Follow Roberta Rich and The Midwife of Venice along on a worldwide blog tour starting with the publication date of February 14! Enjoy reviews, guest posts and q&a with Roberta, as well as exclusive giveaways.
February 14 and 15: Historical Novels website. A fabulous review: “With a baby at the center of the tale, The Midwife of Venice is as fast-paced as any thriller, the childbirth scene as gripping as any battle story. Cliffhanger chapter endings … a swashbuckling midwife in a novel whose pages seem almost to turn themselves.” Read more here … plus an interview with Roberta: “So much of women’s history has been lost. Ordinary women were so busy cooking, birthing babies, and caring for children that only a few of the most privileged women had time to write their thoughts and accomplishments” … Enjoy the full interview here.
February 16 and 17: Jenn’s Bookshelves blog: “The journey Hannah embarks upon to rescue her husband adds a level of suspense to the story, something I truly enjoyed. I couldn’t read the book fast enough, I found myself putting my own “real life” on hold so I could find out what happened to Hannah. Yet when it ended, I ached for more, not because I don’t think the author concluded the story adequately, but because I didn’t want to part with the characters I’d grown to love.” Read more here. PLUS — find out about how Roberta got the idea for the novel: “And so from this seed of an idea―a pair of silver spoons in the ghetto museum ―my story grew into a novel about a conservative, sheltered woman who chooses to defy the law to deliver a Christian baby so that she may rescue her beloved husband who is a slave on the island of Malta…” Read more here. And a giveaway of the novel!
February 16: One More Page blog: “The Midwife of Venice is far more action packed than its title suggests with subplots that involve murder, plague and blackmail leading to some dramatic scenes and a number of creative escapes on Hannah’s behalf.” Read more here.
February 19: The Little Reader Library blog: a “compelling historical novel. Definitely one to sit back and enjoy, and immerse yourself in the period setting, to get lost in the streets of Venice and Valletta, and lose yourself in the adventure of the story.” Read more here.
February 22: The Book Browse Editor’s Guest Blog: “Why I Read.” Roberta explains: “I devour anything I can get my hands on dealing with Venice and Constantinople in the 16th century. I wade through academic books which are often useful, not for the day to day details I need to make my settings and characters come alive, but good for a general overview, and a sense of the period in general.” Read more here.
February 27: The Midwife of Venice featured on — where else? The Venice Travel Blog! Read more here.
February 28: Wonderfully entertaining q&a from Roberta with the Philadelphia Women’s Fiction Examiner. Roberta gives tips on writing as well as observations about life: “So I went into the 2009 New Year, crestfallen. I stumbled through a New Year’s party I was giving in Mexico, trying to keep my spirits up in the time honored ways, drinking too much and persecuting my husband.” Read more here.
March 1: Independent, Jewish and frankly feminist — that’s Lilith magazine. And their fiction editor Yona Zeldis McDonough sits down with Roberta for a chat. “I think the emotional make-up of people has remained constant over the centuries. Revenge, betrayal, hatred, the complex working of the human heart―it’s all grist for the mill,” says Roberta — read more here.
March 5 and 6: Roberta visit’s Arleigh’s Historical-Fiction website with a guest post and a giveaway! “It is hard to explain the affinity I feel for these 16th century Jews driven from their homes and livelihoods by religious persecution,” Roberta writes. Read more here.
March 9: Kris Waldherr is also a historical fiction author and when Roberta visits Kris’ blog, the talk naturally turns towards writing: “Selling a manuscript is a lot like selling a house. In a boom market you might be able to sell a ‘fixer-upper’— a house that needs re-wiring and a new roof and a good paint job. But in a volatile market like this one, make all those repairs yourself before you go to market.” Read more — plus a giveaway! — here.
