Joe Cosentino's Blog, page 117
November 19, 2015
5 Star Review for AN INFATUATION and A SHOOTING STAR
5 star review for AN INFATUATION and A SHOOTING STAR and a fun interview on AM Leibowitz's terrific blog. Enjoy! http://amleibowitz.com/2015/11/19/boo...
November 18, 2015
Divine Magazine interview
I'm on Divine Magazine.net today with an interview about the gorgeous island of Capri, Italy and an excerpt from my new holiday short novella, A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, published by Dreamsprinner Press. Here's the interview. Enjoy!
What inspired you to start writing?
As a kid I played make believe constantly. “Let’s put on a show!” was my motto with full scale musicals in the garage starring my sister and me. Thankfully my parents and teachers indulged me (rather than committed me-hah). Eventually I became an actor in film, television, and theatre, working opposite stars like Bruce Willis, Nathan Lane, Rosie O’Donnell, Holland Taylor, and Jason Robards. Morphing into writing plays and now novels seem like the perfect progression. It occurred to me that acting is storytelling in the same way that writing is storytelling, so I decided to give writing a try. After writing some plays, I knew my novels would include show business in some way, since show business has always been such a huge part of my life. Since coming from a funny Italian-American family, I also knew humor would play a role in my novels.
Tell us something about your newest release that is NOT in the blurb.
After writing two bittersweet dreams novellas, An Infatuation (loosely based on my high school and adult years) and A Shooting Star (loosely based on my college years as a theatre major) published by Dreamspinner Press, and a comedy mystery series taking place in the world of academia (the Nicky and Noah mysteries published by Lethe Press starting with Drama Queen), I needed a vacation. My parents, sister, niece, aunts, uncles, and cousins had been telling me for years to travel to Italy. I always resisted due to the long plane ride and steep cost. However, like Kunta Kinte charting his roots, I decided it was time. So my spouse and I dipped into our savings—and dipped into the Dramamine, and booked a flight and bus tour from the US to Rome, Naples, Venice, Assisi, Lake Como, Milan, Florence, the Amalphi Coast, Pompeii, Tuscany, and Lake Maggiore. However, there was no site more gorgeous, magical, and romantic than the Island of Capri. I will never forget the stunning views of enormous cliffs sitting majestically on the sparkling turquoise water, the gorgeous white sand beaches surrounded by artistic white stone formations, the breathtaking views of the Bay of Naples, the beautiful Amalfi Coast, and the artistic mountains of Calabria in the distance. Capri also had the most amazing restaurants and shops on the water’s edge. And the people somehow all seemed beautiful and sensuous. Upon arriving back in the US, I realized I had to write a romantic story taking place in Capri!
In the novella, like Harold in An Infatuation and Jonathan in A Shooting Star, Bobby is sweet, sensitive, and smart. As a law student, he has buried his head in his books. As the novella begins, he is ready for an adventure—and ready for first love.
Like Mario in An Infatuation and David in A Shooting Star, Paolo is handsome, muscular, charismatic, and like many people in Italy, much more interested in love than in work. He is also a gifted artist. Unlike Bobby, Paolo is very experienced in matters of the heart.
Bobby’s mother is loosely based on my mother. She is hysterically funny, and loves her son dearly.
What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?
I love reading and writing stories with engaging characters in mouthwatering locations. Create a unique world that readers will want to visit and never leave. An outline is simply an outline. Don’t be afraid to deviate from it. When a reader finishes a book, he/she should be satisfied that the various parts equaled the whole, rather than the author pulling an ending out of the hat. Finally, while a sad ending is fine, don’t forget the humor!
What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
Since I was an actor, I look at writing like acting. I begin by writing a character biography for each character and a plot summary. Then I let the characters talk to one another—as I did when I was an actor doing improvisation. What my characters say and do make me laugh and cry. They always surprise me. I also check Facebook after I write each scene!
Are you working on anything at the present you would like to tell us about?
I have a mystery series, the Jana Lane mysteries, with straight leading characters and gay supporting characters. I created a heroine who was the biggest child star ever until she was attacked on the studio lot at eighteen years old. In PAPER DOLL (Whiskey Creek Press), Jana at thirty-eight lives with her family in a mansion in picturesque Hudson Valley, New York. Her flashbacks from the past become murder attempts in her future. Forced to summon up the lost courage she had as a child, Jana ventures back to Hollywood, which helps her uncover a web of secrets about everyone she loves. She also embarks on a romance with the devilishly handsome son of her old producer, Rocco Cavoto. In PORCELAIN DOLL (coming soon from The Wild Rose Press), Jana makes a comeback film and uncovers who is being murdered on the set and why. Her heart is set aflutter by her incredibly gorgeous co-star, Jason Apollo. In SATIN DOLL (not yet released from The Wild Rose Press), Jana and family head to Washington, DC, where Jana plays a US senator in a new film, and becomes embroiled in a murder and corruption at the senate chamber. She also embarks on a romance with Chris Bruno, the muscular detective. In CHINA DOLL (not yet released from The Wild Rose Press), Jana heads to New York City to star in a Broadway play, enchanted by her gorgeous co-star Peter Stevens, and faced with murder on stage and off. Since the novels take place in the 1980’s, Jana’s best friends are gay, and Jana is somewhat of a gay activist, the AIDS epidemic is a large part of the novels.
I love hearing from readers. They can contact me at:http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com.
After reading A Home for the Holidays, people have said they’ve taken a little trip to Capri and had the romance of a lifetime. I hope readers will pick up this short novella. It’s a lot cheaper than a trip to Italy, and is bursting with the sights, scents, sounds, tastes, and romance of the magnificent island of Capri!
Bobby McGrath’s Christmas trip to the beautiful Italian Island of Capri to meet his eccentric, extended family offers stunning views—none more stunning than his third cousin, Paolo Mascobello, a real stocking stuffer. As the two young men embark on a relationship, Bobby, a driven law student, learns to relax and bask under the old Italian moon, and Paolo realizes there’s more to life than a frolic on the beach. For the two to find everlasting amore, Paulo must overcome his fear of commitment and learn to follow his dreams, and Bobby must get his wish for happily ever after. “Reading this little holiday treat is like taking a romantic trip to gorgeous Capri, Italy!”
ISBN-13: 978-1-63476-536-7
Pages: 52
Cover: Artist Paul Richmond
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/stor...
Excerpt from A Home for the Holidays by Joe Cosentino published by Dreamspinner Press
Upon entering my room, I noticed Lucia had unpacked my things into a large mahogany wardrobe out of C. S. Lewis. Exhausted from my trip, I stripped off my clothes, leaped onto the gigantic, canopied four-poster bed, and slept until I felt a firm nudge on my shoulder. As I opened my still jet-lagged eyes, I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming or awake. Standing next to my bed was the most gorgeous man I had ever seen. About my height and age, his wavy chestnut hair framed piercing sapphire eyes, a straight nose, and full red lips. Wearing a skintight button-down red shirt, black pants, and black loafers, he gave Michelangelo’s David a run for his florin. To say his body was strong was like saying the Catholic Church had a little wealth and power. His taut, perfectly shaped muscles sprouted additional muscles of even greater magnitude. Bulging shoulders led to mountainous pectoral muscles, a narrow waist and hips, and a prominent lump between his sculpted thighs. His skin was olive-colored and so smooth it appeared as if he had no veins in his body.
“Mama said you should come down for lunch.”
Covering my rapidly growing erection with my thigh, I responded in a daze, “Who are you?”
He spoke perfect English. “I am Paolo.”
Next to Paolo, even with a swimmer’s body, I felt incredibly white and skinny. “Hello, Paolo. I’m Bobby. I think we’re related.” As I rose to get dressed, Paolo seemed to check out my body, or was that wishful thinking?
“Your grandfather and my grandfather were cousins.”
Doing the math quickly, I said, “So that makes us third cousins?”
“I guess it does.” He shook my hand. It felt warm and comforting. “We look nothing alike.”
I laughed at the understatement. “No.”
“Is this your first time in Italy?”
“Yes.”
“Do you like it here?”
“Yes.”
“Do you answer every question with ‘yes’ or ‘no’?”
“No.” I felt like a teenager at his first dance.
Paolo shrugged his massive shoulders. “You better get down to the dining room. Mama doesn’t like to hold lunch.”
Once dressed in a light blue sweater and dark blue pants, I said, “I don’t know how to get to the dining room.”
He smiled. “Follow me.”
What inspired you to start writing?
As a kid I played make believe constantly. “Let’s put on a show!” was my motto with full scale musicals in the garage starring my sister and me. Thankfully my parents and teachers indulged me (rather than committed me-hah). Eventually I became an actor in film, television, and theatre, working opposite stars like Bruce Willis, Nathan Lane, Rosie O’Donnell, Holland Taylor, and Jason Robards. Morphing into writing plays and now novels seem like the perfect progression. It occurred to me that acting is storytelling in the same way that writing is storytelling, so I decided to give writing a try. After writing some plays, I knew my novels would include show business in some way, since show business has always been such a huge part of my life. Since coming from a funny Italian-American family, I also knew humor would play a role in my novels.
Tell us something about your newest release that is NOT in the blurb.
After writing two bittersweet dreams novellas, An Infatuation (loosely based on my high school and adult years) and A Shooting Star (loosely based on my college years as a theatre major) published by Dreamspinner Press, and a comedy mystery series taking place in the world of academia (the Nicky and Noah mysteries published by Lethe Press starting with Drama Queen), I needed a vacation. My parents, sister, niece, aunts, uncles, and cousins had been telling me for years to travel to Italy. I always resisted due to the long plane ride and steep cost. However, like Kunta Kinte charting his roots, I decided it was time. So my spouse and I dipped into our savings—and dipped into the Dramamine, and booked a flight and bus tour from the US to Rome, Naples, Venice, Assisi, Lake Como, Milan, Florence, the Amalphi Coast, Pompeii, Tuscany, and Lake Maggiore. However, there was no site more gorgeous, magical, and romantic than the Island of Capri. I will never forget the stunning views of enormous cliffs sitting majestically on the sparkling turquoise water, the gorgeous white sand beaches surrounded by artistic white stone formations, the breathtaking views of the Bay of Naples, the beautiful Amalfi Coast, and the artistic mountains of Calabria in the distance. Capri also had the most amazing restaurants and shops on the water’s edge. And the people somehow all seemed beautiful and sensuous. Upon arriving back in the US, I realized I had to write a romantic story taking place in Capri!
In the novella, like Harold in An Infatuation and Jonathan in A Shooting Star, Bobby is sweet, sensitive, and smart. As a law student, he has buried his head in his books. As the novella begins, he is ready for an adventure—and ready for first love.
Like Mario in An Infatuation and David in A Shooting Star, Paolo is handsome, muscular, charismatic, and like many people in Italy, much more interested in love than in work. He is also a gifted artist. Unlike Bobby, Paolo is very experienced in matters of the heart.
Bobby’s mother is loosely based on my mother. She is hysterically funny, and loves her son dearly.
What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?
I love reading and writing stories with engaging characters in mouthwatering locations. Create a unique world that readers will want to visit and never leave. An outline is simply an outline. Don’t be afraid to deviate from it. When a reader finishes a book, he/she should be satisfied that the various parts equaled the whole, rather than the author pulling an ending out of the hat. Finally, while a sad ending is fine, don’t forget the humor!
What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
Since I was an actor, I look at writing like acting. I begin by writing a character biography for each character and a plot summary. Then I let the characters talk to one another—as I did when I was an actor doing improvisation. What my characters say and do make me laugh and cry. They always surprise me. I also check Facebook after I write each scene!
Are you working on anything at the present you would like to tell us about?
I have a mystery series, the Jana Lane mysteries, with straight leading characters and gay supporting characters. I created a heroine who was the biggest child star ever until she was attacked on the studio lot at eighteen years old. In PAPER DOLL (Whiskey Creek Press), Jana at thirty-eight lives with her family in a mansion in picturesque Hudson Valley, New York. Her flashbacks from the past become murder attempts in her future. Forced to summon up the lost courage she had as a child, Jana ventures back to Hollywood, which helps her uncover a web of secrets about everyone she loves. She also embarks on a romance with the devilishly handsome son of her old producer, Rocco Cavoto. In PORCELAIN DOLL (coming soon from The Wild Rose Press), Jana makes a comeback film and uncovers who is being murdered on the set and why. Her heart is set aflutter by her incredibly gorgeous co-star, Jason Apollo. In SATIN DOLL (not yet released from The Wild Rose Press), Jana and family head to Washington, DC, where Jana plays a US senator in a new film, and becomes embroiled in a murder and corruption at the senate chamber. She also embarks on a romance with Chris Bruno, the muscular detective. In CHINA DOLL (not yet released from The Wild Rose Press), Jana heads to New York City to star in a Broadway play, enchanted by her gorgeous co-star Peter Stevens, and faced with murder on stage and off. Since the novels take place in the 1980’s, Jana’s best friends are gay, and Jana is somewhat of a gay activist, the AIDS epidemic is a large part of the novels.
I love hearing from readers. They can contact me at:http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com.
After reading A Home for the Holidays, people have said they’ve taken a little trip to Capri and had the romance of a lifetime. I hope readers will pick up this short novella. It’s a lot cheaper than a trip to Italy, and is bursting with the sights, scents, sounds, tastes, and romance of the magnificent island of Capri!
Bobby McGrath’s Christmas trip to the beautiful Italian Island of Capri to meet his eccentric, extended family offers stunning views—none more stunning than his third cousin, Paolo Mascobello, a real stocking stuffer. As the two young men embark on a relationship, Bobby, a driven law student, learns to relax and bask under the old Italian moon, and Paolo realizes there’s more to life than a frolic on the beach. For the two to find everlasting amore, Paulo must overcome his fear of commitment and learn to follow his dreams, and Bobby must get his wish for happily ever after. “Reading this little holiday treat is like taking a romantic trip to gorgeous Capri, Italy!”
ISBN-13: 978-1-63476-536-7
Pages: 52
Cover: Artist Paul Richmond
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/stor...
Excerpt from A Home for the Holidays by Joe Cosentino published by Dreamspinner Press
Upon entering my room, I noticed Lucia had unpacked my things into a large mahogany wardrobe out of C. S. Lewis. Exhausted from my trip, I stripped off my clothes, leaped onto the gigantic, canopied four-poster bed, and slept until I felt a firm nudge on my shoulder. As I opened my still jet-lagged eyes, I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming or awake. Standing next to my bed was the most gorgeous man I had ever seen. About my height and age, his wavy chestnut hair framed piercing sapphire eyes, a straight nose, and full red lips. Wearing a skintight button-down red shirt, black pants, and black loafers, he gave Michelangelo’s David a run for his florin. To say his body was strong was like saying the Catholic Church had a little wealth and power. His taut, perfectly shaped muscles sprouted additional muscles of even greater magnitude. Bulging shoulders led to mountainous pectoral muscles, a narrow waist and hips, and a prominent lump between his sculpted thighs. His skin was olive-colored and so smooth it appeared as if he had no veins in his body.
“Mama said you should come down for lunch.”
Covering my rapidly growing erection with my thigh, I responded in a daze, “Who are you?”
He spoke perfect English. “I am Paolo.”
Next to Paolo, even with a swimmer’s body, I felt incredibly white and skinny. “Hello, Paolo. I’m Bobby. I think we’re related.” As I rose to get dressed, Paolo seemed to check out my body, or was that wishful thinking?
“Your grandfather and my grandfather were cousins.”
Doing the math quickly, I said, “So that makes us third cousins?”
“I guess it does.” He shook my hand. It felt warm and comforting. “We look nothing alike.”
I laughed at the understatement. “No.”
“Is this your first time in Italy?”
“Yes.”
“Do you like it here?”
“Yes.”
“Do you answer every question with ‘yes’ or ‘no’?”
“No.” I felt like a teenager at his first dance.
Paolo shrugged his massive shoulders. “You better get down to the dining room. Mama doesn’t like to hold lunch.”
Once dressed in a light blue sweater and dark blue pants, I said, “I don’t know how to get to the dining room.”
He smiled. “Follow me.”
hysterically funny interview
Here's a hysterically funny interview for A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS. Enjoy!
http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords...
http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords...
November 17, 2015
5 star review for A SHOOTING STAR
5 Star review from Readers' Favorite for A SHOOTING STAR: “a beautifully written story, full of life, love, heartbreak, tragedy, and maybe most importantly, triumph.” https://readersfavorite.com/book-revi...
November 16, 2015
5 Star Review for A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
The first review is in for my holiday short novella taking place on the gorgeous, romantic, and magical island of Capri, Italy. 5 stars for A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS! Cathy Brockman Romance wrote, “I could see the lovely sites as Joe described them with such beauty and prose. I could feel the growing desire between the two young men and the heat building as well.” http://cathybrockman.com/2015/11/16/c...
November 14, 2015
And the winner is...
AN INFATUATION, A SHOOTING STAR, and DRAMA QUEEN the first Nicky and Noah mystery have been nominated for Gay Book Review Awards! I was also nominated for Best Author. Here's the link to vote. I wonder if I should rent a tux and write a long speech on a crinkled piece of paper thanking everyone I've ever known. Hah! http://gaybook.reviews/top-10-for-201...
November 12, 2015
A HOLIDAY GIFT FOR YOU
A holiday gift for you. My e-book holiday short novella is on sale Nov. 12-14 for only $2.99! Experience the touching romance, gorgeous views, mouthwatering food, and stunning villas of Capri, Italy! http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/stor...
November 6, 2015
Readers' Favorite
Here's a new five-star review for AN INFATUATION from Readers’ Favorite! “just the right dose of humor, honesty, and of course, sweet romance” https://readersfavorite.com/book-revi...
November 4, 2015
A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Dreamspinner Press has my new holiday novella for pre-order. It's a captivating short story set in romantic, gorgeous, magical Capri, Italy. Don't miss it! http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/stor...
November 3, 2015
Broadway podcast
I did an entertaining podcast interview for Broadway Bullet with Michael Gilboe who performed the audiobook of my DRAMA QUEEN, the first Nicky and Noah mystery from Lethe Press. It's a scream. http://bikebookreviews.blogspot.com/2...
