Around the Fire with Shirley Goldberg and ReVamped. It's Release Day!

Shirley! Welcome to the fire. It's been chilly in Florida so snuggle up. While I grab a few cups of warm and cozy why don't you introduce yourself.
Hi, I’m Shirley and I write datey books about middle-aged characters starting over. Once upon a time, I dated. A lot. When I got the idea to write about my dates, I’d excuse myself to go to the restroom, pull out my tiny notebook, and take notes. Middle Ageish, my first book, came out of my frustration with reading about online dating, rarely portrayed accurately in novels.

If you haven't read Shirley's other books and you need a laugh go grab one. Tell us a fun fact.
A silly factoid about me is I hitchhiked through England and Ireland with my best friend when I was nineteen. We got picked up by a woman and her dog in a Jaguar who put us up overnight in her barn. She offered us the guest room, but we wanted to sleep in the barn. 

Wow, you all fit in a Jag! Cuddling up with cattle or snuggling with sheep. I can picture this. I know you've been a globe trotter. Tell us about it.
I’d love to be able to tell readers about my secret life and where I gather material for stories. Alas, I’ve lived in Paris, Casablanca, and Crete, the largest Greek island, but no longer travel much. I’m a homebody. I love walking in the morning and bumping into bird neighbors. You never know who will turn up on the path, a pair of sandhill cranes  or a flock of egrets searching for wormy goodies in the grass. 

Birds are amazing! I love visiting aviaries. What else do you like to do?
One of my favorite things to do on the weekend is to find a great band and go dancing with my honey. I also volunteer at a local school in a reading program and participate twice a month with a long term writing group that gathers on Zoom. Once a month, we take turns hosting a pot luck dinner.
 
Let's chat a bit about writing. Is this your first time with a multi author group?
I’ve never written a series with other authors before the Mortar & Pestle. It has been a pleasure discovering the talents of the six other authors in our group. We started out as a social circle, trading marketing tips and publishing stories, and got the idea to write a series. What fun I had cooking up trouble for Dante, my energy vampire, and Sophie, his sweetie. And figuring out how the Mortar & Pestle would appear in the book and bring the two main characters together. 

What was the best thing about it?
The best thing about working with my author friends is the inspiration and help we shared, sometimes daily.

You know I'm going to ask about the worst thing?
Keeping up with technology and learning the apps, although it’s fun to create graphics. 

What about Revamped? It's a bit of a departure for you isn't it?
Revamped, my vampire comedy, turned out to be my way of climbing out of my writing comfort zone and trying a new genre. My fellow authors in the Mortar & Pestle group were talking smoke and magic, pirates and tricksters, selkies and artists reviving an old love affair, hot deep sea divers and a steamy Scotsman. I wanted to create an unfamiliar world, challenge myself. A bonus? My reading habits expanded to include genres I never before tried, from paranormal, to fantasy, to monster romance.

Tell us about the book. 
An energy vampire hungry for love meets the wisecracking woman of his parents’ nightmares. 

Vampire Dante Allegretti hates his sucky life. Born into a family of energy siphoners, he’s desperate to reinvent himself as a fun-loving normal guy rather than a crowdsourcing parasite. To stop the draining urges, Dante resorts to grinding alternative meds in an ancient Mortar & Pestle, not knowing it contains magical properties. 
Enter wisecracking thirty-year-old Sophie Arley, who lives with her clingy parents. Working three jobs and craving independence, she’s come back strong after a breakdown crashed her cozy world. So when the weird, hot guy she just met-cute asks Sophie to the movies, she agrees.
Sophie won’t spoil their magical connection by mentioning her heartbreak. And Dante dreads telling Sophie about his dark side. Will the power from the Mortar & Pestle guide them to their happily ever after despite the secrets and lies?

This is a not your normal vamp trope and I love that! What else can you share?
Since these are all romances, you can guess.

Spill, what comes afterward? 
Revamped with energy, the Mortar & Pestle materialize in Redford Falls. As smoke circles within the stone, orange flecks of glitter turn to green, strengthening its chosen path and setting its magic in the hands of a woman with eyes the colour of jadestones. She is the only one who has the gift to heal the man known as the trickster. Trickster, by Darlene Fredette, is the next book in the series. 
Grab our FREE Prequel with yummy samples from all 7 books and read for yourself: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/3vhm7opc1r

Thanks, my friend for popping in and chatting. Keep reading for more about Shirley and the M&P series.​

​Shirley Goldberg
Is a writer, novelist, and former ESL and French teacher who’s lived in Paris, Crete, and Casablanca. She writes about men and women of a certain age starting over. Her website http://midagedating.com offers a humorous look at dating in mid-life, and her friends like to guess which stories are true. A Little Bit of Lust is her third book in the series Starting Over, although all her books are standalone. Shirley’s characters all believe you should never leave home without your sense of humor and she agrees. 
Shirley Goldberg.com

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​Here's more from the M&P series
A wisp of smoke, a swirl of promise, a breath of destiny…a message within the Mortar & Pestle for those who want to believe.
Throughout time people have sought their heart’s desire. But true love is often elusive.
Carved with ancient Norse runes, the Mortar & Pestle shows paths to happily-ever-afters.
Once you capture the Mortar & Pestle’s scent of magic, you’ll want to read all seven individual romances
Selkie
By
Sydney Winward
No one has ever managed to capture a selkie. Until now…
Seeker
By
Jean M. Grant
Nock, draw, release. Her bow is always ready, and if her arrow hits its mark, she will secure her destined soulmate.
Quartermaster
By
Marilyn Barr
Can the love of a pirate heal the wounds inflicted by a gentleman?
Sea Hunter
By
D.V. Stone
On the turbulent high seas, an archeologist must protect a historic shipwreck from treasure hunters—not fall for one.
Trickster
By
Darlene Fredette
Can she heal the trickster before he breaks her heart?
Artist
By
Ginny Frost
Stuck at a retreat with her ex, Lexi is torn between reviving her art and rekindling an old romance.
​
Link to series https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BS42PKHZ
Link to free sample of series https://dl.bookfunnel.com/b1ytv2r7nq