Hello, reader friends! We have a special guest author and giveaway today so let’s hop right in!
Dolce Vita
by Autumn Macarthur
“Rachel Golding stiffened as the master of ceremonies straightened his red tailcoat and tapped his gavel against its sounding block to request silence. Easy to guess what came next.“
Oops, I got a little distracted there (for a chapter and a half) before I remembered we have an interview and giveaway to get to yet! 😉 Join me in welcoming today’s featured author, Autumn Macarthur!
Hi Autumn! What books (and/or authors) do YOU hoard?
Autumn: I have a confession – I hoard free Christian romances! My Kindle is packed with more books than I could ever read! And I added at least four more today. I justify it, tell myself by downloading their free book, I’m helping the author. And that’s true. Every book downloaded lifts the Amazon ranking of the book a little and helps more readers see it. It’s my duty to support other authors, right?
Uh, somehow I think it might be a little more than that!
Here’s a screenshot of a fairly typical section of my Kindle bookshelf. Christian fiction, mostly romances, and Christian nonfiction. Almost certain all the fiction was free! I’ve only read one of the books on that page, and it’s nonfiction.
Because we live in a very small house, almost all my books are ebooks. I used to have a wonderful “real” book collection. All of L M Montgomery’s books. I have those now – in a single ebook compilation! Many old Harlequin romances from the 60s, 70s, and early 80s by Essie Summers, a Christian author from New Zealand, near impossible to get now as her books are out of print since her death and for copyright reasons aren’t released in ebook. All of Georgette Heyer’s books. A fab collection of vintage homemaking books. A lot of antique children’s books.
Losing all those and more when my one year working holiday in England turned into a decision to sell my house in Australia and move here permanently was a big ouch!
Beth: Oh my reader heart aches for your literary loss!
Do you have a favorite reading spot?
Autumn: Bed, propped up with lots of pillows. Though I don’t have as much time to read as I’d like. My one regret since I started writing seriously is that it chews into my reading time.
As a kid, I read anywhere and everywhere. I’d walk around reading a book. Even once, I somehow managed to read in the shower, holding the book out a narrow gap I left in the shower screen. Not sure how clean I got, but far more important was making sure I didn’t splash a drop of water on the book!
Beth: I know what you mean! My reading time has dwindled since I started blogging.
What can you tell us about your experience with the Tuscan Legacy series and authors?
Autumn: It’s been an amazing journey from the first throwaway comment “Why don’t we write a multi-author series?” I made to Marion Ueckermann in September 2016, through to publication of the final book. As we brainstormed ideas and prayed over which authors to invite, I felt sure God would bring us the right authors to work with, and I still feel sure He did. Every author added something uniquely theirs to the series. It’s like a patchwork quilt where every fabric is completely different, yet they come together to make a beautiful and unified whole.
There are definitely challenges in writing a closely linked multi-author series. Issues that don’t arise writing a single-author series. A lot more time decision making, planning, ensuring the timelines of all the books work together, and asking “Would your character do this?” and “Would they say that?” But the final result was worth it!
Beth: What a great experience! (Readers you can find out more in this series of spotlights on Faithfully Bookish!)
Tell us a little bit about your featured book.
Autumn: Dolce Vita (Sweet Life)
is book 8 in the series, and my first A Tuscan Legacy book. The only two characters Marion and I knew when we began planning the series were Rachel Golding, the heroine of this story, who’d appeared in one of my other books, and Rafaele Rossi from Book 1, who’d appeared in one of hers. I’d waited a while to give Rachel and Jon their own story, and I’m glad I finally got to write it. They deserved their happy-ever-after! It’s a sweet friends-to-more story, with a core theme of family and forgiveness, like many of the other books in the series.
Beth: It was certainly hard to put down just a moment ago! Friends-to-more is one of my favorite romance tropes.
What are you working on now?
Autumn: Choose Again, a second chance romance with a difference! The hero and heroine are both in their early seventies and haven’t seen each other in almost fifty years, since Meg chose career over marriage. It’s Book 4 in my Huckleberry Lake series, and will be part of a boxed set of older-couple romances, due to release in late August.
Beth: Fifty years seems like a long time but life has a way of slipping by quicker then we realize.
About the Author
Autumn Macarthur is a USA Today bestselling author of clean Christian inspirational romances with a strong touch of faith. If you love happy-ever-afters, sweet romance, and Hallmark movies, chances are you’ll enjoy her stories!
Originally from Sydney, Australia, she now lives in a small town not far from London, England, with her husband (aka The Cat Magnet), and way too many rescue cats for their tiny house! You can visit her at her website or on social media. She’d love to hear from you!
Giveaway
Autumn is offering a giveaway prize of a Dolce Vita ebook AND a second related bonus ebook.
Click here to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway!
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