GUEST POST BY KAYA QUINSEY

ABOUT THE BOOK

Valentine in Venice

Valentine Wells returns to Venice. After having visited ten years earlier when she was just sixteen years old, it was where she had impulsively met Lorenzo Dipachio. Her first kiss. Her first love.


Now twenty-six, Valentine is a successful wedding photographer in Chicago. Still impulsive, Valentine is recently divorced after being married for about a minute in Las Vegas. And she doesn't miss the irony of being a divorced wedding photographer. Also dealing with her mother's recent diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's, Valentine's father convinces her that she needs a break.


Now that she is back in Venice, Valentine wants to prove to herself that she's no longer the impulsive, daring girl who got married (and quickly divorced) in Vegas to a man she barely knew. Now, she is living by a new set of rules: planned, cautious, and carefully executed.
But her plan is challenged when she falls (literally) into the path of her first love, Lorenzo. And with Valentine's Day around the corner, will Valentine be able to keep herself from making another big mistake?


A Coastal Christmas

Author Kaya Quinsey returns with her trademark blend of romance and adventure, in this page turning story about a love to remember and a Christmas never to forget.


Successful broadcaster Jessica Beaton has it all: the perfect New York City apartment, high-flying career, and handsome boyfriend. And with Christmas around the corner, she has her sights set on one thing. A ring.


But Jessica is humiliated when her co-host and boyfriend, Brett Fanshaw, almost proposes to her on-air before backing out, leaving her dumped and embarrassed on national television. In the midst of her heartbreak, Jessica leaves to go home to Pebble Shores for the holidays for the first time in years.

While retreating at her family's seaside cottage to evaluate her life, Jessica finds herself butting heads with Dean Adams, the mayor of Pebble Shores, who isn't thrilled to have the media spotlight shed on their small town. Jessica couldn't imagine anyone being more of a Grinch.
Over the Christmas season, Jessica finds herself more enamored with life in Pebble Shores, the community spirit, and to her own surprise, Dean Adams. Can a small-town mayor and big-city broadcaster have the romance that Jessica always dreamed of?


Paris Mends Broken Hearts

Gwendoline Delacroix finds herself fleeing Paris in a desperate attempt to escape the memories that haunt her in her French countryside chateau. Following the aftermath of WWII, she had become a widower and desperately missing her husband, Jean. Although her loyal and quirky staff do their best to keep her afloat, Gwendoline eventually takes charge and in a quick turn of events, finds herself at the Hotel de la Belle Paix - the hotel run by her brother and sister-in-law in the Latin Quarter in Paris.

Over the summer, Gwendoline finds work at an animal sanctuary run by an eccentric aristocrat. With new friends, an elderly cat, and a glass of wine in hand, Gwendoline proves to herself and everyone else that there is life after lost love.


Entertaining? Of course! Joyful? Undoubtedly. Champagne? Bien sur! In Paris, nothing is predictable, and everything is extraordinary.



Book Details:


Title: Love, Amour, Amore: A Collection of Three Love Stories From Around The World

Author: Kaya Quinsey

Genre: Sweet Romance, Anthology

Publisher: Books To Go Now, (February 5 2019)

Print length: 154 pages

GUEST POST BY KAYA QUINSEY

It should come as no surprise that my books are heavy on the romance. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a hopeless romantic. So when my publishers at Books To Go Now suggested an anthology of my three sweet romance novellas (Valentine in Venice, A Coastal Christmas, and Paris Mends Broken Hearts) be published in time for Valentine’s Day, of course I said yes! It resulted in Love, Amour, Amore: A Collection of Three Love Stories From Around the World. And it certainly doesn’t have to be Valentine’s Day to read about love.

A common thread that runs through my books is a love of food. In Valentine in Venice, on more than one occasion I go into detail about the delicious food Italy has to offer. The same thing goes for Paris Mends Broken Hearts (kouign amann’s are to die for) and A Coastal Christmas (who doesn’t love gingerbread and cinnamon sprinkled into their coffee?)

I love cooking – in fact, you can find a few recipes tucked away in the back of each of my novellas to date. I’m going to share one of my personal favorites today (it’s also a favorite of my fiancés), which I hope you can enjoy with a good book in hand.

Oatmeal-Cherry Tarte

This is an easy, healthy recipe that can be enjoyed with a cup of coffee for breakfast, or as a delicious (and healthy) dessert at the end of the week. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 cup of whole-wheat flour
½ cup of rolled oats
½ cup of brown sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
¾ cup of whole milk
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
a sprinkle of cinnamon
1 cup of frozen (or de-pitted fresh) cherries

Directions

1.    In a bowl, mix together flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, milk, olive oil, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt.

2.    Pour into a greased baking dish.

3.    Top with cherries.

4.    Bake at 375 ° for 30 to 40 minutes (or until golden brown).

5.    Enjoy!

Check out my Love it Or Leave it Interview with Kaya from January 2019!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kaya Quinsey is the author of Paris Mends Broken Hearts, Valentine in Venice, A Coastal Christmas, and most recently, Love, Amour, Amore: A Collection of Three Love Stories From Around The World. Her work has sold in seven countries. She holds her undergraduate and master’s degree in psychology. Kaya’s passion for culture, travel, and psychology blend for a reading style that is fun, full of surprises, and easy to read. A romantic at heart, Kaya’s writing offers a contemporary twist to traditional love stories. Through her stories, she hopes to inspire readers to fiercely chase their dreams.

Connect with Kaya:
Website  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |    Instagram 

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo  

FEATURED AUTHOR: KAYA QUINSEY

ABOUT THE BOOK

Valentine Wells returns to Venice. After having visited ten years earlier when she was just sixteen years old, it was where she had impulsively met Lorenzo Dipachio. Her first kiss. Her first love.

Now twenty-six, Valentine is a successful wedding photographer in Chicago. Still impulsive, Valentine is recently divorced after being married for about a minute in Las Vegas. And she doesn't miss the irony of being a divorced wedding photographer. Also dealing with her mother's recent diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's, Valentine's father convinces her that she needs a break.

Now that she is back in Venice, Valentine wants to prove to herself that she's no longer the impulsive, daring girl who got married (and quickly divorced) in Vegas to a man she barely knew. Now, she is living by a new set of rules: planned, cautious, and carefully executed.

But her plan is challenged when she falls (literally) into the path of her first love, Lorenzo. And with Valentine's Day around the corner, will Valentine be able to keep herself from making another big mistake?


Book Details:


Title: Valentine in Venice


Author: Kaya Quinsey


Genre: Sweet Romance Novella


Publisher: Books To Go Now (January 04, 2019)



LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH KAYA QUINSEY

Things you need in order to write: My laptop and a power chord.
Things that hamper your writing: Getting distracted by the antics of my cat, Pumpkin.



Easiest thing about being a writer: Coming up with new plot lines and ideas.
Hardest thing about being a writer: Actually putting those ideas onto the page.

Favorite foods: Fresh raspberries and chocolate croissants. And oysters!
Things that make you want to throw up: Nothing comes to mind! I’m really not a picky eater.

Favorite song: Lately, I’ve been listening to ‘Into the Mystic’ by Van Morrison on repeat.
Music that make your ears bleed: Muzak.

Favorite beverage: Grapefruit Perrier, coconut water, coffee, and champagne! All on their own, of course.

Something that gives you a pickle face: If these drinks were blended together.

Favorite smell: Vanilla, the ocean, and campfires.

Something that makes you hold your nose: When the pancakes get burnt.

Something you’re really good at: Daydreaming.

Something you’re really bad at: Keeping a poker face.


Things you always put in your books: Love and positive relationships.

Things you never put in your books: A tragic ending. 



OTHER BOOKS BY KAYA QUINSEY

Paris Mends Broken Hearts 

A Coastal Christmas

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Kaya Quinsey holds her undergraduate and master’s degree in psychology. The author of three books, her work has sold in seven countries. Kaya’s passion for culture, travel, and psychology blend for a reading style that is fun, full of surprises, and easy to read. A romantic at heart, Kaya’s writing offers a contemporary twist to traditional love stories. She hopes to inspire readers through her stories to fiercely chase their dreams.





Connect with Kaya:
Website  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon 

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo

FEATURED AUTHOR: KAYA QUINSEY

ABOUT THE BOOK

Author Kaya Quinsey returns with her trademark blend of romance and adventure, in this page turning story about a love to remember and a Christmas never to forget.



Successful broadcaster Jessica Beaton has it all: the perfect New York City apartment, high-flying career, and handsome boyfriend. And with Christmas around the corner, she has her sights set on one thing. A ring. 

But Jessica is humiliated when her co-host and boyfriend, Brett Fanshaw, almost proposes to her on-air before backing out, leaving her dumped and embarrassed on national television. In the midst of her heartbreak, Jessica leaves to go home to Pebble Shores for the holidays for the first time in years. 

While retreating at her family's seaside cottage to evaluate her life, Jessica finds herself butting heads with Dean Adams, the mayor of Pebble Shores, who isn't thrilled to have the media spotlight shed on their small town. Jessica couldn't imagine anyone being more of a Grinch.


Over the Christmas season, Jessica finds herself more enamored with life in Pebble Shores, the community spirit, and to her own surprise, Dean Adams. Can a small-town mayor and big-city broadcaster have the romance that Jessica always dreamed of?



Book Details:


Title: A Coastal Christmas

Author: Kaya Quinsey

Genre: Christmas Romance

Publisher and publish date: Books To Go Now (October 2018)

Print length: 100 pages (paperback edition)

INTERVIEW WITH KAYA QUINSEY

Q: What’s the story behind the title of your book?

A: I chose the title A Coastal Christmas for two reasons. First, it pays homage to the primary setting, which is the idyllic fictional community of Pebble Shores. Pebble Shores is located right on the Atlantic coast. As the hometown of the main character, Jessica Beaton, Pebble Shores is full of quirky and compassionate residents, holiday-themed celebrations, and is the polar opposite setting from Jessica’s busy life as a broadcaster in Manhattan. Second, when you hear ‘A Coastal Christmas’, you know that it is, without a doubt, a holiday-themed book. And with Christmas around the corner, Jessica has her sights set on one thing. A ring.

Q: What’s your favorite memory?

A: I feel like every time I travel, I come away with a new favorite memory. But without a doubt, my most romantic and favorite memory is when my (now) fiancé proposed at sunset in San Sebastian, Spain.


Q: What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned?

A: Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.

Q: I like that! If you could only save one thing from your house, what would it be?

A: As long as I knew that my family, including my cat, was safe, I would have to say my photo albums. I have quite a few, I’ll admit, so I know it’s not just one thing, but I would do my very best to save them all. It is such a different experience looking through a photo album rather than going through the pictures on a computer. When it’s right in front of you on paper, it becomes that much easier to feel transported back to the moment when that picture was taken.

Q: What brings you delight?

A: Writing, being by the water, exploring new places, visiting art galleries, eating fantastic food, and the single most significant one– ample time with my friends and family.

Q: If you could live anywhere in the world, where in the world would it be?

A: Perhaps the Mediterranean Coast, with my family and friends living just down the street. The miles of sandy seashore, the food, and the climate – it’s hard to beat.

Q: What’s your favorite line from a book? 

A: “Life offers you a thousand chances . . . all you have to do is take one.” 
― Frances Mayes from Under the Tuscan Sun

Q: Who are your favorite authors?

A: Peter Mayle, Frances Mayes, Sophie Kinsella, and Mary Kay Andrew.


Q: What book are you currently reading and in what format? 

A: I am currently reading Mr. Gandy’s Grand Tour by Alan Titchmarsh in hardcover. It is excellent!

Q: Where is your favorite bookstore, and what do you love about it?

A: Libreria Acqua Alta in Venice, Italy. It is this small little bookstore that opens onto a canal. From the floor to the ceiling, it is absolutely packed with books. There is even a gondola inside filled with books. When you’re there, it feels magical. I have never been anywhere else like it.

Q: What are you working on now?
A: A romantic novella set in one of my favorite cities – Venice. Keep an eye out for Valentine in Venice!




ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kaya Quinsey holds her undergraduate and master’s degree in psychology. Her first novel, Paris Mends Broken Hearts, was released in April 2018. Her second book, A Coastal Christmas, was released in October 2018. Her books have sold in seven countries. Kaya’s passion for culture, travel, and psychology blend for a reading style that is fun, full of surprises, and easy to read. A romantic at heart, Kaya’s writing offers a contemporary twist to traditional love stories. She hopes to inspire women through her stories to fiercely chase their dreams.

Connect with Kaya:
Website  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Google+

Buy the book:
Amazon  |   Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo  |  Chapters/Indigo