I Like It!: Summer on the Water: Christine Ardigo, Season 2, Episode 2

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the second in the Summer on the Water blog. This week I am featuring an interview with contemporary romance author, Christine Ardigo, an online friend of mine. Both of us are Indie published with Alexandria Publishing Group. Head on over there for some great books for this summer!

Welcome Christine.

Hello everyone! Happy Memorial Day weekend for those of you that celebrate and I hope after this Loooooong winter, you’re sitting in your backyard, or at the beach, with a book, and a cool drink. I have some questions I’m thrilled to answer for you about the beaches of Long Island, New York, and my book, Every Five Years.

After watching her parents struggle financially for years, Heather Di Pietro, a quirky, non-conformist, is persuaded by her best friend to date the rich and popular Lance Milanesi, believing he is the path to happiness. But when Nicolo, a vibrant new employee starts at her job, something stirs insides her, and she second-guesses her choice.

Nicolo has spent his entire life making others happy, while taking the back seat to his own happiness. When Heather's dynamic personality finds a way into his heart, she makes him believe he can conquer the world. A close friendship and loving bond soon develops, but it's quickly destroyed, separating them before they reveal their true feelings for one another.

Five years later, a chance encounter reunites them, taking them both by surprise.

Torn between losing each other again, and the emotions they can no longer suppress, they launch into a love affair more powerful than they ever imagined. Spending their days on the beach and their nights in each other’s arms, Heather discovers what true love is, and knows she must leave Lance.

With love this perfect, what could tear them apart a second time?

Heather and Nicolo continue to cross paths every five years, giving them the opportunity to recover what they lost. Will they ever reach out and grasp what was meant to be, or will their fears continue to keep them apart?

Why did you choose a beach theme and are the bodies of water in your story real? Does the water have special meaning to you?

Having grown up on Long Island myself, I wanted the reader to experience the unforgettable moments I had. You know, those days on the beach when the weather and waves are so perfect, you stay until the sun sets? I included scenes from Robert Moses Beach on the South Shore, and Sunken Meadow Beach on the North Shore that overlooks Connecticut. Of course, I had to include scenes with concealed boardwalks, obscured docks, and private dunes. Even driving along the Robert Moses Causeway while the sun sets and the sky becomes a rainbow of color, is illustrated in the scenes that make you feel as if you’re there with them.

Heather and Nicolo, the main characters in the book, have both grown up on Long Island. Nicolo, the fun-loving, outdoorsy type, convinces Heather to start enjoying her life, and takes her to the beach every chance they get. They spend an incredible summer along the shore, and fall in love.

I wanted many of the book’s scenes to take place outside with all the wonders Long Island has to offer. Even after Heather and Nicolo go their separate ways, their love remains connected through the beaches. Nicolo brings his future dates to restaurants on the water or to the beach, thinking about Heather each time. Heather brings her daughters back to the beach frequently, desperately holding onto her past.

Why did you choose to self-publish and what have you accomplished?

Once I read articles on the benefits of self-publishing, I knew there was no other way for me. Today is officially one year since I published my first book, Cheating to Survive! I have made an incredible amount of author friends along the way that have invited me into their secret groups; asked me to participate in blog hops and author takeovers; I’ve been adopted into the Alexandria Publishing group; had my books excepted into a big bookstore in my home town, and also into several, local public libraries. I also just found out that I'll be doing my first book signing on June 14th!

I’m excited to report, that in 5 days, on May 27th, I’m one of the 10 authors in the much anticipated boxset about Women that have Loved, Lost & Triumphed, that will be available for preorder. These women have seen it all, whether it’s marriage, children, divorce, or betrayal, and are here to tell their stories to you. Love & Passion really does exist on the other side of 30. Are you ready? Check out my Facebook page in 5 days for more exciting details of the secret anthology we’ve worked on for almost a year.

So, the question remains - Did I have a ton of sales this year? Make the NY Times bestseller list? Make a lot of money? No. (Not yet!) But, although the daily sales are still low, (it’s only been a year) when I look back over the year, and realize how many people did find my books interesting enough to buy them, and then left me a great review, it’s Priceless! I have a third book in the works and I know the more I publish, the more I’ll have out there for readers to enjoy.

One piece of advice: The hardest thing to learn was patience. It’s hard not to focus on daily sales and reviews, or to obsess over other author’s successes, but looking back, I’ve accomplished so much over the past year. Things I can be proud of. A part of me will always live through my books. I know in time, as I build my audience and publish more books, this can only grow. How can this ever be a negative?

Thanks for this lovely visit today! Where can readers find you Christine?

Website