Siracusa: A Gripping Tale

siracusa-cover-editedI loved this novel by Delia Ephron. It’s a page-turner about two couples (and the child of one of the couples) on vacation together in Italy and Sicily, Siracusa being a town in Siciliy. It’s about deceit, betrayal, past and current relationships, and how life can come undone quickly. Ephron tells the story by alternating narrators among the four adults and it’s fascinating to see how each one views the events that take place. For the most part, these are characters you love to hate, making the tale even more delicious. You’ll remember it long after you read the last page.

Read More »

From Novel to Movie

dsc08554-reduced-to-550

The Irresistible Blueberry Farm, the movie based on my first novel, The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Café premiered October 2, 2016 on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel. The movie stars Alison Sweeney (who is also one of the executive producers), Shirley Jones, Marc Blucas, and Kavan Smith. It will air four more times on the Hallmark M&M Channel. To see more information about the movie, please click here.

Read More »

Blueberry Farm Movie Airs Oct. 2

1751404-reduced-for-fbThe Irresistible Blueberry Farm, a movie based on my first novel, The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Café, will air Sunday, October 2 on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel. Alison Sweeney, Carolyn Jones, Mark Blucas, and Kavan Smith star. The movie will also be shown on Tuesday, October 4 at 7:00 p.m.; Thursday, October 6 at 2:00 p.m.; Monday, October 17 at 5:00 p.m.; and Wednesday, October 19 at 8:00 p.m. Click here for a preview: The Irresistible Blueberry Farm Preview

Read More »

On the Set of “Irresistible Blueberry”

DSC07863-reduced

This is the story of the incredible two days I spent this week on the set of The Irresistible Blueberry Farm,  the Hallmark Chanel movie based on my first novel, The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Café. The movie will be aired October 2, 2016 on the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Channel. On Monday morning, one of the drivers  took me from my hotel in Vancouver, Canada to the first filming location of the day. I arrived at this pretty yellow house in the town of Brackendale. In the movie, this is the house in Beacon, Maine, where Ruth, grandmother of the main character, Ellen, grew up.

 

_DSC3021-reduced

I went inside and got to meet the incredibly talented Alison Sweeney, who is fantastic as Ellen and who is also one of the executive producers of the movie. Alie and I had talked by phone and had emailed, but this was our first meeting. She had read my novel, loved it, and wanted to

Read More »

Italy Day 8 – Positano

_DSC2964-reduced

This day was the highlight of our trip, as we spent it on the water in a chartered boat with our captain, Paolo. Here we’ve just left Positano.

 

 

 

 

 

 

DSC07437-reduced

We took the boat to Capri, taking time for a swim on the way. The color of the water in the grottos was unbelievable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DSC07492-reduced

We went all around Capri, and then got off the boat and made a quick trip to the town center.

 

 

 

 

 

 

DSC07694-reduced

We stopped for lunch at Nerano, a small fishing village with a beach dotted with colorful umbrellas. This was the view from the restaurant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read More »

Italy Day 7 – Positano

DSC07365-reduced-for-blog

We had a relaxing day, swimming in the ocean and in the pool at the hotel. I went up the “staircase from hell” twice – the second time was after dinner. I don’t know how I did it. This photo doesn’t even do it justice.

 

Read More »

Italy Day 6 – Positano

DSC07076.-reduced-for-blog

We went on an excursion today and stopped at Amalfi, which seems like a huge city compared to Positano.

DSC07134-reduced.

The streets were crowded but there were plenty of great things to photograph, right down to the lemons.

DSC07225.-reduced-for-blog

We went on to Ravelo, where we had a wonderful lunch and toured the gardens of a fabulous villa that was once privately owned.

DSC07231-reduced-for-blog

Ravelo is the highest point in this area of the Amalfi Coast, 1200 feet above sea level.

Read More »

Italy Day 5 – Positano

DSC06917-reduced

The view from our hotel terrace is pretty spectacular. I could get used to this very quickly (and have!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

DSC06941-reduced

Our hotel is hundreds of feet up on a cliff, as is almost everything here. There are no bad views.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DSC07320-reduced

The water changes hue from one minute to the next and every shade is prettier than the one before.

 

 

 

 

 

Read More »