2023 Author Showcase
M.A. Guglielmo
Published: 11/24/2023
Welcome to the 2023 ARIA Author Showcase and Giveaway Event!
How to enter – Comment on the daily showcases to enter the daily giveaway. Comments close one week after the initial Showcase post. GRAND PRIZE drawn on Dec 8th (1 -$250, 1 -$100, or a 1 -$50 Amazon gift card. One grand prize pp) – For every showcase you post on, you automatically gain one entry to the grand prize. 30 Authors = 30 entries.
M.A. Guglielmo will be at the Rhode Island Author Expo
On to the Showcase!
What name do you like to write under? M.A. Guglielmo
Where do you call home? Southern RI
What genre(s) do you write? Fantasy and Romance
What genre(s) were you drawn to when you were younger Was there a reason that genre(s) appealed to you the most? I've been a huge fan of speculative fiction since I was a young. I always enjoyed the focus on fantastical worlds and the sense of unlimited options.
What were some of your favorite books growing up? Why? The Lord of the Rings saga, Watership Down, and the MIsts of Avalon, among many others. All of these allowed me to imagine being in another time and place, seeing a unique world through a different perspective.
What are some of your favorite books today? I read a lot more romance now, and I particularly enjoy the the historical romances of K.J. Charles (I've read all of them, often more than once!), quirky science fiction like the Murderbot series by Martha Wells, and gaslamp fantasy like the Stariel series by AJ Lancaster.
What inspired you to become a writer? I started writing when I was reading fantasy books to my daughters and thought I might like to take a stab at writing my own stories. I had no idea how much work that would be...
Witch City Rift
Remi Gatti, a half-human con man with a psychic ability to manipulate sexual desire, has to steal a wedding present from a newlywed marine biologist—without the scientist’s sea-monster wife eating him first. The job should be straightforward: board a tourist bus bound for Salem, seduce his mark, and make a clean get away with the gift—a powerful alien artifact Remi’s larcenous family wants for its own nefarious purposes. But the unconventional married couple was brought together by the Matchmaker, an alien entity that can alter reality to further its matrimonial mission. Remi might not believe in true love, but his powers are useless against it. When the con goes bad, the usually amoral Remi struggles with a moral dilemma—help the couple and incur his family’s wrath, or try to outmatch the Matchmaker and face the consequences of defying love.
Tell us a little about how “Witch City Rift” came to be. Did it start with an image, a voice, a concept, a dilemma or something else? "Witch City Rift" is a prequel short story to my upcoming Riftworld paranormal rom-com series. Set in a future Salem, Massachusetts, the idea came to me as I wondered how so many people could ignore and deny crises like Covid and global warming. I thought: "What would it take to get their attention? A monster apocalypse?" Then I decided it would be fun to write about a world where people had become so accustomed to intelligent aliens coming through interdimensional portals that some of them ended up marrying a monster.
Which scene, character or plotline changed the most from first draft to published book? I had to come up with a symbol or object relating to the ocean to tie the plot together, and ended going down a rabbit hole of research about narwhal horns. So, there's a narwhal horn in the story, and you'll have to read it to find out why.
Which character was the most challenging to create. Why? My main character, Remi Gatti, is a morally gray character. He's a con artist, a consummate liar, and a bit of a wine snob, too. Getting him to a point where he realizes he does have a conscience after all was a struggle, but an enjoyable one.
What do you like best about being a writer? I love creating new worlds and characters and sharing them with others. As Steven King says, writing is a type of telepathy. I like to think of my stories being transmitted across space and time to others who might enjoy them.
If you could collaborate with any author past or present, who would it be? What would the title of the book be? (If possible) - Give us a one sentence blurb. I'd like to work with Martha Wells and develop a a story about one of her Murderbot series characters, an android constructed as a romantic companion who has grown to hate humans. "When an embittered sex bot escapes with the aid of a sentient spaceship, the android must choose between vengeance and guaranteed freedom, or an uncertain future with the only friend they've ever known."
You can follow M.A. Guglielmo here -
https://www.facebook.com/maguglielmoauthor
https://bit.ly/Instmaguglielmo
M.A. is giving away a signed copy of the first book in From Smokeless Fire trilogy, Summoned.. To enter comment below -->
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