News & Events!

You're invited to Venice!

At the very end of 2008, I worked with novelist Laurel Corona and high-tech wizard Owen Linderholm to create a webinar entitled "The Gift Of Vivaldi: Music and the Pieta." Readers and various Vivaldi experts participated from as far away as New Zealand!

Watch the program, which was broadcast live on December 16. Hear how two novelists used the same fascinating time and place to tell their own story of music, history, love, and longing. The program, which is chock-full of rare and gorgeous images of Venice, lasts a little over an hour, including the questions and answers at the end.

Watch the webinar now;

or download it http://webinarace.blip.tv/file/1622793/
(there's no charge), so that you can browse through it at your leisure.

FOUR SEASONS author Laurel Corona goes first; my presentation and reading from VIVALDI'S VIRGINS begins about 20 minutes into the program. This is apparently the first time that authors have used this brilliant new form of communicating interactively with their readers. Enjoy!

(click above to read interview)

World renowned cello prodigy Tessa Seymour played at the launch of the paperback reprint of VIVALDI'S VIRGINS at Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore in Berkeley on August 9, 2008.

Tessa Seymour, age 15, is a resident of Berkeley and a scholarship student of Jean-Michel Fonteneau in the Preparatory Division at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She is a member of the Luna Trio, who performed on From the Tops Radio Show in 2004. She has also performed at Carnegie Hall on From the Tops television series which aired on PBS in Spring 2007.

Tessa performed at the Beijing Conservatory of Music in China and has appeared as concerto soloist with the Stockton Chamber Orchestra, the Modesto Symphony, and the Prometheus Symphony Orchestra. Last year, she was a recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award.

Additionally, Tessa has received first prizes in the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) Competition, Felix Khuner Concerto Competition, Pacific Musical Society Competition, and the Stewart Brady Competition. She recently performed at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium for His Holiness, The Dalai Lama.

Along with being a member of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, Tessa recently won their 2007 Concerto Competition.

The standing-room-only reading and concert at Mrs. Dalloway's was at 4:00 on Saturday, August 9. See Tessa's website for her upcoming concert schedule.

Thanks to all the wonderful musicians!

Lina Montopoli, a brilliant 16-year-old violist from the Washington D.C. Youth Orchestra, played at Barbara's September 22nd reading at the Barnes & Noble in Bethesda, Maryland. Violinist Sam Mansfield, an undergraduate at UC Santa Cruz, played at Barbara's October 20th reading at the Capitola Book Cafe, joined by master art singer Tyler Burton and his virtuoso guitar accompanist Carl, both graduate students in the Music Program at UCSC.

Barbara is grateful to Lonna, owner of the beautiful Monarch Cove Inn of Capitola, who so kindly put her up in the B&B's Ocean View Room with a view of the garden and Monterey Bay!

Movie Option

Northern Edge, Barbara's Discover-Award-winning first novel, has been optioned for a film by producer Elizabeth Stanley and screenwriter Lisanne Sartor of Los Angeles.

The East Coast Fall 07 Tour

November 6: Getting off to a running start after her 6:30 am landing at the Newark Airport, Barbara gave a noontime lecture and reading for the Rotary Club in Westport, Connecticut.

November 7: A quick look at the gorgeous autumn leaves was followed by a reading and book signing at the Westport Public Library as part of the Authors at the Library series. That evening, Barbara taught a two-hour workshop on the historical novel for the Westport Writers' Workshop.

On November 8, Barbara was the featured guest at a Master's Tea at Yale, hosted by the Pierson Master, Professor Harvey Goldblatt.



Tueday November 13th was a busy day, highlighted by a live WNYC radio interview with host John Schaefer on "Soundcheck," followed by a reading and signing--accompanied by a wonderful performance of early Vivaldi compositions--at Patelson Music House, adjacent to Carnegie Hall.

Dinner afterwards was, appropriately enough, at the round table of the Algonquin Hotel.

Barbara snuck in an interview on WPKN radio with Richard Epstein ("Sometimes Classical") before heading home.

Other Recent Events for Vivaldi's Virgins

On September 23rd, the Gallery Bookshop in the village of Mendocino hosted "An Afternoon in Venezia"--which became the gold standard for all the readings with music that followed. Barbara's reading was accompanied by the Mendocino String Trio playing Vivaldi, along with a delicious demonstration by Executive Chef Alan Kantor of MacCallum House Restaurant, showing how to make fresh mozzarella cheese.

Vivaldi's Virgins reached #6 on the bookshop's hardcover fiction list.

Barbara signed copies of Vivaldi's Virgins at five concerts by the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra featuring (what else?) music by Vivaldi. On Friday, October 12, Barbara signed books and gave the pre-concert lecture at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco.

Sunday, October 14, BookSmart Bookstore in Morgan Hill All 27 copies of the novel the bookstore ordered for the reading sold out!

Thursday, November 1, Reading, signing and musical program, featuring the wonderful Gold Coast Players, at the Lafayette Bookstore in Lafayette, California.

Saturday, November 3: Barbara was a featured speaker at the Alameda Literati Book Fair 2007.

Wednesday, January 30, Barbara will be reading as part of the Winter Writers Series at UC Santa Cruz. This event is open to the public.

The novel was included by Barnes and Noble on its Summer List ("Savor a diversity of bold ideas and fresh literary styles with these groundbreaking novels by some of contemporary publishing's brightest lights, including Khaled Hosseini, Michael Chabon, Ian McEwan, and many others.")



Elaine Petrocelli, owner of Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA, named Vivaldi's Virgins as one of "Elaine's Picks" for July



Vivaldi's Virgins was named a Notable Book for August by BookSense, the national organization of independent booksellers



Merrimon Books featured Vivaldi's Virgins as their top pick for summer and their top historical novel for 2007
 

July 9 interview with Andrea Lewis on KPFA-FM radio in Berkeley (fast-forward to about the halfway point on the line)



July 21 interview with Sedge Thomson on West Coast Live in Berkeley (link to come)



July 25 interview with Diego Mulligan on KSFR-FM radio in Santa Fe [link forthcoming]



August 5, Sunday morning interview on KRON-TV, San Francisco [link forthcoming]



Download a free podcast of music to listen to while you're reading the novel by clicking on "Music of Vivaldi's Virgins" on the home page!