What would you like to tell readers about yourself?
* In addition to practicing law and writing fiction, Maria enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters either at home or at the Jersey Shore.
Today Maria Imbalzano will be talking about how she became a writer and what inspired her in regard to the story she's promoting.
* About seventeen years ago, while reading a best-selling novel, I grew frustrated with the author. She had told the reader the same thing within pages of each other. Being an avid reader, I knew what good writing was, and I couldn’t believe this book had made it through the publishing process and onto the bookshelves. In my naïve, optimistic world I told myself, “I can do this.” Thus began my quest to write a romance novel.
* Unfortunately, I didn’t know where to start. I’m a divorce lawyer and as a lawyer, I write motions, legal memoranda and briefs – a world away from creative writing. Besides, I was never much of a creative writer during my school years. As fate would have it, a flier came across my desk for a seminar called “How to Write Your Book In 14 Days (A Lawyer’s Guide)”. The seminar was exactly what I needed to get started – although to this day, I have not been able to write a book in fourteen days. But it got me started. I wrote during whatever spare time I could find, attended writing seminars and conferences, and submitted my query letters and manuscripts to agents and editors. My first two manuscripts will probably never see the light of day, but I learned so much about writing from those manuscripts - point of view, character development, story arcs, conflict, the black moment . . . the list goes on.
* My third manuscript, entitled “Weekend Diaries” won a major writing contest and I had finally obtained an agent. That was twelve years ago and I believed I was on my way. I envisioned signing a contract with a major publishing company and seeing my book at Barnes and Noble. My fairy tale came to a slow death, when three years later, I still hadn’t gotten any closer to becoming published. I terminated the relationship with my agent and felt like I was starting from scratch. Despite the sad ending to that chapter, I still continued on. Some may say I’m stubborn, but I’d prefer persistent.
* In May of 2013, I signed my first publishing contract with The Wild Rose Press for the fifth manuscript I had written, “Unchained Memories.” I recently signed another contract for my newest release, “Dancing in the Sand.”
* The premise for this book came to me in a dream. Young, passionate love exploded over the course of a weekend–the kind of forbidden, but oh so exciting love. Horseback riding was involved along with an accident. The dream was so vivid and so romantic (and a little disturbing), I wrote it down the second I woke up. From there, I created the heroine to be a dance major at NYU. I love dance and took lessons for years including ballet, tap and modern jazz. I suppose Ava is my alter-ego. I chose NYC as the setting since NYU has an excellent dance program and many great dance companies call it home. I had also lived and worked in NYC for seven years after college and had a wealth of experiences and memories to draw upon.
* As with “Unchained Memories,” “Dancing in the Sand has a legal element, since I generally have a lawyer as a main character, and I took on an issue (fracking) that pits the hero and heroine against each other for philosophical reasons.
* I hope you enjoy reading “Dancing in the Sand” as much as I loved writing it.
* Brian Stanhope, a Harvard graduate, poised to join his father’s company, suffers a brain injury in a horseback riding accident, which affects his memory. He has no recollection of his graduation party weekend or the beautiful dancer who turned his head and stole his heart.
* When they reunite eight years later, the magic of their powerful attraction binds them together, but the past holds a secret that even love may not be able to overcome.
* Not the question she was expecting. “No.”
* “Entangled?”
* He smiled. A very sexy, very familiar smile. Was he flirting?
