BLAST, BLITZ, PROMOS, REVEALS, & TOURS . . . : SPOTLIGHT w/INTERVIEW - HISTORICAL WOMEN'S FICTION

The Art of Always

by Patricia Friedrich

Date of Publication: January 19th 2022

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Cover Artist: Diana Carlile

Genre: Women’s Fiction/Historical

ISBN: 978-1509237791

ASIN: B09KQY4W8L

Number of pages: 372

Word Count: ~ 90K

Tagline: The biggest mystery is why we lie to ourselves

BLURB

Art history student Darcey Mendes needs a new topic for her thesis in order to graduate, but time is against her. Family debts are pressing. She fears she must give up all hopes of an academic career. Yet, without her degree, would she earn enough to provide for her secret daughter's future?

Archie Northwood, rich and from a privileged family, suddenly reappears in her life to offer the chance that could save her--the story of his Brazilian great-grandmother. His ancestor was Modernist painter Ana Eça, who, on the verge of stardom in the 1920s, mysteriously vanished from public view forever.

Choosing to unveil Ana's story is a complicated proposition for them both. How will they be able to work together to resolve the decades-old mystery when Darcey cannot allow Archie to guess her secret?

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Excerpt:

A thin mist had covered the city. Inside the fog, cobblestone pavers and streetlamps gave the streets a dreamlike feel, which Ana experienced from the other side of her window. Watching the movement of neighbors hurrying to catch a train or walk to work, she knifed a small wedge of butter and slathered it on a piece of toast. The flavors of the morning, fresh coffee and jam, delighted her. It was a moment of perfection, a fleeting one, full of ideas about art and success, so she took full notice of it. But soon the pleasure of warm French bread and sweet coffee was replaced with worry. Her morning with Joaquim and the strange intuition she had about it kept her heart prisoner and made her attention falter. The strange prophecy and the knot in her stomach alerted her to be careful. As she fell asleep the night before, she had made up her mind that the recent encounter would be their last time together. She reminded herself that no matter the powerful hold Joaquim had on her, she could do whatever she wanted.

Author Info

Patricia Friedrich is a Professor at Arizona State University, having received her Ph.D. from Purdue University. She teaches courses in composition, linguistics, peace, and culture. She writes non-fiction about the intersection of those areas. Her non-fiction work has appeared in eight books and in over 40 book chapters and journal articles. Her fiction has been published in several literary magazines including Eclectic Flash, The Linnet's Wings, and Birkensnake, as well as in the anthology Flash in the Attic. Her novel The Art of Always was awarded first place at a regional RWA competition, was the winner of a National Indie Excellence Award, and was published in 2022 by The Wild Rose Press. She is also an author of historical romance under the pseudonym Eliza Emmett. All the Parts of Your Soul, her next novel (with Jen Jensen), is forthcoming. She lives in Arizona.

The Book Junkie Reads . . .Reckless Dreams Interview with . . . Patricia Friedrich . . .

Do you have a character that you have been working on for a long time that still isn't quite ready, but fills you with excitement to work on the story?

I have been trying to understand Andrew John from my Victorian romance In the Letters of a Lady for a while now. He is a tricky one because he feels a lot but shows very little. He is very smart and polite, but he can be uncomfortable socially. I think sooner or later he will tell me more, and I will be able to finish the story.

Have you found yourself bonding with any particular character(s)? If so which one(s)?

I have a particular place in my heart for Darcey from The Art of Always. She starts out insecure and fearful, but she learns a lot through the book, and sometimes I just want to give her a hug and tell her everything will be all right. I know her like you’d know a person in the real world.

Can you share your next creative project(s)? If yes, can you give a few details?

I co-wrote my first paranormal novel with writer Jen Jensen. It is called All the Parts of Your Soul. It will be out in the next few months. Here’s a blurb while we wait:

Arizona, 2019. When Nurse Pia Norwak spots Rikke Taylor, burn survivor and local heroine, at an emergency room in Sedona, Pia experiences an intensifying attraction, only matched by the puzzling visions that come to her with increasing frequency and clarity. Rikke, however reluctantly, cannot deny something mysterious is unfolding.

Yorkshire, 1840. As Rory Allen travels back to her cottage at the Moorsgrange estate, she realizes she is also returning to Jules Ermsworth, piano virtuoso, heir to the Victorian estate, and her soulmate. But he’s sickly and fragile, so his mother and doctor oppose the union.

What connects these two love stories across time and space, and what will it take for Pia and Rikke to right the wrongs of that distant past?

If you could have dinner/dinner party with 5 fictional characters, who would they be?

This is a fun question. Here is my list:

Captain Frederick Wentworth - While a lot of attention is given to Mr. Darcy, my favorite Jane Austen hero is Wentworth. I love Persuasion as a story, and I think his personality, really enhances the book.
Vida Winter – she is a fictional writer in one of my favorite novels, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. She is intriguing and larger than life, that is, everything you want in a guest!
Daniel from The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón – another one from my list of top-five books of all time. Daniel is an ordinary person in an extraordinary story, and I’d love to hear what he has to say about that.
Grant Galavyin – This is one of my own, the hero of A Love Made to Measure, a Victorian Romance I wrote under the pseudonym Eliza Emmett. Grant is very charismatic and elegant without being pompous, so I think he would make for great conversation at dinner.
Lizzie Bennett from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice – she is the heroine we all want to be: smart, decisive, and level-headed. This dinner will be incredible!