May 28, 2021
GIVEAWAY – Playing the Odds CLOSED
Week 21 – Playing the Odds
Genre: Apocalyptic Romance
Release Date: January 26, 2017
Cover Design: Kate L. Mary
Formats: ebook and paperback – grab the ebook for just $0.99!
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Universal
Goodreads
I’m late again! The end of the school year is always hectic and this year is no different, so of course I got behind again. But yesterday was the last day of school and now I’m ready to get caught up and stay on a schedule! So here we go: Playing the Odds week!
This is the third Zombie Apocalypse Love Story Novella I released, but I was writing this one and The Key to Survival at the same time. It’s set in Napa Valley at a winery, which I thought was a cool place for someone to take refuge. I lived close to the area when we were at Travis AFB and we drove out there every now and then to go to some wineries – especially when we had company – and it was not only secluded, but many of the wineries already had fences around them. It seemed like an ideal place to head when the zombies came. And not just for the wine.
V. Sattui Winery was a favorite since it was kid-friendly AND had free tastings for Military. I took my grandma there when she visited us back in 2012.
This is the only one of my books that either doesn’t have an audiobook or doesn’t have one being produced right now, and there’s a reason for that. I made the main character Italian – her family owned the winery – and she and her cousin converse in Italian a lot in the book. The only problem? I don’t speak Italian. I used a translating website to sprinkle it in, but I have no idea if it’s totally correct or how to pronounce the words, which makes finding a narrator difficult. I thought about trying to find someone who wants to tackle it, but I’m afraid of inadvertently butchering the language and offending someone, so I decided to just let it go. Sorry audiobook listeners!
Anyway, while the setting for this novel is accurate – Napa Valley – the winery is from my imagination. I did google wineries/hotels when I started writing this, but decided I would just create my own. I love these characters – especially the relationship between the cousins – and back when I wrote it, I intended to revisit them one day and write another novella so Antonio could get his happily-ever-after as well. Maybe one day I still will!
