Your Invitation to Visit Mirella Patzer and Bloodstone Castle

Meet Mirella Patzer - Your Guide on This Adventure

Books are one of Mirella Patzer's obsessions, especially those that pertain to medieval eras and with Italy as a backdrop. To fulfill a life long dream, she began writing several years ago and has never looked back. Since then she has published several short stories and completed two novels with several more novels in various stages of completion. Her fascination for women of history and Italy is often reflected in her work, blogs, and website. When she's not immersed in research or writing or blogging, Mirella works as an editor for Enspiren Press. She writes from her home in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada, surrounded by her husband, two college-bound daughters, and a rambunctious little grandson who frequently interrupts her work with a variety of unanticipated, yet humorous calamities and interruptions. For her, life couldn't get any better.

Bloodstone Castle stands sentinel on the shores of the Ligurian Sea. Secreted somewhere in its dungeons is an ancient Roman treasure of immense value. Contessa Morena of Bloodstone Castle possesses a mysterious bloodstone pendant, the only proof the treasure exists.

In medieval Italy, two men face each other with ruthlessness and intensity. Enter their world of splendour and depravity, of passion and wickedness. It is Italy's most dazzling and dangerous age, and as Duke Amoro of Genoa and Duke Ernesto of Savona match wits and cunning, it is a dance the death to decide which one of them will win the hand of the beautiful Countess Morena and the hidden treasure of Bloodstone Castle.

Good Morning, Miralla, welcome to my blog.

edbb: I believe my readers would like to get to know you, Miralla, would you like to tell us a little about yourself, and what inspired you to become a writer?

Mirella: The desire to write developed when I came across information on the Battle of the Moro River and the Battle for Ortona during World War II in Italy. My mother’s vineyards are on the Moro River, so I began to look into it.

I discovered that the Battle of the Moro River happened on our family’s vineyards. Yet my mother never spoke about it. When I questioned her, through her tears and pain, I learned of how they survived in a cave for 8 months after their home was destroyed. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to tell her story. This caused me to write.

edbb: Novels written in the Medieval Era are generally imbedded in French, English or Scottish history, what possessed you to use the Roman Medieval Era as a background for your novel?

Mirella: The market is full of medieval novels about England, Scotland, and France. Yet Italy has a rich medieval history that few have learned about. So I wanted to write something different and take my readers to new setting. Also, I’ve been researching a writing a trilogy of the Holy Roman Empire in the 10^th century which takes the readers to Germany and Italy.

edbb: What gave you the incentive to create the plot and characters for Bloodstone Castle?

Mirella: I wanted to write a romantic suspense as a break from all the 10^th century writing and research I was doing, so I decided to build my story around a castle. A Google Image Search turned up several possibilities. I chose the Castle of Portovenere to build my story around.

edbb: How much research, if any, did you do before writing Bloodstone Castle ?

Mirella: I’ve been deeply entrenched in researching the 10^th century since 2002 and feel very comfortable there. For this reason, I chose to place Bloodstone Castle in that century.

edbb: Are any of your characters in Bloodstone Castle, indicative of any people you know in real life, are any of them a combination of some, or are they all a figment of your imagination?

Mirella: All the characters are completely fictionalized and I created them all from scratch. I think this is because in the trilogy I am working on, they are all real life characters. Bloodstone Castle was a total creative endeavor, a fun release from all the research.

edbb: Since you appear to be smitten by the Medieval Era if you were given a chance or a choice to be transported back in time where would you like to go and why?

Mirella: Most definitely I would go to the 10^th century and meet the characters I’ve been researching, Otto the Great, his wife Adelaide, his mother Matilde, and the rest of the family that I’ve come to know so well.

edbb: If you were a character in your novel, which one would you like to be? What is it about this particular character that intrigues you so?

Mirella: Although she is a minor, secondary character, I would love to be Smerelda the old wise woman. She is loved, knowledgeable, self-possessed and confident. All the good stuff that comes with maturity. I posted a picture of what I think she looks like on my blog: http://bloodstonecastle.blogspot.com.

edbb: Are you working on a sequel to Bloodstone Castle, or are you planning on taking a different route with your next project?

Mirella: I am not contemplating a sequel to Bloodstone. Instead, in addition to the trilogy of the 10^th century, I’m working on a novel called Orphan of the Olive Tree, which is a short story written by a queen in the 14^th century. I’ve expanded the plot and developed the characters. Once my medieval novels are complete, I’d like to write some historical westerns. I live in western Canada and there is much history here that few know about. But this is years from now. Before I delve into westerns, I want to write about my family’s World War II history.

edbb: Thank you for joining us today, Mirella. It was a pleasure having you here and learning a little more about you and your work. Where can people reach you?

Mirella: It was my pleasure to be here and visit your site. I can be reached at the following sites:

http://www.mirellapatzer.com
http://mirellapatzer.blogspot.com
http://bloodstonecastle.blogspot.com
http://bestofitaly.blogspot.com
http://authorcookies.blogspot.com
http://historicalnovelreview.blogspot.com

Find Out More About Mirella Patzer and Bloodstone Castle
Mirella Patzer's Website - http://www.mirellapatzer.com
Mirella Patzer's Blogs - http://mirellapatzer.blogspot.com, http://bestofitaly.blogspot.com and http://bloodstonecastle.blogspot.com
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Bloodstone-Castle-Mirella-Patzer/dp/0978486528

You are encouraged to stop at each blog visit and post a comment for Mirella. Each comment enters you in a drawing for a free print copy of the book at the end of the tour. So, visit Mirella, learn more about Bloodstone Castle and post comments. Mirella looks forward to getting to know her readers.

Elena Dorothy Bowman
Journey to the Rim of Space and Beyond
http://elenadb.home.comcast.net
http://www.sarahslanding.com