It's wonderful to have Michelle Hiscox here today as my guest. She's sharing about a vacation site that inspired her new paranormal romance, A New Day at Midnight. The place that inspired her was Rome, one of my favorite spots too. My husband and I were there in 2012, and I can imagine how it prompted Michelle's book. Be sure to check out her new release as well as her great giveaway contest at the end of this post.
WHAT I FOUND IN ROME
By Michelle Hiscox
I started
writing my paranormal romance, A New Day
at Midnight, in 2006. It wasn’t until I visited Rome in 2011 that I got to
see the very place I pictured the father of Merik Hearne, my main character,
standing. While much of the novel takes place in the Rocky Mountains of
Montana, Rome represents a place of great change for the Hearne family. Below
is just a sample of the inspiration I found in Rome, a localedisplaying both the
light and darkness of the human soul…
1.
THE COLOSSEUM
The Roman
Colosseum, or Flavian Ampitheatre, was commissioned by Emporer Vespasian in AD
72 on the site of the Nero’s palace, a ruler whose fondness for cruelty and
excess led to his demise. The Colosseum had a great impact on me when I visitedand
despite the historical significance of the site, I couldn’t wait to get off of
those grounds.
Roman gladiators fought many battles in the Colosseum, and they were usually slaves, prisoners of war, or criminals. Combats were attended by the rich and poor, often with the Emperor watching over the bloodshed. The cries and curses of the audience resonated within the walls, and cheers for the victor often reached a deafening roar.Contests occurred one after another, and when the ground became soaked withblood, a layer of sand was thrown over it and new contests began. Humans and animals fought and died within the confines of the Colosseum, and all in the name of entertainment.
The suffering that took place here was palpable; I could
hardly bear to look at the cells they kept the people in before combat, or the
cages they kept the animals in before they set them out to destroy each other.
For me it was a place of sorrow much more than one of simple fascination.
2.
TIVOLI
Tivoli, particulary Villa d’Este, is one of the most
beautiful places I’ve ever seen in person. My favorite picture is of the woman
hanging her sheets to dry from her apartment window, as the image encapsulates
the medieval hill town that Tivoli is. It’s like stepping back in time. Several
mothers stood outside the old stone school, strollers in hand, chatting, until
the bell rang and their children ran out, throwing themselves into their
mother’s arms. I’ve never seen a place so tranquil yet so full of life.
Villa d’Este is teaming with
Italian gardens, fountains, grottos, nymphs and a variety of attractions
featuring plays on water. There are caves, waterfalls, and unparalleled
elements of art and history, all magnificent and waiting to be discovered by
the enthusiastic traveller. Hanging gardens and terraces dominate the
landscape, hinting at elements of an ancient world. In contrast to the
Colosseum, the beauty and light in Tivoli shone through any darkness.Tivoli inspired the gardens found behind Rosehearne Manor, the stone and marble monolith built by my brooding hero, Merik Hearne, in an unconscious quest to reclaim the love he lost. Intricate plots of flowers, especially roses, adorn the back of the manor in a labyrinth lit by torches.
3.
MONUMENT
TO ANNITA GARIBALDI
I felt awe when I reached the monument of Annita Garibaldi,
a woman who representsall of the strength and courage I hoped to emulate with
Hannah Worthington, one of the main characters in my novel. The love she shared
with her husband, Giuseppe Garibaldi, is what romantic legends are made of.
Below is a brief explanation of what this amazing woman overcame to find her
way back to her husband.
In the Battle of Curitibanos, Giuseppebecame
separated from wife Annita, who was captured by the rival group. In captivity,
the guards told Annita that Garibaldi had died.Distraught for her husband and
the child they were expecting, Annita asked if she could search among the dead
in battle. When she didn’t find him this gave hope to Annita, who after a while
crept up on a camp horse, mounted it and escaped at a gallop. The soldiers
chased her with the ordered to return her dead or alive. They shot and killed
her horse, but not Annita. She escaped, came upon the river Canoas, and waded
across. The soldiers thought she would not survive and left her for dead. Annita
spent four days wandering without food or drink in the woods until she found a
group willing to provide her with food. She contacted the rebels and was
reunited with Garibaldi in Vacaria. A few months later their first child,
Menotti, was born. – Wikipedia Content
2015
4.
THE
DOMUS SESSORIANA & THE RELICS
The DomusSessoriana is located within an archaeological site that
includes the ruins of the Temple of Venus and Cupid, which in times past housed
Councils of State, and the magnificent Castrensian Amphitheatre, built in the
time of Emperor Heliogabalus. - www.domussessoriana.it
Now a hotel, the DomusSessoriana looks out on the city of Rome, and
provides a gathering place for citizens stopping for a rest on their walks or
taking their dogs for a stroll. I stayed in the hotel, but the magic wasn’t to
be found inside of the rooms, it was everywhere.A church within the walls of
the hotel held far greater treasures than a comfortable bed, it contained the
Relics.
The Relics of the Passion of Jesus comprise three fragments from the
Cross, a Nail from the crucifixion, two Thorns from the Crown and a piece of
the Title of the Cross. The authenticity of the relics has been the subject of
various studies down through the centuries, but ithas been confirmed by
historical and scientific studies that some of the Relics now reside within the
Basilica housed by the DomusSessoriana. – www.domussessoriana.it
I am not, by nature, a religious person, but when I stepped into the
home of the relics, I found something I didn’t realize I’d been looking for.
For a moment, I found peace, a reprieve from much of the weight that life can
pile on, or which I placed on myself. Through tears I prayed, and for a time it
seemed as if God were listening. Even as a writer, I can’t truly describe what
I encountered there, but I know some of thatemotion flowed through me and into
my writing.
My time in Rome changed me, and it enhanced my connection to and
understanding of a place I wrote about but had never been.I’m not sure if I, orA New Day at Midnight,would be quite the
same if I hadn’t explored those ancient grounds.
A New Day at Midnight
The
Hearne Family Saga
Book
1
Michelle
Hiscox
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Bookkus Publishing
Date of Publication: February 14,
2015
ISBN: 0991709497
ASIN: B00TGOODU4
Page Count Print – 264
Page Count Electronic – 268
Word Count: 92,691
Cover Artist: Bookkus Publishing
Book Description:
When Merik Hearne finally lays
claim to the woman that betrayed him, she inspires much more than his need for
revenge—but is her love worth dying for again?
Condemned to play host to a
demon, the scarred Romani leader has amassed a fortune with only one goal in
mind—to possess Hannah Worthington, the traitorous beauty that has eluded him
for over a decade. With an exchange of coin, everything he has been striving
for is within reach but nothing is as he imagined. The tender, sharp-tongued
woman he encounters tests the bounds of his convictions and he is torn between
the promise of reckoning and longing for a love that once destroyed him.
Exchanged for a purse of gold and
informed she is to be a slave, Hannah vows she has not survived a lifetime of
loss only to wither under the likes of Merik Hearne. And she will do everything
she can to make sure he knows it. Despite his overbearing manner, his fierce
scars, and her own determination to escape him, she begins to see that
something beautiful might lie beneath…something that belongs only to her. She
must discover the angle from which the great lord plays before his dark desires
consume them both.
As they struggle to find truth
amid pasts marred by sorrow and secrecy, they are unaware that a vengeful
apostle orchestrates the rise of a forgotten god—and the end of their chance at
a life together.
Available at Amazon Amazon.ca Amazon.co.uk BN
Excerpt
Hannah realized
Merik had left her doors unlocked. Again. Did he believe she would stay now
that she knew his true name and nature? She dare not utter the real question
plaguing her, but it invaded her mind nonetheless.
Is he right? A
large ember escaped from the iron latticework in front of the fire, landing on
the rug at her feet. She watched it smoulder.
Smoke curled up
in delicate tendrils, disappearing before reaching the high ceiling. She stared
for several long moments, willing the flame to grow, to consume her. It held
the colour of Merik’s eyes, burning gold and crimson. A small flame flickered
to life, hungry for progress until she stamped it out with the heel of her
foot.
Rising from the
fire to flop on her bed, she stopped short as an echo rang through the hall.
Certain her battered senses played tricks on her, she pulled back her covers to
lay down but heard it again.
Whether it was a
call of rage, grief, or agony she could not distinguish. It came from Merik’s
quarters, echoing deep within the shadows of the hall. Padding to her door, she
warred between anger over his treatment of her and the desire to ease his pain.
She could not
ignore the fact he’d told her the truth. Pulling a robe about her shoulders,
she kicked off her charred slipper. Without consulting her mind, she made the
decision with her heart. She rested her hand on the door, opening the barrier
between her and the unknown.
“Shit. Shit,
shit, shit. What am I doing? I can stay in my rooms. There is hardly any need
to go out there.”
Another tortured
cry rose in the air, strengthening her resolve to help Merik.
Lighting a
candle, she forced herself to go into the hall. Another cry rang through the
air, and as she got closer to Merik’s chamber, she finally understood what he
was saying. Her name.
“I’m coming,
Merik.” Running to his room, she entered through the open door to see an empty
chamber. Desperation overrode the fear hammering her heart against her chest.
The room smelled of blood, of sickness. Could Vetala even get sick? Could they
die?
“No, please no,
not again. Merik? Merik, please call my name.”
He groaned. As
she followed the source of the noise, the candle shook in her hand. The hot wax
stung her flesh when she stopped several steps in front of a half-open door set
in the wall.
“Merik?” The
smell of death clung to the entrance and she gagged. The candle wobbled in her
hand. She steadied it, saying a quick thanks to God it did not go out. She
could not bear to go forth in the darkness without light. Setting the candle on
the floor, she swung the door wide. The candle flickered as she picked it up.
Fear twisted her guts and no matter how she tried, she could not stop her hands
from shaking. She took another step.
“Merik?” It took
her eyes several moments to see more than a foot from her face. When she saw
him in the dim light, she gasped. He now stood in front of her. It took her
several more moments to realize he was not standing of his own volition, but
rather restrained by chains embedded in the stone wall. When he lifted his
head, she covered her mouth to stifle a scream.
Eyes of molten
gold and crimson stared back at her. His jaw and facial bones were distended,
his hands curled into claws. The changes were much more severe than the few
instances she attributed to the loss of her mind.
“I…I…” Stepping
back toward the entrance, her gaze never left Merik’s. She turned her back on
him to commence a rather spineless retreat, but could not get her feet to
cooperate.
“Hannah?” The
voice held much more than pain. What? Desperation? Hope? She could not move as
her heart and mind waged war. Despite his appearance, she knew beneath the
angled bone protruding from his flesh, his distorted face, and the fangs
visible in his mouth, Merik stood in front of her. The man she met a decade
before. The man looking at her with the same single focused intensity with
which he always did. The man she loved.
Taking another
step and hearing nothing but her own harsh breathing, she took one more.
About
the Author:
Michelle Hiscox is a Paranormal
Romance fan and author who hails from Drumheller, Alberta. The dinosaur bones
buried in the hills of her hometown inspired the first stories she ever wrote,
and she feels blessed to walk those same hills with her daughter today. Crocus flowers
and dust bowls full of cactus never fail to inspire.
While her little girl and husband
provides many welcome distractions to writing, it's something she always finds
her way back to. Michelle is the proud, and slightly crazy, owner of two dogs
and three cats, all animals she loves more than she reasonably should. She's
been reading voraciously since she was a child and, one night, pulled her nose
from a book to start writing her own.
Website – http://www.michellehiscox.com
Amazon Author Page –http://www.amazon.com/l/B00VO2K990
Tour
giveaway
5 print or ebook copies of A New
Day at Midnight (winner’s choice, print available to US and Canadian Shipping
Only)
*~*~*
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