November 28: Blog tour for UNMASK MY HEART by by Arianna Giorgi
by Arianna Giorgi
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BLURB:
When Rome’s loveliest rose and Venice’s fiercest lion team up to win back the love of their respective spouses-to-be, the Serene Republic may expect a hilarious romp – and perhaps the most torrid love story to have ever bedazzled its gilded canals…
Survived a pirate attack on the Isle of Lina, Venice’s sturdiest outpost, Roman Princess Isabella Pamphili and Venetian war hero Brando Loredan escape from the island and arrive in Venice.
Isabella discovers her fiancé is a cheat, her bride dream a lie. Her future husband, the man she loves with all her heart is flirting in… Brando’s fiancée’s arms!
Shock. Disappointment. Anguish. Fear for her future. The rascal deserves a lesson he will not forget, because a princess of Rome doesn’t bow out so easily. Brando Loredan will not be that hard to convince for he is jealous, angry and vindictive enough to get some brilliant idea. So she joins forces with him to get back her fiancé and put together the little dream back on track. But while trying and insisting on regaining the dream, she discovers a new path of light and love. It is not a lie, like the first dream, but it may be even harder to win.
Unmask My Heart is a story of love and sweet revenge set in sparkling, sumptuous Casanova’s Venice where everything is possible and sins are concealed behind a mask.
Excerpt:
Everything happened at once. Giulia lost her balance, arched backward, and fell into the canal.
The gondola capsized and Isabella fell in as well. She gasped trying to keep afloat but her heavy dress dragged her down. She floundered about in order to reach the surface. There was no way to get out of her dress and her lungs burned from a lack of air. She looked up at the surface where indefinite, dark shapes moved against the light. She could no longer hold her breath. This was it. She closed her eyes and gave up her will to fight death.
Isabella felt herself being grabbed by the waist and hauled to the surface. A violent coughing fit shook her and her lungs burned with the sudden influx of air.
Hands. On her arms, chest, neck, face. Isabella opened her eyes and met Brando’s anxious gaze. His drenched locks dripped water onto her breast. He smiled at her. She was safe and sound.
“You scared me, lady. Are you alright?” Brando caressed her face and wiped away wet tendrils from her cheeks.
Isabella nodded.
Brando helped her to sit. It was in that moment that she saw her husband-to-be sitting on the dock on the opposite side of the canal. He was next to Giulia. Both were wet. Leonardo had rushed to the alley cat’s side and left Isabella to die.
Isabella suddenly felt old and tired. She took Brando’s hand in hers. “Thank you…Lion.”
He kissed her hand and hugged her. “No need to thank me.”
“I’m really sorry you had to witness such a scene,” Isabella said in a whisper.
Brando looked at her open-mouthed. “I am the one who hoped to spare you this humiliation.”
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Arianna Giorgi is a historical romance author and a journalist, a college graduate and an avid reader. She makes her home halfway between the Vatican City and the picturesque old quarter of Trastevere at the heart of the city of Rome in Italy, where Julius Caesar kept an apartment as a young man about town and from where a long list of artists gave the world some of its greatest masterpieces.
She has an intrinsic appreciation of beauty and everything eccentrically romantic, including a strong affiliation to the city of Venice which she visits at least twice a year.
Independent and curious, Arianna has travelled extensively around the globe, from America to Africa and back to Europe. Frankly, she never misses a chance to pack her bags and jump on a plane. Driven by a passion for European history and art, she wanders and investigates every hidden corner of the Old Continent, armed with a camera and a notebook, and looking for intriguing stories and settings for her books.
She loves history, astrology, gourmet cooking, and cats. She lives with her husband, her beautiful daughters and her red cat, surrounded by her own cultivated flowers and the magical grandeur of the Eternal City.
Did you do any kind of research to determinate the details of your characters' lives / lifestyles?
Of course! Unmask My Heart is an ode to research. I had a character in mind, a war hero, fierce and hard, a butcher, an asset to Venice asset but despised by his own family; a cadet son, almost a renegade who, however, did amazingly well for himself in life. A soldier, a warrior more accustomed to the discomfort of his ship than to the comfort of his palace.
Who could be the perfect heroine for a man like him? Why not a haughty and capricious princess? A woman used to throw a tantrum from an early age, a woman who used to luxury and comfort, a woman loved and pampered by her family. In a word, his opposite.
To write about Brando, I had to learn a few basics of military life, some nautical words, the style of Venetian life in those days, the importance and the power of the Council of Ten and the doge himself. I also had the pleasure of speaking with real Freemasons to learn something about their rituals, even though I have adapted the information to my imagination ;)
Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Rome, Italy, and I think I like history so much because I’ve always been a part of it. I'm used to the splendor, the grandeur, the opulence and glory that the past tells me about every step I make. That's why I fall under history’s spell.
Did any real-life incidents or political maneuvering make it into the book?
Yes! In the book there are plenty of real people: Giacomo Casanova, the doge Francesco Loredan, Prince Girolamo Pamphili, Messer Grande of the Venetian tribunal, and Mr. Andreoli, the keeper of the ducal palace’s archives. But the only real-life incident that I can mention is Giacomo Casanova’s escape from the Leads, Venice’s dreadful dungeons. His escape is true history. Casanova escaped on October 31st 1756. In Unmask My Heart he escapes in summer.
How did you get into writing?
I started writing as a child, when I invented nursery rhymes for my teacher. But it was when I watched Gone With The Wind for the third time, about ten years ago, that I decided to write a beautiful love story, one that I would love to read.
What is your favorite quote?
Live and let live. It is my motto and explains what respect for others is for me.
What sacrifices have you had to make to be a writer?
I don’t devote my family and private life all the time that I should. This is painful, I must admit, but I can’t quit my full-time job at the moment and don’t want to stop writing. It is my passion. It’s not a hobby, it's a necessity.
Do you think that the cover plays an important part in the buying process?
I don’t know, but I can say that for me it does. I always fall under the cover’s spell when I have to buy a book. If I don’t like it, I won’t buy the book. That's why I hired a professional designer for the Unmask My Heart’s cover. A book’s cover is evocative, emotional. It must be special.
What do you think of trailers for books?
I love them! They contain the essence of a book. The trailer for Unmask My Heart is very simple. My best friend made it for me and I’m very grateful. Despite its simplicity, it contains all the soul of my book. I like it. I realize, however, that professional trailers are fantastic.
How did you come up with the title? Names?
As for the title, I wanted it to imply the essence of Venice and the love story that is the core of romance. When you think of Venice, it comes natural to think about masks and when you think about love, you think about the heart. So, here’s the title Unmask My Heart.
What do you consider your best accomplishment?
Speaking of writing, I will achieve my best accomplishment when I have many readers telling me “I can’t wait to read your new book”. In life, my best accomplishment is my wonderful family.
THE AUTHOR WILL BE GIVING AWAY:
Ariana will be awarding an original handmade Venetian mask from Venice to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and Venetian gadgets to two randomly drawn hosts.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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