Character Monday: Meet Amelia!

Today Amelia, the heroine of “Matching Wits With Venus”, has agreed to speak with me at The Saddle Ranch, a western-themed restaurant on Sunset Boulevard. Amelia is already seated at a booth against the wall when I arrive. As she stands to greet me, I see she’s wearing a white lace sweater over a tight black dress.

I love your sweater!

(Amelia blushes slightly.) Thanks. I got it at the Rose Bowl flea market. It was part of the trousseau of an old Hollywood star. At least that’s what the woman selling it told me. The white lace reminds me of a wedding dress.

After Amelia shakes hands with the manager, who has come over to our table to greet her and insists on introducing him to me, we resume our conversation.

Amelia, where do you live?

Here in West Hollywood, with my dog Petal, who’s a Maltese-Shih-Tzu.

Are you a native of this area?
Yes. My father is Gerard Coillard, the research scientist. Maybe you’ve heard of my mother, Stella Sweetwater? She was in a lot of movies in the 80’s.

What do you do for a living?

(As Amelia smiles I see a slight dimple in her right cheek.) I’m a matchmaker.

So it’s true, you are the Amelia of “Happily Ever After by Amelia”?

(Amelia nods and offers me the fruit platter the manager has sent to our table.) People are always surprised that anyone would want to be a matchmaker, especially in Hollywood, where a lot of marriages have a shorter shelf life than a tub of cream cheese. But that’s the challenge.

Do people really want to find a soul mate?

Everyone is looking for love. I just show them how to find the perfect partner.

What’s the best part of your job?

The wedding invitations. Well, that and the baby announcements.

Learn more about Amelia in “Matching Wits With Venus”.

For centuries Cupid has longed to be more than Venus’s arrow boy.  When he’s sent to eliminate “Happily Ever After by Amelia”, the matchmaking business threatening Venus’s status as the goddess of love, Cupid decides to steal Amelia’s methods and make his own matches.  While spying on Amelia, Cupid accidentally shoots himself with his magical arrow and falls in love with her.  But bereaved Amelia doesn’t believe in the existence of Roman gods, and she’s certainly not looking for romance.  She’s too busy perfecting the patented personality profile that’s made her Hollywood’s favorite matchmaker.

Disguising himself as a mortal financial advisor, Cupid manages to break through Amelia’s guarded exterior.  As their passion deepens so does Cupid’s guilt about deceiving Amelia.  Cupid’s interference with Amelia’s life causes her business to falter, leads to a sterile spring that threatens the animal kingdom and shatters the longstanding peace between the Roman and Greek gods.  With the fate of the natural and under worlds at stake, Cupid must decide whether to reveal his true identity and risk losing the chance to live happily ever after with Amelia.

Terrific Tuesday: New Release: Matching Wits With Venus

We are so very happy to release Matching Wits With Venus to our library of books. Please check out Venus and add her to your TBR pile on your reader.

For centuries, Cupid has longed to be more than Venus’s arrow boy.  When he’s sent to eliminate “Happily Ever After by Amelia”, the matchmaking business threatening Venus’s status as the goddess of love, Cupid decides to steal Amelia’s methods and make his own matches.  While spying on Amelia, Cupid accidentally shoots himself with his magical arrow and falls in love with her.  But bereaved Amelia doesn’t believe in the existence of Roman gods, and she’s certainly not looking for romance.  She’s too busy perfecting the patented personality profile that’s made her Hollywood’s favorite matchmaker.

Disguising himself as a mortal financial advisor, Cupid manages to break through Amelia’s guarded exterior.  As their passion deepens so does Cupid’s guilt about deceiving Amelia.  Cupid’s interference with Amelia’s life causes her business to falter, leads to a sterile spring that threatens the animal kingdom and shatters the longstanding peace between the Roman and Greek gods.  With the fate of the natural and under worlds at stake, Cupid must decide whether to reveal his true identity and risk losing the chance to live happily ever after with Amelia.

Therese Gilardi – Release Questions – « Matching Wits With Venus »

1.       Do you have a playlist or special songs for different situations? Absolutely. I adore music and use it to set the mood and pace of my work, as well as to evoke different emotions. I listen to everything, from sweeping piano concertos to experimental indie music.

 2.       How many emails do you receive a day? Several hundred. I am not sure how or why, but I suspect it has something to do with being on the west coast – the rest of the world is already humming along at quite a clip by the time I’m sitting down at my desk.

3.       If this isn’t your first release how is it different than your first?  Well, I feel like every time my work appears in print I have a reason to celebrate! I have framed copies of my clips in my office and a picture of myself  and my daughter at a book signing as my screensaver.  I think I’ll feel the same sense of joy and gratitude when « Matching Wits With Venus » is released.

4.       If this is your first release what did you find surprising? Easy? Hard? I’ve had poetry, essays and short fiction in print since 2002. Since my work has appeared in magazines, literary journals, and anthologies, I was certain I knew a lot about editing.  However, this is my first novel. I’ve been surprised at how much formatting is required for a full-length book.

5.       Do you have a writing routine? I’m not a very organized person but I do have one rule: I must write every day. I just don’t feel like I’ve lived  a day if I haven’t put pen to paper. For years I’ve kept a tiny notepad with me at all times. And I always keep paper in my car. I write anywhere and everywhere.

6.       What is a typical day for you like? My weekday routine is dominated by the school run. After I return from the morning drop-off I walk one of my dogs while listening to the music I think will inspire me for my current work. First I write the rough equivalent of Julia Cameron’s « morning pages » (I know it’s cheating not to do them first thing, but come on, who can think without coffee), then I try to read through some of those e-mails that have found their way to my inbox. Next I usually work on my new novel.  However, I’m also working on a chapbook of poetry and a memoir of my years as a writer, wife, mother and ratatouille fan in Paris. That means there are times, especially when those Santa Ana winds are blowing, that I abandon fiction in favor of poetry or memoir. No matter what I’m working on, I always eat a proper lunch. I don’t understand this skipping meals stuff – to me constant access to the stove is one of the perks of the writing life.

7.       What does you family think about your writing career? I wish every writer could have a family like mine. My fabulous husband framed the cover of « Matching Wits With Venus » as a Valentine’s Day gift. My son gives me a lot of constructive ideas. My parents and in-laws have shared my success with their friends. But my daughter … she’s been my biggest fan and most loyal supporter, ever since she passed around my work for show and tell when she was in the third grade.

8.       Where do you hope to be in a year in your career? I would love to sell a screenplay. I would like to finish the dark mystery I’ve been working on for five years. I would also like to complete my contemporary romance, and write a YA. And of course the memoir and the chapbook ….

9.       How do you define success in your career? It may sound crazy, but I like to know I’ve been able to make someone laugh or cry. To me the reason we read and write is to connect. I have to admit, I do have a fantasy that one day one of my poems is nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

10.   Have you ever thought of giving up? If so what stopped you? I can’t imagine not writing, because it gives me such pleasure. That’s not to say that it’s not challenging at times. Yet I would never give up. After all, I’m a romance writer. I believe in « happily ever after ». 

 To find out more about more about Therese Gilardi click here.