Bookworm Press

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I went to visit my niece and her husband in Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands west of North Africa. One of the highpoints of my stay was a trip to the Teide mountain, a 3,715 meter (12,188 feet) high volcano. We drove the scenic road about half-way to the top. There is also a gondola to the very top but we stayed at the halfway point. The view from there was spectacular. Here are a few pictures.

You can see the volcanic structure and the rocks. Reminds me somwhat of a lunar landscape.

There were quite a few people watching the sunset above the sea of fog and you can see why. The view was breathtaking.

Now, something more sinister. My nephew told me that a few days or weeks ago, two bodies were found at the bottom of the volcano. At the time, it wasn’t known who the people were or how they ended up at the bottom of the cliff. An accident or foul play? This must have been a terrible and shocking experience for everyone involved. And yet it is a mystery that triggers my writer’s imagination. My next mystery novel could indeed take place on Tenerife. We’ll see.

Enjoy the pictures!

This was another opportunity to combine fun with research for my novel, Finding Angelo, Book 2 in The Wine Lover’s Daughter series.

I’m staying in Switzerland at my second home for a while. My nephew had an important birthday and his niece, my great-niece, organized a wonderful trip for the family to an old castle in the Piedmont region, Italy, just south of Switzerland.

The castle was renovated and turned into a hotel and restaurant. However, whatever could be kept of the medieval structure was left intact. You could get lost on the inside of the buildings with its many hallways and secret pathways. Pictures of the predecessors of the castle looked down from the walls of every room and I swear I heard a ghost at night, rattling in the hallways. Hmmm?

The towns below are Pavone and Ivrea.

Gorgeous suites and bedrooms, all in the old style with paintings from the original castle.

View from the castle.

The gardens are well kept but natural.

Dinner and breakfast were served in a vaulted cellar.

Very romantic and special. Who knows, my next novel may take place in the Piedmont in Italy!

March 2018: What started out as an idea about a novel became reality. Finding Angelo, Book 2 in my The Wine Lover’s Daughter series does take place in the  Piedmont, and, in part, at the Castello di Pavone!

https://myBook.to/FindingAngelo

More about the castle and its history: http://www.castellodipavone.com/en

BookSwag is a great new book site, where you can find a variety of inexpensive ebooks. Book One and Two of my Family Portrait series are featured on their bookshelves.

Today only, part one, An Uncommon Family, is free on Amazon and part two, Love of a Stonemason, is $ 2.99. So you get both books for a total of $ 2.99. Great deal!

An Uncommon Family – free

Love of a Stonemason – $2.99