A Shadow of Guilt(65)

The biggest challenge is trying to stay within the parameters of the story outline, because the threads in your story have to link in to everyone else’s to a lesser or greater degree. What I enjoyed about it most was the fact that I got handed these characters, already fully formed and had to breathe life into them, with my own twist.

As you wrote your hero and heroine, was there anything about them that surprised you?

My hero and heroine were definitely quite different from the types of heroes and heroines I’d normally gravitate to. Valentina had a lot of anger and issues with the hero, and he had to deal with a lot of guilt, mixed with lust! I guess I was surprised at how fiercely Valentina clung on to her anger for Gio, to avoid dealing with her feelings for him, and how patient he was with her.

What was your favorite part of creating the world of Sicily’s most famous dynasty?

I loved setting Gio’s part of the story in Syracuse, a beautiful part of Sicily. He had set himself apart from the rest of the family and I loved being able to put him somewhere away from where all the main action was happening. It helped to increase his sense of isolation. (Very mean of me:))

If you could have given your heroine one piece of advice before the opening pages of the book, what would it be?

Prepare yourself to meet your conscience!

What was your hero’s biggest secret?

Ooh, that would be telling, but it has a BIG part to do with the heroine and his feelings for her.

What does your hero love most about your heroine?

Everything, of course.:) But, what would have initially drawn him to her was her sweet innocence and the way she always looked at him with such artless sensuality.

What does your heroine love most about your hero?

His dark good looks, his sexy charisma. His deep compassion and integrity. His tortured soul, which she can’t help wanting to heal.

Which of the Correttis would you most like to meet and why?

I think I’d like to meet Angelo, because he was on the margins of the family, much as Gio always was. An outsider within the Correttis.