Medina

 The first novel I ever wrote and wrote and wrote...you get the idea, will finally be out on Kindle this week, but I need to warn you, it has a staggering 170,000 plus word count (and this was after cutting it in half!) The title of the book is Medina, which is the name of the main character, a young heiress of Irish-American descent.

Back around 2007 or so what I wrote it I knew nothing about writing a novel. I'd written poetry and short stories. I'd tinkered with writing a novel, but never really accomplished anything. I decided to write a romance novel for my best friend for her birthday. She finally got a proof copy of the novel 10 years later, an epic 585-page love story about one young heiress tasked with renovating and restoring the sprawling Graham family estate while recovering from a near fatal accident. Basically, as a teenager she was exiled to the family estate in Galway after she shocks and angers her wealthy, snooty family by having a scorching one-night fling with a rock singer/guitarist pick-up in a bar. Seven years later she's put in charge of restoring Greenhaven. A young man with a lot of piercings and tattoos she meets at the local supermarket deli directs her to his older brother who has his own renovations and restorations construction business. Although she has some misgivings and a volatile relationship with Giancarlo Murphy, she hires him for the work. Giancarlo is jealous and bothered by his kid brother Sebastiano's friendship with Medina. And then there is the suave, polished family retainer, Seth Sheridan, himself from a monied family, trying to change Medina's mind about having hired Murphy. All three men are attracted to the fiery redhead. Giancarlo and Sebastiano have a difficult relationship that is strained by Sebastiano's closeness to Medina and Giancarlo's company rule about not fraternizing with the clients. Then there's Seth who is also interested in Medina. The big problem is that Medina is engaged to a writer in Ireland who wants her to come home.

A lot of things happen as relationships grow, shift, and change throughout the book. Despite all the men surrounding her, Medina cannot find true love and it is a bitter disappointment to her when her friends meet, fall in love with, and marry members of Murphy's crew. There's deceit and treachery shadowing her as the restoration work progresses. Her family contests Cathryn's Graham's will, causing a prolonged court battle. She's attacked by the man she's come to rely on at Greenhaven...or was she? And then, just when she's about ready to give up, the man she has realized she loves the most shows up n the doorstep and the past and the present are reunited.

That's a very brief nutshell version of the novel. I'm working on the print book still, but the Kindle book is going to be in the Kindle store by tomorrow.

Overall, about 11 years in the making, her is my very first novel following close on the heels of my 23rd novel, Minx Marvel.