Carmela A. Martino

 

I'm in the process of revising this website and have decided to move the links to my TV, radio, and podcast interviews here. Unfortunately, direct links to some of the interviews are no longer available.

 

Podcast and radio interviews:  

 

• I was interviewed by Dr. Cynthia Toolin-Wilson for her Author to Author program on WCAT radio in March 2024 about how I came to write Playing by Heart. You can hear our conversation here.
• In February 2024, I spoke with TK, host of the For the Love of History Podcast, about the real sisters who inspired my novel, Playing by Heart. You can listen to the interview here.
• I enjoyed a wide-ranging podcast discussion with Jayne de Sales on the July 26, 2022 episode of Tales with de Sales. Our topics included Jane Austen, the harpsichord, computer coding, care of the poor, and my novel Playing by Heart.
• I was interviewed by Antony Kolenc for The Shepherd's Pie podcast on Oct. 10, 2021. The topic was "Culture and Youth," and we discussed ways to help young people appreciate their own heritage and respect the culture of others.  
• I was interviewed for the Catholic Chicago radio program for a second time, on July 26, 2018, this time by Graziano Marcheschi. We discussed both Rosa, Sola and Playing by Heart. The direct link to the recoding is no longer available.
• Fellow author Amy Cattapan and I were interviewed for the Catholic Chicago radio program hosted by Fr. Greg Sakowicz, Rector of Holy Name Cathedral and Wayne Magdziarz, Senior Vice President at Loyola University Chicago on March 27, 2017. We discussed our books and the CatholicTeenBooks website for the first 30 minutes of the one-hour program. The direct link to the recoding is no longer available. 

TV interviews: 

• Author A.J. Cattapan interviewed me about my YA historical, Playing by Heart, for the Book.Ed program on Shalom World TV. The program includes a teen fan of Playing by Heart sharing her thoughts on the novel. You can watch the Book.Ed episode here.   
• EWTN Bookmark host Doug Keck interviewed me at the 2019 Catholic Marketing Nework convention after Playing by Heart won the 2018 Catholic Arts and Letters Award (CALA) for Children's/Young Adult fiction. You can watch the Bookmark interview here.

 

If you watch or listen to any of these interviews, do let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

 

     Monday, Sept. 30, 2020 will mark the third anniversary of the original release of Playing by Heart! To celebrate, I'm giving away an autographed copy of that original edition. In Spring 2018, Vinspire Publishing, released a new edition with an updated back cover that includes images of some of the awards the novel has received. But the copy I'll be giving away has the original back cover. See below for instructions on entering the giveaway. Note: the giveaway begins Sept. 9 and ends Sept. 30, 2020.

 

    In case you're not familiar with Playing by Heart, here's a brief summary:

 

Emilia Salvini dreams of marrying a man who loves music as she does. But in 18th-century Milan, being the 'second sister' means she'll likely be sent to a convent instead. Emilia's only hope is to prove her musical talents crucial to her father's quest for nobility. First, though, she must win over her music tutor, who disdains her simply for being a girl. Too late, Emilia realizes that her success could threaten not only her dreams for her future but her sister's very life.

 

     Playing by Heart was inspired by two amazing 18th-century sisters who were far ahead of their time: composer Maria Teresa Agnesi and mathematician Maria Gaetana Agnesi. You can read more about the real sisters on this website I created.

 

     Playing by Heart has received numerous awards, including the Catholic Arts and Letters Award, the Independent Author Network Book of the Year Award for Outstanding Young Adult Fiction, and a Moonbeam Children's Book Awards Gold Medal for Young Adult Historical. The novel has also garnered over 55 reviews on Amazon, with an overall rating of 4.9 out 5 stars!  To read more about the novel, including review excerpts, see this page. 

 

Giveaway Instructions:

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter 1, 2, or all 3 ways:

1. You MUST subscribe to my Creativity Newsletter to enter. (This option gives you 2 entries!)
   
   New subscribers: go to this page and subscribe to the newsletter BEFORE you enter your email address in the first option of the widget below. Then watch for an email to confirm your subscription. After you click the link in that email, you'll have the opportunity to download a free thank you gift. 
   
   Current subscribers: simply enter your subscription email address in the first option of the widget below.
   
   
2. Share a link to this blog post on your own blog or Facebook page and provide the URL of your post in the Rafflecopter widget below.
   
   
3. Tweet about the giveaway using #PlayingbyHeart and tag @carmelamartino (my Twitter handle). Please provide the URL of your tweet in the Rafflecopter widget below.

If you have any problems entering, email me via the Contact page. Contest is open Sept. 9 through Sept. 30, 2020. Winners will be notified via email.

 

Open to U.S. residents 18 years of age and over. Good luck!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

     Monday, Sept. 30, 2019 marks the two-year anniversary of the official release of Playing by Heart! And the publisher, Vinspire Publishing, recently revised the back cover to include images of some of the awards the novel has received. So, to celebrate, I'm giving away not only one but TWO autographed copies of the updated paperback edition. See below for instructions on entering the giveaway. 

 

    In case you're not familiar with the novel, Playing by Heart is the story of two teens struggling to follow their true calling, even when it conflicts with their father's selfish goals. The novel was inspired by two amazing 18th-century sisters who were far ahead of their time--one a composer and the other a mathematician.

 

     Playing by Heart has received numerous awards, including the Catholic Arts and Letters Award, the Independent Author Network Book of the Year Award for Outstanding Young Adult Fiction, and a Moonbeam Children's Book Awards Gold Medal for Young Adult Historical. To read more about the novel, including review excerpts, see this page. 

 

Giveaway Instructions:

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter 1, 2, or all 3 ways:

1. You MUST subscribe to my Creativity Newsletter to enter. (This option gives you 2 entries!)
   
   New subscribers: go to this page and subscribe to the newsletter BEFORE you enter your email address in the first option of the widget below. Then watch for an email to confirm your subscription. After you click the link in that email, you'll have the opportunity to download a free thank you gift. 
   
   Current subscribers: simply enter your subscription email address in the first option of the widget below.
   
   
2. Share a link to this blog post on your own blog or Facebook page and provide the URL of your post in the Rafflecopter widget below.
   
   
3. Tweet about the giveaway using #PlayingbyHeart and tag @carmelamartino (my Twitter handle). Please provide the URL of your tweet in the Rafflecopter widget below.

If you have any problems entering, email me via the Contact page. Contest runs through Oct. 11, 2019. Winners will be notified via email.

 

Open to U.S. residents 18 years of age and over. Good luck!

P.S. If you've never entered a Rafflecopter giveaway, here's info on how to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway and here's a post on the difference between signing in with Facebook vs. with an email address.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

     The ebook edition of Playing by Heart is on sale for only
99 cents this Christmas season! I've provided links below to the various sites where you can purchase it. The sale is planned for Dec. 20, 2018-Jan. 6, 2019, but make sure the sale price is in effect when you place your order.

 

Buy the ebook on:

• Amazon (Kindle) 
• Barnes and Noble (Nook)
• Kobo
• Smashwords

The book is also available on Google Play but the price there hasn't been updated yet. Hopefully, it will be soon.

• Google Play

     Wishing you a blessed and happy holiday season!