Feature + Guest Post: Rome in Love by Anita Hughes

This week I am excited to share a feature plus a guest post on Anita Hughes's new novel, Rome in Love! Be sure to check out the book below and the guest post right after it :)

Goodreads Summary: When Amelia Tate is cast to play the Audrey Hepburn role in a remake of Roman Holiday, she feels as if all her dreams have come true. She has a handsome boyfriend, is portraying her idol in a major motion picture, and gets to live in beautiful Rome for the next two months. 

Once there, she befriends a young woman named Sophie with whom she begins to explore the city. Together, they discover all the amazing riches that Rome has to offer. But when Amelia's boyfriend breaks up with her over her acting career, her perfect world begins to crumble.

While moping in her hotel suite, Amelia discovers a stack of letters written by Audrey Hepburn that start to put her own life into perspective. Then, she meets Philip, a handsome journalist who is under the impression that she is a hotel maid, and it appears as if things are finally looking up. The problem is she can never find the right time to tell Philip her true identity. Not to mention that Philip has a few secrets of his own. Can Amelia finally have both the career and love that she's always wanted, or will she be forced to choose again?

With her sensory descriptions of the beautiful sites, decadent food, and high fashion of Rome, Hughes draws readers into this fast-paced and superbly written novel. Rome in Love will capture the hearts of readers everywhere.

Now, here is the guest post from Anita about the inspiration behind Rome in Love!

 I have always been a fan of classic romantic movies, particularly the dialogue between actors like Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, and Doris Day and Rock Hudson. One Christmas, I sat down to watch Roman Holiday and fell in love with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. In Roman Holiday, Audrey Hepburn's first starring role (for which she won an Academy Award) she plays a princess in Rome, who pretends to be an ordinary girl for a day. She meets a reporter (Gregory Peck) and of course they fall in love. 

I was inspired to write ROME IN LOVE by watching Audrey Hepburn and by seeing the gorgeous locations in Rome. Hepburn has one of the most unique voices' I've ever heard. I watched all her movies (I especially loved TWO FOR THE ROAD with Albert Finney) and couldn't get her voice out of my head. I thought about writing an updated version of Roman Holiday - set in Rome, with all the glorious foods and clothes and monuments. It was great fun to write and I discovered many interesting things about Audrey Hepburn's past while I was researching the book.

I hope my readers enjoy a short holiday in Rome when they read ROME IN LOVE!

Be Sure to Follow Anita @ Her Social Media:

Website: http://anitahughesbooks.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anitahughesauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hughesanita

{Guest Post} From Ron at Emotobooks!

Guest Post by Ron Gavalik

I had the privilage to do a guest post for Ron @ Emotobooks and I'm super excited to share it with you guys today! :)  And its about: "The Fusion of Written Fiction and Expressionistic Art"

Thank you to Patrick of The Bookshelves Blog for allowing me to guest post.
 
As a writer and publisher, it’s always been a goal to bridge the gap between the cerebral gratifications of well-plotted fiction writing and the visual stimulation of illustrative art. The one day I had a mini-epiphany. Insert expressive, emotionally representative imagery in written stories, during moments of emotional consequence. By delivering a visual of what a character feels, the reader becomes more intensely immersed in the story.
 Emotobooks are written fiction stories, not comics or graphic novels. The few emotional abstract images woven in the stories are the dream-like visuals each of us experience in the middle of the night.
 The term Emotobook is a portmanteau word I conjured as a memorable label for the very first fiction medium for smartphones and tablets. For the first time, readers can now see actual representation of character emotions right on the page for a fun, interactive experience.

Stories are published as EmotoSerials or EmotoSingles. EmotoSerials are monthly-released, continuing stories, much like TV dramas or miniseries that continue until their climactic ends. EmotoSingles are individual experiences.

 
I launched Grit City Publications in July of 2011, with the first Emotobook series titled Grit City, a seven-part story about Dillon Galway, an idealistic freelance journalist, who scrapes out a living reporting on corruption. Since then, we’ve grown the Emotobooks Catalog into an array of fun genre fiction titles in Sci-Fi, Romance, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller, and Horror.

Each Emotobook title consists of three creators: the author, editor, and illustrator. It’s our philosophy that three contributors on each Emotobook delivers a richer, more flavorful story. The creators even offer Autograph Cards and suggest mood settings, such as food, drink, and music. This way our fans can achieve a full-bodied experience.

 
Emotobooks accommodate a new audience, who desire a fast “full story experience” on smartphones, iPods, computers, or tablet readers in about 30 to 60 minutes. They can be purchased from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers.
 
Our editors are currently seeking the best genre fiction for the Emotobooks transformation. It’s required that fiction writers read our submission guidelines and the free handbook, How to Create Emotobooks, before submitting. Our publishing model is unique and we require long-term participation from authors for everyone’s success.
 
Now that you’ve been introduced to the Emotobooks Revolution, I hope you’ll join our Readers Cult and begin collecting the coolest titles. We even offer free Autograph Cards to our fans. What it really comes down to is we write, edit, and illustrate the best modern fiction for our fans. Without you, we wouldn’t be here.

Thank you.
 

Patrick @ The Bookshelves: Thanks so Much for the guest post Ron! :)

Ron Gavalik’s Bio:
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ron Gavalik is a seasoned freelance journalist and fiction author of the successful Grit City thriller series. As Publisher for Grit City Publications, he oversees the Emotobooks Revolution. Ron holds an M.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University and a B.S. in Marketing Communications from Point Park University. When not writing, you can find him in the outdoors of Southwestern Pennsylvania on his trail bike, hiking, or fishing.