Again, I traveled to research the second book in The Wine Lover’s Daughter series, Finding Angelo. This time, the journey in the novel began in Paso Robles, California, the home and vineyard of Sofia and Nicholas Segantino. Sofia and Nicholas traveled to New York City for a late honeymoon. From there, Sofia embarked on an adventurous and dangerous trip to Tuscany and the Piedmont region in Italy in search of her missing great uncle, Angelo, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances twenty years ago.

The goal of my research was again to capture the unique features of the locals and the people, the vineyards of the Central Coast of California, the bustling life of New York City and Staten Island, and the diverse and fascinating countryside of Tuscany and the Piedmont region of Italy.

Let’s take a trip together through my novel, Finding Angelo (The Wine Lover’s Daughter, Book 2). Enjoy the journey from the convenience of your home. Click on the following link:

Picture Tour – Finding Angelo

The best rewards for authors are readers who love their work. It makes all the effort of writing a book worthwhile. I’m so excited about the lovely review of my new novel, Letter from a Cave, from Sally G. Cronin, UK author of many books and host of the wonderful Smorgasbord Blog Magazine:

“This is a delightful book with several elements that add interest and colour, along with stunning descriptions of the majestic mountains and lakes of Italy and Switzerland.

The characters in this story have appeared over the years in the author’s other books, but there is enough back story for the book to be a standalone read. It was the first time I had met them, but they are so well rounded and engaging that you feel you have known them for years.

A tragedy towards the end of the war prompts a journey through Italy and Switzerland to unravel the mystery, but it is also a journey of discovery for the main characters as they come to terms with the past, loss and uncertainty about love and the future.

With two romances developing for the younger and older generation there is plenty of light-hearted chapters as well as the unfolding discoveries about the letter in the cave to keep the reader engaged. The fact there is a cute dog in the mix will also make readers very happy and entertained.

There are reminders of a darker past and that there are still those who bear grudges and guilt about their own actions during a time of repression and fear. There are also wonderful moments where there is an opportunity to celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of others.

I highly recommend this lovely and well-written book to romance and mystery fans of any age.”

– Sally Cronin, Author and Host of Smorgasbord Blog Magazine, UK

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!

The Seamless Web by Joe Eliseon

I came across this legal comedy by accident and I’m glad I did. It totally cured me of the faulty notion that lawyers couldn’t possible have a sense of humor and that they didn’t know how to write. I mean, really, have you ever read  legal texts? They don’t make any sense at all. Well, the author Joe Eliseon, is a lawyer, or was, before he began to write fiction and he darn well knows how to write and on top of it he creates quirky and humorous characters! Here is my review of one of his novels.

The Seamless Web – fun and thought-provoking

No matter what your opinion about lawyers, whether you think of them as saviors of the unjustly accused or as greedy, manipulative liars, who rob you blind if they get a chance, you will greatly enjoy this rambunctious, funny, and thought-provoking comedy.

Pete Roselli, a young lawyer fresh out of law school, wants to do things right. He believes in the law and wants to stick to it. This honest attitude, however, gets him into trouble with his law firm and his ugly, demanding, and ill-tempered boss. Not the law is important but the satisfaction of the client. The client has to win no matter what. Desperately searching for a solution in order to keep his job, Pete stumbles upon a tool that solves his problem and makes him one of the most sought after lawyers. However, in the process he gets trapped in a web of lies and manipulations that threatens both his professional and personal life.

A hilarious and insightful book in four parts by an author with plenty of experience in the legal field. A page-turner with colorful, quirky characters. Definitely worth reading!

If you need a good laugh and a fascinating read, here is the link to Joe Eliseon’s author page on Amazon, where you find his other novels as well:

Joe Eliseon – Author Page

Amanda in Spain by Darlene Foster

Darlene Foster is a well-known Canadian writer of young adult fiction. Her young heroine, Amanda, loves to travel. (I think she inherited this from her creator!) Darlene, originally from Canada, lives in Spain and, as I gather from her blog posts, travels all over Europe. She also visits many schools and entertains the children with her marvelous stories.

Now, of course, she seems to hunker down like the rest of us but we all can still travel with Amanda in our imagination!

Her is my review of Amanda’s adventures in Spain:

A curious young girl, a pony, and a mysterious painting

Amanda Ross from Canada is invited by her British friend Leah and Leah’s parents on a trip through Spain. Amanda loves to travel. She is an enthusiastic, spunky, and curious young girl, always eager to learn and explore. And it is precisely her curiosity and her desire to figure things out that often get her into trouble. A painting in a museum of a beautiful, mysterious young girl, a modern real-life version of the girl, a stolen pony, and a few mean-looking men and the relaxing days at the beach Leah was looking forward to, turn into a turbulent and potentially dangerous detective story for the two friends.

Amanda in Spain is a book for the young and the young-at-heart. Vivid descriptions of the country and its customs, humorous details, and enough tension that keeps you turning the page, make this a very enjoyable reading. I look forward to Amanda’s next adventure!

Greetings loyal readers!

Both the eBook and the paperback version of Fire in the Vineyard are now available–and with an improved cover!

Blurb: When bottles of wine disappear from the Segantino Winery and an arson fire kills his close friend, the owner of the estate, Robert Segantino, is faced with the toughest ordeal of his career as winemaker: someone intends to destroy what he has built over the years. As it becomes increasingly clear that members of his staff and of his family are among the suspects, the ambitious wine tycoon is forced to reevaluate his goals in life, and, above all, his relationship to his son and future heir.

Part family drama, part suspense, Fire in the Vineyard, the third book in The Wine Lover’s Daughter series, takes the reader on another thrilling adventure through one of California’s wine countries.

Links to the books:

eBook: https://mybook.to/FireVineyard

Paperback: https://mybook.to/FireVineyardPrint

If you decide to buy the paperback, you’ll get the ebook for free!

One of the enjoyable activities when writing my novels is the research part, in particular when I get to travel to the beautiful wine region of the Central Coast of California. If you would like to see some pictures that inspired me in my work, here they are. Sit back and travel with me!

Picture Tour of Fire in the Vineyard

Dear loyal Readers,

As promised in my last blog post, the Kindle version of the third book in the Wine Lover’s Daughter series if finally published.  The paperback is still in production but will follow soon.

Here is the blurb again:
When bottles of wine disappear from the Segantino Winery and an arson fire kills his close friend, the owner of the estate, Robert Segantino, is faced with the toughest ordeal of his career as winemaker: someone intends to destroy what he has built over the years. As it becomes increasingly clear that members of his staff and of his family are among the suspects, the ambitious wine tycoon is forced to reevaluate his goals in life, and, above all, his relationship to his son and future heir. Part family drama, part suspense, Fire in the Vineyard, the third book in The Wine Lover’s Daughter series, takes the reader on another thrilling adventure through one of California’s wine countries.

To give the book a head-start, it will be FREE for one day on WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2018.

The link to the eBook on Amazon as well as the links to the first two books in the series, see below.

NOTE: Although the books are standalone novels, I recommend reading them in sequence. You get a better feeling for the characters and their development that way. As mentioned before, reviews on Amazon really help make the book more visible!

Fire in the Vineyard (The Wine Lover’s Daughter, Book 3): https://myBook.to/FireVineyard
The Italian Sister, Book 2: https://myBook.to/ItalianSister
Finding Angelo, Book 3: https://mybook.to/FindingAngelo

Happy Reading and thank you for your support!
Christa