What is one of your favorite things about writing?
I love hearing from readers! I’m always thrilled when I get an email letting me know that one of my Tavonesi Series love stories touched a heart or provided a transporting evening of peace and captivating reading. I especially love to hear that in addition to loving the romance a reader found that the story opened them to new worlds and ways of being they had never before considered. Stories are the stuff of life and it’s an honor to have to opportunity to write and share them!
What is the most difficult thing about writing?
Writing is more than a full time job and juggling life and work is something all my readers are familiar with. Another aspect of writing that is tough is all the sitting. I do try to get up every half hour or so or to write standing up some of the time, but my preferred position (or should I say it seems my muse’s preferred position) is sitting. And we now know sitting for much of the day isn’t a good thing. I discovered from reading about the astronauts that if you get up every 25 minutes or so and do a couple of squats, it really helps keep the immune system charged up. So I’m giving this a go!
What do you like about writing series books?
I love that the characters in my Tavonesi Series grow and change as the series progresses. And I also love that that they show up in key moments to help one another along the journey of life. Alex Tavonesi, the hero in the first book in the series, LOVE BATS LAST (now free online), has a role in every book and readers have fallen in love with him. He’s tough, smart and at the top of his game with a hint of mystery and a whole lot of wisdom.
What are your favorite research resources or methods?
In almost every book I write there are a couple of characters that show up fully formed. Italian heiress Zoe Tavonesi, the heroine of The Heart of the Game, book #6 in my Tavonesi series is one. And her unlikely hero, Cody Bond is another. But sometimes these ‘fully formed’ characters then require a lot of research!
Zoe is a world ranked competitor on the international women’s polo circuit. And Cody was a rodeo champion in his early years, before he became a Major League Baseball catcher. Cody and Zoe meet when he is buttonholed by Zoe’s cousin to round out her team for an important charity match. The captain of her team sprained his wrist adjusting a garland and never mind that Cody has only an hour to learn the game–he quickly discovers that the sport he’d once considered a game for rich boys is kicking his butt.
Polo has been around for thousands of years. It’s a game of power, strategy and finesse. Some sources show the “Game of Kings” starting as early as 500 B.C.
One of the great pleasures (and often a source of prevarication!) is doing the in-depth research that makes it possible to bring characters alive in my love stories. When writing THE HEART OF THE GAME, I was fortunate to be able to attend the Audi International Polo competition.
I sat in the broadcast booth, separated from eight thundering horses and riders by a six inch high piece of wood that served as the boundary marker. At one point when the ball shot toward us, landing within a foot of the plank, my heart caught in my throat. But the horses and riders chased the ball to within inches of the boundary and then moved in a thundering flurry of hooves and mallets toward the goal at the end of the field. It’s so rare to be enveloped by the sound of thundering hooves; it’s a sound out of another time. And rarer still to observe horses and riders move with such grace and competitive charge, with such focused intent. Haiti, the United States, Argentina and Panama fielded teams for the match.
Do you have an excerpt from your latest release you would like to share?
Here’s an excerpt from THE HEART OF THE GAME, (book #6 in the Tavonesi Series).
In this excerpt, the heroine, Zoe Tavonesi, Alex’s Italian cousin, is attending her first baseball game.
The lilting sound of women’s laughter poured out like sunshine into the dim hallway as Zoe approached the VIP luxury suite in the massive baseball stadium. Lifted by the welcome sound, she hoped she was headed for the right place. The other suites she’d passed were packed with groups of men.
She wasn’t in the mood for men.
Although, as she’d stared out at the practice area at the field level before seeking out the suite, Cody Bond had caught her eye. He hadn’t seen her, but she’d watched him. He’d crouched low, catching and returning a ball thrown to him over and over by a pitcher. At one point a ball skidded in the dirt and bounced into the mask covering his face. He’d torn it off and, to her surprise, grinned at the pitcher as he fired the ball back.
She liked the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled.
And there was no denying he had a body a woman remembered. In her dreams she’d watched that body… she and he were riding a shoreline somewhere, wild and free and…
She smoothed a hand along one hip. Maybe she was in the mood for men after all. Or for one anyway. Yet she’d sworn she wouldn’t develop any relationships that would make it harder to return home. But the memory of her dream lingered and wouldn’t be pushed away. If the rumors about single ballplayers were true, maybe she could have a fling with Cody. He’d shown interest… those signals she’d read quite clearly. God, was she actually considering having some light, easy fun with a man she’d met just yesterday? Coco would have a field day if she suspected. Her baby sister had been eyeing Alex’s teammates with designs of her own.
Rehearse the facts.
Fact number one: She was returning to Italy as soon as she felt that her father had come through his grief enough to be stable and settled.
Fact number two: Cody Bond was a ballplayer. A baseball player. Last she checked, they didn’t play baseball in Italy. There’d be no possible future with such a man.
Fact number three: A fling would be a disaster. Even putting one toe into the pool of energy she felt when she was around him would dissolve the barely functional web she’d secured around her heart.
No, she wasn’t signing up for intentional heartbreak.
A gentle nudge to her elbow had her lifting her head. When she met the questioning look in Cody’s eyes, she knew she’d already taken a few too many steps onto the bridge she’d imagined arcing between them.
Then he smiled and the line between imagination and reality blurred beyond recognition.
If the main characters in your latest release were invited to a masquerade party, what costumes would they wear?
Great question as in my next book, LOVE IN THE VINEYARD (available at iBooks as preorder and everywhere else on September 11th) the story gets moving with a masquerade ball. Stay tuned!
What makes the hero of THE HEART OF THE GAME hot?
OMG. Cody Bond? He’s a former rodeo champ turned MLB catcher. He has an amazing All-Star athlete’s body and the uncanny ability to move with speed and grace. Combine that with a love of animals and a deep yet troubled heart and you have a man to swoon over!
Tell us a little about you:
I live in Sonoma County in the Bay Area of California. For many years I produced films and radio and television programs including Your Water, Your Life, featuring actress Susan Sarandon and NPR series New Voices, The Powers of the Universe and The Earth’s Imagination. I also worked to improve the lives and the habitats of wild animals as I love animals of all sorts and want to see them thrive.
I like to write stories that entertain, transport and inspire dreams while captivating and tugging at the heart. When I write it’s with the goal of sharing with readers a journey with complex characters who are thrown in situations that tempt love, adventure and self-discovery!
Where can we visit you online?
Thanks for having me, Kate!
You can find all of my books as well as The Heart of the Game (Zoe and Cody’s love story) at all vendors:
or on my website: http://www.PamelaAares.com.
Happy and steamy, delightful summer reading!
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