This summer, my friend Christine Nolfi is publishing Second Chance Grill, the second book in her Liberty series. I’m pleased to host her on my blog this week with an excerpt from the first Liberty book, Treasure Me – a sweet, inspiring, delightful read! Welcome Christine …
“A New York editor once described my novels as, ‘women’s fiction bordering on literary.’ Treasure Me and Second Chance Grill are a contemporary blend of comedy and romance with mysteries drawn from U.S. history. Some people view the Liberty books as romantic comedies. Or light mysteries. I’ve also written the more suspenseful, stand-alone novel, The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge, which is a much more poignant read.
“In reality, I think I write genre-blended books. I dislike the genre label, preferring instead to approach each work as a great story waiting to be told. The world is made all the more beautiful by literature’s wide variety of voices.”
Indie Authors: I’m always happy to help with questions about writing and the self-publishing process. Please leave a comment on this post. I’m delighted to provide answers!
About Treasure Me: Petty thief Birdie Kaminsky has arrived in Liberty, Ohio to steal a treasure hidden since the Civil War. She’s in possession of a charming clue: Liberty safeguards the cherished heart. The beautiful thief wants to go straight. She secretly admires the clue’s author, freedwoman Justice Postell, who left South Carolina at the dawn of the Civil War and carried untold riches on her journey north. As Birdie searches for the treasure, will she discover a history more precious than gems, a tradition of love richer than she’d imagined?
Excerpt from Treasure Me:
“Are you getting a dose of Justice?”
The worrisome double meaning spun her around. The grating voice erupted from the throat of an old woman. Given the heavy thump of the woman’s gait, she expected to find a lady of substantial girth. What she discovered rooted before the counter was a petite, scrappy-looking crone wearing a Davy Crocket-style buckskin jacket oddly matched up with a felt hat. The hat sprouted silk roses. A few of the budsdrooped over the old woman’s black, beady eyes.
Their gazes connected and the woman’s mouth froze. Birdie wasn’t sure what to make of the surprise glinting in her expression. She appeared startled, as if the sight of a waitress dressed in a whore suit would turn her into a pillar of salt. Wary, Birdie edged away from the counter separating them.
Just as quickly the old woman blotted the strong emotion from her eyes. Her ebony features became glass, like the sea before a typhoon.
“Would you like a menu?” Birdie asked, too frightened to move toward the stack.
“I’ve had lunch, you fool. It’s the middle of the afternoon.”
No one called her a fool and got away with it. Let someone walk over you and they made it a habit. “I left my watch upstairs, which isn’t as bad as you leaving your manners at home. Pack them the next time you leave the house, Parsnip.”
The woman slapped her buckskin satchel onto the counter. “What did you call me?”
“Huh?” Birdie feigned confusion. Hell, the gnome was older than God. Playing with what little grey matter she had left might be fun. “I’m sorry—what did you say, Avocado?”
“Are you messin’ with me?” The woman screwed her ridiculous hat further down on her brow. “I’m not much for vegetables but I can fricassee your hide if you don’t watch it.”
Birdie offered a saccharine smile. “My apologies.” With flourish, she picked up a menu as if she were a game show host revealing the item behind door number two. “It’s sensational. You won’t believe what’s inside, Tomato.”
“Stop sassing me. There’s nothing wrong with my hearing.”
“What?” She widened her eyes in what she hoped was a fawnlike expression.
The gnome blinked. Baring her false teeth, she patted her satchel. “I’ve got a .32 caliber. Don’t make me use it.”
The threat drained the amusement from Birdie’s face, not to mention the blood from her head.
Satisfied, the old woman settled onto a barstool. “Got anything else to say, ruffian?”
“Checkmate?”
“Game over is more like it.” She broke out a devilish grin. “The name’s Theodora Hendricks.” She jabbed a finger toward the coffee station. “Don’t keep me waiting.”
Birdie sloshed coffee into a mug. Theodora Hendricks’ narrowed attention stuck on her like glue, sending waves of nervous tension racing across her skin. It was the sort of hard appraisal she received from the policeon those rare instances when they suspected her of snitching wallets. The urge to flee nearly got the better of her.
“Here you are.” She placed the mug on the counter. “Just wave your pistol if you need anything else.”
When she started to move off, Theodora snapped her fingers. “Stay put. We’re not done talking.” She tapped the counter with one bony finger, and Birdie visualized a fairy tale witch and an oven. “Tell me your name.”
“Um . . . it’s Birdie.”
“Birdie?”
“Yeah.”
“Your last name?”
“Kaminsky.”
“Sounds Polish.”
“You want to make a joke?”
“Not particularly.”
Theodora’s narrowed gaze stayed put, even as she rifled around her satchel and withdrew a corncob pipe. Birdie might have laughed if her stomach wasn’t roiling with a queasy sort of trepidation.
“You’re sure your last name is Kaminsky? You wouldn’t be lying, would you?”
“Of course I’m sure, Br—” Birdie caught herself before Broccoli spilled out. Who knew if the Saturday night special was loaded?
About Christine Nolfi: Some writers are gifted with an unusual life and I’m certainly one of those. I’ve lived across the U.S. and now live in South Carolina. In college I appeared on the front page of the Houston Post for a lark that erased all my debt. I met my four adopted children for the first time in the sweltering heat of the tropics. I helped build several companies and was lucky enough to earn a living doing what I love best—writing—in a PR firm I owned.
In 2004, I made the wisest and most irrational decision of my life—I began writing fiction full-time. My debut, Treasure Me, is a finalist in the 2012 Next Generation Awards and appears on The Midwest Book Review’s Bookwatch as, “A riveting read for those who enjoy adventure fiction, highly recommended.” My second contemporary fiction novel, The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge, is now entering contests and continues to earn 4- and 5-star reviews on GoodReads and Amazon. Look for my next release, Second Chance Grill, this summer.
Check out Christine Nolfi’s books on Amazon
Visit her Website
Join her on GoodReads
Follow her on Twitter
Hi Molly, thanks for inviting Christine Nolfi!
Christine, I’m pleased to learn more about your writing and look forward to reading your work in the future. Thanks for setting expectations on your writing style
Many thanks for reading along, Rich!
Molly, thank you for graciously hosting Treasure Me on your site today … and for answering my endless tech questions via email. Your friendship has become one of the highlights on my travels through Indie Publishing.
Okay, truth? Every time you ask me a question I just Google it and pretend I knew the answer all along. Oh, wait, I just outed myself, didn’t I? Ha!
I don’t believe you, Molly. You’re a tech wizard. Downplay your talents all you want; it’s the truth. xo
Rich, thanks so much for saying “hi!” Christine is a keeper – and Treasure Me is too!
Molly and Christine, you’ve both become truly special inspirations to me — and hopefully someday I’ll be bombarding you with questions when it’s finally my turn to release a book. In the meantime, though, it’s a huge and wonderful privilege to know you both and to have the opportunity to follow your writing careers.
I *think* I’ve made my love for Treasure Me pretty clear in the past? And, needless to say, I’m ecstatic over Second Chance Grill’s upcoming arrival. Christine, I think the way you blend genres and sort of defy the restrictions of traditional publishing is incredibly commendable. (That makes you sound a bit like a superhero, doesn’t it, “defying the restrictions”? Not an inaccurate remark, really.) It must feel like such a daring move – both during the writing process, not having a genre’s formula as a beacon, as well as in the publishing process – but from a reader’s perspective it works. It *beyond* works. That aspect of Treasure Me alone makes such a remarkable impression on the reader. I remember being in the best possible daze over it when I first started reading. You did something there that I certainly hadn’t read before (and Treasure Me was also my first self-published read so everything I knew prior was of the more genre-based variety). And it set a bar for me, it really did. I feel like you planted the seed that blossomed as I read the book, this idea that literature doesn’t actually have to be confined. And I loved that. To say it’s refreshing is a huge understatement. I’m not knocking genre fiction because to some readers I think there’s an endearing sense of tradition to it (i.e. “mystery” books will always evoke Poirot and Sherlock Holmes), but like any art literature needs to evolve and Treasure Me is the perfect example of that.
Casee Marie, whenever you finish your first manuscript, I’m standing in line to offer a Beta read. Given the beauty of your prose when writing book reviews, one can only imagine what you’ll create in the fiction realm. Stellar works, no doubt.
I’ve always been an iconoclast who reads across genres, which surely informs my ideas of “what a novel should be.” And I believe traditional publishing–now owned by multinational corporations and managed like a purveyor of product–has, for the most part, crushed a given editor’s ability to publish new voices. Today, if readers crave innovation and gifted storytelling, they increasingly purchase paperbacks and eBooks proudly written and produced by Indie publishers.
Mwah! Love you, Casee Marie! I have no doubt that you’ll be successful at any form of writing you choose. Thanks so much for your lovely comment – if it hadn’t been for Christine I woudn’t know you. Isn’t life wonderful? And Twitter!
Molly, thanks for introducing me to Christine so many months ago. The two of youze have brightened many of my days. Christine, Treasure Me is a great book and I look forward to reading the sequel. Wishing you continued success! xo
Laura, connecting with you–through the gregarious Molly–has been a joy. The next time you’re packing your bags for distant ports just remember: I love to travel too!
Hi Molly ~ You and Christine have done it again. I’m smiling and I haven’t had much time for that these last couple of weeks. My own novel Betrayed has just been released on Amazon. Have a look if you have time. Of course, you know I’m not the pro you ladies are…can’t find my name on an outhouse wall! Anyway…that’s why you haven’t heard much from me of late.
This excerpt from Christine makes me want to jump the “Tree of Everlasting Life” higher up my reading list which is now about the length of that healthcare bill the Tea Party geniuses are burning in effigy! This little example of her writing is so…chirpy! Yes…chirpy is a good word for it; clean, crisp, erudite in its construction and humorous in its delivery and cadence. Christine is a fine writer.
Almost finished with Loon…yep…you are on the block! I’ll get a review up on Amazon shortly. Nancy Drew at 28 or so. Very nice job! But what would I know? I’m just a writer…
Kind Regards,
Ron
Hi Ron! As always, I appreciate your kind words and wish you all the best of luck on your own novel. Christine has been my friend for over a year and has taught me the ropes. I love her writing, her personality, her generosity and support. She knows the true meaning of putting others first.