You are cordially invited
So I’ve been busy punting the Starkadder Sisterhood, oh and my cover, AND Anne Lange’s cover–before you all think I’m a greedy self promoting git– the Hawley family, and more importantly poor Dev, ain’t getting a look in. My God, even the pirates have hooked up with some of the sisters over at Lady Fury’s blog. Benito and Amber do make quite a couple…..
But before anyone goes OHHHHHH NOOOO. NOT MORE PROMOTION, it’s ok. WOOSA. 
Or maybe that should be WOOFA.
Yes, the first chapter of Loving Lady Lazuli does start with Dev’s homecoming after him spending ten years in the army for a crime he didn’t commit. And yes I am going to share that chapter here on Thursday next week, before the book goes live. But in the meantime you lucky, lucky people, I have asked my own little author sisterhood to assist with the homecoming program for Devorlane. 
Ladies who have all been wonderfully kind to me, whose friendship I value in this sometimes crazy biz.
You see Devorlane isn’t coming home to be nice. He’s now duke and a pretty pissed off one at that. So this kind of thing….
is a big no no. What Dev’s interested in is….. 
only you can forget the song. That’s low down his list of priorities. When Dev’s for turning Chessington into a pleasure palace where he can drink and take drugs, gamble and have as many women as he wants all day and every day long, do you think he wants to listen to some female caterwauling in his lug hole while he’s about it? Some guy either? Hell no. He’s human that way.
The family–what’s left of them– they can go run up seams in a garret somewhere. So let’s just see if we can keep him on the straight and narrow shall we, by arranging a little program of events? Kicking off we really need to look at the food when it’s a homecoming party.
SO WHAT CAN WE EXPECT in 1809 and will it tempt a completely jaded palate? Worse, given there’s war on, will Pietro even get here?
A note from Pietro Lombardi – chef, born and bred Caprese, and hero of ‘Rosamanti’.
First of all, thank you for the invitation to the recital. I am thrilled to be able to serve your esteemed guests with authentic Caprese morsels.
In the year of 1809, Sir Sidney Smith,
(Sapphire would think Sir Sid a coot.)
a trusted British Naval officer under Lord Nelson, (Him too) invaded the Island of Capri, forcing the current foreign occupants – and former invaders - France, to capitulate. The locals suffered the indignity of forced foreign rule from various countries over hundreds of years, however managed to retain their own culture.
In his comprehensive history of the British in Capri 1806 – 1808, Sir Lees Knowles, (we’ll gag Sapphire about him ) describes the local Caprese cuisine in great detail. Vineyards covered the island, he said, as well as olive and fig groves.
The locals grew all their own food, and harvested the bounteous fruits of the sea.
For the recital to which I have been invited to celebrate the release of Loving Lady Lazuli, I have chosen to create exquisite canapes for the guests. Each recipe is representative of the typical Caprese food back in 1809 when the British and French played argy bargy, imposing themselves on the innocent islanders of Capri.
Buon appetito!
Caprese Pizza Rounds
Caprese Toasts
Gorganzola, Fig and Prosciutto di Parma Bruschetta
Crab Claw canapé
So? What do we think of the plans so far? Answers are welcome in the comment boxes plus any fav recipes. I’ve got to say it’s pretty damned tempting AND good of Pietro braving bullets to get here, when Dev’s been on the opposite side. (Not that Dev exactly gives a monkey’s about that. The only side Dev’s on is Dev’s.)
Tomorrow we are going to actually meet the Hawley family. In the meantime to thank Noelle, here’s a look at her lovely book, set in Capri and featuring Pietro.
Fate drew her to Rosamanti. Love made her stay…
After the death of her husband, best-selling mystery author Sarah Halliman has lost her desire for just about everything. Desperate to break out of her funk and rediscover herself, she answers a newspaper advertisement—For lease: Isolated villa on Capri, Italy. Must love cats. Traveling alone to the beautiful island of Capri, she locates Villa Rosamanti, a gorgeous 400-year-old dwelling nestled in the hillside of Monte Tiberio. Above it lies Villa Jovis, the 2000-year-old villa of Emperor Tiberius, ripe with history and intrigue.
Sarah soon discovers a strong resonance with Rosamanti and its gardens and quirky pets. She begins to feel a deep connection to Elena Lombardi, the deceased owner. But it’s not just the villa Sarah’s fallen in love with. Elena’s grandson, Pietro, is handsome and charming, the epitome of the passionate Italian. His dream is to own a restaurant of his own, but such dreams are for wealthier men.
Between the sparks that Pietro kindles in Sarah’s heart—and her kitchen—and the mystery of nearby Villa Jovis, Sarah’s muse begins to stir. She senses stories in the ancient stones, and romance in the phosphorescent blue waters of the Blue Grotto. But when her curiosity takes her to Elena’s library, a child’s notes and maps lead Sarah to a mystery that could be the answer to everyone’s prayers—or perhaps, be the destruction of everything they hold dear…
Available now from:
Website and Blog www.noelleclark.net
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/NoelleClark.Author
Twitter https://twitter.com/noelle_clark
Filed under: blogging, Guest bloggers, heroes, heroines Tagged: Capri, Capri in the Napoleonic Wars, Etopia Press, Italian Cuisine, Lord Nelson, Loving Lady Lazuli, Noelle Clark, Rosamanti, Shehanne Moore, Sir Sidney Smith, The Napoleonic Wars 
