I am delighted to have Kate as a guest poster today ~ thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for organizing.
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Genre: Contemporary rom com
Publication Date: September 2024
Estimated Page Count: 211
Author Content Warning: The book begins during Covid, though most of the story is post-Covid. The death of the grandmother of one of the characters is briefly referenced.
Thank you for hosting me on your blog today. My latest contemporary romance with an Italian setting for Romaunce Books was a joy to write, though it was inspired by a time of great sadness and anxiety. Lockdown here in Italy was very strict, so I spent days indoors with sporadic work meetings on Zoom in which nobody knew what the future would bring. My husband was the nominated person to do the shopping, under strict supervision. The only other people allowed out were essential workers and solitary dog-owners taking Fido for a pee. At night we could hear boar and foxes snuffling about the deserted city streets. Then I discovered webcams and tuned regularly into my favourite places in one of my favourite cities, Venice. St Markâs Square was deserted, as it had never been at any time in its history. I spotted an occasional policeman, a man pushing a garbage cart, and was envious of the pigeons and seagulls. Then I saw a man with a dog and suddenly I had my story.
Ashley and Juliet are best friends working in a marketing company in London, but like many of us who donât really enjoy our jobs, donât know what to do instead. Ash split up with her boyfriend when she realised she really didnât want to spend lockdown with him. She and Juliet had planned a besties holiday to Venice, which like so many things then had to be postponed and tries to comfort herself by looking at webcam, as I did, telling herself that one day sheâd be there. Ashley also spots a solitary man with a dog on an otherwise deserted Campo Santa Maria Formosa. Juliet insists that when they go to Venice eventually they should find out more about him. Only things donât go quite according to planâŠ
I wanted to write a book that celebrated love, friendship and joy after sorrow and I hope Iâve succeeded. After that long deprivation â and much worse, the loss of friends to Covid â it was exhilarating to board a train, with my husband, to Venice, the last place Iâd travelled to before Covid hit and the first I returned to. I love the city: this is my third book set at least partially there. Parts of it are horribly, impossibly crowded, but there are quiet corners and I looked for them to find settings for the book. One was the Villa HĂ©riot on the Giudecca island, a real-life art conservation institute. Ash and Julietâs company went out of business during Covid, and accountant Joe Mannion, whom everybody thought was boring, turns up at Villa HĂ©riot having used his redundancy to make a complete career change. A coincidence, or not? I wanted to take some furtive photos of the villa from the landing stage, but my more confident husband spotted a lady going in at the garden entrance and stopped her. So, we got inside the institute, rapidly deciding weâd pretend we were asking about courses for one of our sons. We got the sons muddled up, but the staff either didnât notice or were too polite to say so. In that short time, I got a real feel for the concentration that goes into conservation work. Behind closed laboratory doors, I could sense the presence of scores of people, working in absolute silence.
For Ashley, Juliet and Joe, Venice is transformative. They will never be the same again. All of them find love, but for one of them, the love was always there. Where better to set such a story than in the most beautiful city in the world?
Book blurb:
Best friends Ashley and Juliet, whoâve been made redundant from their marketing jobs during Covid, at last get to go to Venice. The long days of lockdown were made a little easier by looking at webcams of the deserted city. One day, Ash spied a man walking his dog in Campo Santa Maria Formosa. What would happen if she were to meet him for real?
Though Jules hits it off with a handsome waiter, and both girls take the opportunity to think through big career changes, things otherwise donât go quite according to plan. And why is it that boring Joe from Accounts keeps turning up where heâs not supposed to be? Only, whoever falls in love with Venice wonât stay boring for long, and Joe unwittingly finds himself at the centre of a trade in faked artworks.
Coincidentally in Venice is a joyous celebration of love, friendship, vintage clothes to die for, Prosecco and spaghetti alle vongole. Oh, and not to mention a stolen gondola, a dog called Killer, ten thousand fictitious virgins and an old Grateful Dead t-shirt.
Purchase Links
https://www.romaunce.com/product-page/coincidentally-in-venice
Author Bio â Kate Zarrelli is the romance pen-name of Katherine Mezzacappa, specialising in to die for heroes in lush contemporary Italian settings. Coincidentally in Venice is her third romance title with Romaunce and her first rom com. Writing as Katie Hutton, she is also the author of four sagas published by Zaffre, and under her own name two literary historical novels.
Social Media Links â https://www.facebook.com/katezarrellibooks/
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