Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Authors Not-So-Anonymous Week #14

Welcome everyone to the fourteenth Authors Not-So-Anonymous weekly meeting!! This weekly series is about authors from Twitter and Facebook!  This week, I would like to introduce Leslie Davis Guccione into Authors Not-So-Anonymous!


Leslie Davis Guccione is an author of many genres - children's, adult (romance/women's) fiction, historical mid-grade mystery, teen thriller/mystery, teen romance, adult romantic suspense, adult romance and humor.  She has gone by numerous names - "I started using my maiden name Leslie Davis for kids and Leslie Davis Guccione for adults.  Then the pen name, Kate Chester for my teen series Hear No Evil...Then to simplify things, I wanted to USE Guccione for everything but some publishers thought it too long so there are a few Leslie D. Guccione out there too."  Pen names are often used to help authors "disguise" who they really are, somewhat like a secret identity for a superhero.  Could you imagine every author having a mask on in their photo?  *smirk*  (insert pen name) - saving readers from not-so-witty puns everywhere.  heh. Anyways...

Leslie has a degree in art from Queen University of Charlotte.  She began creative writing during college, and spent 10 years in PR and non-profit fundraising, including ghost writing letters for athletes and celebrites on behalf of their CHARITIES.  "In 1985, my agent Denise Marcil, sold my YA mystery Somtheing Out There and romance A Touch of Scandal the same day.  I was off and running.  3 million sales in about 9 languages and 31 books later, I'm still at it."

Leslie teaches at Steon  IN SETON Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction MFA program.  She is constantly reading new books, and her favorites are always changing.  "Barbara O'Connor is a master at voice/plots for kids (How to Steal A Dog).  Jack Gantos for humor out of chaos. I started out with Carla Neggers & Barbara Delinsky and still search out their latest adult; Jessica Warman and Kimberly Marcus strong new YA voices.  Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Nighttime knocked my socks off."
Leslie most recent novel~~women's fiction~~was chosen as a Barnes & Noble NOOK FIRST exclusive and launched Dec. 26.  It hit #1 and stayed in their top ten during January.  It's now also available at Amazon.com.


(description from Amazon)
THREE DILEMMAS, TWO FRIENDS, ONE DESERTED TREE HOUSE...

The friendship of Boston bred Johanna Lawrence and Two Rock, South Carolina’s Lilly Covington spans, well, decades. From their days as college roommates through their years as lakeside neighbors, they’ve offered each other sympathy, support and solace for life’s rough edges. Summer’s come round again and with a new crop of concerns, they commandeer their sons’ long-deserted tree house for morning coffee, evening margaritas and soulful contemplation.

Happily married Johanna has a family reunion to organize, a husband needing attention, a daughter wanting advice, and a son sweeping Grand Central terminal as community service for graffiti violations. Fresh from her mother’s memorial service, she carries her small bag of ashes on morning walks around the lake, “waiting for wisdom” as she grapples with her emerging role as materfamilias. Who has she become? How did she get there so fast?

Single again Lilly, bemoaning her fresh status as an empty nester and the second divorce from her only husband, hopes to seek refuge in her aging bungalow next door~~until “Ex-ex” announces that he and his paramour, graphic designer Cat Gallordi, intend to use it on alternate weekends.

Complications deepen at the far end of picturesque Lake Allamuchy. Johanna’s first love, the bad boy she used years ago to defy her parents, suddenly appears. Quicker than he can dub their tree house The Chick Palace, he embroils Johanna and Lilly in a triangle, steals hearts and turns summer upside down. Just as he did one long-ago August.

With her trademark heart, humor and sass, RITA finalist and creator of the Branigan brother series, Leslie Davis Guccione plunks us into a lakeside romp fueled by friendship, family, and one old flame not averse to once again testing the waters.
(end)

Visit Leslie's blog for details.  Have an author to nominate?  Send me a message via Twitter or leave a comment with the author(s) name and Twitter name and the tag #ANSA.  I'd love to add new members!  Happy Reading!

2 comments:

Amberr Meadows said...

Very awesome not-so-anonymous interview with a truly gifted writer :-)

HilyBee said...

Thank you Amberr for stopping by! I'm so glad you liked the interview. :)