I am happy to introduce you to Australian Paranormal Romance Author Jenny Schwartz who has written a series called Out Of The Bottle and the third book "Three Wishes" comes out May 23rd, today she shares with us some of her site research for her newest Novella... Exotic places we would all love to visit!
Jenny friended me on Goodreads, Facebook and my blog and when I researched her site and read her 2 free reads it occurred to me to ask her to do a guest post which request she graciously accepted...
Jenny will be happy to answer comments today so on to the guest post itself we go!
Hi Jackie and everyone! I'm delighted to be here.
I'm a “virtual” traveller. I love reading about exotic places, strange customs and amazing people. I'm the one person in the world who likes looking at other people's holiday photos. And when exotic places are combined with a romantic history, then I'm hooked.
In real life, I live in Perth, Western Australia. It's a coastal city with a Mediterranean climate, and that link to the Mediterranean (climate, plants, food, people from Greece, Italy and Lebanon) all make me long to visit the original.
Next month I have a novella coming out with Carina Press. It's called “Three Wishes”, but it's working title was “Syrian Dreams” because how can you hear names like Damascus, Palmyra, Aleppo and not start dreaming?
Syria has always been a centre of trade, but also of war. Assyrians, Phoenicians, Persians, Alexander the Great, Romans and Muslims, everyone has marched through, loved and lived in Syria - and left their mark in stories and stones.
For me, the ruined Crusader castles scattered through the country are symbols of Syria's complicated, romantic history. They recall the heat and violence, but also the busy life of kitchens and stables, the passing caravans of merchants, and the wailing notes of troubadours.
With thanks to Bernard Gagnon and Memorino (via Wikimedia - links and credit should pop up if you hover over the photo) for their talent and generosity, I'm sharing two magical photos of Crusader castles. The first is Krak des Chevaliers and the second, the Citadel of Aleppo.
Krak des Chevaliers - The Cistern
The Citadel of Aleppo
But how about this amazing Arabic castle from the seventh century? Qasr-al-Heir-al-Sharqi. With thanks to Neil Carey for sharing the photo on Flickr.
Finally, although this link will take you to Portugal rather than Syria, I can't resist sharing it. HOTEL POUSADA is a converted castle. Can you imagine holidaying in a castle? Awesome.
For any fellow armchair travellers interested in reading further about Syria's romantic history and places to see, I recommend “Syria. A Historical and Architectural Guide” by Warwick Ball.
Thanks, Jackie, for inviting me to visit. Texas is one of those romantic places I've read about and seen in movies. One day I'll get there in person, fingers crossed. Meantime, it's been pure pleasure sharing my dreams of travel.
***
Jenny thank you for sharing all of these, and you are not alone as I too love to look at others Holiday Photos! I can truly say one of the things that attracted me to books a long time ago is the fact that I get to "armchair travel" in comfort on the "cheap"!
All the places where Jenny can be found...
Just a reminder that since Jenny is in a different time zone than Texas being in Australia her answering questions and comments may not coincide with the day this post airs for all of us!
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17 comments:
hi Jenny! thanks for sharing the holiday photos. these are lovely and they make one all dreamy indeed!
hi Jackie!thanks again for letting me know about Jenny's post. c",)
A -- I loved sharing the holiday snaps, even if they weren't mine. *sigh* one day when I can travel... And thanks Jackie for letting me visit and bring photos.
Virtually visiting Texas is great fun. Although I don't have a stetson or cowboy boots, I am keeping my eye out for your gorgeous wildflowers. Here in Australia I tried to grow lisianthus (which we call Texas rose) from seed, and failed. To see them all flowering in fields would be wonderful.
There are so many amazing places I want to see around the world. If I had three wishes from a djinni (like in my novella!) I'd wish for anti-travel sickness drugs, the money to travel and a courier (to take care of all the panicky little stuff like passports, visas and hotel bookings).
Good Morning Aob and good morning to you too Jenny! Virtual armchair travel is the bomb, no travel worries to take care of and no crazy travel bugs to fight off when the body protests leaving familiar territory of home and hearth!
Thanks Jenny for bringing your wonderful travel destinations to our attention, even if we never actually go there the small glimpses you gave us were very interesting!
I hope your day in Australia will be a good one and your visit to Texas is a welcome one, online or in person! >_<
I'd love to spend some vacation time in a castle. Thanks for sharing!
Those pictures were amazing! Thanks for sharing.
Jackie -- virtual travelling is fantastic, esp with the internet. There's a site called 360cities.net on which people have shared their 360 degree views of various places. It is amazing.
P -- I would love to stay in a castle -- though some English folk tell me they're better in dreams than reality -- all cold and dark and damp. Maybe there really are advantages to virtual travel? I keep my rose-coloured glasses on :)
S -- thanks for dropping in! I went with a picture being worth a thousand words. Imagine if I hadn't -- my guest post would never have ended and Jackie would have thought Aussies never stop talking, which is, ahem, in some cases (whistles innocently) true!
It's Kismet! I got my internet back the day you're here guest blogging.
--although it's probably the next day for you. :)
And can I say again how much I love your cover? Beautiful!
I even like the working title. I think it would've worked well as the real title. Did your editor not like it--or didn't you submit it that way?
Jackie: I hope you are okay down there. I heard about that wildfire near Austin. Hope all is well.
Wildfires? Oh, I hope you're okay (and everyone else, too), Jackie. Bushfires here in Australia are scary and I'm truly grateful never to have been caught up in one. Because of the way our cities have sprawled and incorporated bushland, the fires even hit the suburbs.
Maria -- so glad you've got the internet back and you're here! (and yeah, today is already tomorrow here in Aus). Did you ride out the storms without much damage?
I wasn't sure what my editor would make of "Syrian Dreams" so I played it safe. Such a title coward I am. And I love the cover, too.
I was tickled pink when I went to Netgalley and saw "Three Wishes" up for pre-release review along with "Apocalypse Rising". That sword on the cover is so effective.
For any reviewers --
http://netgalley.com/index2.php?module=catalog&page=2&genre=&sdir=2&sfld=1&type=4&txt=Carina
Maria, Jenny so far we are fine... Smoke haze and smell have made it to our area but we are far enough away it will not be a problem with the fires or the aftereffects where we live...
Oh great post, and great pictures to visit with. ;) I love to look at all the sites here through the internet and then really want to go in person. But darn, it wont happen any time soon. :) Thanks for sharing all these!
Oh, loved the pictures and the post.
Thanks Jackie for introducing yet another awesome author. Hope you are safe and sound.
Melissa -- great to meet another virtual traveller! One day we'll all manage to go see our favourite places in person, fingers crossed!
Kavyen -- glad you enjoyed the photos. I spent way, way too long looking at other people's snaps on Wikimedia and Flickr, trying to choose my favourites. Great fun :)
Hi Jenny! What a great post! Virtual traveling is my new fav term. I loved where you went too! Especially the castle! :0)
Mina -- virtual travelling is definitely the way to go. As Jackie said, no tummy bugs. And I reckon that in addition to the money saved (money I don't have!), there's no having to leave behind beloved pets. Imagine Jackie's chihuahua without her? No way. And my golden retriever would have something to say -- loudly :) Can you hear him barking in the background? *grin*
Glad you enjoyed the post.
Just thought -- I wonder when someone sets up a virtual tourism agency? LOL
Wow - I love your pictures. I adore travelling as well, but it always seems like it's a case of so many places to go and not enough time (or money!). Syria isn't a place I've been, but I think I will have to add it to my places to visit list. I love looking at old buildings and ancient cultures...Egypt has been my favourite place so far!
Thanks for sharing!
Wow. Such beautiful places. I'd love to visit. :) Great guest post!
Mel and Natasha -- I hope we all get to visit the places of our dreams :)
Thanks, everyone, and most especially Jackie, for making me feel so welcome. I've love virtually visiting Texas ;)
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