A BLOODY GOOD CRUISE is a fun-filled blend of the
vampire world and luxury cruises, starring romance
author Mona Rossi and Fausto Silvius, a full-blooded vampire. The popularity of
cruises and vampires make it a unique blend, but a very fun setting.
My stories are romances set against a backdrop of political
upheaval, court intrigue, poverty general drama of the surroundings, and at
times a splash of the paranormal. What I’m trying to get across in my stories
is that love can prevail no matter what the conflicts and obstacles, earthly or
not.
Coffeetime Romance says in its review, “A Bloody Good Cruise
is a high seas adventure with twists and turns around every corner. The lively
cast spins non-stop excitement with thrills and enough snags to keep the pages
turning.”
I wanted to
combine Italian vampires, comedy and cruising in one package, so I hopped on my
imaginary ship The Romanza
to get my characters in all kinds of trouble. I envisioned the hero, Fausto, as
actor Vincent Irizarry (Dr. Hayward on All My Children). That made my job so
much easier. He is THE perfect vampire. Italian vampires and hunters (the
Vampire Ball Busters) leave the field wide open for comic relief, and I had
plenty of chances in this story. Since I'm hooked on cruising and I'm Italian,
I didn't need to do that much research. The name Fausto came from an Italian
woman I met in the 1980s, Fausta. I knew I had to use some version of that name
in one of my books.
My husband and I are hooked on cruising, and my very first cruise was
on the Eastern Mediterranean, beginning in Rome and ending in Istanbul. The
ports of call included Rhodes, Cyprus, Santorini, and Egypt. Because I love
Italy and cruising, I wanted to combine those passions with a humorous story
about vampires and how they face prejudice in the human world.
I met an Italian woman named Fausta in 1983 and always loved that name--I
always planned to use that name in one of my books someday. I finally got the
chance with the hero Fausto, close enough!
The actor I envision for the hero Fausto is Vincent Irizarry, who
played Dr. David Hayward on All My Children. He is every bit the perfect
vampire.
Excerpt:
Mona forced a dose of cheer
through her jangly nerves. Vampire hunters wouldn’t have the balls to attack
Fausto and his friends on this ship. Security was tight. “Well, you’re here, so
does that mean you’ve been going out, and aren’t confined to your house any
more?”
Fausto shrugged. “Almost. I
couldn’t wallow in self-pity forever. And I knew seeing you would make it worthwhile.”
She smiled and gave him a
genuine Italian cheek pinch. “I’ll cheer you up, faccia bella, you can
count on that. You must feel safe.” She gestured at the tacky duds. “I mean,
relatively speaking.”
“Don’t let this scare you,
but –” He glanced around over the rims of his shades. Uh-oh. Whenever he
said “don’t let this scare you,” it scared her. “I got an ominous message at
the doctor’s office earlier.”
“What—” She swallowed a
lump. “What kind of ominous message?”
He looked away, shaking his
head. “Nothing to get alarmed about. The hunters just want me to know they’re
here. After the initial jolt wore off, I said, ‘okay, I’m being stalked again.’
But I’m used to it. It doesn’t make me constantly look over my shoulder like in
the old days. My family’s murder gave me a reality check. If they want me,
they’ll get me. I can’t let it interfere with my work, or what little leisure
time I have here. And you shouldn’t either.” He gazed at her adoringly and
cupped her cheek. His hand was surprisingly warm. “But you’re still scared. All
the blood’s drained out of your face, and not in a good way.”
An Interview with Mona
Rossi, heroine of A Bloody Good Cruise
You, the Heroine . . .
Readers love to know about their favorite heroines, and this is your
chance to make them feel close to you.
If you have 2 hours free time tonight, what would
you rather do? Why?
Soak in my hot tub overlooking the Tuscany Hills with
a chilled glass of Gianni Brunelli Brunello di Montalcino Riserva from right
there in Tuscany. Fausto bought me a
case of this for our one-year anniversary. It’s
a deep ruby red with intense
aromas of notes of leather and cherry. Upon sipping,
you get an astringent taste.
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At $389
a bottle, I splurge when I sell a book—then I buy another bottle when the
book sales hit the 1,000 copy mark.
But when I can’t be so decadent I drink Beaujolais
Nouveau, produced in the Beaujolais region of France.
(sorry, Fausto, it’s not
Italian.) It comes out once a year, and goes on sale the third Thursday
of
November. If you don’t get to a store in time, you can miss out. It sells
out fast.
Distributors deliver it to stores at 12:01 a.m. local time. I’ve seen
people in line
waiting for it. I’d do that for a Springsteen concert, but not for a
bottle of wine!
Yes, I’m
a Springsteen fan, and that’s something else I’d do with two free hours—go to
one of his shows or blast his CDs and dance like crazy.
But along
with the wine, I’d have Sinatra or Dean Martin playing in the background,
with a vanilla candle. And if I’m feeling indulgent, I’ll bring three white
chocolate truffles, and eat them fast so they don’t melt.
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What kind of books do you love to read? Why?
The same kind of romances I
write—suspense, where the heroine gets into one mess after another. I read out
loud, it improves my diction for when I speak at writers’ conferences. I also
like to browse cookbooks. I take a snapshot of the recipe in my head, then go
and improvise.
My favorite author is Linda
Howard. She writes such pulse-pounding suspense. And I know this sounds hokey,
but when I met Fausto, I began reading Anne Rice. Fausto and his family aren’t
the same kinds of vampires she writes about, but it gave me some perspective.
To me, the original book Dracula, by Bram Stoker, was scary as hell. But I do
consider it one of my favorite books because it was so innovative. I never
believed in vampires before that book, and look where I am now!
I like to go to Goodreads to seek out new titles. I don’t read
the reader reviews, though. Too many of them have misled me. I just read the
book summary and make up my own mind.
What is your stress buster?
A Pilates class or watching my favorite shows while
working out on the elliptical trainer—I watch comedy working out, certainly not
the news—I want to bust stress, not increase it. I have DVDs of some classic
sitcoms:
I Love Lucy, the Dick Van Dyke Show, All in the
Family, Seinfeld—and some live standup: Joan Rivers, Phyllis Diller, Richard Pryor,
the pioneers, the greats. No comedians working the clubs today come close to
those legends. Moving for an hour to comedy—or music—is the best way to relieve
stress and work it all off. When not on the elliptical, I’ll get out my iPod,
close the door, pull the shades and torch some calories dancing to my cardio
mix—a scientifically engineered mix of songs that burn 450 calories—one of my
warm up songs is Scream by Usher, one sprint song is Pump It by Black Eyed
Peas, a recover song is Goin’ In by J.Lo, and a cool down song is Halo by
Beyoncé.
What is your favorite food? What food do you seek when you’re sad,
sort of a comfort food?
Cheesecake made with cottage cheese—it’s healthy and
low fat, and tastes every bit as good as ‘real’ cheesecake but much lighter. I
also make honey balls, “Struffoli” which is a Christmas treat, but I make them
year round. I added the recipe below. Every morning I make a healthy smoothie
with almond milk, coconut milk, yogurt, either spinach or kale, cinnamon, and
protein powder. If I use chocolate powder, I also add peanut butter. You can’t
even taste the spinach or kale, but it does turn the smoothie green. I also do
some creative things to oatmeal—top it with cinnamon or nutmeg. I make it with
a green tea bag instead of plain water for a healthy boost.
Describe yourself in one word.
Determined.
What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
Being turned—but it was a matter of life and death. I
trusted Fausto with my life, and here I am.
What makes you happy/sad/disappointed/frustrated/hopeful/angry?
(Pick one)
What makes me angry is intolerance. After I went
through with Fausto and his family, I saw first-hand what someone different
must go through to gain acceptance. I’m trying to change that by giving talks
about vampires, explaining who we really are, so someday prejudice against
us—and anyone else the ‘majority’ deems ‘different’ will be an ugly thing of
the past.
What are your wildest dreams/fantasies/kinks/quirks?
My wildest dream is to live a week in Ancient Rome, as
a Senator’s mistress.
What do you
most want out of life, and what’s its opposite?
I most want social acceptance
and its opposite is to disappear in the crowd, to
be an ordinary citizen.
What would you never say, do or think?
I’d never insult someone just
to show I’m better or smarter.
I’d never let anyone boss me
around.
I’d never think I’m inferior
to anyone because of my new status as a vampire.
What are some of your faults?
I’m too assertive at times. I
still worry about what people think of me. I overcompensate to get them to
accept and like me. I make a mess after cooking and don’t clean it up right
away. This drives Fausto nuts. He’s a neat freak. Another fault that also
drives him nuts is that I put off going to the doctor. We’ve been granted
eternal life, but we do have to get checkups along the way!
