Interview With Lorraine Zago Rosenthal, Author of Charmed, and Giveaway!

 

We are excited to bring you an interview with Lorraine Zago Rosenthal, author of the novel, Charmed. Published through Tribeca Press, fans of romantic fiction and complex family dynamics will love Lorraine's latest novel. 

Today, we're excited to interview the author about her newest book and give you the chance to enter to win a copy of the book for yourself, along with a $25 Amazon gift card!

Before we get to that, here's more information about Charmed:

Prisca Weld expected to become Mrs. Nick Fontaine before any of her friends walked down the aisle. Nick worked for her father’s lucrative construction business, and he and Prisca planned to start a family in her upscale Brooklyn neighborhood. But she’s heading into her late twenties, and she hasn’t achieved her most cherished goals.

Years ago, Nick abruptly abandoned Prisca and ran home to Las Vegas, leaving her with nothing but questions about what went wrong between them. Since then, she has struggled to forget him, and she hasn’t found anyone she can love as much as she loved Nick. All the best men seem to be out of reach—including Tim Aldrich, a family friend who has recently returned to New York after launching his career in California. Prisca has been drawn to Tim since they were kids, although she believes her attraction to him is as futile now as it was then. 

But she still hopes to fulfill her dreams, and she also wishes she could resolve the endless conflict between her traditional father and her unconventional brother, whose childhood scars from his and Prisca’s parents’ contentious divorce are still fresh. Prisca has wounds of her own, and she tries to heal them while attempting to unravel old secrets that have been hidden for too long. 

Purchase the book now on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can also add the book to your GoodReads reading list.

About Lorraine Zago Rosenthal

Lorraine Zago Rosenthal is the author of Other Words for Love, New Money, and Independently Wealthy. Her fourth novel, Charmed, just released on October 22, 2024.

Lorraine was born and raised in New York City, and she is a graduate of the University of South Florida. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degrees in education and English. She currently lives near Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband.

Website: https://lorrainezagorosenthal.com

Amazon Author Page: https://tinyurl.com/4j4khu8e

Goodreads Author Page: https://tinyurl.com/ymzmer2k

Twitter/X: https://x.com/lorrainezago                                 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorrainezago/

Freelance Writing Clips: https://linktr.ee/Lorraine_Zago

--- Interview by Nicole Pyles

WOW: Congratulations on your novel Charmed! What inspired this book?

Lorraine: Thank you so much! There were several inspirations for Charmed, but one of its main inspirations was the influence of the past on the present. Everyone’s backgrounds, decisions, and experiences lead to who and where they currently are. Events of the past—including the very distant past—can play a positive or negative role in people’s lives today. 

For example, in Charmed, the protagonist, Prisca Weld, lives in a brownstone in Brooklyn, NYC that was acquired by her family nearly a century ago, and the manner in which it was attained has been fortuitous for the Welds but unlucky for another family. The ownership of the house (among many other things) causes tension between Prisca’s brother, Asher, and their father, who see the issue in contrasting ways, and it’s an instance of how an event from long ago—whether serendipitous or unfortunate—can touch the present day. 

WOW: I love that blend of past and present and how it plays a part in the present day. I love the family dynamics in this book and you did such a good job balancing everyone's issues and struggles along with their love for each other (no matter how complicated it is). How did you develop that so well?

Lorraine: Thanks again! I find it fascinating to explore the interactions of characters who exist within the same family but perceive each other and their joint experiences differently. These perceptions are often conflicting because each family member is a complex individual who is impacted by people and situations in a unique manner. Although there is an everlasting bond between parents, children, and siblings, their love can become entangled with anger, resentment, and disappointment—and the positive emotions can make the negative ones even more difficult to navigate. 

While developing the relationships within the Weld family, I gradually revealed each character’s side of their shared story. Prisca’s mother, for example, might initially seem driven by selfishness and superficial ambition, but further exploration of her background and resulting motivations paint a deeper, more relatable picture. 

I always strive to create nuanced characters who are imperfect but sympathetic. Although these characters often do or say the wrong thing, it’s crucial for the reader to know what influences the characters’ behavior. As Prisca says to herself during one of Don and Asher’s frequent clashes, “I wish I didn’t understand them both. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be crushed in the middle.”

WOW: What a perfect quote! I can see this is not the first publication under your belt! What made writing Charmed different from your other novels, if at all?

Lorraine: Writing Charmed was most similar to writing my first novel, Other Words for Love. Although New Money and its sequel, Independently Wealthy, also contain romance and family drama, they are more of a glitzy Cinderella story with a crime mystery. 

My first novel and Charmed are very realistic stories that take place in Brooklyn; however, Charmed is set in the present day and the main character is heading into her late twenties, while Other Words for Love takes place during the 1980s and the protagonist is a teenager. I wrote each novel from the viewpoint of characters at different phases of life, living in different eras. Of course, while writing Other Words for Love, I couldn’t let myself forget that the characters didn’t have cell phones and the internet didn’t exist!

WOW: That must have been so tough! How did getting your psychology degree in college influence your writing?

Lorraine:  My knowledge of psychology always influences my writing, and it certainly did while I was crafting Charmed. And the inspiration for Other Words for Love came when I learned about a mental state called “limerence,” which is an intense feeling of love/infatuation that can turn obsessive and harmful. This concept sparked the creation of the novel’s main character, Ariadne Mitchell, who experiences limerence during her first intimate relationship. 

While creating this character, I knew there had to be much more to the story than just her involvement with her boyfriend, Blake. There also had to be psychological reasons why she becomes so quickly and deeply attached to him and why she’s so devastated when their relationship falls apart. From the beginning of the novel, Ari is depressed but has been conditioned to hide her emotions. Her parents don’t recognize this, nor do they acknowledge the dysfunction within their family, and these issues—along with other negative aspects of Ari’s mental health, including her low self-esteem and high anxiety, make her vulnerable to becoming consumed by her relationship with Blake. 

WOW: I really appreciate how that knowledge influenced character development and the plotline. So, what is your writing routine like?

Lorraine: I have always felt that to be a productive author, writing should be treated as a job. I have a home office, and I usually write during business hours—as well as many nights and weekends! And although I have moments of unexpected inspiration while I’m not at my desk, I don’t wait around for them. Writing a novel can be like solving a puzzle, and I keep going even when I get stuck. I can always improve a scene later on—but I can’t edit a blank page. 

WOW: I think that's awesome you stick to a schedule! I am so glad you took time out of your day to chat with us. Thank you for sharing such an amazing book!

***** GIVEAWAY *****

 

Enter to win one of 5 copies of Charmed by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal! We also have a $25 Amazon Gift Card to give away for the first draw by Rafflecopter. Fill out the Rafflecopter form by November 7, 2024 at 11:59 pm CT for a chance to win. We will draw 5 winners the next day. Good luck!

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