Author Guest Post:
The Gift
I’ll never forget the day I came home from work and found the first printed copy of my novel, The Lust Garden, waiting for me in my mailbox. I was so consumed with joy that I actually cried, and I’m not embarrassed to admit that. Having the physical book in my hand was the final realization that I had done it, that I had made one of my dreams come true.
As happy as I was in that moment, I began to feel something else as well – emptiness. It was like I was letting go of something I’d held close to me for years. I don’t have any kids, but I imagine it’s a similar feeling to seeing your grown child leave for college. Crazy comparison? That’s me, though. I’m just as dramatic as my characters.
I decided then that I needed something that would remind of the book every day, and not a poster of the cover, which I do have in my writing room, but something special, something no one else would have.
I enlisted the help of my friend Katrina, who’s an artist. I commissioned a painting based on the last few chapters of my novel. I wanted the picture to tell Gianna’s story. I knew Katrina was the right person for the job. I’ve always thought her work was beautiful. She’s keen on the usage of bold, bright colors paired with whimsical themes, which is just my style.
When she unveiled the final piece to me, which happened to fall on my birthday, and the novel’s anniversary, I was blown away. I was ecstatic. She truly captured the essence of my story so precisely. It was like a roll of film taken from the pages of The Lust Garden.
I recently bought a townhouse and that’s where the painting hangs. She’s on display for everyone that comes to my home. My camera doesn’t do her justice:
Gianna’s Exit
For those familiar with the book, I’d love to read your thoughts in the blog comments. What do you think? Is it representative of my novel, The Lust Garden?
Paperback: 312 pages
Publisher: WingSpan Press (June 4, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1595943900
ISBN-13: 978-1595943903
Book Blurb:
With her perfectly tousled blonde hair and pink, pouty lips, Gianna Salvani is the girl everyone loves to hate. She has it all - fame, fortune and unrivaled beauty. But behind the seductive smile is an insecure girl who still grieves for the father she lost years ago. With a controversial new film in the can, and the release of her debut album looming, Gianna is poised to take center stage. But when a shocking secret leaves her exposed, her fame will bring her face-to-face with a nightmare she never saw coming. Because lurking in the shadow of her spotlight is an obsessed killer with plans of his own for Gianna. Ignited by his first conquest, Gianna's greatest admirer begins a brutal hunt to claim her as the ultimate trophy in a string of look-alike murders. Motivated by envy, he forces himself into her seemingly untainted world and threatens to ruin everything she's built by revealing a hidden tie that binds them. And if you knew his secret, you'd want to kill her too.
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