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Cara Marsi

Interview with Cara Marsi of Logan’s Redemption

By Barb Drozdowich

Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books!

Today we are talking to Cara Marsi again, but this time about her book Logan’s Redemption!

First of all, I must say, who wouldn’t want to read a book with a yummy man like that on the cover *grins*.  For those of you that don’t know, I tend to pick my books by their covers 🙂  Anyways….now that we have gotten that out of the way…I’d like to thank Cara for appearing on my blog again.  She dropped by on Monday to talk about Murder, Mi Amore, also a romantic suspense that has been released.  Today she’s going to answer questions about Logan’s Redemption.  Here she is!

Barb – Tell me about your book “Logan’s Redemption”

Cara – First, Barb, thank you for having me today.

“Logan’s Redemption,” a romantic suspense, was originally published by The Wild Rose Press in ebook and print. When I got the rights back in 2010, I put it up on Amazon Kindle and BN Nook. It sells for 99 cents at both places. I had to get a new cover as The Wild Rose Press owns the original cover. I love my new cover. The guy is hot and looks exactly like I picture Logan. If you look at “Logan’s Redemption” on Amazon, you can see both covers. Used copies of the print book are still available.

Here’s the blurb:

Doriana Callahan’s life is unraveling. Someone is stalking her and sabotaging her father’s company; her teenage son is rebelling; and Logan Tanner is back in town. For sixteen years she’s kept an explosive secret from Logan, a secret he soon discovers.  Logan never belonged in Doriana’s world, but a long time ago he allowed himself to dream of a future with her, until the awful night he was forced to run. Now he’s back and he needs her forgiveness, but first he must forgive himself.  Despite the fact that Doriana kept the existence of his son from him, Logan vows to protect her. He races against time to stop the culprit threatening Doriana and works to forge a bond with his son.  Can the love and passion that still burn between Doriana and Logan overcome old lies and new dangers? The clock is ticking on a second chance at love.

Barb – How would you describe this book – genre, target audience, etc.

Cara – Genre is romantic suspense. I think it appeals to those readers who love mystery and suspense with a heavy dose of romance and sensuality. There’s also a secret baby, in this case a secret teen.

Barb – Describe Doriana and Logan’s relationship.

Cara – They loved each other as teens. Doriana is a princess, from a tight-knit, wealthy family. Motherless Logan was raised by an alcoholic, abusive father. Logan never felt he was good enough for Doriana. She got pregnant at seventeen, but before she could tell Logan, he was gone. Because of a horrific incident that still haunts him, he ran from Philadelphia to parts unknown. Now he’s back in Doriana’s life. There are so many secrets and lies between them, old and new. Yet, they can’t deny their attraction and their need for each other. They dance around their feelings, each afraid to trust the other.

Barb – Where did your inspiration come from for this story?

Cara – From a classic old movie with Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray. While the movie was a romantic comedy, my story is dark and filled with danger. In the movie Colbert’s character hires the MacMurray character as her assistant, thinking he’s an out of work tunnel rat. He’s not that at all. In my story, Logan is working as Doriana’s assistant. She thinks he’s someone who flits from city to city and job to job. But he’s not that at all.

Barb – If you could ask your readers one question, what would it be?

Cara – What is your favorite type romance hero?

Barb –  What project are you currently working on?

Cara – I’ve just completed a sweet but sensual romance novella set at the Jersey shore. Sweet meaning there’s no explicit sex. I’ve started another novella, this one erotic, set at the Delaware shore. I plan to publish my own anthology of short romance stories and the two novellas. Each story is set at the beach. I also write short romance stories for the Trues magazines – True Love, True Romance, True Story. I’ll put a few of my Trues-type short stories in the anthology.

Barb – What are your favorite hobbies?

Cara – Reading and traveling.
Barb – Do you have any advice to unpublished authors?

Cara – Learn all you can about the craft of writing, and also the business side of writing. Read the kinds of books you want to write. And keep writing. Never give up. Writers who give up never publish.

Barb –  How can readers stay in touch – or keep up to date with what you are working on?

Cara – I don’t have my own blog, but I guest blog wherever I can. I’m on Facebook and Twitter. I will post information about my guest blogs on FB and Twitter. I also have a website that I try to keep current. I’ve got excerpts from my books there, and also the titles of my short stories along with some articles I’ve written.

Here are the links:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/carolynmatkowsky

Twitter: http://twitter.com/caramarsi

Website: http://www.caramarsi.com

I’d like to thank Cara for dropping by to talk to us about Logan’s Redemption!  How could you go wrong for 99 cents?? Logan’s Redemption can be purchased at Barnes & Noble and Amazon:

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Interview with Cara Marsi of Murder, Mi Amore

By Barb Drozdowich

Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books!

Today we are going to be talking to Cara Marsi about her book, Murder, Mi Amore.  If you are as interested as I am in this book, drop back by on Thursday as we are going to talk to Cara again, but this time about her book, Logan’s Redemption!

So here are Cara’s answers to my questions about Murder, Mi Amore.

Barb – Tell me a little about your book “Murder, Mi Amore”.

Cara – First, Barb, thank you for having me.

“Murder, Mi Amore” is a fast-paced romantic suspense set almost entirely in Italy. I visited Italy for the second time in 2006. Every scene in “Murder, Mi Amore” is authentic, based on places I visited, even the food I ate, when I was in Italy. Of course, I didn’t have someone chasing me to kill me and take back a blue diamond and I didn’t meet a hot, mysterious Italian guy while on my trip. But I was with my hottie husband.

Here’s the blurb:

Lexie Cortese is in Rome to forget. The last thing she expects is to meet a sexy Interpol agent who suspects her of being part of a terrorist plot involving a stolen diamond. Suddenly thrust into a world of murders, muggings, and kidnappings, Lexie doesn’t know what to think—or who to believe.

Dominic Brioni’s assignment is simple. Befriend the American and bring her to justice. Only Lexie seems the most unlikely terrorist Dominic has ever met. Sweet, determined, and direct, she faces life with courage and fire, a fire that sparks his protective instincts and a longing for something more—something he allowed himself to hope for only once before.

But that woman betrayed him, and his boss isn’t about to let him forget it. With his career on the line and Lexie in danger, will Dominic learn to trust his heart before they both get killed?

Barb –  How would you describe this book – genre, target audience,etc.

Cara – Genre is romantic suspense. I think the target audience is a reader who loves a good mystery, especially one set in an exotic location, in this case Italy. And a reader who likes a book with romance, sex, and a hot hero.

Barb –  Which character do you most relate to in this book?

Cara – My heroine, Lexie because she’s always done what’s expected of her. Determined to change her life, she discovers a core of strength she didn’t know she had. And along the way she finds love and romance, but on her terms.

Barb – What 5 words best describe this book?

Cara – Sensual, action, thriller, danger, love

Barb – What was your favorite scene?

Cara – The morning Lexie and Dominic decide to trust each other and make love. Then Dominic learns something about Lexie that makes him doubt his instincts and brings bad memories of another time when he let down his guard.

Barb – Do you listen to music when you write and if so what music helped with this story?

Cara – I like quiet when I write. However, when I’m stuck, I’ll listen to classical music. I have a CD that was made for me by the boyfriend of one of my Australian cousins. This singer is an international tenor and I love his voice. The CD is Italian opera music, and that really helped me over spots when I was writing “Murder, Mi Amore.” Normally my music taste runs to classic rock.

Barb – Do you have a set writing schedule each day or is every day different?

Cara – Every day’s a little different. I usually write in the afternoon. By the time I have breakfast, feed the cat and go to the gym, it’s usually early afternoon before I sit down to write. Husband feeds himself so I don’t have to worry about him, except at dinner. When I worked a full time job, I was on a tight schedule. Now that I’m no longer working outside the house I have a hard time maintaining the same schedule every day.

Barb – Did you know the title of the book before you started writing?

Cara – The original title was “A Diamond for the Kill.” I came up with that before I started writing the story. My wonderful editor at The Wild Rose Press, Laura Kelly, said I should have an Italian title since the story is set in Italy. One of my critique partners came up with “Murder, Mi Amore.” I love the title, and so does my editor.

Barb – What genre do you like to read, and what are you reading now?

Cara – I love all genres of romance. I just finished a romantic suspense which was terrific. I read paranormal romance too. I like all type paranormal romance except vampires. I read more romantic suspense than the other genres so you could say that’s my favorite. I crave happy endings and tortured heroes who are warriors at heart. Those are the kinds of stories I look for. I have a Scottish historical romance someone gave me, and I’ll read that next for a change from suspense. Gotta love those Scotsmen in kilts. (Barb says absolutely 🙂 )

Barb –  Who are your cheerleaders – who encourages and supports your writing?

Cara – My cheerleaders are my critique partners, both my face-to-face partners and my online critique group. Also my sister and female cousins. My husband not so much.

Here are the links to learn more about me and my books:

Website: www.caramarsi.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/carolynmatkowsky

Twitter: http://twitter.com/caramarsi

Watch the video for “Murder, Mi Amore:”

Buy Link for “Murder, Mi Amore,” at The Wild Rose Press

Also available on Amazon Kindle.

I’d like to thank Cara for answering my questions today!  Drop back by to learn about another of her books, Logan’s Redemption, on Thursday!

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BLB eBook Tour – Guest Post with Cara Marsi of Cursed Mates

By Barb Drozdowich

Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Book!

Today we are welcoming Cara Marsi to the blog!  She is the author of Cursed Mates as you can see from the cover above.  Today she’s going to share with us her thoughts on Paranormal Activity.  Without further ado, here’s Cara:

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY

A while back a movie called Paranormal Activity was a big hit. It spawned two sequels. Cameras were set up to capture real paranormal activity that occurred while the homeowners slept. I’m not sure I believe everything in the movie was real.

But I do believe in the supernatural, and I’m not the only one. Look at all the vampire, werewolf, demon, witch, ghost, etc, books and movies that are so prevalent now. Those who study popular culture say our fascination with the supernatural is a wish to escape from the trials of our world and a desire to have superpowers to give us control over events. If I were to have a supernatural power, I’d be like Samantha in the old Bewitched TV show. I’ve always wanted to be able to twitch my nose and have a clean house. That’s all the superpower I’d need.

Many of us have had brushes with the supernatural. I wish I could say I’ve had a lot of experience with psychic phenomena, but I haven’t. I’ll tell you about some of my mystical experiences, one in particular involving what might have been a celestial being.

I don’t know if you’d call this next thing mystical, but it is psychic. I’m not one of those lucky people who win lots of contests or win the lottery. In fact, I’m singularly unlucky in that respect. However, the few times I’ve won something, I’ve known I would win. I get “the feeling,” almost a lightheadedness. And “the feeling” is never wrong. Once at a writers’ conference, I was in a workshop where they were giving away door prizes. Before my name was called, I’d put down the papers on my lap and started to stand. I’d gotten “the feeling” and knew I would win. If I were to ever win big in the lottery, I’d get “the feeling” when I bought the ticket. So far that hasn’t happened.

Several years ago I had an encounter with what I believe was an angel. That day, driving back to work on my lunch hour I was stopped at an intersection. My light turned green and I started across the road. Suddenly I felt a tingling on the back of my neck, like someone breathing on my skin. Something told me to stop. I put on my brakes just as two young women sped past in another car, running the opposite red light. They never even slowed down. I may have died that day but for my “angel” whispering for me to stop.

Do you believe in reincarnation? Things have happened in my life to make me believe reincarnation is real. When I was a small child, my grandmother had paintings of scenes from Ancient Rome hanging in her house. I’d stare at those paintings and know what it was like to live there. I used to have dreams where I was dressed in flowing Roman clothes and standing in a garden decorated with Roman statuary. To this day whenever I see a wooden door in a stone wall leading to a garden, I get chills. I truly believe that in a past life I lived in Ancient Rome and had a garden with a wooden door.

When my son was three or four, he used to tell my husband and me that when he lived with his “other daddy” he had a black dog that lay at the bottom of the stairs. My son has had only one daddy, and we’re a cat family. We’ve never had a dog. I got chills every time my son told us that story. As he got older, any memories he had of his “other daddy” and the black dog left him. Children remember their past lives because they’re still close to those lives. I believe my son and I both had past life memories when we were children.

A friend once told me that when her little brother was three years old, he’d tell the family stories of living in Paris, France, in the 1700’s. He’d describe the sounds of the carriage wheels and the smells of the city. How would he have known that, especially the smells? He couldn’t even read.

I believe old houses retain an aura from the spirits of all the people who’d lived in them. Some auras are good, some not so much. A friend and I once spent a day touring beautiful old houses on one of those charity events where people open their homes to the public. My friend and I may have been extra sensitive to psychic feelings that day, but each time we went into a house, we felt its “spirit.” Some spirits were loving, but others were tinged with evil as if something bad had happened there. I still get shivers thinking about it.

Places are haunted too with the actual ghosts, rather than the auras, of ones who’d lived there. Another friend told the story of the time she had dinner at an old inn in Pennsylvania. When my friend went up the stairs to the ladies room, she saw a shimmering figure on the landing. She described it as the bottom half of a man clad in Civil War garb. Sure enough, the inn was said to be haunted by a Civil War soldier and also by a little girl who cried a lot. Other restaurant patrons reported hearing a little girl cry.

I’ve visited Gettysburg battlefield several times. Each time I’ve felt the spirits of the men who died there. It’s common knowledge that Gettysburg is haunted. I’ve visited Antietam battlefield in Maryland also. That place is haunted too, maybe more so than Gettysburg. The spirits in Antietam are very strong.

My psychic experiences are small, but I’ve had enough to convince me we are surrounded by otherworldly beings, and that each of us holds the key to opening ourselves up to these spirits. We also possess knowledge of our past lives, but that knowledge is hidden. What do you think? Have you had any paranormal activity in your lives?

I’d like to thank Cara for visiting today.  She can be found at her website, on Facebook, and on Twitter.  Cara is also coming back to my blog later in the month to talk about her other books.  So stay tuned, and come back over to learn more on May 23rd and 26th.

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