Amore and Pinot Grigio -Veronica Bell Writing Post

I sometimes spotlight other authors and their books on my blog. Today I'm pleased to welcome Veronica Bell, who is here to talk about her book Amore and Pinot Grigio. Take it away, Veronica 

Writing From Her Worldview

Veronica Bell

On a practical level, I am a pretty nine-to-five writer. I don’t stay up till the wee small hours working – I like a sane work day where I have time for my husband and, of course, my pets. But like anyone in any field, I need some inspiration. This quote is taped up on the wall above my computer. 

If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn’t matter a damn how you write.

- Somerset Maugham I guess it was pretty easy for a writer of Somerset Maugham’s calibre to say such a thing, but I still think it is an excellent quote for aspiring (and actual) writers to contemplate. After all, we can’t all be a Somerset Maugham or an Emily Bronte or a Dante. But we all have experiences and worldviews that could be of interest or help to someone else. And if you are inclined to write about those experiences then I think keeping this in mind is helpful, rather than holding yourself up against an impossible standard. When I decided to try and write a romance novel, I wanted to create characters that to me seemed more realistic than the usual 20-year-old wilting virgin, for example. As a reader, I got tired of the angst-ridden, silly girls who seemed to populate so many stories. And yes, I realize that in romance writing you want fantasy – you want a millionaire hunk and you want an idealized woman and you want a beautiful back-drop, because our own lives so often lack beauty. But as a middle-aged woman who has many university degrees, I wanted to create heroines who might be the type of woman with whom I would be friends. Hence, Sigrid, heroine of Amore and Pinot Grigio, a woman who teaches and who is funny and who volunteers for a cat rescue (I’ve been volunteering in animal shelters since I was a teenager – a long time ago!). I have actually visited the shelter in Rome where she works. It’s a beautiful place. It was also important to me that the hero not be intimidated by the heroine’s wit – indeed, I think Sandro dishes it out as well as he takes it. And I have been grateful for the feedback and reviews I have received which have commented on these factors. In particular, I was humbled by a recent review at The Romance Studio, where Amore and Pinot Grigio was described as ‘magical’. It makes me happy to know that readers can get some escape and joy from my story. Read full review here.
About the Author

Veronica Bell is a Canadian writer currently living in Italy with her husband and pets. She grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia and has far too many university degrees. A life-long animal lover, she began writing as a way to finance veterinary bills and huge bags of kibble!  
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Amore and Pinot Grigio: A Guido la Vespa Christmas Tale
By Veronica Bell
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The story of a Canadian woman and an Italian man who meet rescuing an injured cat. That they happen to all be in Rome, Italy, makes things sexier, and indeed, the book was given a ‘steamy’ rating by its publisher, SirenBookstrand. The woman has a pink Vespa named Guido and a serious chip on her shoulder after discovering the infidelity of her fiancé. The man just wants to have fun…or so he thinks. It is a Christmas tale only in that it unfolds at Christmas – this story of boy meets and loses and finds girl again can be enjoyed any time of year and is the first in a proposed series.