Interview with Author Sarita Leone

People have been telling me I need more variety on my blog here. What do they expect? Orchard Hill is a small town. It's not like there's that much to report. At least that I can make public on the internet, but if you ever stop by for coffee...

Anyway, to satisfy those critics, I've invited author Sarita Leone to tell us a little about herself and her work. Welcome Sarita.

Thank you so much for having me here, Cora. I'm thrilled to have this opportunity to chat with you!

Sarita, Tell us a little about yourself.

I don't know how else to say this so I'm just going to come out with it: I'm a very ordinary woman. Wonderfully blessed, incredibly happy, but really very ordinary. I've been married to the same amazing man for many years. We live in an old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. Our days are spent puttering around the house and grounds. In my spare time I sew, work on needlecrafts, draw and read. Together my husband and I garden, hike and go rowing in the summer and in the winter we eat the fruits of our summer gardening endeavors, snowshoe and play a lot of chess. And I write every morning before the day "officially" begins. Like I said, I am pretty typical. I could be anyone, anywhere. Nothing spectacular here. Just an average woman leading a very satisfying life, and feeling very fortunate to be doing so.

I understand there's a ghost in your upcoming release Legal Tender. Can you tell us a little about her?

Granny Walker is a wise-cracking, advice-giving ghost who just won't move gracefully to the hereafter. She's passed on in an unfortunate manner, leaving a will that has so many stipulations to it she feels her granddaughter may still need her around—so she stays. Granny dispenses advice right and left about her farm and the way it should be run but mostly she comments on Lindy's love life. You see, in Granny's heart she just wants Lindy to be happy...so she tries to "nudge" her granddaughter toward finding true love and contentment.

Lindy, your heroine in Legal Tender is a city girl who's stuck in the country. What adjustments does she have to make?

Poor Lindy! She has to give up so much to fulfill the stipulations of Granny's will! She moves from the city to the farm and stays put while her sometimes boyfriend takes the dream trip to Europe they'd been planning. As if that's not enough, Lindy's got to learn the ins and outs of running a successful strawberry and apple operation. She's gone from taking the subway to driving a tractor, but she's managed to do it gracefully. Lindy's one of the strongest heroines I've written so far.

Legal Tender is a mystery. What does Lindy need to find out?

So many things, really. There's a cloud surrounding Granny's death that needs to be dispelled. Also, her cousin Jenna has an agenda for the farm which she must unravel. And maybe the most important mystery for Lindy to deal with is the one that we all deal with at one time or another...the search for self. Lindy makes some big changes, takes quite a few leaps of faith, but she's still faced with serious issues. She's got to decide who she is, where she's going, and what she wants. And she must discover the mystery of her own heart—something that isn't always easy, even when the heart in question is one's own.

Your book is also a romance. Give us the scoop on that.

One of the stipulations in Granny Walker's will is that Lindy will marry within two years. So Lindy--with an other-worldly push from her grandmother—sets about finding true love. She's got to fulfill the legal obligation but, more importantly, she must satisfy the demands of her heart. Lindy is determined to find romance and love or forfeit her inheritance. Even with three men vying for her attention Lindy takes her time deciding whether or not any of the men she's got feelings for are "Mr. Right."

When and where can I buy this book?

Legal Tender will be released from Whiskey Creek Press on September 1st.

http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=93

Signed copies are available for pre-order through my blog, From the Heart. The email address for pre-orders is snowdancebooks@gmail.com

September 1st! I can't wait that long. What other books do you have out?

Snowdance, my first book, is the story of a woman's life, told by the nearly 100-year-old woman herself. Elinor Montoya is one of those ladies who lives an extraordinary life—ordinarily—and tells about it, through letters and reminiscences on a snowy afternoon.

Vineyard Mambo is a cozy romantic mystery. When a body is found in the quiet little town of Milton Falls, librarian Anna Romeo decides that murder and mayhem won't do—not in her town. She sets out to discover who's killing people, setting fires and causing so much disruption that the annual Zucchini Festival may be postponed. Anna loves the festival, and her friends and neighbors, and won't rest until order is restored. This is the first Anna Romeo mystery. I have a feeling Anna and her brilliant cat, Merlot, may make more appearances on the bookshelf.

Sniffing Sand is the first in a series of romantic mysteries set on the small island of Chincoteague, Virginia. When Nina's husband leaves her alone in their new, gorgeous beach house, she has to decide how she's going to pick up the pieces of her chaotic life and move forward. She seems to be doing that—until a body turns up on the beach, practically outside her back door! With the help of a handsome police chief and her best friend since childhood, Nina learns that sometimes even the most shocking events in life can be turned into something good. It's a story of overcoming and uncovering, island-style. The second book in this series, Sandswept, releases in December.

Cora, thank you so much for having me here. I've enjoyed this visit more than I can say!

Me too, Sarita. If you're ever in Orchard Hill stop by and we'll have coffee. Then I'll give you the scoop on what I can't print on my blog!

For more information on Sarita Leone and her work visit her website - http://www.saritaleone.com/ - or her wonderful blog - From the Heart