Welcome to Day 2 of #RRBC’s October #SpotlightAuthor #PatGarcia @pat_garcia! @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA #RRBCSA

DAY 2 TURN THE LIGHT ON  – THE BOOK COVER AND THE BOOK TRAILER

If I remember correctly, when I first reached out to 4WILLSPUBLISHING, I was able to tell them what I didn’t want.  My vision of Della was extremely specific. In my mind, I didn’t see her face, I saw her profile. She was looking out of the window wearing an angry scowl. I had a reason for that. I always want my readers, female, and male, to be able to associate or relate to my characters. I want women to see themselves as Della.  As some of you might know, most African American women aren’t size eight, ten, or twelve; at least, not the ones I know. We usually age beautifully, but our mid-sections tend to grow. I wanted to work with the theme of a normal woman of color, fifty-five years of age, who has buried herself in her work and reads Jane Eyre at night, and dreams about her Mr. Rochester. Della had to be authentic, and for me that meant that her hair had to be tightly curled or kinky, her hips round, and her breasts large.  It was essential to me that she represent the everyday woman.

The team at 4WILLSPUB was patient and worked with me. I know it took some time finding her, but I never doubted that they would. And when they presented the image that you see on my cover, I knew that was my Della!  I was smiling from ear to ear.

Next, we went after Alessio. This time, Della was the guide. She had to be deeply attracted to him to keep going back to the restaurant and agreeing to his stipulations of sitting at two separate tables.

In my story, I used the Chief Maître d as the communicator for the two. Alessio spoke only to him and never directly to Della. 

In the story, Alessio loves to read, and he pulls Della into his world by leaving her books with passages that he has highlighted to lure her in. He’s not worried about Della’s age. His experiences with life have taught him to value moments. He’s looking for a woman he can trust; a woman that will allow him to cuddle up to her when they sleep – a woman who is unaware of the passion within her. He finds that when he encounters Della in New York City. 4WILLSPUB worked hard to find Alessio for Della and when they did find him, Della smiled, and so did I.  Finally, I had living characters who people could place or replace in their imagination, but not only that, the music 4WILLSPUB used in the book trailer for TURN THE LIGHT ON, fit perfectly to the call of the heart.

Author bio

Pat Garcia can’t remember a day when she didn’t desire to write. At the age of three, Pat wrote her first story. No one could understand it because she hadn’t learned to write. So, she read the scribble on her paper to whoever would listen. Born in Blythe, Georgia, (USA), she is also a musician, singer, and songwriter and has released five CDs.

Book blurb

Would you ever accept a dinner invitation to meet a stranger who never spoke one word to you during your time together? Would you accept that you could not even sit at the same table with them? How about, you don’t even know their name and you continue this “game” for months?

Meet Della Cartwright. A superstar at what she does professionally, but when the tall, mysterious, Italian stranger, Alessio Terracina, enters her world, she begins to question her judgment and everything about her.

In this short story which takes place over the course of one day, this otherwise savvy businesswoman is led into making decisions that could jeopardize her professional life and maybe even cost her her freedom. But the greatest danger…just might be to her fragile heart.

Find Pat Garcia

Author website – https://patgarciaauthor.com/

Facebook FanPage – https://www.facebook.com/patgarciaauthor

Twitter – @pat_garcia

Thanks for supporting the RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB’S October Spotlight Author! To learn more about this author and all the wonderful perks she is receiving under this spotlight, please visit the RRBC SPOTLIGHT AUTHOR forum.