Patricia Barletta - A Duke of Shadows and a Mysterious Thief

Patricia Barletta is an award-winning author of historical and paranormal romance fiction. After a fulfilling career teaching English Literature in high school, she decided to go back to school and obtained a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Stonecoast (University of Southern Maine). When she’s not at a yoga class doing her best downward dog, Patricia is usually tending her hydrangeas or hosting a brunch for her writing group. Patricia loves to travel and often finds the inspiration for her dark heroes, strong heroines, and romantic settings while on a research trip. As our Author of the Day, Barletta tells us all about her book, Moon Shadow.

Please give us a short introduction to what Moon Shadow is about.

In 1797, Antonio, Duke of Auriano, is traveling to Paris when he is robbed by a highwayman. The thief steals a moonstone pendant that helps curb the worst effects of the family curse, placed on them generations ago by an evil sorceress. Antonio, determined to retrieve the stone, searches through the city, and meets the beautiful, wily Solange Delacroix, thief for Le Chacal, King of the Thieves, and mistress to the cruel Marquis de Vernoux. She is doing what she must to keep her younger brother safe. Despite her better judgment, she is drawn to the handsome Italian duke, whom she robbed. When Antonio follows her to Le Chacal's lair deep within the Catacombs beneath Paris, he senses that a piece of the magical Sphere of Astarte is hidden there. The Sphere will break the family curse. He needs Solange to help him find the artifact because she is familiar with the labyrinth of the Catacombs. When the curse takes over and he turns to Shadow, he strikes a bargain with her: He will help her steal if she helps him find the piece of the Sphere. She doesn't realize that this other-worldly, seductive Shadow is Antonio, so she agrees. A dance of wits ensues. But others want the Sphere, too: the evil sorceress, Le Chacal, and the Marquis de Vernoux. And neither Le Chacal nor the marquis are happy that Solange is distracted by the Italian duke, so there's more danger from them. But in between the mayhem, Antonio and Solange find time for lots of kissing and other passionate stuff.

Was there anything in particular, an incident or something you read, that made you want to write this book?

When I was working on Book 1 in the series (MOON DARK), about Antonio's identical twin, Alessandro, I realized that Antonio needed his own story. He's a minor character in Book 1, but a very important part of the story. He takes his brother's identity when the curse appears and Alessandro turns to Shadow. I decided Antonio needed to step out from his brothers shadow (excuse the pun) and be his own person, so I gave him his own book.

Tell us more about Antonio. What makes him tick?

Antonio is a bit of a risk-taker. He's willing to step over the line of propriety in order to get what he wants. He also sees the ironic humor in life and is impetuous. He is honorable and expects others to be as well. When they're not, he gets angry. And he is protective of women, especially those close to him.

What makes Solange and Antonio such a great fit for one another?

Even though Solange and Antonio have grown up in completely different economic circumstances - Solange on the streets of Paris, Antonio in a palazzo in Venice, they are both fighting for survival. While Solange is serious and resolute, Antonio teases and taunts. Her tenacity and bravery awes him, and his honor and respect captivates her.

Why 18th century France? What drew you to this setting?

I had put Napoleon into Book 1 during his Italian Campaign, and while doing research, I discovered he made a secret trip from Italy to Paris to visit Josephine. I decided I'd use that bit of information in MOON SHADOW, especially when I realized that France, and particularly Paris, had very little law enforcement because it was ruled by the corrupt, weak Directory after the end of the Revolution. Thieves and cutthroats roamed freely. Beneath the city is the maze of the Catacombs where those outlaws could hide. What better place to set a story about a beautiful thief and a man who is cursed?

In most historical romance books, the heroine is an innocent gentle lady but Solange is quite the opposite. What inspired you to create her this way?

I wanted a heroine who could stand up to Antonio and challenge him, and I wanted a character who did more than worry about her good reputation if she spent too much time chatting with a man. Solange has no good reputation. Her concerns deal with life and death. Romance writers always write tormented heroes, but I decided I'd try writing a tormented heroine. Solange deals with a lot of danger in her life, but she handles it calmly, and I think her victory in the end is sweeter because of that.

What's an aspect of being a writer that you didn't know about going in?

Oh, gosh, the promotion. I had no idea there were so many places and ways to promote books. I have to remind myself that my reason for promoting is that I have stories to tell, and I have to write more stories so I'll have them to promote as well.

Did you plan from the start to make this into a series? How do the other books in the series tie in with this one?

This has always been a series about a group of siblings who have inherited the family curse and must find the magical Sphere of Astarte to break it. Others also want the Sphere for their own evil purposes, so the siblings have to deal with their nefarious and dangerous interventions along the way. Each book is a stand-alone with one of the siblings as the main character who finds his or her soul-mate, so the books can be read out of order, but of course, the best way to read them is to start with Book 1, MOON DARK. The main characters in each book make an appearance in each of the succeeding ones.

Is there an underlying message you wish to relay about basic human nature through your characters?

My main purpose in writing is just to tell a darn good story, but my characters all reflect human values and foibles. Looking back on my stories, I realize greed and revenge play a large part in my villains' motivations, so the message there is that those two characteristics will get you into trouble. My heroes and heroines all have flaws and obstacles to overcome, so no one is perfect, not even that gorgeous hunk of book boyfriend! We all have problems, but those should be faced with grace and courage. And if you have someone beside you who loves you, no matter who that might be, you can deal with just about anything, even an evil, super-powerful sorceress.

Among the wealth of characters in Moon Shadow who was the most difficult to create?

I think Solange's brother, Gide, was the hardest. He's a young man who is just entering adulthood and has been protected by his older sister nearly his whole life. He wants to take on the responsibility of protecting her, but he lets his emotions get in the way and he makes some big mistakes. I wanted him to be jealous of Antonio, because, you know, this Shadow-guy is butting into his very tight little family, but I didn't want him to be whiney, and I wanted him to mature through the course of the story. I'll let the readers decide if I accomplished that.

What are you working on right now?

I'm working on two books. One of them is Book 3 of the Auriano Curse Series, MOON BRIGHT. It's about Allegra, the younger sister of Alessandro and Antonio. She has her own unique way of dealing with the family curse, and it gets her into big trouble. The hero has made cameo appearances in the first two books, and he's trying to keep Allegra safe while dealing with his own dangerous issues.

I'm also working on another spy-duke story, part of the series, On His Majesty's Secret Service. The hero's younger brother has come to an untimely end, and the hero is looking for the persons responsible. When he travels to Bath, England, to follow a clue, he realizes he's uncovered a spy ring that is sending secrets to France. But the least likely suspect, the beautiful and foremost modiste in the city, is the one he suspects the most.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

They can reach me through my website:

www.patriciabarletta.com

Or my FaceBook page:  @PatriciaBarlettaauthor

Or follow me on BookBub:  @PatriciaBarletta

Or follow me on Instagram:  patriciabarlettaauthor