Since I was a little girl, I’ve always dreamt of writing love stories. That was my only possible destiny. But never would I have dared imagine that I would spend so much of my time so close to the place where the most famous love story of all time unfolded. Every morning, at dawn, I walk by the gate and look at the bronze statue of Juliet, then gaze at her balcony, thinking that love really has no limits.

The atmosphere in Verona during San Valentino is absolutely unique. Verona is among the most visited European cities during the days of the “Verona in Love” festival, when it truly breathes happiness. It’s amazing to see all the people in love, smiling, it’s something that stays with you for a lifetime.

I’d tell them what I’ve told myself throughout my whole life. Love can bring you many shadows, and lead you to very dark places, but you have to keep on shining. This is why I enjoy dressing in bright clothes so I can shine!

I don’t really worry that much about what my readers think of my novels. Of course, it’s very gratifying when they write to me to say that they spent the whole night reading my novel, unable to put it down. However, I feel my destiny is not to sit around waiting for people to judge my writing, but to keep building something greater instead.

This will actually become a reality on Valentine’s Day in Italy since the “Verona in Love” Festival will be gifting novels by Sarah Mathilde Callaway to some of its thousands of international visitors. The English version of The Tulip Garden will be released in paperback on that day, so it will be the perfect gift: like a delicate flower, but passionate, thoughtful and bright, like the book’s cover. The day the English translator received my novel, she also got a bouquet of tulips as a present from a friend. Her friend knew nothing about my book so my translator saw this as destiny.

Arriving on Blu-ray™ & DVD Featuring Digital Download Copy tomorrow from HBO Home Entertainment is Vice Principals: The Complete First Season.

Created by Danny R. McBride and Jody Hill (creators of HBO®’s Eastbound & Down®, along with Ben Best), this acclaimed new HBO comedy series tells the story of North Jackson High School and the two people who almost run it, the vice principals. McBride and Walton Goggins star as the school administrators, who are in an epic power struggle to become school principal. Heralded by Rolling Stone as “the summer’s best new comedy."

Exclusive Bonus Features on the DVD includes:





Giveaway Details:

Sparrow Records; 75 minutes; Buy Links: iTunes; Spotify;

Now available to purchase today on CD, streaming, and MP3 from Sparrow Records (CMG Label Group) is the 4th album from the contemporary Christian singer Kari Jobe, titled "THE GARDEN."

Kari has sold over 1 million albums and has over  173 million career streams. Additionally, she is the most-followed female CCM artist on social media with over 3.5 million followers. Her previous album in 2014, the critically-acclaimed live recording Majestic, won a GMA Dove Award for Praise and Worship Album of the Year.

The 14 inspirational songs on "THE GARDEN" were written over a transitional period. During this time Kari married Cody Carnes and moved from her hometown of Dallas, Texas to Nashville. She gave birth to their first child, Canyon Carnes, last February. Kari's sister, Kris, was also pregnant at the time, but sadly gave birth to a stillborn daughter, James Ivy.

Through pain and heartache, Kari managed to write new songs for "The Garden," which happens to be first track for the album.

The songs on the album are:

Movies That Struck Oil by Fuel Fighter

Rated G; 88 minutes; Walmart

Now available on Blu-ray combo pack from Walt Disney Home Entertainment is the Pinocchio: Walt Disney Signature Collection, featuring the original animated classic, brand-new version of Oswald short "Poor Papa," and 3 new bonus features.

Based on the children novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, Disney's Pinocchio was first released to theaters in 1940; marking the second full-length animated film to be produced by Walt Disney. Supervised by directors Ben Sharpsteen and
Hamilton Lusk, the film features the talented voice-cast of Cliff Edwards, Dickie Jones, Christian Rub, Mel Blanc, Walter Catlett, Charles Judels, Evelyn Venable, and Frankie Darro.

Pinocchio tells the the story of  a woodworker named Geppetto, who had just finished creating a wooden marionette named Pinocchio. That night before falling asleep, he wishes upon a shooting star that Pinocchio would become a real boy.

During the night, a blue fairy visit's Geppetto's shop and grants the wish true by bringing Pinocchio to life; though the he would remain a puppet until he prove himself truthful and unselfish. To help guide him, the blue fairy assigns Jiminy Cricket to be his conscience.

Excited to find that his wish granted, Geppetto sends Pinocchio off to school the very next morning. However, Pinocchio never makes it to school, as he is lead astray by Honest John the Fox and his companion, Gideon the Cat.

With Jiminy Cricket by his side, Pinocchio embarks on a fantastic adventure that will test his heart and soul.

Blu-ray Bonus Extras includes:

• Walt’s Story Meetings: Pleasure Island – The Pleasure Island scene in “Pinocchio” had much more development than what is seen in the film. Join Pixar’s Pete Docter and Disney historian and author J.B. Kaufman as they explore artwork recently discovered in Disney’s animation research library revealing some of the attractions, gags and games, which Disney animators created for this iconic location of the film, that never made it on screen.

Amazon

While I love writing, my primary reason for being an author will always be to create stories and worlds that I want to read. Reading is my passion. Getting outside of reality and adventuring in a world inside a book is the purest form of escape I’ve found. I could live in books. I’ve wanted to live in books—especially when I stumble into a setting that is magical on its own.

The lodge in all three of the Servants of Fate books is like that. It’s a mountain lodge with all sorts of winter and holiday festivities. It’s cozy and yet has an energy of its own. The characters can retreat to their room for a quiet night or get involved in the events the lodge provides. There’s a restaurant onsite, but also they provide amazing room service. No way in a million years could I afford to stay in this place, but it’s not posh and fancy. It’s also not outside the realm of possibility.

In order to create everything from the menu to the events, I surfed the internet looking for similar places. Admittedly, the end result is an amalgamation of many places, but it’s not unheard of for similar locations to exist. And I want to go there. Possibly more than I’ve wanted to visit any of the places I’ve invented. It’s a blend of magic and reality, and it’s why there’s three books—I kept wanting to return.

This isn’t the first time I’ve made up places—though admittedly usually I peg down a state and often a city. My lycan/werewolf series takes place in the Glacier Peak area in Washington. The city itself is made up, but the location isn’t. (Taming the Pack series) In a recently released anthology, I have a romance horror novella that takes place in a completely made-up area—but I can’t say I’d want to visit, especially Parson Point and the spooky woods where a woman in white ghost lurks. (She Wore White, Legendary Anthology)

I read and enjoy books set in both locations I’d love to visit and locations that would be impossible to visit. I’d love to visit Hogwarts. *sighs* I’d also love to visit Regency England. *double sigh* Admittedly, on the second, I’d like to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there. I have a strong passionate need for modern conveniences—especially plumbing. I love plumbing. On the other hand, I snatch up books about New Orleans in my hot, greedy hands. If it takes place in New Orleans, a book gets a one star bump in rating automatically. I’m not familiar enough with the city to set a whole book there myself, but I will happily visit it again and again in other authors’ books—and in real life.

Luckily, I had the opportunity to live a lot of different places when I was younger as my family was in the military so I have a lot of experience in various cities to draw from when creating my own settings. Then, there is the blessing that is our technological ability to study the crap out of other places via Google. I’ve used Google Earth to “walk” down streets I might want to borrow many times.