Bookworm Press

Fire in the Vineyard is the third book in the The Wine Lover’s Daughter series. This time, the action takes place on the Central Coast of California, particularly in Paso Robles, Atascadero, Cambria, the Benedictine Monastery of the Risen Christ, and the Cal Poly Campus in San Luis Obispo. The Central Coast of California is one of my favorite areas, which made the research for the novel all the more exciting.

Click on the link below, take a trip from the convenience of your home, and enjoy the pictures.

Fire in the Vineyard, Photo Journey

I’m a writer but also an avid reader and I love to share books and authors I like. Murder in Tuscany (An Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Mystery, Book 1) by T A Williams is a novel which I thoroughly enjoyed and which takes place in one of my favorite parts of the world. Tuscany is also the locale of my own series The Wine Lover’s Daughter.

Here is my review on Amazon:

Newly retired DCI Dan Armstrong was given a retirement present by his colleagues at the force in England—the opportunity to attend a writing retreat at a stunning villa in beautiful Tuscany. While he is grateful for their generosity and the opportunity to finish writing his novel and leave his personal problems, among them a failing marriage, as well as rainy England behind him for a while, he is less enthusiastic about the genre of the literature taught at the retreat—erotica of all things. The somewhat strait-laced former policeman decides, however, to make the best of his time and try to fit in with the group of the other probably crazy writers.

If Dan thinks he left police work behind, he has a rude awakening a few days into the retreat when one of the people is found dead and it looks very much like murder. Together with his friend, the Italian detective, and his sidekick, Oscar, the enthusiastic and exuberant Labrador pup of the owner of the villa, he tries to shed light on the happenings and begins to uncover some very dark secrets among the attendees of the retreat and the hosts.

This is a fun and suspenseful mystery with interesting and quirky characters and vivid descriptions of Florence and the Tuscan landscape, the excellent food and wines. It kept me engaged from beginning to end and I look forward to part two of the series. Highly recommended!

Dear Friends and Bookworms,

For those of you who are not on my mailing list, here is an exciting announcement. By the way, getting on my mailing list and being informed about new books and important events in my writing career is easy. I promise, I won’t fill up your inbox. Just click on Mailing List below and fill out the short form:

I am working on my WIP with the title The Italian Sister. It started out as a family drama, but on the way, it developed into a …. and that’s my dilemma, what do I call it? Here is the temporary blurb:

“Standing at her father’s grave in California, Sofia Laverne mourns his untimely demise. Barely recovered from her recent divorce, she has to come to term with the loss of another family member. Imagine Sofia’s shock and surprise when she finds out that her father had had an affair in Italy many years before, that Sofia has a ten year younger sister and inherited part of a vineyard in Tuscany. Eager to meet fourteen-year old Julietta, Sofia packs her bags and takes off for Italy. When she arrives in the small hill town of Vignaverde, she is greeted by olive groves, neat rows of grape vines, green and rust-colored hills, and picturesque houses. Some of the inhabitants of this beautiful estate are, however, less welcoming and resent her intrusion into their family business. Soon, strange occurrences begin to frighten Sofia. When a suspicious accidents lands her in the hospital, Sofia fears for her life.

A suspenseful family drama, The Italian Sister takes us on a wild journey from California to Tuscany and provides glimpses into the exiting world of winemaking.”

First, I was going to call it “part family drama/part mystery,” but one of my beta readers pointed out that it wasn’t a mystery in the strict sense, and she is right. It was more of a thriller. Hmm. “thriller”? The word thriller always evokes some murderous, blood-curdling events and that isn’t the case in my WIP. There is suspense, to be sure, but “thriller?” 

I needed to do some more research in this area. So I found a few definitions on the Internet and I was relieved to find out that I’m not the only one who is confused about the terms. 

Mystery:  The protagonist (a detective, private investigator or an amateur sleuth) is trying to solve the truth about an event, usually a murder. He/she is searching for clues and eventually solves the puzzle. The reader doesn’t know any more than the protagonist and the truth is slowly or suddenly revealed to both the protagonist and the reader. The protagonist is only in moderate danger. Great examples are the mysteries of Agatha Christie.

Thriller: The protagonist is in danger from the beginning. The reader usually knows who the killer is and the fascination of the story is watching the cat-and-mouse game between the killer and the protagonist. The plot is characterized by car chases, violence, anything that gives the reader a “thrill.”

Suspense novel: The protagonist becomes aware of the danger only gradually. The reader, however, knows more than the protagonist. The reader knows who the killer is.

Here are the links to the different definitions:
http://www.nadinelapierre.com/blog/?p=26
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/is-your-novel-mystery-thriller-or-suspense/

Of course, many novels incorporate elements of mystery, thrillers, and suspense. So what is The Italian Sister?

The mystery aspect: The reader does not know more than Sofia, the protagonist. However, it is not a mystery because there is no murder/crime in the beginning and Sofia does not go hunting for clues.

Thriller? Well, the story may thrill (I hope it does). 

Suspense? Sofia does become aware of the danger only gradually. That’s true. However, the reader does not know more than the protagonist. 

So what is the poor writer to do? Fortunately *** wiping the sweat from my forehead *** I came across another definition of a genre: ROMANTIC SUSPENSE.

“The romantic suspense novel is a modern emergence of early Gothic writing. This genre evolved in the 1950s with writers such as Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt. … The genre is recognizable when contrasted with other writing. It is not a detective mystery story because the law (police) rarely gets involved in the action. It also differs from traditional … suspense novels because it moves more slowly and has more character interplay and psychological conflict than the fast-paced violence of [most] suspense thrillers.” 
http://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/resources/definitions-of-fiction-categories-and-genres/

That’s sounds more like my WIP, which also has a love story. Now, I just have to finish this darn thing.

What is your experience with genre labels? I hate them and one of the reasons is the fact that my novels cross genres. That makes classification difficult. But labels are here to stay, so I might as well get used to them. 

Happy writing and reading, my fellow bookies and “novellers.”

Looking for a fascinating, suspenseful page turner with a touch of romance?
Try The Skull Ring by Scott Nicholson.

The young woman, Julia Stone, desperately tries to remember what happened to her at age four, when she became the victim of a terrible tragedy in the hands of a satanic cult. This experience left her with nightmares, panic attacks, and a deep distrust of everyone around her. In her quest for truth, she looks for support from two psychiatrists, her boyfriend, a cop, and a young man with an equally troubled past and a dubious reputation. It seems, however, that some of the people who profess to help Julia may have sinister plans of their own. The Skull Ring is a masterfully crafted, psychologically intense, and truly fascinating story, a real page-turner. I highly recommend it. The one drawback: you may suffer from sleep deprivation for a while since you won’t be able to put it down. Turn on that espresso machine and lock the door!