Today's guest is historical romance writer, Joanna Davidson Politano! But don't be fooled, Joanna's books have more of a Gothic, almost literary, flavor. If you like Victoria Holt, for example, you may well love Joanna's books.

We chatted about her latest book, the beautifully written and very fun (adventure and mystery as well as romance) A Rumored Fortune. It released on July 31, 2018, and I finished reading it just before we spoke. Joanna told us the lovely story about how it allowed her to revisit the courtship and romance with her husband, which I oohed and ahhed over. (Here's a blog post about it!)

One of her writing tips she shares is that when you're writing, you need to let go of the idea that there is going to be an audience reading your book in the future. You need to write the book first for yourself; that will bring your very best story out. That's what she did with her first book, Lady Jayne Disappears, which won awards and praise.

Arguably, the best part the show is when Joanna starts describing her research into vineyards for A Rumored Fortune. And how it changed her life. I strongly encourage you to listen to this portion of the interview even if you listen to nothing else. (It's about halfway through.) It just might change your life. :-D