Maestro by Melissa Rea

7/9/2022

Multi-volume, multi-genre author, Melissa Rea introduces us to her steamy, historical-fiction tale about love and betrayal in old Venice, “Maestro”:
Gabriella stands on a gallows one day before her 19th birthday in 1718. She tells her story to a young blacksmith, a surly milkmaid, and a mute dwarf who is much more than the muckraker he seems.

The pampered daughter of a count, Gabriella's entire existence has been her music, until one afternoon's sensual exploration leads to the shame of two noble families and her exile to a convent school for orphan girls, the Ospedale della Pieta in Venice, Italy. Antonio Vivaldi, the school's Maestro of the Concerto, teaches the students and composes inspired by their talent and beauty.

She tells of her friend, Veronica, a sublimely talented violinist whose cold eyes hide tragic secrets and of whose murder she now stands convicted. With tears in her eyes, she speaks of her love, Raphael, the handsome overseer whom she had planned to marry. The story of her desperate attempt to learn the truth of a terrible curse that took her own child's life, and save Veronica from a dark affair, holds the crowd's rapt attention.

Now she must escape with the help of her friends, from the Ospedale, and perhaps those in the crowd assembled to watch her hang.

I enjoyed the story so much. It is rich, like a wonderful dessert that requires time for each bite. This is an exciting and seductive story. The premise draws you in with a shot of sympathy for the woman who was facing being hanged that very day. But the executioner was absent. She faces a hostile crowd and begins to relate the story of her life that led to the charge of murder of which she proclaims her innocence.
This story is so compelling, that it's hard to put it down. Descriptions are opulent without being overbearing, much of the dialogue is quite enticing and the action is plentiful. I found the balance of this three-legged stool to be very even and the story was very enjoyable for it.
The author does a marvelous job of incorporating all of the senses.
I will say no more to avoid spoilers.
"Maestro" is a sensual feast and gets 4.8 stars from me.

You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Maestro-Melissa-Rea-ebook
https://www.goodreads.com/-maestro
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/maestro-melissa-rea
https://www.smashwords.com/maestro

You can follow the author:
https://twitter.com/author_rea
http://www.melissareaauthor.com

Copyright © 2022 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction.

53 Comments

Melissa Rea link

7/10/2022 08:04:53 am

Good morning. GREAT day to talk writing.

Mark

7/10/2022 12:51:48 pm

Good afternoon. We got back from church a little bit ago. And welcome to the Word Refiner channel! We love to talk about books, writing and publishing. Let's get right to it.

First question.

Please, tell us more about yourself. Perhaps something a little bit beyond your bio.

7/10/2022 01:21:52 pm

I have a day job.I have a solo dental practice that can be all consuming. Writing, like reading helps me escape. We read to go somewhere else. When I write, I go somewhere fantastic, be someone else and I am in control. Perfect.

7/10/2022 01:36:20 pm

That does sound perfect. Being a dentist in a solo practice sounds pretty good. You are the boss and in control just like when you are writing.

New questions.

Does your work have any influence on your writing?

What inspired you to write this book?

7/10/2022 03:46:56 pm

My work just gives me a reason to get away from it in my head. I love to read but writing gives me all the escape and control too.

I love baroque music and Antonio Vivaldi is one of my favorites. To me, his music is always so happy. I sat one day wondering why. Research told me... he was a priest in a girls school and the rest is Maestro.

7/10/2022 04:24:35 pm

I recall listening to Vivaldi's Four Seasons a lot when I lived with my bio-dad and stepmom, in San Francisco, after graduating from high school. They had many albums of classical music; I liked that one in particular and dubbed it onto cassette tape.

I love how you made that association with him and his music. It added a wonderful dimension to the story.

New questions.

Why did you choose this genre, or do you feel the genre chose you?

What other books and genres have you written?

7/10/2022 05:57:38 pm

Glad you mentioned genre. I am not fond of the term or the concept. I write fiction. My stories are always about women going through their lives, growing up, falling in love, being hanged. Whatever the struggle, I like to create a character, let them take my hand and take me on their journey. People sometimes ask me about the fact that I often have detailed love scenes. I do that because it is part of the woman in my story's journey, it is part of her life. I go where she takes me and the details paint the picture and help us be there with her.

7/10/2022 06:36:25 pm

Fiction is a many-splendored thing. I love fiction. You are not the first author to tell me that you depend on the characters to tell you how the story should go. Some authors try to plot out the story in advance, sometimes the characters are happy to cooperate other times not very much. As a non-writer, I find the idea that the characters can guide the story interesting. In either case, I am happy to read the story.

Romance and sex are certainly part of the human experience for almost all. The emotions and passions that are stirred up in the process cannot be separated from the experiences easily. For me personally, I am glad the stories were not more explicit.

New questions.

Who designed the cover of your book? Feel free to drop a link if appropriate.

At first glance, the cover seems obvious, but I frequently miss a detail or two. What do the elements on the cover represent?

7/10/2022 07:49:50 pm

My cover was designed by a designer at Melange, Caroline Andrus. She has done all my cover and is, in my opinion, a genius. The cover is simple and complex like baroque music. It has Gabrilella, her Raphael, the bridge of sighs which Gabriella actually crosses and the rope that overshadows the whole of the story. The soft colors set off the elements and add a richness I hope a reader finds between the pages.

7/10/2022 08:57:49 pm

Caroline is good. The cover is beautiful. I am also glad I didn't miss anything this time.

New questions.

Was it hard to come up with the title?

What was the process?

7/10/2022 09:27:23 pm

Nah, it was easy. Always have title first. Vivaldi's title at the Girl's school, the Ospedale, was Maestro of the Concerti. Though he was not the main character in the book, he was the reason I wrote it.

7/11/2022 06:19:44 am

That was easy. More than I expected. Not all writers have a title first when they start a book. A few change the title at least once. Some authors enlist their fans to help them choose a title for a new book.

New questions.

Were the character names difficult to develop?

How did you choose them?

7/11/2022 06:45:05 am

I started writing this novel on a sad day in America. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head during a campaign event. It didn't look at the time that she would make it. Her story touched me so, I named my main character after her simply adding an a to make it sound more 18th century. Everybody else, I just made up as I went along either googling old Italian names or using variations of people in my life.

7/11/2022 12:27:54 pm

What a touching story. Yes, that was a sad day for the country.

You are such a creative person. Many authors struggle with names that are authentic to a period and/or a place. There are websites devoted to the most popular names by decade and geography, they are based on public birth records that have been accumulated for centuries in some places.

New questions.
Your published books to date are historical romances. Is this your newest published book?

Will you be writing more of this type of story?

7/11/2022 02:55:12 pm

I love history and find ways to knit the modern with the historical. The first novel I had published was a moderm woman who brings Casanova from 18th century to today. Much fun ensues. My three book series has my main character time traveling to lots of fun places.

7/11/2022 05:46:25 pm

Your first book is a mix of historical fiction and modern romance. I love a good time travel story, that does sound like fun.

New questions.

The next book in the series, will it be set in the past or in modern times?

In case you would rather not reveal that information, more questions.

Have you done any public speaking?

If so, will you be doing more in the future?

7/11/2022 07:40:27 pm

My series is called Nights of Alice. It is about a modern women who each evening finds clothes in her closet that once donned, take her to different places in time. Book one is called Rabbithole, and book two which comes out very soon is called Pool of tears.

I am a total extravert and love to talk to people. I love to do book signings with readings. I was a presenter at the Dublin Writers Conference in 2021.

7/11/2022 08:35:38 pm

I like the concept, that is a very magical closet.

Wonderful! Most authors are afraid of public speaking. What many of them don't understand is that the audience is there to listen to them talk about their book. They are the expert on their book, and no one can talk about their book like they can. Book readings and signings are a great way to build a fan base.

I love to talk about what I know also. I find it very energizing.

Nwe questions.

Have you entered any writing contests?

Have you won awards of any kind for your writing?

7/12/2022 04:39:44 pm

I love contests and always enter with each new novel. I am proud to say each of my books has won awards. MAESTRO won silver, second place, in romance in the ReaderViews Reviewers Choice Awards and best in the Midwestern region same contest.

7/12/2022 04:51:54 pm

Congratulations on the awards! That is wonderful and very validating. I have recommended to writers that writing contests, especially those that provide feedback from the judges, can help a writer a lot to improve their writing skills. I do have a warning, there are a lot of shady contests out there. Some want to extract as much as they can from your wallet, others want to steal your intellectual property. Here is a copy-and-paste link about those things: Beware Bogus Writing Contests! Look for These 8 Red Flags. https://annerallen.com/2019/05/beware-bogus-writing-contests. You can also use the search box below to find the link. There are other blogs I have links for on my Highly Regarded Blogs page.

New questions.

I noticed that your book is not in Kindle Unlimited. Is there a reason for that?

Have you ever gone through the query process?

Were you seeking an agent or submitting directly to publishers and why did you choose that path?

7/13/2022 07:40:49 am

I had an agent for a time who submitted my first ms with no success. I sent out hundred of queries. I had given up until I decided to submit to small presses who wanted something different and I found Melange. A wonderful publisher who really does appreciate different voices and unique writing.

7/13/2022 07:59:12 am

Congratulations on finding a publisher that works well for you. Not all authors have a similar experience.

Small presses, independent publishers, can be a godsend for authors. They come in different sizes and the different types of books they publish. They vary in how much they assist the author with pre- and post-publication services.

New questions.

You went through the query process and it was brutal.

Did you get any feedback or was it only crickets?

What do you think of the query process now?

7/13/2022 04:17:59 pm

The process is still extremely brutal. If the grant you the favor of a form rejection, feel lucky. My favorite rejection said:don't like your voice, can't get into your plot and don't care about your MC. HUH. A least they didn't criticize my font. Agents all say they want something different, but then when they get it, the say they can't figure out how to sell it.

7/13/2022 04:30:38 pm

That is hilarious! And so frustrating! I think you are right; they don't know how to sell something very different.

The agents don't get paid until the author signs a contract, then the agent gets a part of the advance and a percentage of sales usually. The publishers are running scared also and seldom take a chance on an unknown author or something very new.

New questions.

Will you ever query a manuscript again?

Did you seek specific help in formulating your query letters?

Did you use querytracker.net or some other website like that?

7/13/2022 06:27:45 pm

I am not sure if I ever need another rejection. In fact, not sure after my next book comes out, if I want to put anything out again. Four books that almost nobody reads is maybe enough. The amount of work it takes to produce a novel is unbelievable. I could collect aluminium cans and make more money.

7/13/2022 06:40:27 pm

Nobody needs another rejection. It feels awful.

The writing business is very hard, even harder than writing the book in the first place. I don't blame you in the least for feeling that way. Most authors would agree with you considering the time spent in writing and rewriting, redeeming cans would be more profitable. But, as so many authors say, they need to write to calm the voices in their head. I think your writing voice has a lot to say.

New questions.

When you decided to indie-publish how did you pick a publisher?

What is your publisher doing to market your book?

7/13/2022 07:26:16 pm

I never wrote for the money, just for readers. I didn't choose my publisher, I sent queries out to publishers that accepted submissions directly from authors. Twenty rejections later, Melange answered with the nicest rejections ever. I could not believe it, no matter how many times I read the email, that said "we are offering you a contract."

7/13/2022 07:56:41 pm

That makes sense, having people read your book means more to you than the royalties from selling your books. I think it does for a lot of authors also. However, unless you self-publish you are at the whim of the publisher for the length of the contract and the sales platform, Amazon in this case, have their requirements also.

Here is a long-term thought, every book or story you write becomes part of your intellectual property. Your estate can hold the copyright for 75 years after you pass, the last time I heard. The more you write the more you will sell, and more people will read your books. A few books now can become dozens and the licensing possibilities are nearly endless. Here is one possibility among many, another copy-and-paste link: Turn your book into a TV or Streaming Series https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2019/07/26/turn-your-book-into-a-tv-or-streaming-series You can also search for other links by using the search box below and "licensing". Joanna Penn is one of my favorite bloggers.

New questions.

How do you think your book compares to a book published by a major publisher?

There are many unethical practices in publishing, which one is the most unbearable in your mind?

7/15/2022 01:14:33 pm

To me, the greatest difference between my publisher and a bigger one is distribution. The big publishers have distribution deals with bookstores, that smaller ones do not.

7/15/2022 01:30:53 pm

That is a good point. Distribution is so important when it comes to physical books. Large publishers calculate how many books they think will sell from a print run and then they will print a few more if they're close to a savings cost per copy. They also probably factor in returns, because many bookstores won't take on a new SKU unless they get reimbursed for the returns. There are also secondary markets such as drug stores and grocery stores. There is another marketer, Big Bad Wolf, that buys book printing overruns and sells them in international sales events. I imagine they pay pennies on the dollar for the English language books. They sell millions of these books in foreign countries.

New questions.

Is there a book that causes strong emotions to come up no matter how many times you read it?

Do you ever read a book more than once? If so, which one?

7/15/2022 01:37:46 pm

The first adult novel I read at about 12 was Bram Stoker's Dracula. Little did he know he was creating a genre. I read it maybe once a year, skipping the pages where Lucy and Mina yak for pages. I always cry at the end when he gets staked.

7/15/2022 02:01:23 pm

That was quite a book to read at age 12. Obviously, it impressed you a lot. There were some really slow passages in the story. I read it about 10 years ago and Frankenstein also. Abraham Stoker's book bored me for the most part.

Shelly's book really impressed me, it was so much different from the movies. Except for Young Frankenstein, by Mel Brooks. I felt that movie really captured some of the essence of the book better than the other movies.

New questions.

Does writing have a spiritual or healing component for you, does it energize you or make you feel tired?

Why is it important for writers to tap into the emotions of the characters?

7/15/2022 04:19:28 pm

I was once told that you cannot put your heroine under too much stress. I get pretty invested or I stop reading and to me the very worst review is the cannot finish.

7/15/2022 07:12:59 pm

"Cannot finish" is a pretty bad review. I can only recall two books I did not finish. The first was five to seven years ago. There were a dozen or more spelling errors on every page. The second one was only a couple of months ago. Quite a few spelling errors, though not nearly as much as the one I first mentioned. The subject matter was too far out there for me. It was religious porn, the author felt like he was glorifying God with his book. I stopped at 25%. It was way too weird. I don't read explicit porn at all. I wish I had stopped at 10%.

New questions.

Have you ever done NaNoWriMo, National November Writing Month?

If you have, what kind of preparation do you do before it starts?

7/15/2022 08:08:35 pm

I have not. I has never been convenient. It does sound fun and I may do it one of these days.

7/15/2022 08:33:27 pm

I have not done it also, but then I am not a writer. It seems to be a big party for a lot of writers. They band together on Twitter or other social media platforms and give each other encouragement and support. Sometimes there are prizes for early finishers. It helps a lot of authors get 50,000 first-draft words written faster than usual.

New questions.

Are you an under-writer or an over-writer?

When the first draft is done, do you need to add more to it to flesh it out or do you have to cut material because there is too much?

Melissa H Rea link

7/16/2022 12:48:11 pm

I way under write. I think my readers go with me and see what I see so why should they need description...duh. But I can flesh it out later.

7/16/2022 12:57:23 pm

That is true. I think it's easier to add material rather than having to cut it out. Some authors wind up cutting sections, paragraphs and even chapters at times.

New questions.

Have you ever used yourself as a starting point for a character in a story?

Would family or friends recognize you in the story?

7/16/2022 01:24:46 pm

My characters are smarter, thinner, younger, and much more interesting than me. All my friends know they may become a character in my books ar any time so they best behave.

7/16/2022 02:00:57 pm

Funny answer! I have no doubt that your friends do behave.

New question.

If you used a close friend or family member in a book, would you tell them or make sure that they wouldn't recognize themselves in the story?

7/16/2022 03:17:07 pm

I always tell them and get their permission.

7/16/2022 03:37:09 pm

That is wise. Although, one author related a story to me about doing that same thing. The friend got upset because the character did something the friend felt was not in the friend's personal character. It took years for the author to smooth those ruffled feelings. He decided to always disguise the character so no one among family or friends could claim that the character was patterned after them. The best laid plans can often go awry.

New questions.

What do you do to flesh out the characters for your stories?

Which is more fun to write, the protagonist or the antagonist, and why?

7/16/2022 09:51:54 pm

I write characters as they come to me. They do what they do on the page. I am happier writing protagonist because I can understand them. My antagonists surprise me.

7/17/2022 03:53:50 pm

I am fascinated by your writing process. I have heard a few authors talk about how much they depend upon the characters telling them what happens next. That seems to be very true for you.

New questions.

Do the characters get into arguments with each other about what happens next, or do they accept their roles as protagonist, antagonist, sidekick or helper and such?

What is one thing you hate about your protagonist and one thing you love about the antagonist?

7/17/2022 09:06:31 pm

I have never had them argue, but maybe next book. I hate that my protagonist is so full of self doubt, I love that my antagonist is so completely confident.

7/18/2022 07:18:26 am

Thank you for clarifying that they never argue.

Self-doubt seems to be part of the human condition. We all suffer from it.

New questions.

Which is more important to a story pace or flow?

How do you control it?

7/18/2022 07:51:45 am

I am only concerned with pace, consciously. Usually I just write the story and fix pacing problems after the first draft.

7/18/2022 08:35:52 am

Fixing pacing issues can improve the flow. That was a bit of a trick question, I think they are closely related.

New questions.

What is your writing routine when you sit down to write?

Do you write in a straight line or do you write whatever the muse provides for you at a given moment?

7/18/2022 12:34:12 pm

I have a 1,000 words a day limit. Whenever it takes to get them done.

7/18/2022 12:42:16 pm

A thousand words a day is pretty good, all things considered. Some write more and some write less.

Last questions.

Did your writing process change much from your early books to your current book or did it stay the same?

Now that your book is published, is there anything about it you would like to change?

Melissa Rea

7/18/2022 02:12:01 pm

There are mistakes as a very thorough reader pointed out. I would prefer none. MIstakes distract readers fron my story. I love Melange, but they depend on me too much to find the boo boos.

7/18/2022 02:20:19 pm

While it varies from publisher to publisher, little to no proofreading is done. At best, publishers depend too much on spellcheckers. I know because I find spelling errors in almost every book I read. Once a year, I read a book free of spelling errors. That has been my experience for nearly 8 years. One book a year.

Thank you, Melissa, for being a fabulous guest. Our chat must end at this time. I have enjoyed our conversation. Your fans are looking forward to your next book.

Until next time, keep on writing.

Melissa H Rea DDS link

7/18/2022 06:54:02 pm

To all the authors out there, NEVER give up! I had rejections half way to the moon from agents. I decided to go directly to small presses that accepted submissions directly from writers. Four books later! Someone needs to hear your words.

Maestro by Melissa Rea

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