Juliet Lyman is a senior executive at Yesterday Records. Music is her passion
and she's very good at her job. That's why her famously philanthropic boss
Gideon sends her to Majorca, Spain to work with a very tortured, but talented
client. Lionel Harding is one of the best songwriters of the 20th century, the
multi-Grammy award-winning lyricist of the third most recorded song in history.
But now he's forty-two and six months overdue on the his latest paid assignment.
Juliet is not leaving Majorca without either new lyrics or a very large check.
For Juliet, business comes first. Emotions are secondary, and love isn't even on
the menu. But to Lionel, love is everything, and he blames Gideon for his broken
heart. He's determined to show Juliet that nothing is more important than love,
but Juliet is just as determined to get Lionel to create the music that made him
famous. As her professional and personal lives start to mix for the first time,
Juliet is forced to reevaluate her priorities, and open her heart—perhaps for
the very first time. Writing a Woman’s Life columnist Yona
Zeldis McDonough chats with author Anita Hughes about her delectable new offering.
YZM: You tend to set your books in exotic locales, like Majorca, Rome, and
Lake Como, to name a few. Have you travelled to these places?
AH: My parents were European and I was born and raised in Sydney, Australia so I
have always loved to travel. I have been to most of these places when I was
young. I particularly love Spain and the Costa del Sol and Majorca. The scenery
is breathtaking and the culture is fascinating. Now with children and living at
the St. Regis, Monarch Beach, I'm quite happy to stay at home.
YZM: There are many—and delicious sounding!—references to food in the novel;
do you do a lot of cooking?
AH: That's a funny question because I am not a good cook. I grew up eating very
healthy food that didn't include a lot of sauces or preparation. But I love
wonderful dishes like I love beautiful clothes. I think food can be a real
visual and culinary experience. Presentation is important and so is the use of
fresh ingredients. I generally leave the cooking to the gourmet section of my
grocery store!
YZM: Music is another major theme in Island in the Sea. Does this
reflect a personal passion?
AH: Yes, I have always loved music. I associate music with different times of my
life and it conjures up memories so easily. I walk for forty minutes a day and I
always play music. I don't think I could walk without it!
YZM: Filled as they are with stunning locales, fashion and food, your books
could be described as escapist in the best sense of the word. Care to comment?
AH: I am a huge fan of escapist fiction! We all need a break from our daily
lives and it is not always easy to get on a plane. I like to be transported
somewhere when I read and write. Often when I'm writing I think I'm actually at
the location and it's like taking a short holiday. (complete with a little drama
and heartbreak).
YZM: What’s in the works currently and where is your next novel set?
AH: My next novel, SANTORINI SUNSETS, comes out on August 2 and is set on
the spectacular Greek island of Santorini. CHRISTMAS IN PARIS comes out
on October 4 and I'm currently writing a book set in St. Bart's. So lots of
great locations.
YZM: What’s the one question I did not ask that you wish I did?
AH: Maybe what do I love to do besides write? The answer is always the same: be
with my children!
Anita Hughes was born in Sydney, Australia and had a charmed childhood that
included petting koala bears, riding the waves on Bondi Beach, and putting an
occasional shrimp on the barbie. Her writing career began at the age of eight,
when she won a national writing contest in THE AUSTRALIAN newspaper, and was
named "One of Australia's Next Best Writers." (She still has the newspaper
clipping.)
She received a B.A. in English Literature with a minor in
Creative Writing from Bard College, and attended UC Berkeley's Masters in
Creative Writing program.
She lives in Dana Point, CA with her family,
where she interrupts her writing to watch the glorious sunsets.
A Majorca Love Story
Juliet Lyman is a senior executive at
Yesterday Records. Music is her passion and she's very good at her job. That's
why her famously philanthropic boss Gideon sends her to Majorca, Spain to work
with a very tortured, but talented client. Lionel Harding is one of the best
song writers of the 20th century, the multi-Grammy award-winning lyricist of the
third most recorded song in history. But now he's 42 and six months overdue on
the his latest paid assignment. Juliet is not leaving Majorca without either new
lyrics or a very large check.
To Juliet, business comes first. Emotions
are secondary, and love isn't even on the menu. But to Lionel, love is
everything, and he blames Gideon for his broken heart. He's determined to show
Juliet that nothing is more important than love, but Juliet is just as
determined to get Lionel to create the music that made him famous. If she can
sign up local talent, even better. Her new friend Gabriella has a voice like an
angel, but she's not interested in fame. Her grandmother, Lydia, wants the world
for Gabriella, and she wants Juliet's help to give it to her.
As her
professional and personal lives start to mix for the first time, Juliet is
forced to reevaluate her priorities. Gideon hasn't been totally honest, and love
may be the only thing that gives them all what they need.
Island in the
Sea is Anita Hughes' captivating sixth novel, filled with exotic
descriptions of food, fashion, and romance.
About Yona Zeldis McDonough
Yona Zeldis McDonough is the author of six novels; her
seventh, THE HOUSE ON
PRIMROSE POND, will be out from New American Library in February, 2016. In
addition, she is the editor of the essay collections The Barbie
Chronicles: A Living Doll Turns Forty and All the Available Light: A
Marilyn Monroe Reader. Her short fiction, articles and essays have been
published in anthologies as well as in numerous national magazines and
newspapers. She is also the award-winning author of twenty-six books for
children, including the highly acclaimed chapter books, The Doll Shop
Downstairs and The Cats in the Doll Shop. Yona lives in Brooklyn, New
York with her husband, two children and two noisy Pomeranians.
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