Teatime and Books: Audiobook Blog Tour ~ Rock Solid - Written by Lisa A. Olech & Narrated by Anthony Lee

Author: Lisa A. Olech

Narrator: Anthony Lee

Length: 7 hours and 25 minutes

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Released: June 22, 2020

Genre: Romance

Maximo Vega is a “rock” star! The media proclaimed him "The Sculptor for the New Generation", but he’s a reclusive artist ensnared by fame. Driven and intense, his isolation only adds to his mystique. Couple that with his smoldering good looks and rich Italian accent…fans sigh his name. Emily Baskins is a gifted graduate student at the Stoddard School of Art. To land an internship at the Vega Studio is her golden ticket. All she has to do is follow the rules. And stay out of trouble. Two things Emily has never been able to do. As Max becomes trapped in the glare of the limelight, he discovers his greatest muse. He teaches Emily to breathe passion into clay and give marble a soul. But is their fiery relationship as rock solid as they believe? Or will a lie shatter the illusion?

Lisa A. Olech is a multi-published, award-winning romance author. She achieved the ranks of Amazon Best Seller with her debut book in 2014, and her novel WITHIN A CAPTAIN’S SOUL was a 2018 RWA Rita Nominee. Lisa and her family returned to the lakes region of New England more than a dozen years ago. As an author, artist, Justice of the Peace, and aspiring beekeeper, Lisa finds true inspiration in the beauty of the nature that surrounds her and the love she can share through her work.

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Anthony Lee has been told that his voice is deep, resonant, smooth, and clear. Yet, it would be years before he would finally embrace that gift and start using it artistically. A native of California, Anthony grew up with an equal fascination for knowledge and leisure. He would enjoy studying various subjects in school as well as doing fun things in his spare time. His motivation for success and happiness helped him achieve a solid education, a successful job, and a new life to live as his reward for years of hard work. His decision to try voice acting came after receiving plenty of compliments about his vocal quality over a short amount of time. Whether those words came from friends or strangers, he could no longer deny the possibility that there may be something special about his voice. Hence, from October 2015 to June 2016, Anthony enrolled in night and weekend classes at Elaine Clark's Voice One academy in San Francisco, where he trained in the art of voiceover for narrations, commercials, and characters. He thoroughly enjoyed honing his voice for things like audiobooks, technical materials, corporate narrations, e-learning modules, documentaries, commercials, promos, animations, video games, and talking products. Overall, he considers his journey into voiceover to be very rewarding, not just for what he learned but also for the great instructors and classmates he met along the way. Now with professional voice training, Anthony is stepping out into the world to lend his voice. He loves to take virtually any kind of script and work to deliver the message in a suitable way. His enthusiasm for voiceover makes him strive to be a versatile actor in the craft. Every time he is given an opportunity to provide a voice, he hopes to leave a lasting positive impact. When he is not doing voice work, Anthony enjoys playing chess, ice hockey, pool, Sudoku, and video games, as well as watching movies, reading about random topics on the Internet, and traveling. He lives in Northern California.

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I LOVE A MAN WHO COOKS!

By Lisa A. Olech

I’ll be honest, I hate to cook. I’d rather write wonderfully steamy romantic stories than make a gourmet meal. Who am I kidding? I’d rather do almost anything than make a gourmet meal…or any meal for that matter. But, because my family likes to eat occasionally; aka, daily, I oblige. I’m not that good at it, but I haven’t poisoned anyone yet. That’s something. Can I help it if, when I’m stirring at the stove, I fantasize about some handsome man in an apron appearing in my kitchen, handing me a glass of wine and letting me watch him sauté something wonderful? Is there anything better than someone surprising you with a home-cooked, candlelight dinner? Talk about romantic! To keep myself entertained while trying not to burn things, I love to listen to audio books. So I was thrilled when my publisher decided to put my contemporary Stoddard School of Art series out for auditions. My newest release is the audio edition of Rock Solid about a reclusive sculpting super star, Maximo Vega and the newest intern to his studio, Emily Baskins. Maximo Vega is rumored to be a direct descendant of the great artist, Michelangelo, and has the most luscious accent. To bring that accent to life, I was privileged to find a wonderful narrator in Mr. Anthony Lee. His performance will delight you and seduce you. One of the best parts of the new audio version of Rock Solid is hearing one of my favorite scenes come off the page. I’m talking about the scene where my hero, the gorgeous Maximo, makes dinner for Emily. He cooks his Nonna Vega’s recipes. Wonderful Italian dishes from his childhood. Classic Caprese salad, Cacio e pepe (Pasta with pepper), Involtine de pollo (Stuffed chicken with prosciutto and parmesan), and a light classic Italian dessert Aranci in Salsa di Marsala (Oranges in Marsala and honey). My narrator, Anthony Lee’s perfect Italian pronunciation makes Maximo’s dinner sound all the more delicious. So I thought I’d share one of Nonna’s recipes. I do love recipes with five ingredients or less! It would be the perfect dessert to impress your guests. Or, you could eat it like Maximo and Emily…in bed, with your fingers! Aranci in Salsa di Marsala Ingredients

6 ripe, juicy oranges, peeled with all pith removed**
1 cup of Marsala wine
3 Tbs honey
6 Amaretti cookies crushed
mint sprigs

Directions **For a special look, open the oranges up from the top, but leave them joined at the bottom so that they look like big flowers.

Heat the Marsala wine in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add the honey, blend well and bring to a boil.
Pour the sauce over the oranges and sprinkle with crushed Amaretti cookies.
Garnish with fresh mint leaves

Yummy! And the best part, while you’re busy peeling and de-pithing the oranges, you can be listening to Anthony Lee’s sexy Italian accent while he reads the second book in my Stoddard School of Art Series, ROCK SOLID! Available now through Audible. You really need to hear this one!

ROCK SOLID’s Trixie Baskins by Lisa A. Olech

“This is man on the street reporter, Steve Ambrose, Channel 8 and we’re here in the quiet town of Stoddard, New Hampshire to find out what kind of people make Stoddard the place to be.” “Excuse, me, ma’am. Steve Ambrose, Channel 8, may I ask your name?” “Um…who are you?” “Steve Ambrose, Channel 8?” “Oh, I’m Trixie Baskins, like the ice cream people without the Robbins.” “And you live here in Stoddard, New Hampshire?” “Yes, I do. All my life.” “And what do you do here in Stoddard?” “I own and operate the beauty salon, Trixie’s Pixies, over on Main. We’re open daily 9-6. Thursdays 9-9. Right now we’re running a special on waxing. 10% off for 100% off!” “Cute… Married? Children?” “Widowed. I have a daughter. Her name is Emily. She’s a graduate student at the Stoddard School of Art. She’s very talented and is interning with the great Maximo Vega at Vega Studios.” “Ah, yes, we’ve heard great things coming from Vega Studios. Maximo Vega is a bit elusive, however. ” “I love Vega! So he’s a little reclusive. He’s a focused artist, is all. Did you know he’s a direct descendant of Michelangelo? He’s the Sculptor for the Next Generation. Maximo Vega is a rock star!” “Ha, rock star…I get it, sculptor, rock…you’re very funny. My next question, are you more of a hunter or a gatherer?” “Definitely a gatherer.” “Okay. You’re given an elephant, and you can’t give it away or sell it. What do you do with it?” “I don’t know…maybe dress it like a rooster? I love roosters. I have quite the collection. You should see my kitchen. Emily thinks my collection is over the top, but I love it. Even my phone crows! Now if you could give me a rooster instead of an elephant. Wait, you didn’t say I couldn’t trade it, now did you?” “I guess you could trade. Now, If you were a cookie, what kind of a cookie would you be?” “These questions are ridiculous… Let me think. If I were a cookie…if I were a cookie…. I guess I’d be an oatmeal cookie. Down to earth, warm, homey…No Raisins, but oh, put in some of those little red cinnamon candies, you know, the red ones. Give those cookies a little hot kick and maybe some color?” “A little hot kick, got it. Now, Trixie, what is your biggest vice?” “I’m addicted to the Home Shopping Channel, but I don’t have a lot of money, so how much of a vice can it truly be, right? They have some great deals, though. Free shipping.“ “What was the last gift you gave someone?” “I did just buy a wedding gift for the boy my Emily should have married, Jeremy. She keeps insisting they are just friends, but think she’s hiding something. She’s been looking moony eyed lately. I think she still has feelings for him. I gave him a salad spinner.” “What is the oldest thing in your refrigerator right this minute?” “I don’t know… I guess it would be that package of tofu in the back.” “And finally, Ms. Baskins, what is your opinion on garden gnomes? And should they be allowed in Stoddard?” “I have three!”