"I originally wrote The Prisoner of Paradise as a script years ago. It was optioned by a production company founded by DreamWorks execs but never made into a film. After the rights reverted back to me, I decided to adapt it into a book. That alone was a remarkable journey, as the story--through the characters and their actions--organically grew into so much more than I had ever anticipated. Those characters refused to retire. Short of being a mass murderer and killing them, I listened to them instead. Now The Prisoner of Paradise is the first of a series." Rob Samborn
Published: November 30th, 2021
The world's largest oil painting. A 400-year-old murder. A disembodied whisper: "Amore mio." My love.
Nick and Julia O'Connor's dream trip to Venice collapses when a haunting voice reaches out to Nick from Tintoretto's Paradise, a monumental depiction of Heaven. Convinced his delusions are the result of a concussion, Julia insists her husband see a doctor, though Nick is adamant the voice was real.
Blacking out in the museum, Nick flashes back to a life as a 16th century Venetian peasant swordsman. He recalls precisely who the voice belongs to: Isabella Scalfini, a married aristocrat he was tasked to seduce but with whom he instead found true love. A love stolen from them hundreds of years prior.
She implores Nick to liberate her from a powerful order of religious vigilantes who judge and sentence souls to the canvas for eternity. Releasing Isabella also means unleashing thousands of other imprisoned souls, all of which the order claims are evil.
As infatuation with a possible hallucination clouds his commitment to a present-day wife, Nick's past self takes over. Wracked with guilt, he can no longer allow Isabella to remain tormented, despite the consequences. He must right an age-old wrong - destroy the painting and free his soul mate. But the order will eradicate anyone who threatens their ethereal prison and their control over Venice.
GUEST POST
The special beauty of multi-genre work.
Readers may not be aware of this, but it’s
particularly difficult to publish cross-genre books. Many cross-genre writers
have experienced rejection from agents and publishers alike, with an
all-too-familiar refrain, “It’s too cross-genre. Publishers don’t know how to
market it. Booksellers don’t know how to sell it.”
But meanwhile, nearly all the content I consume, whether it’s a book, movie or
TV show is cross-genre. In fact, I’d argue that the best of all works are
cross-genre. They break molds, they’re far more nuanced, and they appeal to a
wider variety of people.
My agents and my publisher took a risk with my debut novel, THE PRISONER OF
PARADISE. It’s about a man on the brink of insanity who traverses present-day
and Renaissance Venice to save his true soul mate from a most unusual
purgatory. It touches on multiple themes and can easily fit in different
genres.
In fact, it was a bit of a challenge to determine the best genres but
ultimately we decided on a thriller blended with historical fiction and magical
realism.
Despite this genre-bending, my publisher, TouchPoint Press gave me a three-book
deal, and Tantor Media bought the rights for all three books for an audiobook
deal.
Will my book eventually be a signpost, laughing at all those agents and
publishers who rejected the manuscript because it couldn’t fit into a box? Time
will tell, but so far things are looking good. The Prisoner of Paradise has
garnered rave reviews and was a finalist in the American Writing Awards.
I believe it’s doing well because it resonates with so many different people.
Readers and audiences crave variety and range. Would Game of Thrones been a hit
without the political intrigue and love stories? Would Outlander have a rabid
fanbase if it were just a regular historical romance, without the fantasy
aspect?
About the author:
In addition to being a novelist, Rob Samborn is a screenwriter, entrepreneur and avid traveler. He’s been to forty countries, lived in five of them (including Italy) and studied nine languages. As a restless spirit who can’t remember the last time he was bored, Rob is on a quest to explore the intricacies of our world and try his hand at a multitude of crafts; he’s also an accomplished artist and musician, as well as a budding furniture maker. A native New Yorker who lived in Los Angeles for twenty years, he now makes his home in Denver with his wife, daughter and dog.
Author's Giveaway
Great guest post! To me a multi-genre or cross-genre book has the best of everything! It makes a book a lot more interesting!
ReplyDeleteI am VERY excited to be reading this book - Thriller, Historical fiction, and Magical Realism!!!!! Three of my favorites!
Thanks for hosting and posting, Mythical Books!
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