MUSE MONDAY
When I began my writing career, I was given some great advice (Finish the Book!) by a number of authors I met, including Janet Evanovich and Daniel Silva; and some not-so-great advice by agents and editors.
Here are the three worst pieces of writing advice I’ve ever received:
1. Agent: “Nobody is interested in World War II.” Me: Tell that to Kristin Hannah, who wrote one of my favorite books, The Nightingale, and any number of other bestselling authors with WW II-themed books. And tell that to my father, who was a top-turret gunner on a B-17 flying bombing missions from a base in England.
2. Editor: I really like your book, but can you change the word Nazis to the evil ones or something like that? Me: Seriously?
3. Agent: I really like your book, but do you have to set it in Australia? Our audience doesn’t like books set outside of America. Me: I doubt that Outlander fans would agree.
Naturally, I didn’t follow the bad advice, because
many of my books are set in locations I’ve visited, such as Australia, Bermuda,
Austria, Scotland, Switzerland, Germany, Russia, Greece and Italy. In fact, my
last historical romantic thriller, The Romanov Legacy, was set in
Switzerland, Italy and Russia. And my 28th work of fiction (Yes, I
can Finish a Book!), The Case of the Missing Botticelli, which releases today,
is set in Florence and Venice, Italy. And yes, my books (Stumble Stones)
do feature Nazis, the ultimate villains.
The Case of the Missing Botticelli, A Massimo Domingo Mystery, is the beginning of a new cozy mystery series I’m writing. In fact, Book 2 (The Case of the Vanishing Vermeer), set in Florence and Lake Como, Italy, is included in the first book. So, you get two Massimo Domingo Mysteries in one book.
In this cozy mystery, American art history
major Hadley Evans joins an art detective agency in Florence, Italy, working
for Massimo Domingo, once a major player, now the ‘Inspector Clouseau’ of the
art world. Determined to save the flailing agency and prove her worth, Hadley
and her sexy Carabinieri boyfriend, Luca Ferrari, take on a mysterious client
behind her boss’s back. Hot on the trail of a missing masterpiece, they
discover a hidden cache of stolen Nazi art in a Venetian villa and encounter an
enemy with a link to an evil past.
Spoiler Alert:
Yes, this book does have Nazis.
So, be selective about what writing advice you follow
and follow your heart. I write about what I know and what I like. My books
include themes like art theft, WW II, and are often set in Italy, where I
studied art history in Florence during my senior year in college.
Although I’m not Italian, I love all things Italy,
including my favorite Italian dish, spaghetti alla carbonara. My grandmother
name is Nonna, Italian for grandmother.
When you read The Case of the Missing Botticelli,
you’ll see some of my life living in Florence reflected in the book. Like the
heroine, I was run over by a motorcycle and the rider sued me for the damage to
his bike because I was walking in the street, like everyone else, including the
Carabinieri who arrested me. And the painting featured in my novel is Birth
of Venus by Sandro Botticelli, my favorite painting, which I first saw in
the Uffizi Galleries in Florence.
In these times when travel is difficult, this book
will transport you to some fabulous settings. My last trip before COVID, was to
Italy, to revisit some of the places I loved in Florence. If you’d like to read
The Case of the Missing Botticelli, here are the BUY Links:
Excerpt:
Hadley wrote down the
phone number and her jaw went slack when she heard and inscribed the rest of
the message. “Tell him it’s about a missing Botticelli. It’s urgent.”
A shot of adrenelin coursed through Hadley’s veins. Sandro Botticelli. Her favorite artist in the
whole world. Creator of the Italian masterpiece, Nascita di Venere, The Birth of Venus, the ancient Goddess of Love, dated circa 1484. She wasn’t aware a Botticelli painting was missing.
“Is there any
additional information you can give me? The name of the painting? The
provenance? Capito. I understand the need for utmost secrecy. We can set
up a meeting and I’ll make sure Signore Domingo will be there.”
She jotted down
some more notes. “Piazzale Michelangelo? At sunset?”
Hadley tilted her
head and chewed on her bottom lip. That was a strange destination for a business
meeting. Although it offered the most scenic view of the city, perched atop a
hillside overlooking Florence, meeting at a park after dark was reminiscent of
a murder scene in a film noir. Where the heroine, Hadley, would later be found,
dead, her virtue compromised and her throat slit.
Was the female caller from a museum? A high-end gallery? An auction house? Was she an art or antiquities dealer or a wealthy private individual or was she representing a government agency? And, if so, which government? Enemy or ally? She would soon find out.
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