AUTHOR INTERVIEW with EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY: 'Shattered Paradise' by C.L. Cattano

Title: Shattered Paradise

Series: Salvaggio’s Light Book 1

Author: C.L. Cattano

Published: March 31, 2017

Publisher: Self Published/Vagary Publishing

Cover Artist: Chynsia Hinesley

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Length: 298 Pages

Tags: Lesbian; F/F; Drama; CW: Violence

About Shattered Paradise

This epic series invites you into the life of Rafaella Salvaggio and all of the people in her life, from family and friends to lovers and enemies. Her life has been full of tragedy, secrets and betrayals and lately everything has been spiraling out of control. The past is catching up with her and she will have to fight to get her life back. In her struggle to win back the woman she just cannot live without, her mettle will be tested. She will be up against her own inner demons as well as a fundamentalist group whose mission it is to separate her from her ex-partner and their daughter.

This is a serial story with themes that flow from one book into another with lots of twists and turns. Reading this series from the beginning is highly suggested or the reader may not be able to follow all of the story lines.

*sitting across from one another at Kimmers’ large desk*

Hey, C.L., we’re very happy to have you here at the Banter today. Can I offer you something to drink? “Thank you for having me Kimmers, water is fine.”

*hands C.L. a bottle of water* Before we get started, for our readers who are not familiar with your work, you write lesbian fiction and you have a new series you’ve come to talk about. On a personal note tell us a little about yourself.

“I kind of have a weird sense of humor. I love joking around, playing and having fun. I think that is one reason I’m a good traveler too. I look at life with a bit of humor even in bad situations. I’m also pretty easy… to get along with that is.” *grins* “Never forget the whimsy when you travel.”

I'll try and keep that in mind as I travel to Europe in a few months. So, I like to start off with a few fun questions to ease you in. You ready?

*unscrewing the cap to the water bottle* “Sure. And have fun in Europe!”

Thank you, what is your favorite quote?

“’Being an author is being in charge of your own personal insane asylum’ by Terri Guillemets.”

*laughs* I think I know several authors who might agree with that statement. What chore do you absolutely hate to do?

*rolls eyes* “Laundry! Luckily, my SO doesn’t mind doing it! I make up for it by trying to make sure I help out in ‘other’ ways.”

*winks* Oh, I bet you do. Last one, then on to the big ones. What can you not live without on a daily basis?

“Literally- Water! *holds up water bottle* But in a more personal meaning probably my morning kiss from my SO. She always comes in and wakes me up so that I don’t sleep the day away. I’m a night writer so I seem to always be up late.” Awwww, that is so sweet. When I worked a nine-to-five my hubs woke me up with a cup of coffee in bed every morning. I miss those days. *sigh* Anyway, moving on! What is your favorite book you have written and why?

“I think my favorite so far is Cursed Hearts. It is a slightly paranormal/reincarnation love story. The reason it’s my favorite is kind of personal. It’s the book that my SO read and made her decide to investigate me a bit more… and boy did she do a good job! She wasted no time in snapping me up! Additionally, the big positive response to it encouraged me to continue writing.”

You sound like you have a lovely relationship. So, what led you to write the Salvaggio’s Light serial?

“I originally wanted to do a screenplay for a movie or television series with my idea. But I decided to turn what I wrote into a book series because I was told it’s hard to sell a screenplay. I wanted something intriguing, dramatic and dynamic that had lots of twists and turns but still dug deep into a lesbian character, her psyche and her relationships. It was a challenge because I also want people to fall in love with her and Eden, her ex, and be hopeful for them – even if it was a love/hate scenario for the reader. Once I switched from a screenplay to a book the story got exponentially longer with all the visuals and internal dialogue as well as other things I had to describe. So there was no question that it had to be a series.”

In reading the synopsis for the first book in the series, Shattered Paradise, it looks like it might be a little deep. For those readers who may shy away from angst what would you say to them?

“Well, I guess I would assure them that I have added some comic relief, because it is absolutely necessary in a story like this one. Rafe’s friend Abby, and a few other characters, balance out the drama. Of course, Rafe has her comedic moments too. I guess I just have to say the book is like life. There is drama… but there is also the reward of a bit of comedy, periods of happiness, and love intertwined. Also, my SO says eat some chocolate after a few chapters! That’s what she has to do after reading some of my pages. The angst is tough for her too, but I actually heard her laughing at some points.”

That’s good to keep in mind. Lots of chocolate. And maybe some wine? “Sure.” *laughs* “Wine too.”

Describe Rafe in 3 words.

“Oh, man, three words… I can think of many but I guess Broken, Magnetic, and Quixotic.”

Quixotic gives us a lot to chew on. *winks* Do you want to share any interesting moments or experiences while writing Shattered Paradise?

“Well, Greer is a deaf woman who is very smart and full of moxie. It was challenging to have her speak and have Beth, the ASL interpreter, be her voice at times. I loved that on The L-Word there was a deaf character, so I challenged myself to create a similar character that would work in my story. I knew right away that this character had to be important to Rafe so that I could give her a significant role. I hope readers feel I did a good job with her.”

She sounds fascinating. I would love to know what our readers think of Greer. How many more books do you have planned in the serial and can you give our readers a hint as to what they might expect?

“This is a 10 book series… Yeah, it’s a lot but I wrote it to be several seasons of a television show…sooooo….They can expect a lot of drama, but there are some crazy funny things too. In one of the books there is a Lesbian Obstacle Course Competition that Abby has dragged them into and the characters have a lot of fun.”

Now that sounds like a blast! I have to ask this. In my experience the lesbian genre doesn't seem to get the exposure some other genre’s do. What would you like readers to know about these stories?

*takes a big gulp of water and you can see her ponder* “First, I think you’re right. But, I also think exposure is growing. There has been a huge wave of lesbian stories in books and other media.

I think what I’d like them to take away is that these stories feed the need for a lot of lesbians to belong to a community and to feel empowered. If you know nothing about LGBT issues and what it is to identify as a lesbian, you will get an education and possibly learn to empathize and understand those issues. Once that happens you will understand that the LGBT community is not ‘other,’ we are just like you in most ways when it comes to emotions and the need to have a good life with happiness, security and love.

But… they should also understand that most, not all, but most of the stories are written and published for lesbians by lesbians. I’m not talking about erotica, that’s a whole other universe!”

I think these are all important points to keep in mind and I hope this will encourage our readers to delve into the stories some more. Before I let you go *grins* is there anything else you would like to share with our Banter friends?

“Why, yes, thanks for asking! Amanda Hughey is mentioned in Shattered Paradise and she just told me she is writing a song for the series! I couldn’t be more thrilled! When it is ready we will have a release party for the book, and the song, here in Kansas City where we live. I built a stage in my backyard so I could have concerts at my house. We have a great women/lesbian music scene in Kansas City and I want all the girls to come and play their music for me!

Once the title is released we will give the song away for a limited time for signing up for the mailing list. Until then follow the Salvaggio's Light Facebook page, my author page or my personal Facebook page to keep in the loop!

Oh, and my story, I hope Shattered Paradise and the Salvaggio's Light series will be enjoyed by everyone. I have so many different characters that include men, women, straight, gay, lesbian, deaf, elder, foreign, with personalities that clash while others are simpatico. The deep feeling of love I believe is universal.” Thank you again, C.L., for stopping by. Readers, be on the lookout for book 2 in the Salvaggio’s Light series, Blue Inferno, coming soon!

“Pleasure to be here Kimmers! Thank you for allowing me to talk about my very special Salvaggio's Light. I have left a little giveaway for a few of your readers. Good luck everyone!”

SITTING ON THE couch in front of the television at the neighbor’s house, Julia Hawthorn was drinking wine and watching old black and white horror movies with Stacey. Julia was berating herself because she should have known Rafe would have to go over the top. It was just like in school and the ‘adventures’ Rafe would invent. The adventures were usually good fun, but sometimes, it felt like they were in a duel to the death to out-do each other. It was both exciting and not just a little bit scary. It was a lot scary sometimes. At least this adventure didn’t include heights or breaking and entering. She pushed down her frustration and denied her jealousies foothold in her mind, though it was putting up a good fight.

When Rafe first moved to L.A., they got into all kinds of situations, and Rafe was a challenge to keep up with most of the time. Julia was not sure if Rafe ever actually slept back then.

Julia stopped going on adventures with Rafe for a while when she got involved with Andrea, a woman she thought might be the one. Julia was not sure if she was actually really over Andrea yet, but she was working on it in the best way she knew how—other women. When that relationship didn’t work out, Rafe was there to help get her out again, and Julia wanted to return the favor and possibly help them both. Her only regret was that she underestimated Rafe and her ability to get back on the horse, losing the wager to her.

Julia looked over at Stacey and sighed. “I really appreciate you letting me crash here tonight. Believe me, it wasn’t the plan,” complained Julia.

“Oh, no problem.” The pale freckled woman with the long curly fire red hair laughed. “I still can’t believe you guys made that bet! I mean, is that a normal lesbian thing? I’ve heard guys talking about doing that sort of thing but never women,” Stacey revealed as she pushed her oversized retro glasses up on her nose that she would put on over her Irish blue eyes when she took out her contacts for the night.

Since moving into the house, Stacey found out one of her roommates was a gay man and the other, as well as her neighbor, were lesbians. She had received a different kind of education after moving here, one that was very intriguing, but something she just couldn’t see for herself. She felt lucky to find such a great place to live and a great bunch of people to hang out with. Over the past year, they had become good friends and hung out a lot.

“I don’t think it’s something that’s normal. We don’t make wagers like that all the time,” explained Julia. “But I’ve found over the years that it does make things interesting at times.” Julia took the last sip of her wine as the door opened and Stacey’s roommates, Jude and Flynn, entered the house along with Jude’s date for the evening.

“Hey, Julia. Why are you here?” asked Flynn as he sat down next to her.

“Yeah, didn’t I see you leave the bar with someone tonight?” asked Jude with a grin as the quiet girl held onto her belt loops.

“You guys aren’t going to believe this! Rafe took Julia’s date!” Stacey exclaimed and laughed uproariously.

“What? Julia, what’s she talking about?” asked Flynn.

Julia sat her wine glass on the table then rubbed her temples with a sigh, feeling and looking defeated. “Never make a wager with Rafe,” she complained. “I know it’s that Italian accent she can just turn on and off,” she said in frustration. She was jealous she didn’t have the same skill of turning her accent on and off at will without sounding ridiculous.

"Oh, my god! You mean Rafe has three women over there?” shouted Jude and bent over laughing.

Stacey bounced up and down on the couch excitedly and laughed with Jude. “Yes! Oh, my god! Can you believe it?” She looked at them with her glasses making her eyes look huge. “What do you think they’re doing over there?”

“Fucking,” scoffed Julia disgruntled, and Stacey bounced with laughter along with the others.

“You guys, Abby is going to freak when she finds out about this!” said Jude through her laughter while leading her date, the girl with the soft touch, to her bedroom, leaving the others behind as they laughed and talked over each other about Rafe.

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Meet the Author

C.L. Cattano lives in the Midwestern U.S. with her partner and their dog. She has a variety of creative interests including, but not limited to, creating fine art, writing, photography, and supporting women in the arts. She considers herself a ‘Jack of All Trades’ dabbling in what she terms the ‘whimsies of her soul’ that pull her toward happiness and fulfillment. Cattano’s first book was Cursed Hearts. Her current project is the epic lesbian romance serial Salvaggio’s Light.

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