Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway for Between Land and Sea by Joanne Guidoccio

Join author Joanne Guidoccio on her Name Before the Masses Virtual Tour for Between Land and Sea, presented by Goddess Fish Promotions, from 11/16/13 – 11/18/13.  Please leave a comment or question for Joanne to let her know you stopped by.  Joanne will be awarding a $75 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, please be sure to leave your email address with your comment.  You can follow the rest of Joanne’s tour here, the more stops you visit, the better your odds of winning.  My review will post later this afternoon.

Interview with joanne Guidoccio

Me:  Your debut release, Between Land and Sea, is aimed towards the "boomer" or middle aged female.  What helped you decide to write for that target age?

Joanne:  In my late forties, I realized that I no longer enjoyed reading novels with 20something and 30something protagonists. It felt like poking into the heads and hearts of young women who could easily be former students. So, I started searching for novels featuring an older crowd and written by late blooming authors such as Louise Penny and Maeve Binchy.

When I decided to devote my second act to writing, I gravitated toward plots involving 50something women.

Me:  Your website's motto is "On the Road to Reinvention", which is also a focus of your debut novel.  Was this just a coincidence or was it intentional?

Joanne: Since retiring in 2008, I have been in transition. Interestingly enough, the protagonists of Between Land and Sea and A Season for Killing Blondes are also in transition. After leaving the Mediterranean kingdom, Isabella is aged beyond recognition and abandoned. To survive and thrive, she must reinvent herself. In A Season for Killing Blondes, Gilda Greco wins a $19 million lottery and decides to open a career counseling office for boomers and their older siblings.

When I created my website in 2012, the original motto was “Enjoying My Second Act as a Writer.” While writing is an important part of life after retirement, it is not my only focus. I felt “On the Road to Reinvention” more accurately described my life and that of my protagonists.

Me: What did you find the most challenging thing about being a teacher?

Joanne: During my 31-year teaching career, I enjoyed many aspects of the profession: interacting with students and colleagues, writing curriculum, and professional development. I particularly enjoyed teaching senior mathematics to the pre-university crowd and watching students evolve during their co-operative education semesters.

I found the profession to be demanding, one that I could not easily leave behind at the end of the day or even in June. So many curriculum changes, several that I questioned, but had to implement. On the cusp of turning 50, I faced my own health challenge (a diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer) and decided to take advantage of early retirement at age 53.

Me: What have you found the most challenging about becoming a writer after having had a full career in a much different atmosphere?

Joanne: In my younger days, I was a poster child for left brainers. I gravitated toward degrees in mathematics and education and found the teaching career to be a good fit. For the most part, I responded well to schedules and bells. While I was happy to leave the teaching routine, I faced several challenges during that first year after retirement. I was not too comfortable with large, unscheduled blocks of time and the tyranny of the blank page. After several months of unrest, I took stock and signed up for courses, workshops and seminars. Slowly, a writing practice emerged.

Me: What do you want to accomplish as a published author in 2014?  What can we look forward to reading from you?

Joanne: Right now, I have three books on the back burner. In The Coming of Arabella (Book 2 of the Mediterranean trilogy), another mermaid rises from the depths, determined to wreak havoc in Isabella’s life.  A Season for Killing Blondes is a cozy mystery based in my hometown of Sudbury, Ontario, and When It Comes Out of Nowhere is a memoir of my cancer experience.

Big Hair Audacious Goal for 2014 => Release all three books.

Pageboy Goal => Release two books.

Pixie Cut Goal => Release one book.

Quick Get to Know You Questions:

Favorite Color?

Joanne: Purple

Favorite Drink - Beer, Wine or Mixed Cocktail?

Joanne: Strawberry Daiquiri

Favorite vacation location?

Joanne: Maritime Provinces of Canada

Coffee or Tea?

Joanne: Chatty Matty Coffee

Favorite meal? 

Joanne: Love Greek food – souvlaki, spanakopita, moussaka...

Favorite childhood fairytale?

Joanne: The Little Mermaid 

Between Land and Sea

By Joanne Guidoccio

Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing

Release Date: September 17, 2013

Genre:  Paranormal/Fantasy Romance

Length: 226 Pages

ASIN: B00F9U5Q50

Add to Goodreads

About the book:

After giving up her tail for an international banker, Isabella of the Mediterranean kingdom is aged beyond recognition. The horrified banker abandons her on the fog-drenched shores of southwest England, leaving her to face a difficult human journey as a plain and practically destitute fifty-three-year-old woman.

With the help of a magic tablet and online mermaid support, Isabella evolves into the persona of Barbara Davies. Along the way, she encounters a cast of unforgettable characters, among them former mermaids, supportive and not-so-supportive women, deserving and undeserving men, and several New Agers.

Buy Link:  Amazon 

Excerpt

Isabella was seething, but she did not want to lose her composure in full view of this lowly mermaid. She managed a tight smile and changed the subject. “I’ve read the file on Barbara Davies. She doesn’t appear to have too many skills, other than a degree in philosophy. What am I to do with that?”

“Get a job.”

“Doing what?”

“Like all other humans, you must take responsibility for your own life and make full use of your gifts.”

“I don’t know how to do that,” Isabella said. “In the mermaid kingdom, I knew what my gifts were.”

“You still have some of your gifts.”

“Can you tell me what they are?”

Lisa738 shrugged. “I have no idea. Only Annabella knows.”

“Let me speak to her.”

“That is not possible. Annabella made it clear that she would no longer be communicating with you in your new life. I will be your only connection to the mermaid kingdom for the coming year.”

“Yes, yes, I know all about that,” Isabella said. “This tablet will malfunction and I will be on my own.”

“You will not be alone. You will have found a man to support you.”

“What if I don’t want a man to support me?”

Lisa738 frowned. “You must find a man to help you before the year’s end.”

“But what if I don’t find this special man? What happens then?”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

In high school, I dabbled in poetry, but decided to wait until I had more life experiences before writing a novel. The original plan was to get a general arts degree and take a few years off to travel and write. Instead, I gave in to my practical Italian side and obtained degrees in mathematics and education.

While I experienced many satisfying moments during my teaching career, I never found the time and energy to write. In 2008, I took advantage of early retirement. Slowly, a writing practice emerged and my articles and book reviews started appearing in newspapers, magazines and online.

My debut novel, Between Land and Sea, a paranormal romance about a middle-aged mermaid, was released by Soul Mate Publishing on September 18, 2013.

I live and write in Guelph, Ontario.

Where to find Joanne…

Website:   www.joanneguidoccio.com

Twitter:   https://twitter.com/joanneguidoccio

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/BetweenLandandSeaJG

Pinterest:   http://pinterest.com/jguidoccio/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7277706.Joanne_Guidoccio

Amazon:  http://is.gd/AVpoVs 

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Don't forget to leave a comment or question for Joanne to let her know you stopped by.  Joanne will be awarding a $75 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, please be sure to leave your email address with your comment.  You can follow the rest of Joanne’s tour here, the more stops you visit, the better your odds of winning.