Melissa Rea - Author

Author

It All Begins Today, My Writer’s Journey.

By Leave a Comment

profile_picture_4Today I am a published author! Conjuring Casanova is officially published, June 7th, 2016. It has been out in the world in a limited way for a while. I have done one reading and signing in Washington DC and many of my wonderful friends and family have pre-ordered and already have their books.  Today, is the day it is real to me.

People ask me all the time, “Have you always wanted to write?” The answer is, “Of course.” You are born a writer even if you never have the courage to write a word for anyone to read. You may be born with a certain amount of talent. Stephen King thinks so and says in his book, On Writing, “Great writers are born.” He goes on to say that is rare and most writers must work very hard to become a good writer. I certainly hope he is right. That’s my plan.

The joy of writing is not just in the weaving of words but in the sharing of the stories. It is in the fact that when you share your words, you can touch others in ways you can’t imagine.  Holding the book in my hands was a little teensy bit thrilling, but when I opened it and my eyes fell on the printed words, I felt it. Those are my words and now they can be shared.

There are so many people to thank I could fill ten blogs. There’s an idea. I do have to thank Giacomo Casanova who died in 1798. That funny, sad genius of a man came into my life unexpectedly through his words. He shared his history and his deepest feelings with me in his memoir, Histroire de Ma Vie.

His Casanovawords inspired me in so many ways. His reputation was certainly not something to emulate and was never really my interest at all. I was struck by the opportunity to share the inner thoughts of a singular man from another century.  Casanova never blamed others for his misfortune. One of his greatest was that he never found a single lasting love. He sure looked hard enough. While his sadness touched my heart, it the undeniable passion in his words that inspired me. It was in the intimate sharing of his story that I found value. I loved the vivid details of his daily life so passionately related. Thank you Giacomo Giracamo Casanova and thank you to my readers past, present, and future for allowing me to share with you. This is a journey we can take together.

 

The Inspiration of Undies

By Leave a Comment

Le-Lever-deFanchonNicolasBernardLépicié-1773I know readers are curious souls and I thought you might want to share the thoughts that went through my head and led me to write Conjuring Casanova.  I was writing a three-book romance series which someday may see the light of publishing. It takes place in  1760 and if one is going to have romance in the eighteenth century, some understanding of the women’s underwear of that time is a must.

Giacomo Casanova

I worked the internet and found, “No better recordings of the ins an outs of daily life in the eighteenth century can be found than in the pages of Giacomo Casanova’s memoir, Histoire de Ma Vie.” I ordered one volume; there are twelve. In the pages I discovered this crazy-for-life,  hilariously honest and gifted writer sharing forty-nine years of his everyday life. The other eleven volumes quickly filled my shelves.

I knew nothing about the man. His rep was certainly not attractive. He knew plenty about ladies undies back in the day. He was the quintessential womanizer. How could I like him so much through his words? Yet every time I read his words I felt like “my friend” was talking to me. A friend who just happened to be an eighteenth-century libertine.

bee and flowerOne day as I held my friend’s book on my lap, devouring his words, I asked myself a simple question: What would I think of him if he was here today? Et voilà, Conjuring Casanova was born. The picture, a not-so-subtle reference to a man who spent his life in the unending pursuit of the flower of womanhood. As it happens, “Melissa” means honey bee, so how could I resist this pretty picture?

Casanova’s One, Irresistible Technique

By 2 Comments

carnivalemask-withlaceWould he look into your soul with those dark eyes? Of course he would.

Would he lightly tease your lips with his tongue before he completed the kiss? When he took both your hands, covering them with kisses and worshiping your female flesh, would you surrender? Pretty likely.

That’s who he was and what he did. It wasn’t his kiss but what shone in his eyes that was irresistible—love.

Casanova loved his ladies with all that he had and all that he was. That, gents, cannot be faked and is not easy to resist. His love burned white-hot and rarely lasted.

In my novel, Conjuring Casanova, savvy Lizzy Hillman in 2016 Chicago knows all this. She has read (and re-read) the volumes of his memoir. In her extraordinary encounter with the Great Seducer, Lizzy is determined not to give in. But lover Giacomo Casanova is also famous for his timeless line: “I do not seduce, but only submit.” Could you share Lizzy’s resolve? Would you spurn the face of ardent love?

 

What if Giacomo Casanova Gave You A Tour Of Venice?

By Leave a Comment

St MarksWould he show you the lovely St. Marks and tell you how he walked out the front door of the Doge’s Palace after being imprisoned for eighteen months? Would he take you to a restaurant that was there when he was a young man and still serves wonderful food? When darkness fell across the dark stones, might he show you a tiny quiet corner where you and he could be alone to…. All of these pleasures happen to ER doc Lizzy Hillman in Conjuring Casanova. Wouldn’t you love to share her adventure?