I’m going to take some time to celebrate this week. The Crown for Castlewood Manor received an Official Selection in the Mystery category for the New Apple awards, an honor I am so grateful to receive. Hard to believe so much as happened since it’s release in February this year, I am beyond ecstatic! This was my first ever writing endeavor, and it has been a life changing experience for me in so many ways.
I’m also ecstatic because I have now turned over book 3 to BookBaby for production. I am pleased to announce the title, Deadly Receptions; the Debut of Castlewood Manor. I’ll be working with the project team the next few months to finalize the packaging and hope to announce the release date very soon. So with that, it’s Wednesday, time for #DearDiary:
In the writing world….
Woot! Woot! I am so excited to show the cover mock-up prepared by my talented step-daughter, Danielle Gregorio, for Deadly Receptions! BookBaby will be doing the final design/layout for our proper cover reveal, but I wanted to give Danielle some outstanding, well deserved snaps for her work! I love the colors and style of this new cover so much–perfect for the new storyline. Stay tuned, I’ll give updates as we progress through production…
Speaking of New Apple awards (OK, OK I’ll stop soon), take a look at all the winners on New Apple Literary’ s website (so excited for Ken Stark and Jennifer Irwin, two of the writers I follow on Twitter!) Congratulations to all!:
And the hits keep coming…#AmReading
So glad I took the time to read this week–once again I was delighted with a story from one of my Twitter writers!
Author Luna Selas: Dead Air: All spirits, all the time… 5 STARS
Author Luna Selas’s paranormal tale of the radio station that gives the dearly departed a voice to the living is a heart warming chiller! I loved the details and dialogue in the story–the characters are great, the premise behind the radio a technology #didthatjusthappen, and the mystery of station SPTK, all spirits all the time, pulls you in to listen whether you want to believe or not….This would be a great series, lots of listeners I’m sure! A great story, highly recommended!
Next in the reading queue:
Thanks again for a great week of Q&A with Mark Schultz and Grizz!
Check out our Q&A on Mark’s website: wordrefiner.com We had a week of great conversation on a number of writing (or not) topics! mark’s book promotion services are highly recommended, and a lot of fun! Here’s a sampling:
You have been to London quite a few times. Since your series is set in England. How much influence has your trips have had on your books? I imagine you have had some nice Teas. My wife made sure we had tea at several different establishments including Harrods and Savoy, during our trips. Food plays a big part in your books. I would like to hear more…
My travels to England are always so fun for me. I just returned from a trip to London where we toured three royal castles/palaces: Kensington Palace, Hampton Court Palace, and Windsor Castle. I was fascinated to roam the halls of these grand buildings–the history behind each is so interesting. I loved learning about and seeing the rooms where Queen Victoria was raised as a little girl at Kensington Palace. They’ve done a great job showcasing the toys, garments and furniture of the period. They also had several of the gowns and outfits worn by Princess Diana showcased. I loved seeing them up close, remembering the events where she was photographed wearing them. Kensington Palace is the home of the current Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex–they have pretty nice digs and Hyde Park right outside of the palace gates!
Hampton Court Palace is only a short train ride away from the city–it’s the birthplace of Henry the 8th. This was my favorite palace–the grounds were stunning to walk through, very much like Versailles in France. Windsor Castle was very fun to see as well. They had a lot of the areas closed off when we were there due to the royal wedding preparation for Princess Eugenie’s wedding. It was very informative to see all the behind the scene details that go into a royal wedding–I took lots of notes and pictures, I have a feeling they may be useful for an upcoming story, #JustSayin…
We were lucky enough to have afternoon tea at the Savoy during this trip. For my readers, the Savoy is my inspiration for the Beauchamp hotel in my stories, a favorite place for Gemma and crowd to stay during their London visits. The Savoy tea room is so beautiful, highlighted by a metal gazebo in the middle of the room that has a grand piano housed underneath playing beautiful songs as you dive into the yummy goodies. The afternoon tea started with champagne, a variety of teas, succulent sandwiches and fantastic sweets. I ate everything!
What happens when your MC looks just like the Holiday Barbie….
I couldn’t help it, this Barbie looks just like my main character, Gemma! And she’s wearing a crown!….There is a Hallmark Keepsake ornament version, ahem, #JustSayin
Welcome to my world! Enjoy the rest of your week and have a great weekend!
Crowns and Kisses,
Veronica
P.S. Birthday wishes this week to our son Grant and daughter Danielle–Happy Birthday! Gemma definitely approves 🙂
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