Featured Interview With Sarina Rose
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hello. I was raised in New Jersey in the same house which my grandfather had built and where my father was raised. The house had four apartments. My grandparents lived in the downstairs apartment and had access to the backyard. They raised chickens and vegetables on a city lot. My parent lived upstairs until they passed away. My sister and I attended the school on the same block. My entire education and employment was in New Jersey. There is a lot of my history in New Jersey and it feeds my mind with ideas for characters and books.
Now I live in Florida with my husband and our two wonderful dogs. Cici is my blind 17 pound Shih Tzu and Andy is our 75 pound Labradoodle. Believe it or not, Andy wants to be the lap dog.Cici couldn’t care less.Andy lets me know that I have been sitting and writing too long every hour and half. He apparently know how to tell time. See his picture here?
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
As most authors are, I have always been a reader. I read many different genres: historical, noir, magical fiction, mysteries. My mother and her sisters were great readers. I can say that I am fascinated with the way words bring reader to another world or inside another person and that is what I love about reading and writing.
I started writing seriously about four years ago. To my amazement the story lines usually come easily. Last week when someone asked me where I get my ideas. I answered, “I don’t know.” That is not exactly the truth. Sometimes I hear a phrase, see a character in a dream, remember or wonder what is it I don’t know about her; then my imagination takes over.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I have great difficulty choosing a favorite author or genre. I enjoy historical fiction. I loved the first book of Outlander, but have not been inspired to read the subsequent titles. I have read most of Phillipa Gregory’s books. I started with The Other Boleyn Girl. I adore Margret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin. I should tell you I listen to that one on cassettes on a drive from New Jersey to Florida.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
I like writing romances set during Mid 20th Century- the late 1960’s when the sexual revolution and feminism was taking hold. The latest is an awesome romance, The Relentless Italian. It set between New Jersey/New York and Rome, Italy. Tony Andriosi is an Italian singer attending college in New Jersey. He falls in love with Sophie Carrieri. He has a career in Italy which he wants to continue. She has to attend Veterinary School before even beginning her career. He needs to find his birth mother and she is prevented from becoming a mother. He is positive she is the woman for him. She is dead set on waiting before deciding. They embark on a pretend romance until college graduation. What happens before and after graduation is a rocky road. The books is about female friendships, secrets, love, sex, family and careers. All the characters are relentless in one way or another.
Actually I wrote this book first, then set it aside while I wrote and published The Relentless Brit which took me about a year. When I returned to edit The Italian, I did a ton of rewriting, adding, and subtracting. I think The Relentless Italian is the best book I have written. I hope you take a chance on me and read it.
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Sarina Rose is a talented author. Her characters are vivid and I feel I know them well! I hope she will keep the “Relentless” series coming!
I love all of Sarina’s novels. Some are set in Europe and her powers of description both visually and emotionally are compelling. They are great books to escape into and of course, every woman loves a romance. Sarina’s protagonists are all very strong women with independent streaks and that is admirable as well because it’s so realistic for my generation of women , the so-called “libbers.” They are often conflicted once they fall in love. Her plots are intricate and surprising as well.