On July 25, L’amante del Papa was published by Newton Compton Editori of Rome. The title, The Pope’s Lover, was no doubt chosen to seduce as many Italian readers as possible. The cover is a wild Dan Brown knock-off, with a looming black papal palace with flames shooting out of it, and a lurid yellow, red, and black sky. A lack of Italian is no barrier to picking up the innuendo in the snazzy Italian booktrailer that won director Emanuele Sana an award at the Caffeina festival. I have my fingers crossed that sales will keep me in chianti and cappuccinos for some time to come!
In Canada, my novel will be published with the more sedate title, Muse. Copies have arrived in Vancouver and will be on bookstore shelves on August 13, the publication date. I was very happy to hold the first copy in my hands. I’m sure everybody thinks that authors are thrilled to see their printed book, but really, we’re overcome with relief to know that it is finally finished. No more work to be done, just the fun part of touring with the book. Muse is a classy trade paperback with French flaps and rough edges, the same size as Eva Stachniak’s The Winter Palace. This seems to be Doubleday’s new format for historical novels. Sincere thanks to my editor Nita Pronovost and all the team at Doubleday for doing such a fine job.
So far Muse has been receiving a warm welcome. Two very pleasant reviews have appeared, one in BC Bookworld, Summer 2013 issue, and the other in the September 2013 issue of Quill & Quire. In Vancouver, I will be participating in Word Vancouver, the first Bookstravaganza—the name suggests the glamour in store!—and in the Vancouver Writers Fest, always a favourite with my writing group, SPiN, even in years when none of us has a book out (which we’re happy to say is less frequent now than when we started!) Also, I will be travelling to Victoria, Parksville, Calgary, Edmonton, and Toronto, where I will appear in the International Festival of Authors for the first time.
I am keen on meeting friendly readers everywhere, so please come out to the events and stick around to chat with me afterwards (and get your book signed, if you wish). I will also be doing on-line events, including a blog tour during the week of August 26 and a tweetchat with the Yummy Mummy Club on September 18. Please see the News & Events page for dates and details, and more events as they come in. You can also connect with me on Facebook (Mary Novik), Twitter (MaryNovik2), and Goodreads (Mary Novik), or visit me at www.marynovik.com for more information about Muse.