Ciao a tutti! Hi, everybody! Well, it has been another busy week for me, filled with writing, editing, cover designing, and blah-blah-blah (as my niece Mia loves to say). This week also saw - albeit very briefly - my novella, Alternate Rialto, at number ONE (sorry, mustn't shout) on one of Amazon Italy's freebie lists. (See this post for more details.) As a result, I've decided to share
Thirteen Reasons to Download Alternate Rialto
1) Call me crazy, but I think that's a reasonably lovely cover, if I do say so myself.
2) It's the story of an ordinary young woman making some important self-discoveries while in Venice.
3) It's romantic without being too saccharine about it.
4) There's a genuine friendship between the two female characters, who support one another without competition.
5) The male character has an air of mystery about him.
6) He was heavily inspired by this gentleman: Kim Rossi Stuart (Italian actor).
7) There's a darker undercurrent to the story which keeps you guessing.
8) If you've already read Ask Me if I'm Happy, but haven't read Alternate Rialto, you'll finally learn how Emily and Jacopo met in the first place.
9) If you haven't read Ask Me if I'm Happy, this is your chance to read the whole story in a more linear fashion, from start to finish!
10) It takes place in VENICE, ITALY! What's not to like about that?
11) It's a realistic portrait of the city, too, both beautiful and flawed.
12) Here's an excerpt, should you desire one:
The streets were virtually empty, the campi deserted. They crossed the Rialto Bridge again, Jacopo guiding her as before, but this time he steered her to a place at the wall. The bridge was aglow, the ghostly pale stone surface softly illuminated by strategically placed lights. They stood and looked out at the reflections on the water which rippled, rose and fell with soft, gentle lapping against the boats moored nearby.
"Emily," he said, his voice scarcely carrying above the soft murmurs of conversation around them. She drew her gaze away from the hypnotic dance of light on water to face him.
Yes? she wanted to ask, but the word never formed on her lips. Instead, his hands framed her face and held her still as he brought his lips to hers in a soft kiss. She raised her own trembling hands to cover his as he kissed her again. At once, the other people vanished, along with the bridge, the water and the city itself.
His hands slipped from under hers to stroke her hair, twisting and tangling in the length of it while his kiss deepened. Her heartbeat was distant and remote, somewhere else. There were only his lips, parting hers and lingering while he pulled her to him and held her securely in his embrace. Emily trembled as eagerness, anxiety and need warred amongst themselves, threatening to breach the surface at any moment.
An adventure. I need to have an adventure. I deserve it, too, don't I?
Awareness of her surroundings filtered through, murky and submerged but slowly clarifying in the laughter and soft talk all around them. At last, she opened her eyes to find herself looking directly into his. The pale, Summer-sky blue of his eyes held her transfixed for what seemed like forever.
The streets were virtually empty, the campi deserted. They crossed the Rialto Bridge again, Jacopo guiding her as before, but this time he steered her to a place at the wall. The bridge was aglow, the ghostly pale stone surface softly illuminated by strategically placed lights. They stood and looked out at the reflections on the water which rippled, rose and fell with soft, gentle lapping against the boats moored nearby.
"Emily," he said, his voice scarcely carrying above the soft murmurs of conversation around them. She drew her gaze away from the hypnotic dance of light on water to face him.
Yes? she wanted to ask, but the word never formed on her lips. Instead, his hands framed her face and held her still as he brought his lips to hers in a soft kiss. She raised her own trembling hands to cover his as he kissed her again. At once, the other people vanished, along with the bridge, the water and the city itself.
His hands slipped from under hers to stroke her hair, twisting and tangling in the length of it while his kiss deepened. Her heartbeat was distant and remote, somewhere else. There were only his lips, parting hers and lingering while he pulled her to him and held her securely in his embrace. Emily trembled as eagerness, anxiety and need warred amongst themselves, threatening to breach the surface at any moment.
An adventure. I need to have an adventure. I deserve it, too, don't I?
Awareness of her surroundings filtered through, murky and submerged but slowly clarifying in the laughter and soft talk all around them. At last, she opened her eyes to find herself looking directly into his. The pale, Summer-sky blue of his eyes held her transfixed for what seemed like forever.
13) Finally, I hasten to add: it's FREE!!! What more reason could you need? What have you got to lose?
And there you go: Thirteen Reasons to Download Alternate Rialto!
I hope you'll find them persuasive.
And if not, I'll just ask nicely.
So... Pretty please?
With sugar on top!
I thought this photo kept with the "aquatic" theme of Venice.
Ciao for now!
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