Friday, August 9, 2013

Today's Special - - Marilyn Baron




I'm delighted to welcome Marilyn Baron to the Romance Dish today. Marilyn's star has been shining for many years.  A native of Miami, Florida and graduate of the University of Florida, Marilyn wrote her first book while still in grade school and wrote and directed her first play at the age of 13.  Today, she lives in the Atlanta, Georgia area with her husband and children and stays busy writing award-winning humorous women's fiction, romantic suspense thrillers and paranormal romance.  

Marilyn joins us today to celebrate the print release of her newest book, Under the Moon Gate.  Please give her a warm welcome.







Thank you PJ and Andrea for hosting me today on The Romance Dish.

I’m excited because today is the official release date of my new novel, Under the Moon Gate. Although the book has been out on Amazon Kindle in digital format, it is now officially available in print on Amazon, on my publisher’s (The Wild Rose Press) Web site and other outlets. The prequel, Destiny: A Bermuda Love Story, is currently out in a digital-only format on Amazon with an official release date of September 11.  

My family has vacationed in Bermuda many times and it’s one of my favorite places to visit, which is why I decided to set my books there. My new Web site also features a Bermuda theme and the beautiful island colors so I hope you’ll visit my site. I’m a big WW II buff so I combined both loves in writing these stories. Spy novels are a particular favorite and my husband won’t read anything but spy novels set in WW II so if I wanted him to read my book, I knew I would have to write a WW II spy novel.

I think the artist did a great job with the cover of Under the Moon Gate. It’s my favorite color green and incorporates the beautiful moon gates of Bermuda, which feature prominently in my story. Moon Gates, a very special tradition of Bermuda, are arches made of Bermuda stone, often used as an entrance to a garden. Legend has it that people who step through a Moon Gate, especially young lovers and honeymooners, are blessed with good luck.

These stories have been percolating for about ten years so I’m thrilled that they are finally coming to light. They were originally part of one larger manuscript called The Bermuda Triangle: A Love Story and included three love stories from three generations. The first takes place in the early 17th century. Then there’s a contemporary romance and a World War II romance. All three romances are still contained in the two books that have just been released. I did a lot of library and Internet research on Bermuda during the WW II and earlier time periods. There’s plenty of suspense, intrigue and romance, and of course, humor, a trademark of all of my books.

Following are blurbs about my latest releases.   

Now out in e-book from The Wild Rose Press, DESTINY: A BERMUDA LOVE STORY, is the prequel to UNDER THE MOON GATE

The relationship of star-crossed lovers Elizabeth Sutton and Edward Morgan founders off the coast of Bermuda with the shipwreck of the Sea Venture in the seventeenth century.  Edward is seduced by the captain’s daughter and trapped into an unhappy marriage, but he and his new wife continue the voyage to Virginia to rescue the starving Jamestown Colony.

Elizabeth, still in England and pregnant with Edward’s child, receives Edward’s letters telling of the shipwreck but knows nothing of his marriage.  When her child is old enough, Elizabeth follows Edward as far as Bermuda.  Will he return and will the lovers be reunited, or will their eternally entwined souls search forever to fulfill their destiny?


BUY DESTINY: A BERMUDA LOVE STORY
AMAZON
Elizabeth and Edward are the ancestors of the hero and heroine of Under the Moon Gate, so readers will get their happy ending in the sequel.



Now out in e-book and print from The Wild Rose Press, Under the Moon Gate, is a historical romantic thriller set in contemporary and WW II Bermuda.

Dashing sea captain Nathaniel Morgan sails into the life of prim and proper Bermuda heiress Patience Whitestone and threatens to expose her family secrets—ruinous secrets she wasn’t aware of. The two are immediately at odds when Nathaniel moors his vessel in front of her estate and refuses to leave until he finds the cache of Swiss gold he’s convinced was buried somewhere on the property during World War II. Can Patience save herself and her family’s reputation when she finds herself reluctantly drawn to this determined “pirate”? Or will someone from the past make good on his threat to destroy them both? Their fate is inextricably linked to Nazi plots and to the beautiful moon gates of Bermuda in this compelling tale of love and intrigue. Under the Moon Gate also features a love story between the grandparents of Patience, which takes place during World War II.

Here’s one of the 5-star reviews for Under the Moon Gate. You can check out the others on Amazon.

Tropical Mystery/Suspense/Romance
“I really enjoyed all the spiciness of the German/British intrigue. Fairy tale kind of love, in a tropical Paradise, is a plus for any romance novel. Sexy Pirate bad boy meets Stunningly Beautiful, locked away virgin, good girl. Generations of suspense on both sides of the family tree...”

BUY UNDER THE MOON GATE

AMAZON (E-Book)    AMAZON (Paperback)   THE WILD ROSE PRESS (Paperback)

Marilyn, what are you working on now?

I’ve just finished approving the final edits for Sixth Sense, a romantic suspense, the first book in my psychic mystery series, which will be published by The Wild Rose Press. I have a cover but no release date yet. Sixth Sense won the Georgia Romance Writers 2012 Unpublished Maggie Award of Excellence in the Paranormal/Fantasy Romance category. The second book in the series is called Homecoming Homicides. The third, Murder on the Repositioning Cruise, hasn’t been written yet. I just got back from a Mediterranean cruise, where the action in the third book will take place, so I enjoyed the research phase of that project.  My editor and I have just finished preliminary edits on Significant Others, a humorous women’s fiction that is scheduled to be released this Christmas by The Wild Rose Press.


My sister and I, who co-wrote The Edger and Murder at the Outlet Mall, just completed a musical called Memory Lane that we’re trying to get produced.

Have you ever been to Bermuda?  Have you ever set a novel in a place you loved to visit?  Do you like to read novels about places you've visited? 

One commenter will get a copy (their choice of print or eBook) of Under the Moon Gate or Destiny: A Bermuda Love Story (eBook only) and a beautiful bookmark, designed by Kim Killion, featuring both books.



Thanks so much for visiting with us today, Marilyn.

Readers, you can find more information about Marilyn and her books at her Web site www.marilynbaron.com and connect with her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.baron.5 and Twitter at https://twitter.com/MarilynBaron and her blog Petit Fours and Hot Tamales at www.petitfoursandhottamales.com

41 comments:

  1. The latest news is that Significant Others is already out early on Kindle and has a print release date of Nov. 29 and Sixth Sense's official release date is Dec. 20 but it's coming out early on Kindle August 27.

    Marilyn Baron

    ReplyDelete
  2. Exciting! Can't say I've ever read anything set in Bermuda. Sounds fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Wendy! I can't remember reading anything set in Bermuda before this story either. I enjoyed it...and learned a lot about Bermuda!

      Delete
  3. Welcome back, Marilyn! Great to have you with us today. I just finished reading UNDER THE MOON GATE last night and really enjoyed it. You're the one who should be working for the Bermuda Visitor's Bureau. You had me wanting to book a trip, pronto! :)

    I was fascinated by the intertwining of the characters in the stories, from the 1700's to present day, and I especially enjoyed the segment that took place during WWII. Great writing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Never been to Bermuda although it sounds wonderful! :)

    I love reading about Paris. I went there a few times and loved it. :) NYC is another place that I love reading about. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paris is so romantic. I especially enjoy historicals set there.

      Delete
  5. I haven't been to Bermuda but would love to. Your book sounds intriguing and very special. I am also fascinated with the era that you have written about. A place that I enjoy reading about and a setting for novels especially set during the World War 11 era is Italy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Traveler, Marilyn did a great job of bringing Bermuda during the WWII era to life in this book.

      Delete
  6. Marilyn,
    Waving here. I love your book covers and the idea of WWII stories. I've never been to Bermuda but I'd love to go sometime.
    Susan Carlisle

    ReplyDelete
  7. What an interesting and great post today. Marilyn's novel sounds compelling and memorable. Bermuda is one place I have never been to. Novels that are set in places I have visited are unforgettable. Rome, Vancouver and Montreal. Wishing you much happiness and success.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I also enjoy reading stories set in places I've visited. It brings them to life in a different way when I've stood where the characters stand.

      Delete
  8. Wendy,
    Thank you so much for commenting. I agree. I hadn't seen any books set in Bermuda and it is such a beautiful place I thought that would be an ideal setting, especially since I love visiting.

    Marilyn Baron

    ReplyDelete
  9. PJ,

    I'm glad you enjoyed the book. Thank you for reading it. Most people just think of hurricanes, shipwrecks and The Bermuda Triangle when they think of the island, and as the Bermuda ad campaign says, "Bermuda is so much more..." So I wanted to impart all the wonderful facts about the island. I think a lot of people think it's in the Caribbean and don't realize that the ambience is much different.

    Marilyn Baron

    ReplyDelete
  10. PJ,

    Thank you for the compliment about the writing. I really enjoyed writing this book, especially the WW II parts. That is my favorite period in history and Bermuda is one of my favorite places so combining them was a natural. Actually there were two scenes I really loved that were taken out of the book, one scene with a character and Winston Churchill in his War Room in London, which I've been to and the other with another character and Hitler, at Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps, which I've also been to. But neither was with the hero, the spy William Whitestone.
    Marilyn Baron

    ReplyDelete
  11. May,

    Thanks for visiting. You would love Bermuda and it's so close to the U.S. only about a two-hour plane ride. Paris is another location I love and enjoy reading about. There are a lot of spy novels set there. I love New York and there are so many TV shows, movies set there so a lot to enjoy.

    Marilyn Baron

    ReplyDelete
  12. Traveler,
    I encourage you to look into Bermuda. You'll want to keep going back. It sounds like we have a lot in common. I also love Italy. I lived in Florence for 6 months during college and have been back many times, as recently as this summer. I have a book that's not published yet that is partially set there. So many fascinating stories about WW II and Italy and all of Europe and they're also so intriguing. Thanks so much for commenting. I hope you get a chance to read Under the Moon Gate.

    Marilyn Baron

    ReplyDelete
  13. Susan,

    Yes, I know we have that WW II obsession in common. You may not have been to Bermuda but you have been everywhere else. You should give Bermuda a try. I love this cover, too. This shade of green is my favorite color and I love moon gates which are very common in Bermuda. I'd love to have one in my garden. The cover artist was Kim Mendoza at The Wild Rose Press. She also did a great cover for me for my book Significant Others.

    Marilyn Baron

    ReplyDelete
  14. Petite,
    I'm glad you enjoyed the post. I love Rome and Vancouver. I've never been to Montreal but understand it's beautiful. A year ago, my husband and I visited Berlin and then I read a novel by Daniel Silva predominantly set there and it was so exciting to read about all the places I'd visited. Especially this one hotel in Berlin where all the spies in all the spy novels stay, the Adlon Hotel. It is even more special to write about places you've been. I've been to every place in my novel except I only passed through Dresden on the train on the way to Prague, so didn't actually stop and that was mentioned in the book.

    Marilyn Baron

    ReplyDelete
  15. Congratulations on your new release, Marilyn! I've never been to Bermuda, but I do like to read books that are set in places I've been. And I have used places I've been as settings for my own stories. :) All the best!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Jessica,
    Thanks very much for visiting the blog and commenting. I hope you do get to Bermuda one day and I agree with you, reading about places you've been is interesting. And as a writer, it sounds like you do the same thing I do and set your books in places you're familiar with.

    Marilyn Baron

    ReplyDelete
  17. I would love to visit Burmuda and I know of one friend who went and enjoyed it. I love reading about places that I've been or haven't lol. If I can't get there myself, reading about it is the next best thing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't know why I've never thought of visiting Bermuda. You'd think that it would have landed on my radar at some point during the 20+ years I lived in Florida.

      Delete
  18. Burmuda is definitely on my bucket list. I'd love to visit the island someday. Also, I do enjoy reading books set in places I've been to before and seeing them in print.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've added it to my list too. Marilyn's descriptions are luring me eastward. ;-)

      Delete
  19. Catslady,
    Yes reading about places you've been is great but then so is reading about new places (to scope out future places to travel). Reading is just great no matter where the novel takes place. Reading is the next best thing!

    Marilyn Baron

    ReplyDelete
  20. Fsbuchler,

    Thanks so much for commenting. I think everyone seems to agree that reading about places you've been is good and so is learning about new places.I hope you get to travel to Bermuda.

    Marilyn Baron

    ReplyDelete
  21. I would love to visit Bermuda :) Thanks for sharing and congrats on the newest release!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Erin,

    Thanks for commenting and thanks for the congratulations. Reading Under the Moon Gate is the next best thing to visiting Bermuda. The heroine in the contemporary story serves as the head of the "Rediscover Bermuda" committee and it's her job to attract visitors to the island. Although, she's so sheltered she's never left the island.

    Marilyn Baron

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hi, Marilyn!! It's lovely to have you visit again. Congrats on the print release of UNDER THE MOON GATE!

    I've never been to Bermuda and have never read a book set there. Sounds like I need to change that! I would also love to travel to the UK and visit some of the places I love to read about. :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Nope, never been to Bermuda. I would love reading about it however. And yes, I love to read stories about places I've visited. I've always been a history buff, majored in English history in college, in fact. Spent the entire Summer of 1986 in the British Isles--it was an absolute dream come true. So it should be no surprise that I like to read stories having to do with England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. I actually like contemporary and/or historical stories about those places. Under the Moon Gate and the sequel sound inviting. Thanks for the post! jdh2690@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  25. Marilyn, thanks so much for visiting with us today!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PJ,
      I really enjoyed this. Thank you and Andrea for hosting me. And I'm glad you liked the book.

      Marilyn

      Delete
  26. Andrea,
    Thank you. I really enjoyed guest blogging with you today. And thanks for your congratulations about the book. It is really nice to hold the print copy in your hands. I hope you do get to visit Bermuda and the UK. And really, if you go to Bermuda it's like going to England since the island is very British.

    Marilyn

    ReplyDelete
  27. Janice,
    How interesting that you majored in English history and wonderful that you spent a summer in the British Isles. I've been to Ireland, too and loved it and Wales for a photo shoot for an annual report, but never Scotland. And that's one place I would really love to visit. Thank you for commenting. Under the Moon Gate is both a contemporary and a historical, one love story takes place in current day Bermuda and the historical love story takes places during WW II. The love story in the prequel takes place in the 17th century so that's a true historical. Thank you again.

    Marilyn

    ReplyDelete
  28. Bermuda is on my list of places to visit, but we haven't been yet.

    When we plan our trips, I always look for books set in the area we plan to go. I like to read some before we go, so I'll recognize places. It is nice reading books that are set in places I am familiar with. It adds an extra dimension to the story and an extra appreciation. I read the first 3 books of Jennifer Blake's Masters at Arms series (set in the 1840's) before we went to New Orleans for the first time. I read the rest after we got home. While we were there, I looked for places mentioned in the books. When I read the books when I got home, it was really nice to be able to know right where the characters were standing and walking because I had been there. Recently we went to Montana and Wyoming. I read several of BJ Daniels books when we got back and they took place in several of the out of the way places we visited. You know the author has been there or researched it well because even the little details are accurate.

    I hope your book releases go well.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Librarypat,
    What a great idea to read the books about a place before you visit. Thank you so much for commenting. I usually don't do that but I do love to read a book set in the place after I visit so I will try your suggestion next time.
    I hope you do visit Bermuda and that you enjoy Under the Moon Gate before you go.

    Marilyn Baron

    ReplyDelete
  30. Hi Marilyn,
    Love the cover...and the premise of the book. Congrats on its release and continued success.

    Sandy Elzie

    ReplyDelete
  31. Sandy,

    Thank you. I appreciate your good wishes.

    Marilyn

    ReplyDelete