Wednesday, October 8, 2014

"What Happens In Venice", Books 1 and 2 by Diana Cachey: GUEST BLOG, Beautiful pictures, EXCERPTS, GIVEAWAY, & Review!!!

Lagoon Lure
What Happens In Venice
Book Two
Diana Cachey

ISBN-13: 978-1500334529
ISBN-10: 1500334529
LCCN: 2014911793
Number of pages: 160
Word Count: 40,000

Tagline:

As Interpol expert Louisa Mangotti is learning, ghosts watch over Venice. Can she trust them—or her ex-lover—when spirits offer confusing clues to solve a double murder in this sexy paranormal mystery?

Book Description:

Lagoon Lure resumes the story of Interpol expert Louisa Mangotti’s Venetian exploits and the paranormal assisted murder investigation she began in Love Spirits.

Still unnerved by the notion that Venetian ghosts are real, Louisa delves further into the deaths of two glassmakers while juggling the lustful manipulations of her ex-lover, Matteo, whose role in the murders grows murkier.

Meanwhile Louisa's usually shy sister, Barbara, explores her newfound sexuality with Venice's willing men, sharing her adventures with her sister but keeping one particularly mysterious man a secret.

When Louisa's best friend, "Rouge," arrives for Carnival to sample its masked men, she complicates the situation further by encouraging the sisters to embrace the pleasures of Venice.

Paranormal clues and apparitions lead Louisa deeper into the lagoon and she is forced to reluctantly enlist Matteo’s support. Can she trust him, or will this ghostly lagoon lure prove deadly?

Back Cover Copy:

Venice has its ghosts. They haunt its byways and canals. They linger on its numerous bridges and waft through its beautiful architecture—and they've taken a definite interest in Interpol expert Louisa Mangotti.

In Lagoon Lure, Louisa continues investigating the murder of two glassmakers she began in Love Spirits. Guided by clues sent from otherworldly sources, she struggles to determine what role her seductive ex-lover Matteo played in the deaths, constantly tempted by his handsome looks, his charm, and the volatile chemistry between them.

While Louisa is led by the ghosts to a sunken ship in the murky lagoon, her sister, Barbara, and best friend, "Rouge," embark on their own carnal explorations of Venice, sampling the men who flock to Carnival.

Amid corruption, conspiracy, and Venice's legendary sexual energy, it's all Louisa can do to think straight, let alone untangle this web of mystery. The ghosts, however, want her to persevere.



EXCERPT (1000 words):
Once they reached the dive site, Matteo, ever the expert captain, dropped anchor and secured it. He even politely and patiently walked Barbara through some boat safety issues. After suiting up, Louisa glanced back at Barbara and again saw that faint look of pleasure on her face. Her three-way on Lido did something to that girl, thought Louisa before she rolled back over the side of the boat and into the cold Adriatic waters. She gave the signal to begin their descent. As Louisa grabbed the rope to pull herself down to the shipwreck, barnacles cut her fingers and small fibers stung her palms. She cursed herself for forgetting her dive gloves. Given the icy water, it was a stupid mistake. She winced from the pain as she pictured her gloves lying dormant on the hearth, where she left them drying after yesterday’s dive, her first ever in the murky waters of the Venice lagoon. Matteo, her dive buddy, was entering the water behind her so she had to move fast down the rope despite the pain in her hands.
Finally her fins hit the wreck and with algae billowing up, she lowered herself down. From extensive research of the vessel, they learned that entry would be easiest at the cargo hold area but in near zero visibility she couldn’t see either the bow or stern. She needed to reorient based on rope slack but Matteo was already descending it. So with little time to waste, she used her injured hands to negotiate the wreck. Silt filtered through her fingers, gently coated her hands and washed across her face. She brushed it off her dive mask, tucking loose strands of blonde hair back into her hood.
She found an open hatch and looked back to check on Matteo before penetrating the wreck. She could barely see him. Matteo’s careless movements had stirred up quite a bit more algae and she began to seriously question her decision to dive with him today. Yet anticipation and curiosity called her into the wreck anyway. Once inside the enclosed, clouded space, she waited for Matteo and tried to quiet her nerves.
During those few minutes, she felt a rush of nausea. Her intuition urged her not to dive with Matteo, an inexperienced diver and someone who could not be trusted to think soundly on land. Ignoring her intuition, she refused to let it stop her from diving today. It wasn’t the first time she had trusted him to her dismay. When Matteo joined her inside the wreck, they entered the main cabin where visibility was marginally better. Scouring the sunken boat for details, she recorded it foot by foot by mapping it on her slates.
Barely recognizable broken benches lie next to tables on their sides, earmarks of a once lively galley. The eerie scene reminded her why she loved diving wrecks -- their human element. She thought about the last meal this ship might have served. Fish crackling on the stove with the scent of garlic in the air. Their dive plan was to find the main cabin then separate to search for the bridge where most likely would also be the captain’s quarters. They signaled each other to confirm the plan was on and it was ok to go. She, the more experienced and better-trained diver, would enter a small opening into a confined compartment and she turned to swim toward it. Matteo motioned he’d explore the opposite end, near a large gaping hole in the wreck, an area where you could view the open sea and a school of sardines swirling about.
Matteo had no intention of continuing directly to the bridge and when he was sure Louisa had entered the confined compartment at the opposite end of the ship, he cased the area. His eyes darted around the room, scanning it quickly, his breath slowed and instinctively and continuously he looked around and behind him. Spying some interesting cabinetry and being familiar with boats, he realized he was in the galley, began to look for drawers and instantly spotted one. He struggled for a few seconds to open it then grabbed his knife and swung it ferociously at the drawer until it relented.
Well, well, what wealth was waiting underwater to welcome me, he mused when he discovered the drawer was full of eating utensils made of what appeared to be fine silver. Not much time, lucky he was good at what he did. Anyone on this boat won’t miss their treasure; he thought and then yanked the drawer out, dumped the contents into his mesh bag and tossed the drawer aside.
Next his attention moved to what would have been the floor. The wreck being slightly tilted on its side, he knew to look for its lowest point, logically knowing that this is where any heavier objects would have come to rest. His sharp vision, trained by years of thieving and fishing, caught a glimpse of sparkle amidst the soot. His hands carefully siphoned through the settled silt and he slowly lifted an old gold chain. He kissed it thinking, my dear darling, I am so sorry you had to sleep here alone all of these years, but now that I found you I will take very good care of you, and he placed it gleefully in a zippered pocket.
A small creature moving in the corner drew his attention. A tiny crab pulled stones and coral pieces one by one into its den, a hole in the wall. He remembered Louisa holed up in a small compartment alone. At the opposite end of the ship, Louisa had been attempting to move carefully and nervously through several confined cabins much smaller than she had imagined they’d be. It was awful. She pictured the eerie scene, the city of Venice only eighty feet above her, but with visibility and confinement closing in on her, it felt more like being hundreds, even, thousands, of feet at the bottom of the ocean.
Back near the bridge, Matteo spotted what looked to be bones, possibly human bones. He stepped away from them, not out of fear, but out of respect. He was an honest thief; he would never take those off the ship. So he knelt and crossed himself next to their grave, undisturbed but by the changing currents and sea life.

Love Spirits
What Happens In Venice
Book One
Diana Cachey

Genre: Romance/paranormal.

ISBN: 1481031767
ISBN: 9781481031769

Number of pages: 160
Word Count: 40,000

Tagline: Among the romantic canals of Venice—and oh so many Italian distractions—can a stunning American lawyer and her psychic sister help the Ghosts of Venice solve a hushed-up crime?

Book Description:

Louisa Mangotti is a gorgeous American lawyer and Interpol expert who, after being offered a job working with the international crime unit in Venice, receives a mysterious postcard from the Venetian Ghosts, the ancient protectors of the Republic. But Louisa assumes her bad-boy ex, Matteo, sent it in a quixotic attempt to gain her attention. Louisa may have dismissed the ghosts, but the ghosts aren’t quite done with her.

When the bodies of two glassmakers wash up on Murano Island, the cryptic messages persist. Reluctantly, Louisa calls upon Matteo to help decipher the clues. And before she knows it, a flame that was never fully extinguished is rekindled. Sensing that her sister is in over her head, Barbara Mangotti rushes to the rescue, only to be lured away by two handsome Venetian men.

With time running out, can the two beauties solve a crime that could threaten the city of Venice itself?



Keywords: Chick lit mystery, Venice fiction, Ghosts of Venice, Paranormal mystery, Contemporary women novels

Book Trailers:





What Happens In Venice -- A Trinity

Book One, Love Spirits
Book Two, Lagoon Lure
Book Three, Magic Island



Excerpt # 2 (455 words): The Ghost Card
Venice kidnapped her. It stole her breath, it made her weep, and she forgave it. This trip was no different.
Palazzos flanked the Grand Canal as if playing the role of soldiers obedient to the eyes of tourists who passed in public boats, water taxis and gondolas. These old palaces sparkled on water like porcelain figurines on a glass shelf. A soft breeze rolled across Louisa’s cheeks and it rippled the reflections and transformed the scene. Mesmerized by the magic, Louisa missed her boat stop.
No problem, she thought, I’ll find another place for coffee. She refused to drink it alone in her apartment and religiously sipped her brew at one of the little cafes where handsome Venetian men worked. There were many such establishments on her way to police headquarters. When she arrived a few weeks earlier, American lawyer Louisa Mangotti hoped to spearhead the creation of an essential link between Venice police and the rest of the world. But was she leading the department into the future of global law enforcement as she’d envisioned? No, she sat shackled to a desk where she sorted and translated police data because Interpol sent red alerts and formal requests for information in English or French, not in Italian. Therefore, many unsolved crimes remained ignored in the file drawers of the lagoon city, a thriving metropolis and huge tourist destination. And Louisa? Louisa remained bored in cubicle learning about law and disorder.
According to recent updates to her sister, Louisa was focused on everything but international law enforcement anyway:
Ciao Barbara, Remember that lagoon island said to be full of ghosts where patients with the plague were once sent to die? Well many other haunted places exist in Venice too. I don’t believe in ghosts, not like you do, but I am checking out some haunts. I am checking out Venetian men too.
Because Barbara objected, Louisa promised not to explore the haunted island. But didn’t Barbara object to Louisa going to Venice at all this time? Wasn’t it just like Barbara to try to direct everything, even from afar? How much of the seemingly haunted happenings in Venice could Louisa ignore? Blame the postcard, thought Louisa. And as she thought it, a loud bell rang out. Louisa took note. In Italy, it is customary to pause and recall whatever you were thinking when a bell chimes, especially this bell, the one that echoed from the famous bell tower, high above St. Mark’s Square. The massive San Marco bell continued to sound in the serene setting, bang, gong, gong, bang, and it reverberated across the piazza, across the lagoon, to the nearby islands of Murano and Lido. It sounded authoritative and mighty. Every day. For centuries.


GUEST POST: SCARY SITES of HAUNTED AMERICA
Lemp Mansion
Did something move by itself in the room? What were those loud noises down the dark hallway? Perhaps you are in one of the Most Haunted Places in America where chilling secrets lurk inside creepy, haunting walls.
#10 Lemp Mansion, St.Louis, MO 
The Lemp family committed suicide there with Charles Lemp the last and the only one who left a note. He said he’d shot himself in bed. People who’ve stayed here see ghosts and other unexplained physical activity like moving objects. Creepy!
Winchester House
#9 Winchester House, San Jose, CO
When William Winchester and his daughter died, widow Sarah built the house to get rid of evil spirits. She held séances so her dead husband could help to design the home. The bizarre place ended up full of twists and turns, doors and staircases that lead nowhere, a complete maze almost with no end or relief. One visitor reported: “I felt someone pulling on my hair. I thought it was my brother so it didn’t bug me. In the next room I felt my ponytail holder break for no reason (it was new) then when I was in Sarah’s room I felt my hair being brushed ... the brush in midair.” She heard the words, ‘do not hide your hair from me.’
#8 Myrtle Plantation, New Orleans, LA
Since 1794, the house has had about ten murders within its walls so bad luck and murdered spooks abound like past resident, now ghost, a former slave named Chloe. Also frequently spotted in a stairway mirror, a young girl chants voodoo over people that sleep in her room.
#7 Bell Witch Cave, Adams, TN
Around 1817, John Bell started seeing weird unexplained animals wandering the property. Physical apparitions and strange noises began to arise like knocks on doors, scratches on walls, animals chewing on posts. The frightened Bells concluded it came from Kate, “the bell’s witch,” a horrid spirit who physically abused the Bells, from pulling hair to pinching.
#6 Old Slave House, Sterling IL
In 1842, John Hart Crenshaw kidnapped free slaves, forced them to work in his salt mines, locked them in the attic and tortured them. A dozen cells opened to a wide corridor and small rooms with bars on the windows. A whipping post was constantly in use and many of the slaves died. Years later, people report hearing strange noises in the attic and rattling chain throughout the house. An exorcist Hickman Whittington wrote about the house. He was in great health when he came to visit it but took ill that night and died hours later. The Old Slave House website now reads: “NO TOURS ALLOWED, The site is currently closed and trespassers will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. It is heavily patrolled and readers are advised to stay away from the property until further notice.”
#5 Whaley House, San Diego, CA
An official Haunted House, the first ghost was James “Yankee Jim” Robinson, hanged in 1852 on the property. Supposedly after the Whaley family moved in, they heard loud footsteps moving around and four family members died there. Anna Whaley’s ghosts haunts it -- visitors report visions of a woman in the courtroom. Her great granddaughter accidentally ingested ant poison and died while visiting. She haunts the dining room -- women and girls feel tugs on their clothing or grabbing of their hands or legs. A spirit of a dog is also seen, mostly by children, and licks people’s toes or legs.
#4 The White House, Washington DC
The White House
Apparently Richard Nixon isn’t the only former president who didn’t want to move out.  Some dead ones decided to stay too.
Abe Lincoln, the most active presidential ghost, was been seen by Eleanor Roosevelt, Queen Wilhelmina, Winston Churchhill and Calvin Coolidge’s wife often saw Abe standing at the Oval Office window with his hands clasped behind his back staring at Civil War battlefields. Others who refuse to move out and on? Presidents Harrison and Andrew Jackson and First Lady Abigail Adams, who floats the hallways.
#3 Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, CO
Workers hear party noises in the ballroom when it’s empty. Some ghosts steal guests’ belongings. While changing film for a ghosthunter show, a table flew two feet in the air. 
#2 Amityville House, Long Island, NY
Originally used to hold mentally ill Native Americans, even before the Defeaos were murdered inside, this house was a cage for troubled souls. Kat and George Lutz moved into the house after the murders and saw many ghosts. Their toilet water turned black, smells started to permeate the house, strange noises came from different rooms, objects fell off shelves without a human force.
#1 Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, Chicago, IL
Bachelor's Grove
The website states: “Many have seen it for themselves and many have heard its legends. For some, it is a place of happiness. Where family would once have picnics and swim in its pond, remembering their lost loved ones. For others, it is a place of sorrow and amazement. Where people see balls of light floating among them and human forms appear only to vanish before their eyes.”
Like most haunted sites, you can tour this cemetery. Across the country, ghost tours abound so discover for yourself what ghosts lurk in haunted America. Do you have a ghost story to share? We’d love to hear from you!


About the Author:

Diana Cachey is a licensed attorney, published academic, and former adjunct law professor. She also holds a BA in English, and while in law school, she was the first female editor-in-chief of her university's law review.

The author of the novels Love Spirits and Lagoon Lure, Cachey trained with several New York Times best-selling writers whose sales total more than 70 million books. She has built a social media platform with over one hundred thousand Twitter users, and her popular YouTube channel featuring secret Venice locations has received over five hundred thousand views.

For more than a decade, Cachey has traveled to Venice, the setting of her novels, on extended trips several times a year. The cafés, restaurants, and many other haunts of Venice play a prominent role in her sexy paranormal mystery-romance series about a beautiful American lawyer guided by the Ghosts of Venice in the investigation of a hushed-up crime.



@dianacachey





Tour Giveaway  starts September 15- open to US Shipping

2 signed copies each of both Love Spirits and Lagoon Lure,

2 Venetian Carnival masks,

2 porcelain Venetian mask-shaped wall hangings (approx six inches high)



a Rafflecopter giveaway
Link to grab code

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What did Sister Sinister think?
* * * * *
I give it 5 Stars!
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I was given these two books as part of the "What Happens in Venice" Blog Tour and was delighted with them both! The writing is so well done, and so picturesque, you feel like you're right there, walking side by side with the characters. Wondrous story-telling with vivid and magical locations, spiced with romance and mystery, it's easy to get swept up. You just might fall in love with Venice, too.

8 comments:

  1. I am glad to see you managed to enjoy these book so much. I know I haven't read them before but the covers with those masks definitely look interesting!

    http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/2014/10/sisterhood-of-world-tag.html

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    1. Oh you should give them a try, Olivia!! And I am with you - those masks caught my attention, too. =D

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  2. My goodness I so enjoyed your blog and the books you blog about. Talk about magical yet haunting mixed together. The mask itself swirl a tale on its own, just saying! Love to win thanks for the giveaway and entertaining my psyche :D

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    1. You are so welcome, and thank you for your lovely compliments!!!

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  3. Dear Sinister Sister and readers, THANKS SO MUCH for stopping by the tour! I'm glad you liked the enjoyed the books & your review means so much to me. Sexy ghost blog was fun to write. I love supernatural and you can find more HAUNTED-PALOOZA at my website this Halloween season. I hope I can be back soon at your blog. Ciao for now, Diana

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  4. PS I am featuring your site with this blog and your GORGEOUS AVATAR at my website during HAUNTED-PALOOZA. check it out!

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    1. Thank you so much, Diana, I really really appreciate the compliment and the feature - it means a great deal to me!!!

      And for my readers, here are the links to get you to the HAUNTED PALOOZA (very cool): http://dianacachey.com/ and http://dianacachey.com/?page_id=20

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