Roman Crazy
Series: The Broads Abroad #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Authors: Nina Bocci & Alice Clayton
Release Date: September 16, 2016
Avery Bardot steps off the plane in Rome, looking for a fresh start. She’s left behind a soon-to-be ex-husband in Boston and plans to spend the summer with her best friend Daisy, licking her wounds—and perhaps a gelato or two. But when her American-expat friend throws her a welcome party on her first night, Avery’s thrown for a loop when she sees a man she never thought she’d see again: Italian architect Marcello Bianchi.
Marcello was the man—the one who got away. And now her past is colliding with her present, a present where she should be mourning the loss of her marriage and—hey, that fettuccine is delicious! And so is Marcello…
Slipping easily into the good life of summertime in Rome, Avery spends her days exploring a city that makes art historians swoon, and her nights swooning over her unexpected what was old is new again romance. It’s heady, it’s fevered, it’s wanton, and it’s crazy. But could this really be her new life? Or is it just a temporary reprieve before returning to the land of twin-set cardigans and crustless sandwiches?
A celebration of great friendship, passionate romance, and wonderful food, Roman Crazy is a lighthearted story of second chances and living life to the fullest.
DGR: Hi Nina and Alice! I’m so thrilled to have you at DGR today and picking your brain about all things Roman Crazy 🙂
So first things first, I’m so curious to know what inspired you to write this book together?
Nina/Alice: We had talked about writing something together for years. We didn’t know what, just that we wanted to do a book or two together. When we were chatting about this, it became pretty obvious that this was to be the book we collaborated on. I’d never collaborated with anyone, but I knew if I was ever going to do it that it would this chick that I’d do it with. We already share a brain, so it made sense.
DGR: How did the idea for Roman Crazy come about? Was there food and wine involved?
Nina/Alice: Ha, I wish. A friend of mine had just told me she was getting a divorce and I had literally just returned from a trip to Italy. I was chatting with Alice about the ugliness of the divorce and all the arms and legs that goes into a marriage like theirs and we both agreed that what she needed was a torrid affair with a stunning Italian. And once we started thinking about that stunning Italian it became obvious that there was a book there. Plus we know American women love an accent 😉
DGR: Would you say you were like peanut butter and jelly? Each one adding something different to the mix and coming out with something verra delicious? (Sorry, clearly I’m still stuck on the food part)
Nina: Maybe chunky peanut butter and jelly. We had it very detailed as far as an outline went so there were only a few sideways turns that it took once we chatted with Lauren our kick ass editor. We had a very specific idea of what it was to be at the end. Getting there was a trip 😉
Alice: Did she just call me chunky? I think we each have a very similar sense of humor, but a very different sense of romance, so it was an interesting mix of ideas. At the end of the day, we just wanted to make sure we melded together, and it was a seamless story, rather than a reader being able to clearly say “Oh that’s a line Nina must have wrote.”
DGR: Let’s talk Roman Crazy. Can you give us a quick summary of what it’s about?
Nina/Alice: Abby from Gallery called it, Roman Holiday for a new generation and I love that description! It is 100% a second chance romance but not just with the heroine and the hero but the heroine finding her happiness and passion. I think everyone likes to imagine what you’d do differently if you could start over, press the reset button. And our girl has that chance. Plus she gets to press the restart button while eating pasta, so there’s that.
DGR: What would you say was your favorite part to write in the book?
Nina/Alice: All of it. I loved writing about Italy. It really is a love letter to a country that I adore. I have always dreamed of going to Italy and writing this story made it go right to the top of my bucket list.
DGR: So Marcello….rarrr…even his name sounds hot. What can you tell us about him?
Nina/Alice: He’s yummy, surly at times and passionate. A typical Italian man that loves his woman. Plus he has a Vespa…
DGR: What about Avery? What would you say is your favorite part about her character?
Nina/Alice: That she doesn’t give in anymore. She had a path that she was on and changed courses. That’s a huge thing for anyone to do and it made me happy for her. I love that she remembers that she’s fearless, and more than just her cardigan.
DGR: If you had to pick a favorite short quote from the book, what would it be?
Nina/Alice: “What am I to do with this?” It sounds dirty but it’s not 😉 My favorite quote is almost like an easter egg because it shouldn’t have been left in but it was when we realized we loved it. I was writing a scene where Marcello was on the phone and Avery is listening at the door and it’s clear that Marcello is upset about something and the quote is “Angry Italian words!” Which is actually a note I left for Nina to make sure she actually came up with some angry Italian words…but we both laughed so hard we left it in!
DGR: And since I’m a visual dirty bird, I gots to know; if you were to case Marcello and Avery in a movie, who would be your dream cast?
Nina: For me it’s Simone Bredariol and Elizabeth Olsen.
DGR: Thanks again for being here! Anything you’d like to leave the readers with?
Nina/Alice: A big huge thank you to everyone and a reminder that it’s never to late to make a change.
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