Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Aloha to Ella Quinn and DESIRING LADY CARO



First, thank you Kim for having me back on your blog! It’s a thrill to be here.

Desiring Lady Caro is book #4 in my series, The Marriage Game. The story takes place mostly on the road from Venice to Paris. I have a good deal of familiarity with the route, and my research mostly dealt with what things looked like at the time. Having been to Austria through Switzerland, and knowing how difficult a route that was, I decided to take my Caro and Huntley through the Brenner Pass, which was a much easier way to go, and links northern Italy (South Tyrol) with Austria (North Tyrol). However, imagine my excitement when I discovered that in 1777 Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, had a carriage way built, which was a great improvement on the old path. I also discovered many hotels and restaurants had been around for at least a couple of centuries.



So, because I know how much Kim likes to travel, I thought we’d take a short trip through the pass.   
Caro and Huntley spent the night in Brennerbad at the Hotel Kerschbaumer before crossing the pas the next morning. The hotel really did exist at the time. They also strolled around the town. The good thing for you is that many of these old towns haven’t changed much over the past couple of centuries. Here are some photos of what they saw. 


When you read the book, you’ll discover that there is a lot of food. In Brennerbad two of the dishes they ate were Gerstensuppe which is a type of barley soup.  



Caro has a weakness for chocolate, something many of us can identify with. There was no hard chocolate in the area, but they did have Baumkuchen (tree cake) which is a cake baked on a spit. The pieces that fall off are covered with chocolate.


The next morning they started across the pass, which was fairly uneventful until . . .

How do you like food in books?


Barnes & Nobel and Amazon bestselling author Ella Quinn’s studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side. Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them. 

She is married to her wonderful husband of twenty-nine years. They have a son and granddaughter, Great Dane and a Chartreux. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make St. Thomas, VI home.

Ella is a member of the Romance Writers of American, The Beau Monde and Hearts Through History. She is represented by Elizabeth Pomada of Larsen-Pomada Literary Agency, and published by Kensington. Her debut novel The Seduction of Lady Phoebe, released in September 2013


Website: ellaquinnauthor.com
Facebook: facebook.com/EllaQuinnAuthor
Twitter twitter.com/ellaquinnauthor
Blog ellaquinnauthor.wordpresscom


Ella is giving away an ecopy of DESIRING LADY CARO:

Haunted by her past, Lady Caroline Martindale fled England for the solace of her godmother's palazzo in Venice. But if Caro was hoping to escape the charms of marriage-minded men, she's come to the wrong place. And she'll resort to extreme measures to spurn the advances of a dangerously determined Venetian marquis. . .

Though most of his friends have married off, Gervais, Earl of Huntley, remains bent on eluding the parson's mousetrap. But his convictions begin to falter when he arrives in Venice and meets his match in the alluring Lady Caro. What began as a hastily concocted lie to save her from the marquis may become a chance for them both to relinquish their fear--and embrace what they can no longer deny. . .


To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment to Ella's question, How do you like food in books?

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, April 5, 10 pm in Baltimore. 

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, April 6.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

183378561803832618310978


35 comments:

  1. I enjoy food any which way lol. It's neat to see a recipe in a story too!

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    1. Me too, but sorry there are no recipes in the story. I do have several of them in the release tour. Thank you for stopping by!

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  2. Hi Ella! I loved seeing the travel pictures. So pretty. I also love food in stories and many times wish the author had included the recipe. If not in the book, than maybe on her website or FB page. I like trying new foods and exploring different cuisines. I'll try most anything once. LOL

    Marcy Shuler

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    1. Hi Marcy, it's great to see you here! Most of the recipes will be posted during the release tour.

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  3. Congrats on the release Ella!
    Wonderful pictures! Makes me want to go there.
    Love food anywhere! & yes I like to collect recipes too. Especially cakes/confectionery & sweets

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    1. Hi Linda, Thank you so much for stopping by!! You'll love the chocolate almond torte.

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  4. Congratulations on your new release, Ella!

    I don't mind reading about food in a story as long as it fits the story line and one recipe is not the sole basis of the story.

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    1. Thank you, Cathy! When I travel I think of food, that's how it came about.

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  5. Congrats!

    I do love reading about food in books! Especially sinful food!

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    1. Thank you, May!! There are many lovely desserts in the book.

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  6. I've read some funny scenes in books. Congrats on the release!

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  7. Congratulations on the new release!! I enjoy reading about foods in books particularly if they are key to the story or to the characters.
    bettysunflower@hotmail.com

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  8. Congrats on the new release!!! It looks and sounds awesome :) Ummm... I don't mind reading about food in books... usually makes me hunger though! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. LOL, Erin. Thank you. I had one reader say she was going to eat before she read the book!

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  9. Oh, I love food in books, especially historical books! Collared tongue, kidneys on toast, puddings . . . I love reading about it. Eating some of the food, especially the organ meats, I'm not so sure about. But that's just me! However, I do love a good barley soup, so can't wait to read about that!

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    1. Hi Lani! Thanks for visiting. In Europe it's customary to have soup before a meal, so there are several soups mentioned.

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  10. This is so interesting...food plays an important part in my books, too, Ella! I like your heroine's craving for chocolate; something we can ALL connect with! ; ) One of my favorite parts in researching the Regency period is examining the different types of food that was popular then!

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    1. Thanks so much, Christi! It's interesting that much of the food eaten in Austria and Italy hasn't changed much.

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  11. Me too, Christi! All the dishes in the book were actually made during the time. Some of them I've gotten to eat.

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  12. I think sprinkling in the name of dishes helps to add to the story. Helps to set the scene for me. Of course reading your book might also make me hungry. :)

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  13. Don't really care if it's mentioned or not

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  14. I love the series. It's always a wonderful journey and fabulous read. I enjoy reading about food in a book. It helps put me in the characters's shoes!

    :) Melissa

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  15. Congratulations, Ella, and best of luck with this latest. You're sure to do terrifically! Barb Bettis

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  16. I agree Angelina. I love tasting different foods when I travel.

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  17. I like knowing what the characters are eating in a story especially in historical romance since it is so different.

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  18. I like reading about food in books. Especially chocolate!

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  19. It's always interesting when it adds to the sense of place/time in the book.

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  20. Honestly it depends entirely if I have eaten before (or while) reading. Your descriptions of the food would make me way to hungry not to snack. :-D

    I am so going to visit all the tour stops for the recipes!

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