A TRIP TO THE SOUTH AND BACK IN TIME: CASERTA

You know that, from time to time, I like and need to escape to survive to my rather stressful life style. I'm lucky enough to have quite grown-up children, an understanding husband and very special girlfriends who make that possible. This time we left from Rome by train and went  to Caserta for a couple of days, guests at one of our friends'.  She,  her lovely mother and her sister were our impeccable, generous host ladies and we had a great time! 

First of all, we visited Caserta 18th Century Royal Palace and its park,  roaming around the crowded fields and gardens for hours.

TWO BOOKS, TWO GIVEAWAYS, TWO WINNERS!

Happy Saturday, everyone! Just a quick posting today: two books, two different giveaway contests, two winners to be picked up and announced. 

Desy Giuffré has recently published her first novel, a paranormal sequel of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Height, Io sono Heathcliff, and she was HERE as my guest last week to present her work (which is in Italian) to our little but international  online community. 

The winner of this Italian book is ... Assurdopensare

Rosy Thornton's new novel is Ninepins. She too was my guest here at  FLY HIGH to launch its realease with a lovely post about a dream she had. Well, it was a nightmare,  actually  Do you want to know more? Click HERE .

The winner of Ninepins is ... Herba

NOT ONLY PERIOD. MOVIES I'VE WATCHED THESE DAYS: THE DECOY BRIDE AND NEVER LET ME GO

The Decoy Bride (2011) 

After lovelorn Katie (Kelly MacDonald)  is dumped at the altar, she returns home to her windswept Scottish island, thinking she will never walk down the aisle. Little does she know that Hollywood superstar Lara (Alice Eve) has chosen the island as the secret venue for her marriage to her gorgeous boyfriend James (David Tennant). 

But with the paparazzi hard on her tail, Lara needs to throw them off the scent. Katie agrees to dress in white and walk down the aisle as Lara’s ‘decoy bride.’ Wedding bells ring, love blooms, but who ends up happily ever after? 

GIVEAWAY WINNERS FOR HAZEL OSMOND, WHO'S AFRAID OF MR WOLFE?

Hazel Osmond wrote a lovely, funny piece just for FLY HIGH, "Men talking about love",  and though the giveaway contest linked to it is now closed so you are a bit late to win her "Who's Afraid of Mr Wolfe?", you should catch up and read it,  if you missed it last week. Especially if you liked Richard Armitage as John Thornton or Guy of Gisborne.

I'm sure Suwaida and Cailin liked the blog post since,  after reading it,  they decided to enter the giveaway and they won! Congratulations to both of them! They are going to receive a signed copy each of Who's Afraid of Mr Wolfe? very soon.
Thanks to all of you who read and commented. I'm sure you'll be luckier next time. New giveaways coming soon!
Finally, my gratitude to Hazel Osmond for granting FLY HIGH her presence and our readers the double chance to win her book. Good luck and great success to her!

ROSY THORNTON, EVERY WRITER'S DREAM? GUEST POST AND GIVEAWAY

Today Rosy Thorton is my guest to celebrate the release of her fifth novel, Ninepins here at FLY HIGH!  In  her  lovely guest post,  she tells us about a dream she had the night before the launch party for  her book (two days ago!)  I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.  Congratulations to Rosy on her new release, many thanks to her for writing this piece especially for our blog and good luck to you in the giveaway contest! Because, YES! there is one linked to this post. For the details, see at the bottom . 

A party in your favourite bookshop, to celebrate the publication of your new novel – it’s every writer’s dream, right?

Or maybe it’s a nightmare… 

DESY GIUFFRE' - A YOUNG ITALIAN WRITER IN LOVE WITH A LITERARY ROMANTIC HERO - I AM HEATHCLIFF, BOOK PRESENTATION, GIVEAWAY & POLL

I met Desy Giuffrè on Facebook as we are both members of Bronte fan groups and I was immediately curious to discover more about the book she was launching: I am Heathcliff, a modern sequel of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, a paranormal romance.

I asked her to present her first published book, IO SONO HEATHCLIFF (I AM HEATHCLIFF),  to you readers of FLY HIGH - though it is an  Italian book - and to explain the reasons of her fascination for Heathcliff and Catherine. She accepted to do it  and her publishers, Fazi  Editore,  have even granted you  (even if  NOT living in Italy) the chance  to win a free  copy.  To be entered in the giveaway contest,  leave your comment,  add your e-mail address and choose  your favourite Heathcliff in the poll below.   The winner will be announced on  28 April. NB. THE BOOK IS IN ITALIAN

Here  are Desy’s answers

Desy Giuffré

Why Wuthering Heights? Why writing  a sequel, a  paranormal sequel, of a literary classic that has already in itself an inexhaustible fire of emotions?

Well, the protagonists of Wuthering Heights can breathe immortality. And that is why  I chose them as a source of inspiration for a new story, a new love story which turns  life upside down.  Io sono Heathcliff  changes its atmosphere respect to the original novel, moving  from the  past to the  present, which is chaotic , carved on rocks,  spread in the heath and  blown in the wind which sings the eternal love between Cathy and Heathcliff.  

A love that hurts, that is beautiful and ruthless,  for his beloved Cathy Heathcliff is  a root  and , though an  unhealthy  one,  this root drags  something pure and precious. Not a villain, but a magnificently flawed man  in its stark reality. It is from this feeling, which is unique and memorable, and its shocking twists and turns that my story begins   and comes to life in the protagonists of  Io sono  Heathcliff:  Elena Ray and Damian Ludeschi.

MEN TALKING ABOUT LOVE - GUEST POST AND GIVEAWAY BY HAZEL OSMOND

Hazel Osmond  has written this brilliant short story especially for FLY HIGH! as an original way to present  the fascinating protagonist of her "Who's Afraid of Mr Wolfe?" to our readers.

Discover more about Hazel Osmond at the end of the post or visit her site. Read her short story and discover who the 3 men talking about love are. Leave your comment + e-mail address to win a signed copy of her book (see the giveaway details below).

Early morning in a forest glade.  The birds sing and sunlight shafts down between the ancient trees.

But all is not as tranquil as it appears - sitting on a tree stump is a dark haired man dressed in black leather and in his hand is a dagger. He is repeatedly stabbing at the tree trunk as if the wood had offended him. The only thing that stops him whittling the trunk to nothing is the appearance of another man in the glade, a man in a top hat and sombre suit, who strides purposely towards another tree stump and sits, straight- backed, upon it.

LOVE, SEX AND FAIRY-TALES

Mirror, Mirror

Hysteria

Can love, sex and fairy-tales be featured all together in one post? Yes, why not? If that's the movies I've watched at the cinema or on TV recently are about, it is just inevitable and obvious. Let's start with love in a contemporary fairy-tale (with sex but only hinted at ) I saw on ITV. Love Life is a modern-day fairy-tale broadcast few weeks ago. Why did I watch it? Do you recognize this young Brit bloke?

Rob James-Collier as Joe in Love Life

Not a clue? Maybe you remember him with slicked back hair, a bow tie and tails.

THE UNCROWNED QUEEN BY ANNE O'BRIEN RELEASED TODAY

Anne O'Brien's The Uncrowned Queen is out today at Amazon Kindle Store. This short story  is intended to be a prequel to her upcoming The King's Concubine,  the story of Alice Perrers, England’s most notorious mistress, which will be published on 4th May 2012. 

What is this new short story about?

Edward III and Philippa of Hainault are newly-weds, but Philippa’s path to the throne of England is paved with treason…

Edward III proved to be one of the greatest of English kings, bringing England to military glory with victories against the French at Crecy and Poitiers in the Hundred Years War.

But in 1330, Philippa of Hainault may be married to King Edward III but she is kept penniless and powerless. England grimaces in the clutches of the Dowager Queen Isabella and her ruthlessly ambitious lover Lord Mortimer, while Edward’s father rots in illegal confinement, a prisoner at Mortimer’s hand. It will take a courageous young man to emerge from the shadows and rise up against this formidable pair. But now Edward is grown to maturity and Philippa, his new wife, is determined to see justice done. It is her advice, whispered into the young King Edward’s ear, that will see the battle for England’s throne commence. Treason is rife, with all to lose, but a Crown – in more than name - to gain. The victor’s prize is England.  Failure could mean death.

Enjoy this glimpse into the conflict faced by Edward and Philippa in their battle to gain control of Edward’s true inheritance and set England on a path to greatness..

You can download this new e-book,The Uncrowned Queen by Anne O'Brien, for free HERE (only if you live in the UK) or HERE at $1.34 if you live elsewhere.

Other books by Anne O'Brien 

Visit Anne O'Brien's official  website or Facebook Page

AUTHOR GUEST POST - GEORGIA HILL: I LOVE HISTORY!

Georgia Hill

I was delighted to be asked to write a guest blog by Maria Grazia but struggled long and hard as to what its subject could be! Could I, perhaps, write about how Jane Austen inspired me? Well, if only I could write even a tiny bit like that genius! Or, what about how a crush on an actor (see Richard Armitage)  finally gave me my writing voice? Oh hang on, I’ve done that one!

Richard Armitage was Georgia's muse

So what could I write? While thinking about it I did pen a short piece on one of my favourite flowers – the snowdrop – but that just didn’t seem right somehow for Maria’s site. It didn’t help that her request to guest blog came right in the middle of a very busy term (my paying job is as a teacher) plus we had an inspection – something that always strikes fear into the hearts of a UK teacher!

January turned to February, February leaked into March and still not a word had been written. My admiration for professional writers grew – those people who, when asked to provide a thousand words on a given subject do, often with wit and verve. Not to mention having a deadline to meet. When I’m given a deadline, my reaction is for a shutter to close down on the creative part of my brain (I have one occasionally!). It’s just as well I’m not a journalist or copywriter.

Then I went away for a weekend in Devon and inspiration finally struck. Hurray!

I’m lucky to live in one of the most beautiful parts of the UK (I think) and am even luckier to have a tiny bolthole by the sea in Devon.

ROME - EXHIBITIONS, FRIENDS AND ... A BIT OF HARRY (JASPER KENNEDY)

Journal of a long pleasant day

Palazzo delle Esposizioni - Rome

The weather forecast had announced a cool, cloudy, rainy spring day. Having planned to be out in Rome all day with students and colleagues first  and with friends once off service, I had chosen to wear my woolen grey picot, my jeans and my boots and made sure to remember my umbrella. So? It was an incredibly hot sunny day instead, almost summer! Quite the wrong start, wasn't it? Wrong clothes, at least. 

However, sweating a bit all the way around the three exhibitions we had in our schedule, I enjoyed what I saw and what I heard all the the same until my quick lunch with my three nice colleagues. Our students were free to choose where to have lunch by themselves, wherever they wished, but nearby. MacDonald's? Yes, of course.

We met them again at 3.30 in the afternoon when the temperatures was even hotter and when our time together was almost over. Once they were all in the coach,  I left for the rest of my Roman adventure ... well... not exactly an adventure, but more a longed-for break in  my usual routine. 

Before going on with my journal, some news from the official site about the exhibitions we visited in the morning at Palazzo delle Esposizioni. 

WHEN IN APRIL THE SWEET SHOWERS FALL ....OR WHAT I'VE BEEN WATCHING

SPRING
"... and pierce the drought of March to the root..." In Chaucer's Canterbury Tales ( yes, I'm teaching Chaucer among others these days ) spring is the time of rebirth, of the flourishing of life.
On the contrary, I feel rather exhausted and worn out and while watching the beautiful blossoming spring days out of my window I feel very little enthusiasm, it gives me  no new energy, it doesn't cheer me up at all.  After being mad busy for weeks, I feel now emptied.

I've been overwhelmed by deadlines and paperwork. The result is that I'm so stressed that I haven't been blogging, nor reading, nor doing anything special. And this has made me even sadder.