In Praise Of Book Bloggers - Guest Post & Giveaway with Christine Nolfi, author of Treasure Me

I have a confession to make. I've fallen in love with book bloggers.

In the last 24 hours I've been checking out book bloggers in the hopes of finding a few reviewers for Treasure Me, which will appear in the Amazon Kindle store next week.

A few more confessions: I'm rarely in cyberspace. I don't own a cell phone. If I find time to sit in front of the tube, it's usually for a dose of BBC America or to watch a movie with my four young adult children. We have a rule: Mom can't spoil the film by revealing the plot when she figures it out. If I am on my computer, it's usually to flesh out a first draft. Most revisions (and more revisions and more revisions) are completed long-hand. Usually with Nala staring at me as I scribble away in my easy chair:

Sandy, my golden retriever, also harasses me as I revise (biscuit! biscuit!) but I don't have a pic of her presently; she's wandering the house in search of socks to steal.

Back to book bloggers. They're amazing. Sweet, special people drifting through cyberspace with the message that literature is a good thing and you ought to pick up a book and read.

Regardless of your tastes, there's a book blog that's right for you. Women's fiction, high literature, mystery, suspense, romance, experimental fiction--somewhere on this pretty blue planet a dedicated bibliophile is spending her precious time posting in her blog so that you'll know what to read, what's new, what's not-so-new but damn good so you should hurry to the library and dig the book out from the stacks. Some bloggers are open to reviewing e-books (thank the heavens) which allows many novels that weren't published in the traditional method to reach the light of day.

Here's my last confession: I spent several years watching my various novels garner interest with the heavy hitters in NYC. I was sure Random House would pick up Second Chance Grill. An editor at the Penguin Group was so enthusiastic about publishing Treasure Me, and the rest of the Liberty series, in hardcover, that I spent several months sweating bullets while writing a series proposal. When Wall Street melted down, so did the editor's interest. Which I understand. It's difficult to consider releasing a debut novelist when your publishing house is laying off your compatriots in droves.

Through it all, book bloggers continue to write about books they love and books they dislike. They keep interest in literature alive and--I suspect--they introduce younger readers to the delights of fiction. You can never get beneath another person's skin. IMHO the closest you'll get to understanding another human heart is through fiction. So please read. And visit those book bloggers in cyberspace for the sweetest celebration of literature you'll ever enjoy.

Thanks Christine for the lovely post giving bloggers "warm fuzzies!" 

Now read on, Christine has also answered a few questions:

Can you tell us your inspiration for Treasure Me?

I’ve written five novels and counting, but Treasure Me is the only “bolt out of the blue” I’ve ever experienced. The beautiful young thief, Birdie Kaminsky, simply appeared one morning as I sat down to work on another WIP. She was dangling from a window ledge, trying to escape from the man whose pocket she’d picked. That first scene spilled out in a mad frenzy of typing. When I read it to my critique partners, they couldn’t stop laughing.

As the novel progressed, I enjoyed the challenge of making a thief sympathetic to readers. Once it becomes clear how hard Birdie has tried to go legal, her situation becomes quite poignant.

What makes your story unique from others in the market?
Great question! Not too long ago, publishing houses sold books directly to bookstores. A writer’s creativity was limited by genre constraints: a novel was only romance or only mystery, etc—so bookstores would know where to place it on the shelves. The advent of digital publishing allows writers to mix things up in a way never before possible.

I believe my book is a unique blend of romantic comedy and the poignancy found in women’s fiction, with a bit of cozy mystery added in.

Do you write full-time or wish you did?
I spent years working in public relations and dreaming of the day when I could write full-time. I finally reached the point where I thought, “It’s now or never.” I’ve been writing full-time since 2004.

What’s next for Christine Nolfi?
Second Chance Grill will appear on Amazon in June. It’s a “prequel” of sorts depicting the love story of Dr. Mary Chance, the town’s doctor, and Anthony Perini, a single dad with a very precious daughter. Of course the feisty women of Liberty—including Theodora—will be featured. You’ll learn a little more about the “bad blood” between Theodora and Ethel Lynn. Their battle was “fur and feathers” in Treasure Me. In Second Chance Grill, they’re even wilder.

The third novel in the series, The Impossible Wish, will arrive on Amazon in late autumn. It’s the story of Birdie’s infamous mother, Wish Kaminsky. The hero and heroine of that novel are nothing like Birdie and Hugh: think “clutzy female scientist” and “Mad Greek.” And, heaven help us, the evil Wish kidnaps Theodora. Don’t make me give anything else away. I’m striving for laugh-out-loud comedy from start to finish.

The other two novels are stand-alone books that will appear on Amazon this summer. I’d tell you the titles but I keep changing them as I polish the chapters.

About the Author:
Christine Nolfi owned a small public relations firm in Cleveland, Ohio. Christine closed the firm fifteen years ago after she traveled to the Philippines and adopted a sibling group of four children. She has been writing novels fulltime since 2004.Treasure Me is the first book of the Liberty, Ohio series, available at Amazon.

Contact Christine at http://christinenolfibooks.blogspot.com/ and christinenolfi@gmail.com

Petty thief Birdie Kaminsky has arrived in Liberty, Ohio to steal a treasure hidden since the Civil War. She’s in possession of a charming clue passed down in her family for generations: Liberty safeguards the cherished heart.

The beautiful thief wants to go straight. She secretly admires the clue’s author, freedwoman Justice Postell, who rose above the horrors of slavery to build a new life in Ohio. According to family lore, Justice left South Carolina at the dawn of the Civil War. Heavy with child, she carried untold riches on her journey north. As Birdie searches for the treasure, she begins to believe a questionable part of the story: a tale of love between Justice and Lucas Postell, the French plantation owner who was Birdie’s ancestor.

If the stories are true, Justice bore a child with Lucas. Some of those black relatives might still live in town. Birdie can’t help but wonder if she’s found one—Liberty’s feisty matriarch, Theodora Hendricks, who packs a pistol and heartwarming stories about Justice. Birdie doesn’t know that an investigative reporter who has arrived in town will trip her up—as will her conscience when she begins to wonder if it’s possible to start a new life with stolen riches. Yet with each new clue she unearths, Birdie begins to discover a family history more precious than gems, a tradition of love richer than she could imagine.

GIVEAWAY:

The lovely Christine has offered 3 eBook copies of Treasure Me to lucky readers. If you'd like to win a copy leave a comment regarding Christine's guest post or interview. Christine will pop in and answer questions too so don't be scared ... ask away! Don't forget to include your email address.

ARMCHAIR BEA Participants & Visitors:
2 eBook copies specifically for Armchair BEA participants or visitors, please mention this in your comment!

EXTRA ENTRIES:
+2 for followers
+2 post about this give-away on twitter or your blog & leave a link

Competition is International. Ends 31st May and the winners will be announced on my blog. Good luck everyone!