wear stilettos and this damn mini skirt with no panties,” griped the customer. “I mean, if I’m going to catch an STD, I really wanted to do it the fun way.” She looked about as graceful as a giraffe on roller skates as she tried several maneuvers to get down on the floor without giving the clerk and the robber their own private peep show.

    General Nuisance met Snafu in the parking lot of the convenience store. They did the handshake, the fist bump, the high five, the gang sign, the chest bump and the butt slap — to which they both said in unison, “NO GO HOMO!” This, of course, made it perfectly acceptable for two grown men to slap each other on the ass.

    “Do you see what I see?” General Nuisance pointed into the convenience store that held his beloved beer.

    “Yeah, some idiot sitting on a disease ridden floor.  Hope she knows there are more enjoyable ways to catch an STD.”

    “I agree, but I wasn’t talking about her. Look again…a robber!”

     “Cool! You wanna hand out some Bronze Age justice?”

       General Nuisance poked his friend in the arm. “I got one better...Iron Age justice, huh, huh?”

    “Oh, that’s just stupid! What did the Iron Age have that the Bronze Age didn’t?”

    “Really? Asia was smelting tin and brass by then…you can’t top that. What was your Bronze Age doing? Cave men were still circle jerking on dinosaurs' corpses.”

     “That’s the Stone Age, you idiot.” Snafu shook his head. “You can be so dumb at times.”

      While Snafu Fubar and General Nuisance debated over the kind of justice they were going to hand out, things inside the store took a bizarre turn.

     “Man, my drawer is gonna be off. I’m gonna have to overcharge all my customers tonight,” the clerk whined as he looked down at his till.

     “Shut up! Just get the money,” screamed the robber.

   “I don’t feel so well,” said the female customer, whose face was now a sickly shade of green. She burped once then farted. A moment later, she puked all over the floor and shit herself.

     “Crap! Now I’m going to have to mop the floor and man, I was really hoping to leave that for the morning shift. I mean I could kind of push everything under the candy counter. There’s a good chance no one would notice and I could just place a wet floor sign where she is at. Yeah…the more I think about it, I’m pretty sure that would work.”

      “Oh my God! Why are you taking so long?” The robber pointed the gun at the clerk again.

     The store's door swung open. Loud rock music blared as Snafu and General Nuisance entered the store. “I’m here to kick some ass and hand out –“, Snafu sighed, “Industrial Revolution era justice!”

     “See?!? Was that so hard?” General Nuisance asked with a smile.

      The robber grabbed the clerk by his shirt collar. “This is why you should have moved faster. Both of you get down on the ground now…or the clerk dies.”

       General Nuisance and Snafu both looked down at the female customer who was now shaking and in the midst of some kind of convulsion. “Yeah, that’s just not going to happen,” Snafu said.

    “Son, put the gun down.” General Nuisance spoke as calmly as a man being threatened with sitting on a disease-ridden floor could speak.

    “How about I shoot you?!” screamed the frustrated robber as he pointed the gun first at General Nuisance then at Snafu.

     “Yeah, shoot those costumed freaks!” chimed in the clerk.

      “You stay out of this!” the robber yelled at the clerk.

     “Why are you rooting for the robber?” asked Snafu.

     “I don’t know…just seemed like we were connecting…I don’t get a lot of social interaction here.”

     The robber looked back and forth between the costumed vigilantes and the clerk. “Shit! I don’t know who to shoot first!”

     “Please God, let it be me! Bleck!” said the customer on the floor as she puked again.

     “Well, while you decide that, I’m going to grab a Slushee,” Snafu said as he strolled toward the back of the store.

     “Yeah. Me too. Let’s grab the beer and some beef jerky while we’re at it,” General Nuisance said as he patted the robber on the shoulder and walked past him.

     The robber snatched the money from the clerk's hand and ran out of the store. “Ya’ll are fuckin’ crazy!”

     The clerk, looking as though he'd just lost his best friend or a beloved pet, leaned over the edge of the counter.

     “Call me...I mean if you want to hang out or something,” the clerk yelled as the robber made his escape. When he didn’t get a response, the clerk slumped back against his stool.

     “They never call.”

About the Author

Bob Dixon is a two-time Guinness World Record holder for the World's Longest Cartoon Strip. He is the author and creator of a number of comic book titles for Pocket Change Comics, including Assassinette: The Mind Stalker, Psyco Duck, Jester's Dead, The Holy Knight, Riplash, Shadow Slasher, and Warzone 3719. Bob has written two children books, Rooty the Tree Troll and Holiday Bunny; two young adult books, Mouch and Company: The Dream Psychic and Rags and Ruins; An adult humor book Snafu Fubar : Nothing Heroic; and is the co-author of Will Jones' biography A Tough Call. Bob is also the Writer/Director of the movie Dr. Prozak's Office. Additionally, he is a certified special education teacher who works with children who have autism and intellectual delays.

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Blog Tour: Another One by @steelertony #supernatural #thriller with a #giveaway

Supernatural Thriller

Date Published: Nov 30th, 2017

Publisher: Atticus Creative, Inc.

Detective Evan Parker is being haunted by the past. After two tours in the Afghanistan War, he thought the horrors that he witnessed there were behind him. But the death of his partner has now opened a dark hole of memories that are threatening to swallow Parker alive. Desperate to maintain his grip, he focuses on the last unsolved case his partner left behind: the brutal murder of Hymie Villarosa.

Father Bernardino Soltera is being destroyed by the present. After ministering to the gang ridden streets of East L.A. for over twenty years, he's unable to see past the pain and suffering that drugs and violence have wreaked on his neighborhood; he’s ready to give up. But when a young girl confesses that she's pregnant and her boyfriend will hurt her if she doesn't get an abortion? Father Soltera decides to make one more stand.

Hector Villarosa is being mocked by the future. After being released from jail he discovers the love of his life is with another man. As the leader of his gang, losing face could mean losing his life, and the fact that detectives are now asking questions about the death of Hector's cousin, Hymie, isn't helping. But Hector's bigger problem is the demon that has followed him out of jail and on to the mean streets of East L.A.

Three men, one neighborhood. All about to discover that the veil between this world and the next is razor thin.

Interview

Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?

In a nutshell? There’s more to this life, and ourselves, than we are often willing to admit.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Fending off outside distractions from throwing me off of my weekly word count goals.

How many books have you written and which is your favorite?

I have written six now: The Fasano Trilogy (One In A Million, A Million to One and One Plus One), The Snow Globe (a standalone, psychological thriller) and The Parker Trilogy (Another One, One Way or Another, which releases June 17^th, and One Gray Day (releasing in December).

As for my favorite? Oh, boy. That’s a question my 11-year-old daughter has asked me so many times. I’ll tell you what I’ve told her: my books are like my other children. I don’t have favorites. In truth, though, it is possible to like each one for equally special reasons. Kyle Fasano, from The Fasano Trilogy, will always be the character through which I really studied infidelity and its impact on a person both mentally and spiritually. Maggie Kincaid, from The Snow Globe, will always be my first literary love. And Detective Evan Parker, from The Parker Trilogy, has become a force unto himself that I never expected and that’s been very cool.

If You had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?

Again, I’m going to be a coward and dodge this question, as I know for a fact that a) the vast majority of my readers are female and

b) the vast majority of them have differing opinions on who should play Parker and I will get some emails letting me have it if I name the wrong man! lol

But I will say who I have always thought would be the PERFECT person to play the role of Detective Napoleon Villa (who trained Parker in the first trilogy and is his partner – of sorts – in Another One). Benecio del Toro. Hands down. I would be overjoyed to see him play Napoleon on the big screen.

When did you begin writing?

5^th Grade.

How long did it take to complete your first book?

The original version of The Snow Globe was my first crack at writing a novel. It came in at a bloated 110,000 words and it took me a year to write it.

Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?

 Ed McBain.

What is your favorite part of the writing process?

The creative flow, especially when it is roaring. I get into such a zone that I’m barely even on this planet.

Describe your latest book in 4 words.

Exciting and heart wrenching.

Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the future for your writing?

I just finished One Way or Another, Book 2 of The Parker Trilogy. At the end of Another One, Book 1, the table was set for so much to happen and it definitely does, on all fronts. It was a blast to write and my editor, proofreader and beta readers all loved it. I hope you do too!

I’ve now begun to write One Gray Day, Book 3.

About the Author

Tony Faggioli was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and raised in Los Angeles, California. He graduated from the University of Southern California, where he majored in Public Administration and interned in Washington, D.C. at The White House. After college, he transitioned to corporate America before deciding to start his own business. One day, he realized that nothing brought him anywhere near the amount of joy as the writing he did from grade school through high school. So, at age 35, he decided to rekindle his passion. Since then he's written five novels (listed below) and begun his sixth. He's a happily married father of two kids, two dogs and a pretty awesome goldfish.

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PROMO Blitz: The Busy Moms Guide to Writing by Angela Castillo and Jamie Foley #selfhelp with a #giveaway

Self-Help

Publisher: Fayette Press

Date Published: 03/30/2018

Are you a busy mom who loves to write, but doesn't know where to start? This easy-to-read guide by two bestselling, award-winning authors will help you make your writing dreams a reality.

From finding time to write, to showing you how to get your kids involved, Jamie Foley and Angela Castillo (who happen to be busy moms themselves) will give you the resources--and the encouragement--you need.

This book will:

- Help you plan out your writing goals, time management, and financial budget

- Encourage you to enlist aid from the right people--critique partners, editors, cover designers, and more

- Guide you to making the best decision for you regarding independent and traditional publishing

- Give you questions to ask yourself at the end of each chapter to help you move closer to your writing dreams

- Steer you away from common mistakes

Excerpt

Supper should have been started half an hour ago, and a pile of laundry waits for you on the couch (well, it used to--now the kids have flung the clothes across the room in a free-for-all sock fight). Your baby is crying, and your oldest kid is yelling something about a science fair project being due tomorrow.

But what are you thinking about? A roving mercenary princess in your own made up land--the land of Flynn. You’ve dreamed about this land, pretended to live in it yourself. And more than anything, you want to write about it.

Your little girl grabs hold of your leg with sticky fingers. “Mommy, when are we going to have supper? I’m hungry, Mommy!”

If you’re feeling tempted to check your home for a hidden camera, the reason we know these things is because we are there. We have nights like this on a continual basis. Yet between both of us, we have fifteen published books (and three collections). These books help to generate an income to help with grocery money and even, sometimes, the mortgage payment. Writing and Momming can happen! At the same time!

What this book will do:

·         Help you plan out your writing goals and time management

·         Give you tools to do your personal best when it comes to writing

·         Steer you away from mistakes we’ve made

·         Encourage you to enlist aid from the right people--critique partners, editors, cover designers, and more

·         Help you create a time budget, as well as a financial budget, so you don’t go overboard

·         Guide you to making the best decision for you regarding independent and traditional publishing

·         Give you questions to ask yourself (and hopefully answer!) at the end of each chapter to help you move closer to your writing dreams

What this book won’t do:

·         Teach you how to write a New York Times bestseller (if you find a book that can do this, let us know)

·         Tell you to neglect your family in order to write

·         Expect you to have a ten-thousand-dollar budget for your first book

·         Tell you how to come up with writing ideas. There are countless other writing prompt books available out there. We figure if you picked up this book, you probably have ideas buzzing around in your head already and are looking for a way to let them out.

·         Give you a magic formula to make millions of dollars with your books (we don’t believe such a thing exists, but maybe. Of course, unicorns might exist too…)

About the Authors

Angela Castillo

Angela Castillo loves living in the small town of Bastrop Texas, and draws much of her writing inspiration from life there. She loves to walk in the woods and shop in the local stores. Castillo studied Practical Theology and Music at Christ for the Nations in Dallas, Texas. She was home-schooled all through high school and is the oldest of 7 kids. Castillo's greatest joys are her little girl and two boys. Castillo has been published in The First Line, Aardvark's Ark, Heartwarmers, Thema, and several other publications, and also has works available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle format.

Jamie Foley

Jamie Foley loves strategy games, home-grown berries, and Texas winters. She's terrified of plot holes and red wasps.

Her husband is her manly cowboy astronaut muse. They live between Austin, TX and their family cattle ranch, where their hyperactive spawnling and wolfpack can run free.

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PROMO Blitz: Jane's Baby by @cgbauer #thriller with a #giveaway

Thriller

Date Published: June 1, 2018

Publisher: Intrigue Publishing

Whatever happened to Jane Roe's baby? Norma McCorvey, of Caddo-Comanche heritage, did not terminate the pregnancy that led her to become the anonymous plaintiff of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court women's rights case Roe v Wade because in 1971, when the motion was first argued, abortion in the U.S. was illegal. The Jane Roe real-life child would now be a woman in her late forties, the potential of her polarizing celebrity unknown to her. A religious rights splinter group has blackmailed its way into learning the identity of the Roe baby, the product of a closed adoption. To what end, only a new Supreme Court case will reveal. Tourette's-afflicted K9 bounty hunter Judge Drury, a Marine, stands in the way of the splinter group's attempt at stacking the Supreme Court via blackmail, murder, arson, sleight of hand, and secret identities.

About the Author

“The thing I write will be the thing I write.” Chris wouldn’t trade his northeast Philadelphia upbringing of street sports played on blacktop and concrete, fistfights, brick and stone row houses, and twelve years of well-intentioned Catholic school discipline for a Philadelphia minute (think New York minute but more fickle and less forgiving). He’s had lengthy stops as an adult in Michigan and Connecticut, thinks Pittsburgh is a great city even though some of his fictional characters don’t, and now lives in Doylestown, PA. He’s married, the father of two, is a grandfather, still does all his own stunts, and he once passed for Chip Douglas of My Three Sons TV fame on a Wildwood, NJ boardwalk. As C.G. Bauer he’s also the author of SCARS ON THE FACE OF GOD, an EPIC Awards runner-up for best in 2010 eBook horror, and the editor of the CRAPPY SHORTS short story collections.

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Blog Tour: Trazer: Kids of Stolen Tomorrow by @YorubaBoy

Young Adult Sci-fi

Date Published: 10/18/17

Publisher: YorubaBoy Books

It's the year 93 O.O., and Dara Adeleye is a student with a bright future and her life figured out. That is, until a chance encounter with a mysterious child changes everything.

Dara lives in a world shaped by the Miracle of Elegua, an intervention by the gods in the fate of an Earth on the brink of collapse decades before she was born. Exceptionally gifted as an artist, her day-to-day attentions are on excelling in school in order to rise above her lower-class upbringing and raise her friends and family out of the dreaded red vanes. But Earth is headed towards the brink again and it may just be the gift she doesn't know she has that can save it . . .

Kristano Arvelo is a trazer--the term used for the graffiti writers of Dara's time, a once-slang that originated in her home town of Todirb Wall. The aimless leader of a local group of trazers, he may hold a key to unlocking Dara's hidden gifts. But it will come at the cost of the destiny she believed was hers.

About the Author

JOSEPH OLUMIDE ADEGBOYEGA-EDUN was born in Lagos, the then-capital city of Nigeria.  A great-grandson of  the First-Secretary of the Egba United Government, he was brought to the United States at age two when his parents came to study. Increasing corruption in the Nigerian government followed by the return of military rule thwarted their plans to move back and America became home. They set roots in Brooklyn, New York, a vibrant environment colored with graffiti and steeped in elements of hip-hop that left an indelible mark on the future author's consciousness. 


The cultural influences and experiences of his homeland and the city of his early youth have been a strong source of creative inspiration for the author. Trazer: Kids of Stolen Tomorrow is his debut novel, and the first entry in the Trazer Series. When not writing, Joe enjoys working on other projects with his creative partners  LenStorm, 7Woundz and Soundz, and exploring the breathtaking wilderness of the Chesapeake.

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Blog Tour: The Flames of Florence with an #interview from Author @DonnaRussoMorin and a #giveaway #historical #thriller

Historical Thriller

Date Published: May 8, 2018

Publisher: Diversion Books

"A glittering Renaissance gem of a novel. Donna Russo Morin, a master of her craft, has penned an intricate story full of lush historical detail with a plot that will leave you breathless." —Tasha Alexander, New York Times bestselling author of Death in St. Petersburg

In her final standalone novel featuring Da Vinci's Disciples, Donna Russo Morin delivers a thrilling story of the secret female artists of Florence, under the tutelage of Leonardo Da Vinci, and their heroic, potentially deadly efforts to save great works of art from the infamous Bonfire of the Vanities.

"Illicit plots, mysterious paintings, and Leonardo da Vinci all have their part to play in this delicious, heart-pounding work." —Kate Quinn, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Alice Network

Lorenzo de Medici is dead, and his son Piero has brought war and famine upon the city of Florence. Yet, the glory that is Renaissance artistry grows more magnificent, as does the work of the women known as Da Vinci's Disciples. Now they face their most dangerous challenge, one shrouded in the cloak of a monk.

From the ashes of war, Friar Girolamo Savonarola rises. Some call him a savior and a prophet, a man willing to overthrow tyrannical rulers and corrupt clergy, the Borgia Pope among them. Fra Girolamo is determined to remold Florence from an avaricious, secular culture to a paragon of Christian virtues.

Many call Savonarola a delusional heretic, incapable of anything but self-serving fanaticism. When he sets out to destroy all secular art forms, Da Vinci's Disciples call him an enemy … but not all of them.

"Like a glorious Italian fresco-richly textured and vividly portrayed … Highly recommended for lovers of history, art, and courageous women." —Anna Lee Huber, bestselling author of the Lady Darby Mysteries

"Donna Russo Morin renders one of the most tumultuous periods in Florence's history in bright colors and with vivid descriptions. This tale of a group of determined women standing up for what they believe in … will absolutely resonate with modern readers." —Alyssa Palombo, author of The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence

Interview

Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?

In all of my books, THE FLAMES OF FLORENCE being my seventh, there is always the message of women empowerment and the need for the female gender to support one another.

Nowhere is this truer than in my Da Vinci’s Disciples trilogy. What these women attempt to do—attempt to be—they could never have done alone. They knew their strength lay in their numbers. A notion that is as true today as it was in the Renaissance.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

As a historical fiction author who has become obsessed with history, it’s always a challenge for me not to use every intriguing piece of history in any one book. While it may be fascinating, if it doesn’t further the plot or serve as a tool for character development, I must cut it out…leave it only in my notes and in my mind where it will stay forever. Though these tidbits often come in handy when I’m speaking to book groups or at conferences

How many books have you written and which is your favorite?

My eighth book is set to release in June, but I also have another manuscript that is being ‘shopped around’ as we speak.

As for picking a favorite, it’s very difficult to choose just one. To me it is akin to picking which of my sons I love the most…an impossibility. Da Vinci’s Disciples trilogy is very dear to my heart as the original members are ‘modeled’ after actual women in my life, myself included. It may be set in the Renaissance, but our struggles are as real as theirs.

I’m also very fond of THE KING’S AGENT, my fourth book. Not only did it receive a starred review in Publishers Weekly, it was one of my greatest writing challenges, using Dante’s Divine Comedy and my favorite video game, The Legend of Zelda, to create a slightly paranormal, highly adventurous art quest.

That said, the last book I’ve written always seems to be my favorite as I see, with each and every book, the evolution of my craft.

If You had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?

As Da Vinci’s Disciples is an ensemble piece, there are many main characters. The two most prominent, however, are Viviana del Marrone and Leonardo da Vinci.

With a little change in hair color (and some shoe lifts) I would love to see Daniel Radcliffe play Leonardo (the iconic genius is young in these works, late 20s). As for Viviana, Kiera Knightly would be absolutely perfect for the role.

When did you begin writing?

Hah! I started writing as young as six years old; my mother still has them though the paper is yellowed and creased.

My father wanted me to ‘get a real job’ so I worked in marketing and advertising for a while. And then the children came along. But I was getting bylines for book reviews in newspapers and magazines across the country and my short stories were published in critically acclaimed anthologies.

In the summer of 2002, I became very ill. Long story short…two and a half years and seven doctors later, I was diagnosed with Lyme disease. I underwent a year and a half of anti-biotic chemo therapy, to no avail (the condition is now chronic).

But sick as I was, I’m not the sort to sit and do nothing. So I began to write my first novel. After a few revisions, I landed an agent in two months and she sold the book in four months. It was published when I was 51 years old. The rest (forgive the pun) is history.

How long did it take to complete your first book?

After six months of research, I completed the book in nine weeks. It was a tale that had lived in me for many years. It proved easy to move it from the muse in my soul to the page.

Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?

I wasn’t inspired by one particular author, but by storytelling itself. I was a voracious reader from a very young age and started writing as a child. I knew, even as a child, that I wanted to create tales that would allow my readers to be swept away by my stories.

That said, if I absolutely had to pick, I’d say Stephen King and Diana Gabaldon.

What is your favorite part of the writing process?

When my fictional vision of a book’s plot merges seamlessly with the historical events of the era, as if they were meant to be told together. I’ve been very lucky to have this happen on more than one occasion but never more than with the trilogy of Da Vinci’s Disciples.

Describe your latest book in 4 words.

Intriguing, thrilling, enlightening, and sentimental.

Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the future for your writing?

In truth, there’s a great deal happening with my work right now.

On June 25, my book GILDED SUMMERS will release. It’s a book I’ve wanted to write for years as it is set in the state I was born, raised, and still reside in. It brings the glittering world of the gilded age in Newport, where the Astors and the Vanderbilts built mansions—or ‘cottages’ as they called them—for their summer retreats. Pearl and Ginevra grow up in the era known as the Gilded Age in Newport, Rhode Island. One lives above the stairs, the other below. These two young women must decide who they want to be in this world, and survive what it takes to get there…even if it includes murder.

"A lush and evocative novel of the Gilded Age period, brought vibrantly to life in this powerful work... A triumph by a masterful writer" - Anne Girard, author of Madame Picasso

In addition, I am adapting the entire Da Vinci’s Disciples trilogy for the screen and am working with two managers on its possible sale to a well-known network.

And, because I need more on my plate, I’m deep in research for my next novel. As it is such a unique subject and treatment of it, I’ll have to keep that topic a secret for now.

About the Author

Donna Russo Morin’s passion for the written word began when she was a child, took on a feminist edge as she grew through the sixties, and blossomed into a distinctive style of action-filled historical fiction at a defining moment in her life. As a second-generation American of full Italian descent, Donna combined her historical research with her genealogical studies, finding that her birth name (Russo) and her family roots are traceable to ninth century Florence…the very city in which the Da Vinci’s Disciples trilogy is set.

Donna Russo (Morin) is the internationally published author of six multi-award-winning historical novels including PORTRAIT OF A CONSPIRACY: Da Vinci’s Disciples Book One (a finalist in Foreword Reviews BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR), and THE COMPETITION: Da Vinci’s Disciples Book Two (EDITOR’S CHOICE, Historical Novel Society Review). The final book in her Da Vinci’s Disciples trilogy, THE FLAMES OF FLORENCE, releases May 8, 2018. Also this summer, my novel, inspired by our own home state, GILDED SUMMERS: A Novel of Newport’s Gilded Age will also release this summer. Her other titles include The King’s Agent, recipient of a starred review in Publishers Weekly, The Courtier’s Secret, The Secret of the Glass, and To Serve a King.

A 25-year professional editor/story consultant, her work spans more than 40 manuscripts.  She holds a BA in Communications and an A.A. in English Literature.  Donna teaches writing courses at her state’s most prestigious adult learning center, online for Writer’s Digest University, and has presented at national and academic conferences for over ten years.  In addition to her writing, Donna has worked as a model and an actor with appearances in Showtime’s Brotherhood and Martin Scorsese’s The Departed. Currently under contract to a consortium of international producers, Donna has added screenwriting to her professional acumen.

Her sons—Devon, an opera singer; and Dylan, a chef—are still, and always will be, her greatest works.

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