Amazon Bestselling Romance Author
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Hi All,
Leaving beautiful Soriano nel Cimino today and going back to Rome for the New Year! I have many beautiful pictures and dreams of knights and heroines to bring home with me. The ghosts of these people walk the streets and night and call to me to write their love stories!
My First Books Are here:
Please enjoy!
The view above is from the lounge of my hotel room. I just took a walk in the small market, bought a capello rosa and went to the Supermarcato. My husband, Rich, has the sniffles so we may take it easy today.
I learned about the history of this village, where an old woman warned the villagers of an approaching army. In my mind’s eye? It was a beautiful young woman, dressed as her grandmother. And so the imagination takes off.
If you want to read my first two books, here are the links:
If you’d suggested, a few years ago, that I’d be spending Christmas, 2015 in a medieval village in Italy, I would’ve laughed my arse off. But it’s true. Tomorrow, my husband and I take off for Rome, and then to the lovely village of Soriano, just north of Rome, where we will spend some time with my daughter and her boyfriend’s family.
I am so excited, not only to see her, but to learn even more about our medieval past. It becomes so real when you walk into churches that were built in the thirteenth century.
I am sure there’s an Italian Medieval trilogy coming soon. I will be taking notes.
I will add more to this post from Italy.
Right now, I am sitting at home, mostly packed, and thinking about our journey.
I also have my ‘Learn Italian’ phone app, and am brushing up on my skills.
Buon Natale!
Felice Anno Nuovo!
While you wait, here are the links to my book!
US: Stella Marie Alden 
Hey! Where’re you going? I thought we were going to blog for a moment?
I’ve got a Zumba class in 15 minutes. Sorry. I hate interviews. Have I mentioned that?
Zumba? Really? I mean you’re getting on in years. I hope you take it easy…
Hell no. I take it to the max. I got calories to burn. I sit at a desk all day long.
What other workouts do you do?
I exercise at least six times a week. One step class, three Zumba classes, and two yoga classes. Listen, I really need to go…
That seems like a lot. When do you find time to write?
I get up at 5:30 seven days a week and write for at least two hours.
How impressive. How do you force yourself to do that?
Huh? Force? I’ve heard other people say what ‘hard work’ writing is. It’s not like that for me. What is hard, is to STOP writing. I wish I could write all day and all night.
I see you’ve published two medieval romances. Is there a particular reason you chose that genre?
Ha. ‘How to Train Your Knight’ was the first to get noticed by a publisher and my best at that time. I have a couple contemporary novels and a paranormal story just waiting for me to go back and get them ready for print. I wish I had more time…
Did you always want to be a writer?
Uh… no…. Honestly? For the longest time, I didn’t think beyond saving for my kids’ college, paying my bills, and getting a good night’s sleep. Being able to write is a recent discovery. I learned I can paint watercolors, as well. I sold a few in a gallery. And I learned to tile, and ah, code, manage a software project… I think as we get older, our capacity to learn increases. Don’t you?
Hmmm. Most would disagree.
You really are a Debbie Downer. Got a case of the Mondays? You get one more question. As I said, I have a workout.
What advice would you give new writers?
First of all? Do you love it? If not, find something else to do. If yes, then write every spare minute you have and then, if you are serious? Get some professional feedback and get better at your art. Then write some more and get more feedback, and write some more and get your work out there. And dream big and get published and write some more.
Sorry self. I gotta go. We can talk later.
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The weirdest thing happened this morning and I just have to share it.
For those of you that don’t know me, I’m generally considered an extremely level-headed woman, I know well the difference between making things up and reality.
So that is why I am FREAKING OUT!
The heroine in my third book is entirely fictional and is supposed to be the only living survivor of King Magnus, the last of the Norse rulers on the Isle of Man. In my story, the King of Scotland, who conquered the Manx, decides to put her on the throne, as an effort to win the goodwill of the people. I made up a haughty female to be able to spar with the alpha knight I have in mind.
This morning, while doing some research on the ‘Isle of Man,’ I found an obscure reference to another, written by a scholar at Western Michigan University. In it, I read that there actually was a queen on the isle of Man in the same decade in which I am writing! She was the closest living heir to the last king of Man,
I had no idea.
SHIVERS.
http://www.medievalists.net/2012/09/16/viking-women-in-the-isle-of-man/
http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1057&context=hilltopreview
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Having trouble getting started with Pinterest? I did, too! But now I have over 80 boards to share other novels and promote my own!
A few months ago, I made a Pinterest account. I created a couple of boards. I pinned my cover art into those boards. Then I got stuck.
I looked at other author’s profiles and they had tens of book boards. I clicked on a few. Some said, “Feel free to pin.”
Huh? Feel free to pin. HOW? Who owns this board? How do I get that lovely “plus” sign and EDIT tag? Gosh darn it. I searched the web and they all assumed I knew the basics. I shouted. I screamed. I asked…. but I must be a little slow, because I just didn’t get it.
Then, like a genie streaming out of a bottle, one day I figured out how to ask if I could join as a pinner to someone else’s board.
If you don’t have a Pinterest account, you can start here.
Now it is time to make a board…
Log in and click on the bright red pin in the upper right corner.
Get familiar with this process and make a few personal boards. But this isn’t really helping to sell your novel. To do that you must connect with readers, but how?
You can use my board as a test.
The polite and well-mannered Pinterest pinner, would invite me to pin to their board. To do that, go back to your pubic board, click on the red invite, and paste my name into the invite form, to the left of the word, invite.
This technique will generally work on boards that say, “Feel free to pin.”
I sure hope this helps!! Stay tuned and I will add some images. Did this help you? Leave a comment and let me know!
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Today my LinkedIn Account and my Facebook Account passwords were attacked but they were stopped.
Do you know why?
Because although I was dumb enough to use the same password on some of the sights where I have requested book services, I was not so dumb as to use the same password with my email login.
Facebook and Linked in sent me and email, saying that someone from India had attempted to login and put a hold on my account until I verified that this person was me. Should I have used the same password for my email, that thief would’ve had access to my email as well and could have wreaked much havoc from there.
My bank account passwords, emails, and such, are entirely different. This was almost by accident, because I use a pen name. However, I am going to make all of them stronger, still. I have learned an important lesson! How many of your passwords are the same?
Make sure your passwords are unique, at least to your email accounts, your bank accounts, and anything important. Make them strong. Make them long.
Have an email account that is just for social media.
Keep another for business transactions.
Use pay pal. Set up a Credit Card just for that. Keep your debit card and your main household credit card out of everything else. When you purchase online? Use a paypal or a specially designated credit card.
If you have kids, and are starting to get a b’zillion Facebook followers, DO NOT POST their pictures! Do not share your friends kids pictures, no matter how cute.
Rant over.
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