Blurb:
Landscape
artist Alexandra Newborn dreams of a one-woman show at the Diamond Gallery. But
the gallery owner dismisses her paintings as "old, tired, and dull.
Lacking excitement." Those words also describe Alex's unhappy marriage.
Alex's shocking reunion with her
college art professor, Dominick "Nick" Anselmo—once a
world-celebrated Italian artist, now a homeless lawn man—reignites their
passion and fuels a creative spark for both, helping Nick recover from his
wife's death.
With Nick's provocative sketches,
art imitates life, but Alex doesn't realize they reveal a dangerous liaison
between her husband and the gallery owner. Without Nick's knowledge, Alex
arranges an art opening that includes his drawings.
When the torrid affair between
Alex's husband and his mistress is exposed, the seeds are sown for murder,
mystery, and romance.
Excerpt:
The subject matter was unexpected
and provocative. She’d thought that, in his new life as a lawn man, Nick might
just draw a tree, or a garden, not a couple caught in a passionate embrace—her
face against his cheek, his face buried in her neck to hide their identities
and keep the world at bay.
He had captured them in a clinch
that seemed to portray more lust than love. The sketch spoke of forbidden
moments. The lines revealed movement, as if the couple had had to love and
leave. All that sexual desire was combustible. And yet there was love there.
Maybe not love between this couple, but Nick had obviously transferred his own
feelings of lost love and longing onto the paper.
“Always leave something of
yourself in your work.” That’s what Professore Anselmo had taught his students
in college. And he had managed to do that brilliantly in this drawing. The
passion was raw, and it exposed everything that was missing in her relationship
with Mark. And everything that was missing in her art. Something vaguely
familiar about this couple tugged at her memory, but she quickly dismissed it.
Alex knew great art could have
that effect on your soul. It was similar to a writer who paints word pictures
that draw you into the story and elevate the everyday into the sublime—word
pictures that are often too close to home, too real to examine too closely.
Don’t forget to visit the other
stops on the tour.
Author Bio and Links:
Marilyn Baron and Sharon Goldman
are sisters. Groundwork for Murder won first place in the Suspense Romance
category of the Ignite the Flame Contest, sponsored by the Central Ohio Fiction
Writers Chapter of RWA.
Marilyn Baron
Marilyn Baron writes in a variety
of genres, from women’s fiction to historical romantic thrillers and romantic
suspense to paranormal/fantasy. She and her sister even wrote a musical called
Memory Lane.
She’s received writing awards in
Single Title, Suspense Romance, Novel with Strong Romantic Elements, and
Paranormal/Fantasy Romance. She was also The Finalist in the 2017 Georgia
Author of the Year Awards (GAYA) in the Romance Category for her novel Stumble
Stones, and The Finalist for the 2018 GAYA Awards in the Romance category for
her novel The Alibi. Her novel The Siege was nominated for the 2019 GAYA Awards
in the Romance Category.
Groundwork for Murder is her 24th
work of fiction. A public relations consultant in Atlanta, she is chair of the
Roswell Reads Steering Committee.
A native of Miami, Florida,
Marilyn graduated from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, with
a B.S. in Journalism—a major in Public Relations and a minor in English
(Creative Writing). She met her husband at UF and both of her daughters
graduated from UF. Marilyn now lives in Roswell, Georgia, with her husband.
Sharon Goldman
Sharon Goldman is an
award-winning artist whose paintings are in private collections and who has
exhibited in numerous galleries throughout northeast Florida, including the
Haskell Gallery in the Jacksonville International Airport.
As a native Floridian, Sharon
strives to create work that captures the spirit of Florida. Her colorful
palette, unique cropping, and background as a designer and art director help
her envision her novel compositions, which she describes as painterly realism.
Sharon has taught art school in
her home studio to more than 200 students in her community. Sharon has also
written and illustrated a children’s book.
Sharon is on the Dean’s
Leadership Council at the University of North Florida’s Thomas G. Carpenter
Library, where she gives monthly tours of one of the largest permanent art
collections of regional artists in the state.
A graduate of the University of
Florida in Fine Arts, Sharon had a long career in the advertising business.
After having three children (now college graduates), she has more time to bring
her ideas to light.
Thank you for hosting us on our book birthday. We really appreciate it.
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