You all know I just love when one of my WIld Rose Sistah’s comes to visit. Today, it’s Maria Imbalzano, who’s been here before!!! She’s got a new book out and I just think it looks divine. She sent me a little bit about it and I thought I’d share it with all of you…
Here’s my friend, Maria….
Hi Peggy:
Thanks so much for having me. My newest novel, “Sworn to Fly,” is the third book in my Sworn Sisters Series.
The series is about four friends from high school who are now in their early thirties. Each of the girlfriends has their own story and this book is Alyssa’s story. I had a lot of fun researching and writing this book.
I’m not much of a woodsy, camping, hiking sort of gal, but Alyssa needed to get away from her job and her life. So she headed to Glenn Pines, a resort in the Pocono Mountains for a week where she learned she had erroneously signed up for the Adventure Package. There would be no relaxing massages and soothing pedicures for her.
While there, she learned a lot about herself, allowing her to realize her adventure-less life had its drawbacks. Having lived through Alyssa’s daily experiences, I think it would be fun to change it up for my next vacation—which generally involves a beach, book, and lounge chair—and live in a bare bones cabin while participating in group activities that would challenge me. Is anyone up for a mountain adventure?
A little about SWORN TO FLY –
Risk-averse ER nurse, Alyssa Beckman, is about to lose her job because of yet another bad decision. In order to put her life back on track, she books a week at a rustic mountain resort to ponder her next steps and rejuvenate. But when she arrives, she learns she’s enrolled in boot camp, an adventure program far out of her comfort zone.
While there, she meets Gabriel Sutton, a world-travelling high fashion photographer who is in danger of losing his clients as well as his status if he doesn’t start following the rules. While hiking, kayak racing, and participating in team challenges, sparks fly between Alyssa and Gabe as they encourage each other to take different life paths. But will those paths lead them farther apart or bring them closer together?
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A little about Maria…
I was born in Trenton, NJ , in the heart of Chambersburg, the Italian section of town. My father was a barber and my mother, a State employee, who also taught me to jitterbug at the tender age of four. We loved to dance in the living room while watching American Bandstand. Hardly star material, but I was driven nonetheless. The product of a Catholic School education, I learned the basics, and took for granted I would be successful doing something, even if it entailed cutting hair. I attended Rutgers University as a psychology major, but after three years decided I liked political science better. My first job led me to Manhattan where I worked as a paralegal for four years before attending Fordham University School of Law. There I learned to think like a lawyer, write like a lawyer, and speak like a lawyer, all while living like a pauper in the city of my dreams. Living in New York City, albeit on a tight budget, allowed me to indulge my love of ballet, art museums, and theater. Did you know you could walk into a theater after intermission and no one checks your ticket? I enjoyed the second half of many plays as well as ballets.
My love of reading dates back to my childhood when I would borrow at least four books from the library every week. During the summer, I would sit in the house and read, until my mother, totally frustrated, would send me outside to play and lock me out. I always found my way back in. However, I must confess, I hated to write. In every English and writing class throughout college, I dreaded trying to be creative. As a friend from law school so aptly put it, “The reason why we’re here is because we don’t have a creative bone in our bodies.” I agreed.
Despite my dislike of creative writing back then, I embraced legal writing, and was first published in Volume 5 of the Fordham International Law Journal. My article was entitled “In re Mackin: Is the Application of the Political Offense Exception an Extradition Issue for the Judicial or Executive Branch?” I would advise you against reading it, for you will surely fall asleep.
Following law school, I returned to central New Jersey and took a job at a local law firm where I have been a partner for many years. My area of practice is divorce, and while emotions run high and clients are living through the worst time of their lives, I find the practice very satisfying. In addition to litigation, I have added mediation and collaborative divorce to my repertoire, which are much more civil ways of dealing with issues in family law cases.
In addition to practicing law and raising two daughters, I’ve been working towards my second career. Memoranda of Law and Legal Briefs, although fascinating, pale in comparison to writing romance/women’s fiction. So how does one transition from divorce lawyer by day to romance writer by night? That’s the beauty of having two distinct passions.
Connect with Maria here…
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Peggy Jaeger, Author 