Guest Author Elizabeth McKenna

Today I welcome Elizabeth McKenna, author of the historical romance novel Cera's Place, and the upcoming Venice in the Moonlight. Welcome Elizabeth!

Author Elizabeth McKenna

I want to start off by talking about your work.

What inspired you to write your first book?

I’ve always loved to write. I started out as an English major in college but switched to Journalism because I tend to write concise. I felt out of place with those who could write paragraph-long sentences. Unfortunately, that set me on a path of non-creative writing. A few years ago, my girls asked why I wasn’t writing fiction. I replied, “Technical writing pays the bills.” I decided to write Cera’s Place to show them it is never too late to follow your dreams (there was also a scary psychic involved, but that’s another story). No, I am not a best-selling author yet, but I am closer to quitting my day job (please don’t tell my husband that).

What are your current projects?

I’m trying very hard to finish Venice in the Moonlight, a historical romance set in 1753.  It’s a story of vengeance, forgiveness and love. Here’s the description I have been using:

After her husband’s death, Marietta Gatti is banished from the family’s villa by her spiteful mother-in-law. With nowhere to go, she returns to Venice and her only kin – a father she hasn’t spoken to since her forced marriage.

Hoping to make amends, she is devastated to find he has died two months earlier. When his lover insists it was under suspicious circumstances, Marietta retraces her father’s last days only to learn someone may have wanted him dead.

When the prime suspect is the father of the man she is falling in love with, Marietta faces a heart-breaking decision. Should she risk her future happiness to avenge the death of a man she has despised for the past five years?

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

The first few reviews of Cera’s Place ripped on the amount of sex in the story, so at first I thought – whoa – I really screwed up here. Later reviews complimented the heat level, so I finally decided you can’t please everyone. With Cera’s Place, because of the setting (a saloon) and the characters, I feel the amount of sex is justifiable. With Venice in the Moonlight, there is only one major love scene because more than that didn’t feel right with these characters.

Let’s talk a bit about you.

What is your favorite thing to do on a rainy weekend?

Watch movies or DVR with my girls.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

Mean people – especially if it is an adult in a position of authority who is being mean to a child.

Books; devour or savor?

Devour. If it is a good book, I won’t stop until I’m done. Everyone else has to fend for themselves because Mama’s reading.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be an astronaut. As a teenager, I loved the night sky and read a lot of sci fi, so the thought of going into space was very appealing. Unfortunately, I discovered I was claustrophobic in the worse way. I never would have made it!

Thanks for the interview, Elizabeth!

Looking for a good read? Check out Cera's Place  

In 1869, San Francisco saloon owner Cera Cassidy offers redemption to any woman looking for honest work. At Cera's Place, men can get a decent hot meal with a whiskey, but if they want anything more, they have to take their desires elsewhere. One summer night, a distraught Chinese girl bursts through the swinging doors with a shocking tale of murder, kidnapping, and prostitution. Outraged, Cera vows to set things right.

Jake Tanner, a scarred ex-soldier haunted by the horrors of the Civil War, is on a mission to fulfill a friend's dying wish. The trail has brought him to Cera's door. Captivated by her Irish beauty, he wants to join her fight - but will she let him?

Elizabeth McKenna's debut novel is a fast-paced adventure filled with memorable characters that will leave you wanting more. Get lost in a time gone by and fall in love today!

Cera's Place is available in print or ebook at all major booksellers

http://elizabethmckenna.com/buy/

Connect with Elizabeth McKenna

https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethMcKennaAuthor

https://www.facebook.com/CerasPlace

http://elizabethmckenna.com/

Twitter: @elizamckenna

A little bit more about Elizabeth:

Elizabeth McKenna is a full-time technical writer/editor for a large software company. She never read romance novels until one Christmas when her sister gave her the latest bestseller by Nora Roberts. She was hooked from page one (actually, she admits it was the first love scene).

She had always wanted to write fiction, so when a psychic told her she would write a book, Elizabeth felt obligated to give it a try. She combined her love of history, romance and a happy ending to write her first novel Cera's Place. She recently released a short story titled The Gypsy Casts a Spell.

Elizabeth lives in Wisconsin (Packers, Brewers, and Badgers - oh my!) with her understanding husband, two beautiful daughters, and sassy Labrador. When she isn't writing, working, or being a mom, she's sleeping.