Author Interview with Catherine MacDonald author of Romancing The Vines A Tale of Love, Lust, and Revenge and Seasons of the Vineyard: Seasons of the Vineyard A Wine Country Adventure and The Divorce Ranch
Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?:
A: When I was around ten. The nuns were always pounding my hands with a ruler because I couldn’t stop talking, and writing kept me out of trouble.
Q: How long does it take you to write a book?:
A: Between 1-2 years, depending on the research involved.
Q: What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?:
A: I run a large business, so I write in the corners of my life.
Q: What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?:
A: I sit at the computer with a de-tox stone on my feet, which helps my creativity flow.
Q: How do books get published?:
A: I have had traditional publishers and I’ve self-published. Personally, I like to be in control of the entire process.
Q: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?:
A: I am an avid hiker. I practice yoga and I love my garden. I love reading great books and watching movies and spending time with my grandchildren.
Q: When did you write your first book and how old were you?:
A: I was around 40.
Q: Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?:
A: Life is fascinating and I have 36 employees from which to draw inspiration.
Q: What does your family think of your writing?:
A: My children and husband are supportive. My sisters think anyone can do it because it’s easy; however, they’ve never been able to write a book.
Q: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?:
A: Sometimes outlines get in the way of a great story.
Q: How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?:
A: Eight books. Now that’s like asking a mom or grandmother who’s her favorite! It’s usually the one I’m working on at the present moment.
Q: Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?:
A: Read, read, read, and keep a journal. Be careful about over-writing.
Q: Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?:
A: Yes, over the years I’ve had many pleasant comments. They like my stories and my inspirational works make them think.
Q: Do you like to create books for kids or adults? and Why?:
A: Adults; however, I have a great idea for a kid’s story.
Q: What do you think makes a good story?:
A: Real characters, a great plot, and a setting you can visualize in your mind.
Q: As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?:
A: Everything I wanted to be, I’ve done. I taught school for twenty-five years. I built up my business from 5 employees to 36. I’ve written books, played concert piano, built my own house, raised a family, but I’m not done yet!
Connect with Catherine MacDonald
Website : www.supernovel.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catherine.macdonald.5872
Purchase Catherine’s books via Amazon click here
About your book/s: Francesca Bernard is a vintner in the Sonoma Valley who just can’t seem to perfect her wine, her finances, and her love life. She finds herself torn between the man she lives with and the man she loves. A letter arrives from a long-lost cousin encouraging her to travel to Italy to uncover the secret to her wine and her heart. Tension is tight around the vineyard, so she leaps at the chance. Once in Italy, her cousin notices Francesca’s torment and convinces her to visit the local seer, who is known to help lost souls. The old woman propels her back through time on a heart-pounding quest where she visits three lives where her survival was in jeopardy. Armed with the secrets and truths, she finally understands how the love, lust, and revenge they have endured for centuries holds the answers to their present survival.
Magna gathered Francesca’s hands into her own cool gnarled ones and stroked them lightly. “Listen dearie. No one is allowing you to remain innocent and stuck on the wheel of life and death for eternity, but yourself. Even though the mind forgets, the soul remembers. Hopefully, by examining these lifetimes you will understand the truth. You are responsible for the life you have–no one else.”
Pour yourself a cup of tea and follow the sweeping romance through time of Francesca, Enrico, and Giancarlo as she travels into the past to learn the truth that has been eluding her for centuries. Sometimes those darn past lives interfere with the present ones!
Francesca Bernard ran away from the family vineyard because she was determined to live a different life–one without the grapes and her secrets. But when Enrico, the foreman, calls her home because her father’s dementia is making it impossible for him to manage the vineyard, she and her son return and discover the vineyard and her father in dire need. She assumes her father’s role and deals with the complexities of running the vineyard, his aging, and Enrico’s advances. The grapes are struggling. Money is tight. Her father is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Her teenage son experiments with drugs, and Enrico is still in love with her. Through sweat and hard work, Francesca rediscovers that the rhythms of the vineyard are deeply restorative. She becomes certain of one thing: she wants to resurrect the vineyard and prove everyone wrong. She is willing to do just about anything to prove she can be a world-class vintner–even if that means sleeping with the competition. Her relationship with the bad boy of the Sonoma Valley sparks jealously in Enrico and he abandons her and the besieged vineyard. Francesca is left to fend for herself, but is determined to uncover the secret of the Zinfandel wine that once made the vineyard famous. This wine will allow her to become a renowned vintner, but the secret is buried with her mother. How is Francesca able to save the vineyard and uncover the secret of the Zinfandel, deal with the past, and come to terms with her true love? click to purchase
Francesca Bernard is a vintner in the Sonoma Valley who just can’t seem to perfect her wine, her finances, and her love life. She finds herself torn between the man she lives with and the man she loves. A letter arrives from a long-lost cousin encouraging her to travel to Italy to uncover the secret to her wine and her heart. Tension is tight around the vineyard, so she leaps at the chance. Once in Italy, her cousin notices Francesca’s torment and convinces her to visit the local seer, who is known to help lost souls. The old woman propels Francesca back through time on a heart-pounding quest where she visits three lives where her survival was in jeopardy. Armed with the secrets and truths, she finally understands how the love, lust, and revenge they have endured for centuries holds the answers to their present survival. Magna gathered Francesca’s hands into her own cool gnarled ones and stroked them lightly. “Listen dearie. No one is allowing you to remain innocent and stuck on the wheel of life and death for eternity, but yourself. Even though the mind forgets, the soul remembers. Hopefully by examining these lifetimes you will understand the truth. You are responsible for the life you have–no one else.” From Sonoma, Italy, and the Middle Ages Francesca travels to uncover the truth of the wine and the two men who have fought over her for centuries. Romancing the Vines is the sweeping romance of Francesca, Enrico, and Giancarlo and the secret to the wine that has been eluding her for centuries. Click to purchase
The Divorce Ranch
It’s June of 1936. The Biggest Little City in the World finds itself in the middle of the divorce craze. While the country struggles with the Depression, wealthy people head to Reno for the cure. War is coming and the world is changing. Women are discovering their voices as they fling their wedding rings from the bridge into the Truckee River. Join Maggie, Dorothy and Claire as they arrive on the Washoe Ranch to rid themselves of their stale marriages, only to learn that they had created lives for themselves that they never dreamed possible.
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