Valentina Expressions

Beautiful and fresh April, the beginning of a new nature’s bounty. April in Latin is translated in Aprilis, it derives from the words aperio, aperire, apertus, a verb meaning “to open”. In Roman time, April 1st was the beginning of the year, here we are my friends, Happy New Year to all and happy Spring.

I wanted to open this new Spring year with authors who can inspire us with thoughts of Spring, showing what they do to beautify their lives, and how they keep negativity away, suggestions that might be very important to keep our sanity at this time. Lately, I have not been much in touch with authors, I have been reading about politics and history in my language trying to learn this new global situation and be able to make my own decisions and conclusions versus what the media wants to push on me. This is my chance to get to know authors I am not familiar with.

The first to open the series is Sharon Marchisiello. She lives in Georgia, where spring has a very small window of pleasant temperatures before the weather starts getting hot and where she enjoys yellow-and-white daffodils, a redbud tree, and purple azaleas.

“When I’m stuck on a scene, or just depressed about the latest news, taking a walk rejuvenates me. We live next to a cart path; our town maintains 75 miles of multi-use trails for walkers, cyclists, and golf carts. My route takes me past a lake where, if I’m lucky, I’ll see a great blue heron or a pair of Canada geese tending to their goslings. Then it winds through the forest where I’ll sometimes see does and their fawns foraging on new vegetation. Afterward, I love to sit outside on my patio, reading a book or sipping a glass of wine, inhaling the fresh scents of springtime, or maybe a neighbor’s barbeque. And when the sun sets over the golf course, bands of orange, pink, and purple steak the electric blue sky, reminding me that I’ve made it through another day”.

About her latest book
My most recent novel, Secrets of the Galapagos (Sunbury Press, 2019) is set in an archipelago 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. Located almost on the equator, the people and unique animals of the Galapagos enjoy perpetual spring.

Here’s a summary of the story:

“Shattered by a broken engagement and a business venture derailed by Jerome Haddad, her unscrupulous partner, Giovanna Rogers goes on a luxury Galapagos cruise with her grandmother to decompress. At least that’s what her grandmother thinks. Giovanna is determined to make Jerome pay for what he’s done, and she has a tip he’s headed for the Galapagos.

While snorkeling in Gardner Bay off the coast of Española Island, Giovanna and another cruise passenger, tortoise researcher Laurel Pardo, both become separated from the group, and Laurel is left behind. No one on the ship will acknowledge Laurel is missing, and Giovanna suspects a cover-up.

When the police come on board to investigate a death, Giovanna is sure the victim is Laurel. She’s anxious to give her testimony to the attractive local detective assigned to the case. Instead, she learns someone else is dead, and she’s a person of interest.

Resolved to keep searching for Laurel and make sense of her disappearance, Giovanna finds that several people on board the cruise ship have reasons to want Laurel gone. One is a scam involving Tio Armando, the famous Galapagos giant tortoise and a major tourist attraction in the archipelago. And Jerome Haddad has a hand in it. Thinking she’s the cat in this game, Giovanna gets too involved and becomes the mouse, putting her life in jeopardy. But if she doesn’t stop him, Jerome will go on to ruin others”.

Buy links:
https://www.amazon.com/Sharon-Marchisello/e/B00NH6N4WK
https://www.sunburypress.com/collections/sharon-marchisello
https://smarchisello.wordpress.com/

This sounds like a good intriguing book, much success to you.

Allow me to timidly advertise my books.

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel. Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble