C.J. Martín's Blog: Martín's Musings, page 3

Vacation is over :(

Our Italian holiday has come and gone in the blink of an eye. It seems like just yesterday I was procrastinating packing and trying to get everything ready for our departure. And now it’s over and I’m left waiting for the inevitable crash that always follows a jam-packed vacation. We saw and did so much that it’s impossible for me to include everything. Okay not impossible, but it would take a really, really long time to write about it all and I know you don’t have time for that!

So I’ve decided this blog post will be more like a Photostory, highlighting some of my favorite moments of the trip. Enjoy

A Tale of Many Steps…

 

Hi all! Checking in from Positano

Marvelous Murano

Hi all! I’m back with an update of our Venice adventure, day two!

We had an amazing weather day to walk about the town.  Okay maybe not great by most people’s standards but for us it was perfect

Luggage, Layovers, & Lavazza

Ciao from beautiful Venice!

After a very long day of travel Mr. M and I are finally in Venice! And what a beautiful city it is!

Our journey thus far…

Fun fact: Venice doesn’t have an international airport so it’s impossible to get a direct flight from the U.S. Now, I don’t know about you but I’m not a huge fan of flights with layovers, especially after a seven and half hour flight! But, you gotta do what you gotta do, so connection via Rome it was!

Our plane landed in Roma this morning at 9:10 a.m. (3:10 a.m. EST). Our flight to Venice departed exactly 55 minutes later, and even though I know better, even though I knew it wasn’t going to be enough time, I booked it anyway. What can I say? I like a challenge!

It was mayhem today running through the Leonardo da Vinci airport going through customs, trying to check-in for our outgoing flight (on a different airline no less) and find our terminal. The lady at Alitalia actually scolded us and told us to go “Quickly! Quickly!” because our  plane was in the final boarding stage.

We took off running through the airport (a la Home Alone) BUT we made with a few minutes to spare!  A short hour later our plane touched down in a cool, dreary Venice. We welcomed the crisp bite of the air and the misty drizzle on our skin after hours of being cooped up in a plane. A short walk to the pier and a 110 € water taxi ride later (Are you thinking what I’m thinking? 110 € for a taxi?!), we finally arrived at our flat; grimy, hungry, and exhausted, but freaking ecstatic because…well, we are in VENICE!

After a quick nap and shower we explored a bit of the city. Mr. M’s first purchase? A Lavazza cappuccino that he claims (and I quote) was “one of the best” cappuccinos he’s ever had.

Tomorrow we plan to explore the Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge. I promise to tell you all more about the cool and interesting things I’m learning/seeing (like, there are masks everywhere. Seriously, everywhere! And there’s a HUGE masquerade ball on Feb. 17th that seems straight out of a fairy tale!) but I’m exhausted and nearly falling asleep as I type.

For now, I’ll leave you all with some pictures. Until tomorrow, buona notte

When it rains, it pours…

Okay, the title is a bit dramatic…I apologize.

But don’t you find that saying to be true? It’s certainly how I’ve been feeling these last few months! And while everything that is happening in my life right now is good (mostly) I’m patiently waiting for the universe to slow the hell down so I can catch my breath!

As many of you know from my first post, Mr. M and I are heading to Italy over Thanksgiving break. (Side note: We leave in five days! FIVE!

Welcome!

Hi all! Welcome to my first *official* blog post!

I thought I’d start by telling you a bit about myself so we can get to know each other a little better 

My name is CJ Martín and I live in Northeast Pennsylvania.  I’m a relatively new author (my first book was published just over a year ago!) and I truly appreciate readers taking the chance on me! I read a TON and I know how much competition there is.  We all have our favorites and maybe (fingers crossed!) one day I’ll be considered one of yours

Romance is by far my favorite genre (more specifically contemporary romance/new adult) but I love varied storylines. For this reason my novels have had completely different themes.

I’ve written three books to date:

My first book, Snowbound, follows the story of Anders Vik a professional (Norwegian!) snowboarder and his relationship with innocent (read: virgin) college student Elena Espinosa.

✩ Read a FREE sample here ⇢ Snowbound Excerpt

Off Key, my second novel, is a rockstar romance because…I have a soft spot (read: LOVE) for sexy musicians. Brandon and Brynn’s chemistry will melt your kindle!

✩ Read a FREE sample here ⇢ Off Key Excerpt

Knockout, my third release, is a boxing romance with elements of revenge and secrecy. I’m a (relatively) peaceful person but I think fighters are SO hot.

✩ Read a FREE sample here ⇢ Knockout Excerpt

In addition to writing, I work full-time, as well as teach yoga, so my schedule is fairly full. That being said, if I’m kind of sporadic with my posts, you’ll know why!

I’m married. We don’t have any kids but we have a very high-energy, very misbehaved Jug (Jack Russell/Pug mix) who is more spoiled than most children. (see below)

I was born and raised in the U.S. (I’ve lived in Pennsylvania my whole life!) but I LOVE to travel. Europe (more specifically Paris) is where my soul resides and I would move there in a heartbeat if I could!

Okay, I have to stop with the Paris pics otherwise we’ll be here all day