Marigny Street: Cover Reveal, Giveaway & Interview With Gabriel Roberts by Author Annie Rose Welch

Posted March 31, 2014 by Karen in Giveaways, Guest Post / 0 Comments

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mscover2 Title: Marigny Street

(Saving Angels Series #1)

 Author: Annie Rose Welch

Genre: Contemporary Romance with a

strong element of paranormal

 

 

 

 

8a0f9-synopsis

Do you believe in the power of dreams?

Way down south on Marigny Street in the heart of New Orleans, the land of Catholic intercessions, purgatory, and supernatural superstitions, young Evangeline Chenier dreams of a radiant boy who saves her from a storm. She takes the dream seriously – in her family, dreams are sometimes more than dreams. Sometimes they foretell the future. Sometimes they create it.

Years later, Eva is no longer the same wistful girl but a hardened woman who no longer believes in dreams. Losing faith in her gift, she becomes lost in a nightmare of emotion, mourning her son, separating from her husband, and stewing in a dead-end job. And then fate brings her an unlikely surprise: one of the most famous movie stars in the world, Gabriel Roberts.

Caught by something in his eyes, Eva agrees to show him the real Big Easy on his last night in New Orleans—an evening that turns into four dreamy days spent recapturing lost faith and discovering a love neither expected. Realizing Gabriel is the boy from her childhood dream, Eva must leave everything behind—her husband, her family, her history, and the beautiful city she calls home—and gamble it all for the dream that has saved her on MARIGNY STREET.

Author Annie Rose Welch Interviews Gabriel Roberts!!!

When I was first approached to do an interview with Gabriel Roberts, I was a little intimated. Sure, I had met him before. We swapped a few stories, discussed a few songs and the idea of love at first sight, but an interview? He rarely gives them. An interview with him is just about as rare as his elusive signature. If you don’t already know, which I’m sure you do, Gabriel Roberts is considered one of the most bankable movie stars in Hollywood. Even more so, he is considered one of the most beautiful men in the world.

Standing at six feet tall, he speaks with a heavy Irish accent. He has skin as smooth as ivory, expressive and sincere brown eyes, and hair that could possibly be the love child of James Dean and Edward Scissorhands. He’s not your everyday movie star, but then again he is. He is peculiar and hard to understand, and he can be all too reclusive for his passionate fans. But at his request, I agreed to do the interview. His only other request: that it be short and sweet.

We’ve agreed to meet at a pub in Letterkenny, one of the largest towns in County Donegal, Ireland. He is passing through, on his way to meet a friend, he says.

The pub is quiet, except for the mellow sound of James Taylor singing “Something in the Way She Moves.” His eyes alone seem to be brightening the dimness of the bar.

I stir in my seat a bit while I watch him take a drink of his pint of beer. He settles in and smiles at me.

ARW: Hello, Gabriel. It’s nice to see you again.

Gabriel Roberts: (He points a finger at the ceiling) I love this song. (He grins)

ARW: You do?

Gabriel Roberts: One of my favorites.

ARW: One of mine too. They don’t make music like this anymore.

Gabriel Roberts: Agreed. Nice accent you have.

ARW: You too.

Gabriel Roberts: I love the accents from New Orleans. It’s one of my favorite places in the world. It feels like home to me.

He looks down at his beer for a moment, his thick eye lashes fanning his cheeks. He smiles an extremely crooked smile, and I’m not sure I’m going to be able to speak… I clear my throat.

ARW: I just wanted to thank you, Gabriel, for doing this interview today. I’m sure a lot of people will be interested in hearing your answers. As promised, this is going to be short and sweet. I thought I could ask you ten questions—to give your fans an insight into not just the movie star, but also the man behind the makeup. I’ve seen your interview with James Lipton from Inside the Actors Studio. Would it be all right if we go over your answers to the ten questions he asked you?

Gabriel Roberts: All right by me.

ARW: Gabriel, what is your favorite word?

Gabriel Roberts: Let’s get back to that one.

ARW: All right. What is your least favorite word?

Gabriel Roberts: Separation.

ARW: What turns you on?

Gabriel Roberts: Dreams and passion, and maybe a mighty fine beignet.

ARW: What turns you off?

Gabriel Roberts: Suppression.

ARW: What sound or noise do you love?

Gabriel Roberts: I love the sounds of sweet stillness, not silence, but stillness; a certain someone humming, laughter from children, music and Mirror.

ARW: What sound or noise do you hate?

Gabriel Roberts: I hate the sound of chaos; it rings in my ear like a constant, irritating buzz that refuses to go away.

ARW: What is your favorite curse word?

Gabriel Roberts: Shite, because it just about describes everything that stinks, doesn’t it? I mean, it’s so wrong, but somehow so right. That’s just shite, isn’t it? Oh no, you didn’t…. how shite! Shite, I ripped my pants.

ARW: What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

Gabriel Roberts: I’d love to try my hand at being an astronomer, studying stars and planets and galaxies; the thought appeals to me. Wouldn’t you like to dance on the stars? And I didn’t say “with,” I said “on.” Don’t get that confused in your article business.

ARW: What profession would you not like to do?

Gabriel Roberts: A therapist. The mind is much too complicated to have a go at.

ARW: If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

Gabriel Roberts: (He pauses, real thoughtful) ‘Well done, my boy, well done.’

(We both laugh for a minute. He’s childlike when he laughs.)

ARW: All right, no more avoiding it. What is your favorite word?

Gabriel Roberts: I got it now. Alchemy. Yes, alchemy is my favorite word. Just like with everything in life, perspective is a very personal thing. Two people can both be staring in the same direction, at the same thing, but in their eyes it’s two different places because their perspective of the scene is vastly different. And I believe it’s the same with words. When you hear alchemy, you may think of magic or fusion or what have you. When I think of it, I have always thought of a warm word in my mouth. And to me alchemy is the merging of the (he points to himself) natural with the (he points to the ceiling) supernatural. The merger of what we know to be true and what we must have faith to believe actually exists. Almost like a dream taking place in another time and place, but still knowing when you wake, in reality it’s still true.

ARW: Thank you, Gabriel. As always, your mind is fascinating.

He shrugs and takes another swig of beer before he takes my hand and we shake. He smiles one last time, takes his guitar, Mirror, from the seat beside him, and exits the building. And for an instant, I feel all the light has drained out with him.

Read Annie Rose Welch’s Guest Post from Gabriel’s Point of View HERE!

cd3f7-excerpt

I shook my head. “Tell me, Gabriel, what are your dreams about?”

“Nothing.  I never dream.”  He shrugged.

“Never?”

“I’ve never once in my life had a dream.  And I never look in a mirror – or I try my hardest not to anyway.”

“Why?”  How could you never dream?  Or look in a mirror?

He sighed.  “I believe the only things in this life that can truly show your reflection are the things you love the most in this world.  And I don’t love myself enough to want to look in the mirror.”  He laughed.  “But when I look at you I can see myself perfectly.  And even though I never dream, I do pray.  Do you want to know what I prayed for before I met you?”

I nodded.

“I prayed for an angel – to save me.  I asked for a little help from up above, and now you’re here.  You are cake and ice cream; sugar and spice, and everything nice.  And when you smile, you make me feel the way the world looks when the sun shines through a foggy day.”

All I could do was smile.

Reviews

 “This is a story that sings the particular otherworldly song that is the melange of New Orleans, with a character in Eva that is particularly well developed and easy to like. Gabriel is a breath of otherworldly fresh air, tangible in his emotional connection to Eva. New Orleans becomes a character to fall in love with as well: you will walk the streets with Eva and feel the city through her eyes, incorporating her memories.”

“That’s the other thing about Eva. She was real. All the characters were real. The weather was real. New Orleans was a character herself. The story was alive to me. It was as if I lived the story as I read. There was a very surprising twist that wasn’t expected and still has me reeling.”

“This book enchanted me from the quotes at the beginning. It is honestly a beautiful story. It pulls you in to a really quite magical place, yes, it’s incredibly soppy (for my tastes) but it’s undeniably beautiful.”

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Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 About the Author

annierose

Born and raised in New Orleans, Annie has a habit of shortening her words and telling long stories. She speaks with a southern flair and cooks with it too. At the tender age of twenty- one, she hitched up her wagons (took her first plane ride) and moved out west to the big shake (California). Her writing career began one sleepless night when she imagined a gorgeous woman and a man with maniacal hair floating above her like lightening bugs falling from the sky. Curious about them, their story, and why they were floating around in her head, she sat down and penned (typed) her first novel, Marigny Street. A dream come true for her, she hasn’t stopped writing since. She loves a damn good love story, always has, no matter what the genre. She is particularly moved by imperfect love that in its own unique way is perfect, the notion of love at first sight, soul mates, and things that are generally out of the norm.

When she’s not writing she enjoys dabbling in photography and finding new, inspirational music to add to her collection. She currently (still) resides in the big shake (although her southern roots are calling her home) with her husband, daughter, and their two peculiar dogs, Boudreaux and Tabasco (who, call her crazy, bark with an accent).

 

For lagniappe (a little extra), a virtual cup of café au lait and beignets, please visit Annie’s website:  www.annierosewelch.com

She can also be found on Facebook Page | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

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Marigny Street Goodreads Giveaway Link

Enter to win a signed copy!!

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Rafflecopter Giveaway

Main Prize: $40 Amazon Giftcard & Marigny Street/Red Dirt Road Ebooks

Two (2) Additional Winners Will Receive Ebooks  of Marigny Street & Red Dirt Road

 

 

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