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Storytelling
In New Waters, Nadja Notariani ۩
Much discussion centers, of late, on the changing face
of the publishing industry. Terms such as E-pub, traditional, and
Indie are bandied about with both disdain and relish. But what does
it mean for readers, the undeniable nerve center of the publishing
world? The floodgates are wide open, and readers splash and flail in
a surging sea of titles, hoping to gain purchase on buoyant stories
able to carry them over raging rapids or perhaps to take them on
meandering journeys down lazy, peaceful rivers.
As an Indie author, an unabashed Indie author, I might
add, I cannot but smile at the new and changing landscape of
publishing. Nothing stands in my way, no sentinels guard the
metaphorical gateway to the garden, so to speak. This begs the
question be asked, 'Will unsightly weeds overtake the cultivated
land?' No easy answer can be made. A free market allows all
products, both the fantastic and the inferior, to sit alongside one
another on overflowing shelves, offering consumers greater variety,
but requiring greater inspection of goods on their part. It
transfers responsibility from publishing houses to readers.
The
vast majority of Indie authors hold the same concerns as their
traditional counterparts. We simply trust readers to be the
lighthouses upon the ocean's edge, warning fellow travelers of rocky
disasters up ahead or deceptive sirens' songs luring sea faring
sailors to disappointment. We strive to craft characters and stories
that will engage our readers and sweep them up into tales of love and
loss, betrayal and intrigue, and the host of other settings and plot
twits contrived to carry readers off delightedly into fictional
worlds – and to do so well. In short, we want to engage our
audience. And that is the crux of the entire endeavor, this thing we
call storytelling, is it not?
Readers may snag a few bits of driftwood, may become
tangled in a snare as they navigate these new waters. No journey is
without its perilous moments, its deflating disappointments. But
then, we've all dove headlong into a new book, traditionally
published or otherwise, that left us red-chested and smarting after
having belly-smacked off that deceptively soft looking water's
surface. Readers are intelligent and adventurous, capable of weeding
out authors that fail to engage them – they've no need for the
industry to net them into one swimming area. As the discussion rages
on, authors must continue as they've always done, honing their craft,
bettering their skills, exploring new worlds. Practice the art of
storytelling, forging treasures to be hauled in on the nets of your
readers. Engage your audience, and let the current of reader
appreciation be the map that leads readers to your stories.
Nadja Notariani resides in Northeastern Pennsylvania,
embracing new adventures with her husband, three sons, and faithful
German Shepherd. She also boasts two grown daughters, who have flown
the nest to pursue their own adventures.
Her upbringing included very diverse environments,
affording wide and varied richness of ethnic and religious tradition.
Raised in both an Italian/Mediterranean American home and a
traditional German household, Nadja gleaned the unique benefits of
viewing the world through two widely different lenses
Within her titles, readers may find romance and
adventure, from contemporary to paranormal to historical, always with
a happily-ever-after. Nadja can be found at her website, on
Goodreads, Facebook, and Romance Novel Center. Readers are welcome
to contact her via email.
Nadja Notariani's published titles include:
Claiming The Prize
Her Dark Baron
The Third Fate
Available September, 2012: A Practical Arrangement
Buy: Amazon (Kindle Edition)
Blurb: Practical plans go awry when prim sensibilities unwittingly capture the heart of a scandalous seducer.
Miss Evangeline Grey, intelligent and sensible, has no desire to marry, her reluctance born from the dire warnings of her overly emotional mother. Her father has other ideas, however, and decrees that unless she weds by the spring, he will choose a husband for her.
Prim and proper Evangeline accepts her father's issue with little more than mild alarm. Knowing herself plain of face and sharp of tongue, she believes herself capable of warding off any perspective suitor. Her plan goes awry when the scandalous seducer, Mr. Thomas Masterson, visits her family's home, for Thomas has learned that he must procure a wife to receive his full inheritance.
When he discovers Evangeline's predicament matches his own, Thomas determines to orchestrate a practical arrangement. A war of wit and word results, and Thomas finds himself ever more beguiled by the soft heart he discovers under Miss Grey's stern, inhibited exterior. Patiently, he endeavors to gain her respect and awaken her passions. As tenuous trust blooms between the rake and the reluctant, unfortunate events – and Thomas' past reputation – threaten to destroy the peace and happiness he has found within the bonds of his Practical Arrangement.
Review: Regency romance is one of my favorite genres. Why? Because they are usually on the tame side and well, I just love that time period.
Nadja has written the kind of Regency I devoured when I was in junior high, and guess what? At 38, I still find this kind of Regency tasty!
Evie's the perfect heroine for this kind of story, she's smart but a little naive. She doesn't want a husband because of stories her mother has told her and she has a fear of personal contact for much the same reason. You totally have to feel sorry for her because her mother has her terrified of intimacy and human contact. Hugs frighten her!
Thomas is the perfect rake that becomes reformed when he gets to know Evie. Sure there's a mistress out to spoil their happiness, but you know that everything will work out for the best.
What I found really great about Thomas was how he really fell for Evie, just as his friend Jonathan fell for her sister Melody. Speaking of Melody, I loved that though their mother compared the two sisters, Evie and Melody had no animosity towards one another. Lord knows if my mother acted the way Opal did, I would truly hate my sister.
This was a great book, and though the epilogue left me sad in away, it gave me hope that there will be another story down the line from that family member that was mentioned.
Rating: 4 flowers
~ Review copy provided by Innovative Online Book Tours in exchange for an honest review
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