I'm stoked to have the ever talented Joanne Guidoccio here today. Her latest novel, A Season for Killing Blondes, is out soon (7 more days!) and I'm excited to get my hands on it, after reading her last one, Between Land and Sea, about the mermaid who gave up her legs for love (see my review on this one, HERE).
Today, Joanne is going to share her similarities to Season's Gilda, some yummy food and more fun extras to this story. Check her out . . . Behind the Scenes – Gilda Greco and Me While imagining the protagonist of this novel, I realized she could easily be my literary twin. In fact, I like to tell people that Gilda Greco is 70 percent of me. As to how I came up with that particular number, let’s just say my well-honed left brain did the work. Some similarities... 1. Born and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, Gilda and I lived in Gatchell, the Italian section of town. 2. We love to read and could spend hours curled up with our favorite books. 3. In school, we were high-achieving, happy nerds who majored in mathematics and then decided to pursue teaching careers. 4. In spite of our mathematical knowledge of probability, we buy lottery tickets. Gilda hit the jackpot and won $19 million in Lotto 649. As for me, I’m still buying tickets and hoping! BTW...the probability of winning Lotto 649 is 1 in 13,983,816. 5. We spent the early years of our teaching careers in Sudbury. 6. We relocated to Southern Ontario and ended up teaching in Guelph. 7. We completed the Career Development Practitioner program at Conestoga College. I had hoped to pursue a second career as a career counselor but personal and health circumstances intervened. Instead, I am living vicariously through Gilda who has set up her own ReCareering office in Sudbury. 8. We love our zebra colors. Black pantsuits are staples in our wardrobes. 9. We are non-foodies. That’s right, we don’t like to cook or bake. But we have a great appreciation for all foodies who possess that special gift. 10. We love cheesecake. And one of our favorites is Blueberry Delight, an easy-to-prepare recipe that actually calls for frozen blueberries. We invite all non-foodies (and foodies) to try our recipe. Blueberry Delight Ingredients: ½ cup brown sugar 2 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs ¾ cup butter 8 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature) 32 ounces sweetened whipped cream 1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla 3 tablespoons lemon juice 3 ½ cups frozen blueberries Procedure: Combine brown sugar, graham cracker crumbs, and butter. Press into the bottom of a 9” x 13” rectangular pan. Bake for ten minutes at 325o F. Cool the crust. Cream together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice. Add whipped cream and fold in blueberries using a wooden spoon. Pour mixture into the pan. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Servings: 15 Note: Seven more easy-to-prepare desserts are featured in A Season for Killing Blondes.
YUM! I am so going to have to try this recipe out.
Now, onto the book itself: THE BLURB: Hours before the opening of her career counseling practice, Gilda Greco discovers the dead body of golden girl Carrie Ann Godfrey, neatly arranged in the dumpster outside her office. Gilda’s life and budding career are stalled as Detective Carlo Fantin, her former high school crush, conducts the investigation. When three more dead blondes turn up all brutally strangled and deposited near Gilda’s favorite haunts, she is pegged as a prime suspect for the murders. Frustrated by Carlo’s chilly detective persona and the mean girl antics of Carrie Ann’s meddling relatives, Gilda decides to launch her own investigation. She discovers a gaggle of suspects, among them a yoga instructor in need of anger management training, a lecherous photographer, and fourteen ex-boyfriends. As the puzzle pieces fall into place, shocking revelations emerge, forcing Gilda to confront the envy and deceit she has long overlooked. THE TRAILER: THE BUY LINKS: Amazon (Canada) - http://is.gd/t0g1KZ Amazon (United States) - http://is.gd/jADjPp Amazon (United Kingdom) - http://is.gd/8mknFJ Amazon (Australia) - http://is.gd/r843iX Kobo - http://is.gd/BpO9gY THE GIVEAWAY!
THE AUTHOR:
In high school, Joanne dabbled in poetry, but it would be over three decades before she entertained the idea of writing as a career. She listened to her practical Italian side and earned degrees in mathematics and education. She experienced many fulfilling moments as she watched her students develop an appreciation (and sometimes, love) of mathematics. Later, she obtained a post-graduate diploma as a career development practitioner and put that skill set to use in the co-operative education classroom. She welcomed this opportunity to help her students experience personal growth and acquire career direction through their placements. In 2008, she took advantage of early retirement and decided to launch a second career that would tap into her creative side and utilize her well-honed organizational skills. Slowly, a writing practice emerged. Her articles and book reviews were published in newspapers, magazines, and online. When she tried her hand at fiction, she made reinvention a recurring theme in her novels and short stories. A member of Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Canada, and Romance Writers of America, Joanne writes paranormal romance, cozy mysteries, and inspirational literature from her home base of Guelph, Ontario. THE STALKING: Where to find Joanne... Website: http://joanneguidoccio.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/joanneguidoccio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjoanneguidoccio LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanneguidoccio Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jguidoccio/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7277706.Joanne_Guidoccio I think enough said on this one, ya'll. Thanks for stopping by today. Be sure to go grab Joanne's words. She writes fun characters and interesting plot lines for sure. Big love, 'til next time, 6/5/2015 04:42:55 am
Yum, cheesecake. A favorite of mine, too. Love the odds on the lottery. If we can't win, why not live vicariously through our characters? Makes sense to me. Good luck with the book. 6/5/2015 05:01:35 am
Hi Catherine, Cheesecake is one of the best pick-me-uppers around. And I yet to find a flavor I don't like. Thanks for dropping by. Joanne :) 6/5/2015 01:41:49 pm
I love this trailer! It is so well done! Everything works perfectly together - I was very impressed. So impressed, I just showed people!
Christy
6/5/2015 01:51:00 pm
Love the title and the cover! Sounds like a fascinating read! Comments are closed.
|