Last week my latest novel was released by Dreamspinner
Press. ITALIAN ICE is a sequel to RARER THAN RUBIES, where Trent Copeland and
Reed Acton were in Thailand on the trail of a long-lost Ruby Buddha. This story
takes them to Italy. They start out in Rome, but they soon head to the Aeolian
Islands located off the coast of Sicily.
I spent about a week in these islands during my travels and
they remain one of the most amazing places in the world. They are part of a
volcanic chain and each island boasts a unique aspect of that origin. Lipari is
the largest of the islands and has a beach made of pumice stones. It's quite
tough to walk on, scratching your feet. It's odd to see bits of the
"beach" floating away each time a wave hits the shore. There
literally is no sand. Just small chunks of pumice.
Nearby Vulcano is amazing. There is a large mud bath where
about a hundred people at a time can smooth the pale mud over the skin and
hopefully look younger once it's rinsed off. To make life simple, the beach
next to the mud bath has a natural Jacuzzi effect. Hot water bubbles up between
the rocks (not much sand here either), helping rinse off that dried mud. It
doesn't come out of your swimsuit very well, so make sure to wear an old one
that day. There is nothing like floating in the sea while feeling warm bubbles
between your toes!
Stromboli is the most amazing of the islands. It's more than
just a spicy sandwich. In fact, it's the most active volcano in Europe and
erupts about every fifteen minutes. Usually it just shoots out some glowing
rocks and a few jets of hot lava. It's hard to see in the light of day so the
thing to do is a pre-sunset hike up to the crater where you can see the
eruptions after dark. Then they are absolutely something to write home about. I
loved it so much, I wrote a book around it, where you'll find Trend and Reed
spending the night on the volcano.
They also fall more deeply in love and help put a smuggling
ring out of business, but that's almost beside the point when they get to
experience such dramatic scenery. Take your own little trip to Italy with
ITALIAN ICE.
More about the book
In this exciting sequel to Rarer Than Rubies, gay romance author Trent Copeland and former FBI agent Reed Action head to Italy for a Roman holiday. What should be a relaxing and romantic vacation is interrupted when Reed’s not-so-former boss asks for his help with a case. Trent's shocked to discover in the six months they’ve been living together in LA, Reed hasn’t been completely honest about his “retirement.”
Reed heads for Sicily on the trail of a suspected antiquities-smuggling ring and to find Peter Isett—a former FBI partner he also hasn’t been completely truthful about. Stung by Reed’s dishonesty, Trent questions what else Reed might be hiding. But when he overhears something that tells him Reed's life is in danger, Trent follows Reed to a remote chain of ancient volcanic islands off Sicily's northern coast. Soon Trent is caught up in the smugglers’ web, and Reed must decide between his heart and his mission—a decision complicated by his past with Peter. Reed’s position is perilous: unless he can learn to put the past behind him, he risks destroying everything he's built with Trent.
Buy
from Dreamspinner or Amazon. Also available in print, 290 pages.
EM
Lynley writes for Dreamspinner Press, Silver Publishing and Torquere, edits
for several erotic romance publishers and provides editing and writer coaching for private clients. She has worked in finance, the wine industry, and high-tech, though she'd
rather be writing sexy man-on-man romance. She spent 10 years as an
economist and financial analyst, including a year as a White House Staff
Economist, but only because all the intern positions were filled. Tired
of boring herself and others with dry business reports and articles,
her creative muse is back and naughtier than ever. She has lived and
worked in London, Tokyo and Washington, D.C., but the San Francisco Bay
Area is home for now.Visit her online: http://www.emlynley.com or email at em@emlynley.com
2 comments:
EEE! This sounds fabulous--and I love the fact that you can interject first hand impressions of the islands into what sounds like a fascinating story! Definitely putting this and Rarer Than Rubies on the TBR list!
Thanks, Sarah. It was an incredible trip and I've been wanting to set a story there for some time. I just had to work hard in the plotting to make everything work out. --EM
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