Book Launch! Maria Elena Alonso-Sierra and “The Book of Hours”

I’m thrilled to be hosting fellow indie author Maria Elena Alonso-Sierra this morning for the launch of her new novel, “The Book of Hours”.  Be sure to read all the way to the end – there’s a giveaway!

Maria Elena Alonso-Sierra is a full-time novelist based in North Carolina. With Cuban roots, she has lived in many countries, including France, the setting for her first novel, The Coin. She speaks English, Spanish, French, Italian, and German, and reads Latin, Middle English, and old French. She holds a Masters in English literature, specializing in medieval romances, and is currently an active member of the Carolina Romance Writers. She loves to hear from her readers, and always hopes to open a dialogue with her fans.

You can follow Maria Elena all over the Interwebs:

• Website: www.MariaElenaWrites.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MariaElenaAlonsoSierraWrites
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariaelenawrite
• Blog: http://www.mariaelenawrites.blogspot.com/
• Amazon Author Central: http://www.amazon.com/Maria-Alonso-Sierra/e/B00IPEXYLK
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7093896.Maria_Elena_Alonso_Sierra
• Authorgraph: https://www.authorgraph.com/authors/MariaElenaWrite
• Tsu: http://www.tsu.co/MariaElenaWrites

And here’s her new book!

For artist Gabriela Martinez, psychopaths do strike twice. In The Coin, two star-crossed lovers were cruelly used by fate—and now, in The Book of Hours, destiny isn’t done.

Back then, Gabriela almost lost her life to a psychopath hoping to claim her artwork, her career, her body, and her love. If not for Richard, the operative sent to protect her, she would have fallen victim to his twisted vision.  The dramatic showdown pushed Gabriela and Richard together, even in the face of countless obstacles.

With someone new threatening Gabriela’s life, Richard will risk everything to protect the woman he loves.  But with a new villain on the horizon, bent on possessing Gabriela’s latest work no matter what it takes, she is forced to fall back on old friends, including the man who changed her life not so many years ago.

With an even more dramatic threat looming, and far more to lose, if they don’t stay one step ahead of the danger, their lives, their love, and their future may very well go up in flames.

You can buy the book here:

• Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R0IAOME
• Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00R0IAOME
• iTunes: http://bit.ly/1wNfaFr
• Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1rPDrPy
• Kobo: http://bit.ly/1xFHlKs

• Smashwords (after Feb. 12): https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/501819
• CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/5122396
• Direct from Author: http://www.MariaElenaWrites.com

And here’s an excerpt:

The past, figuratively, had been stooping over Gabriela Martinez’s shoulder all morning long.  Now it rode copilot on the drive home, laughing like a psychotic macaw at her feeble attempts to staunch the memories.

Hell.  It was not as if this battle was new.  For four years, Gabriela had been sparring with her past and its mockery, its unexpected hounding, its inconvenient ambushes, and its vicious pouncing with a relentless force of will.  It was harassment, plain and simple, implacable, the transformative memories slithering unbidden into her consciousness:  a soft caress that made her tremble, gray eyes that bored into her soul, arms that held softly or protected, and, oh God, lips that made her feel things she had never felt in all her married life.

That’s because it wasn’t your husband who made you feel them, her past snickered.

Well, hell.  Score.

Past:  one.  Gabriela:  zero.

I’ve also got a fantastic interview with Maria Elena

Who is your favorite author?

Wow.  Do we have enough space and time?  I have so, so many, it is hard to give one the podium.  Dante, Shakespeare, Spenser, Austen, Dickens, Poe, Dumas, Orczy, Bradbury, Asimov, Stewart, Seton, Dumas, Tolkien, Dunnett, Roberts, Howard, Francis…and the list goes on.

How do you describe your writing style?

Descriptive.  I like for my readers to visualize things.

Use no more than two sentences. Why should we read your book?

It has thrills, two great characters, humor, and romance.

Have any of your characters been modeled after yourself?

No.  Although, every author will concur, something of you always seeps through.

If you could exchange lives with any of your characters for a day which character would you choose and why?

Gabriela.  I just want, for one day, to experience what she did with Richard.

What books have most influenced your life?

Katherine by Anya Seton.  Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.  A Stranger at the Gates by Anya Seton.  Madam, Will You Talk? By Mary Stewart.  The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

If you could select one book that you could rewrite and add your own unique twist on, which book would that be and why?

Wow, another hard one.  I honestly can’t think of any I would rewrite.  As far as putting my own twist to it–maybe Dante’s Paradiso.  My vision of heaven would be quite different from his.

Beatles or Monkees? Why?

Hey, Hey, We’re the Monkees.  Lived my teenage years when they burst into the scene.  Always wanted to be Davy’s wife.  They were upbeat and fun.  The Beatles, at the time, had turned a bit morose and too hippie for me.

Who should play you in a film of your life?

Heck.  I really don’t know.  My best guess, Meryl Streep, because she has the acting range and bravura to nail, emotionally, all the stages of my life.

Finally, as promised – a giveaway!  To enter for a chance to win “The Book of Hours” and also the first book in the series, “The Coin”, just comment to this post.  And I’ll throw in an ebook (or audiobook) of any one of my Dream Series books (winner’s choice), too.

 

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