Today I have the honor of having Kristin Rae on the blog. Kristin is the 2014 debut author of Wish You Were Italian. I've not read the book yet obviously since it's not coming until May but I'll read it as soon as it's out. This book sounds like a cute and fun read. Besides guys, the setting is in ITALY, do you know what that means --Hot Boy Alert! OK enough of me rambling. Here she is, Kristin Rae.
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I’m so thrilled Amie asked me to be a guest on her blog today! You write a book, you hope people hear about it, you hope they actually read it, you hope someone likes it. The fact that my book is still months away from its release date and there are readers already looking forward to it… it’s such a great feeling! Thank you!
Today I’m sharing five things I loved about writing Wish You Were Italian!
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| Publication Date: May 6th 2014 by Bloomsbury |
✎Pictures: Setting is a huge element to this story, and I really wanted to make sure readers are transported to Italy. I want them to see it, and hear it, smell it, taste it. When they finish the book, I want them to feel like they’ve just taken a trip. I want them to want to pack their bags and go again. I want to go again. Every. Day. When I went to Italy with hubs and some friends of ours, I took loads of pictures. LOADS. Writing this story gave me an excuse to spend hours sifting through all of my photos, painting an accurate picture of Italy while reliving our trip.
✎Gelato: Once you’ve had real authentic Italian gelato, it’s hard to have regular ice cream again. And I basically live right down the road from the Blue Bell Creamery, birthplace of my absolute favorite ice cream. Trying to remember the texture and taste of gelato, I went on a local hunt, even tasting flavors I normally wouldn’t in effort to be extra adventurous, like Pippa.
✎Research: I’m a bit of a lazy writer. I try to find ways around having to research too much. But research became essential when I wanted Pippa to visit some areas of Italy I didn’t get the opportunity to see. Pompeii, Positano, and the island of Capri were too far south for our short trip, but I’m desperate to go there, so I sent my main character there! And now, of course, I want to go there more than ever.
✎Love triangle: As you can see from the summary, it’s no spoiler there’s a little love triangle going on. I can appreciate a good love triangle. The key word here is good. It has to be done right. It has to be believable. I worked really hard to show Pippa’s emotional journey as she sorts out her feelings in a way that wouldn’t make me roll my eyes if I were the reader. A kind of hard work I really loved.
✎Feedback: This may seem like sort of a weird one, but through the process of writing this story, my critique partners (along with my mom and grandma) became invaluable. I already loved them, but their advice and enthusiasm not only kept me going strong, but helped the story become what it is. It wouldn’t be the same without them. Maybe it wouldn’t even be published. You never know.
About Wish You Were Italian:
Publication Date: May 6th 2014
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pippa is in Italy for the summer and, despite her parents’ wishes, she has no intention of just studying the local art! She has a list of things of her own to do: from swimming in the Mediterranean Sea to getting a makeover – and falling for an Italian boy! As Pippa explores the dramatic ruins of Rome and Pompeii, she is swept into her own drama with two guys: an irresistible local she knows is nothing but trouble and a cute American archaeology student . . . Will she find her true love?
The perfect reckless romance to enjoy whether you are home or abroad.
About the author:
I'm really excited to read this book! Good guest post, I'm definitely adding this book to my TBR list :)
ReplyDeleteJackie @Jackie's Book World