THE BEST & THE WORST OF TIFFANY PARKS

Hello, lovely writers and readers! I've just returned from my fabulous holiday on Fraser Island (what a beautiful place!) and ready to bring you the next in my THE BEST AND THE WORST author interview series. 

So, on this tremendous Tuesday, please meet an author whose book is out TODAY!  

TIFFANY PARKS

​Tiffany Parks grew up in the glorious Pacific Northwest, but it didn’t take long before she heeded the call to roam. She studied opera in Boston and Montréal and eventually fulfilled her lifelong dream of moving to Rome, where she fell head over heels with the art of Caravaggio and Bernini. When she’s not writing children’s fiction, penning a travel article, or taping an episode for her podcast The Bittersweet Life, she can usually be found exploring Rome’s monuments and museums with her Roman husband and son.

Website: www.tiffany-parks.com
Twitter
Facebook 
Instagram: Tiffanyparksrome

“It’s a charming love letter to Rome with an exciting mystery at its core.”
—Publishers Weekly
 
“Just like gelato: dense, tasty fun that you can eat with a spoon.”
—Kirkus Reviews
 
“A cross between E. L. Konigsburg’s From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.”
—Booklist
 
“[A] compelling girl-power mystery…Armchair travel detectives and fans of Balliett’s Chasing Vermeer and its sequels will delight in this.”
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (BCCB)
 
 
Mysteries abound in this exciting race through Rome!
 
Beatrice Archer may love history, and Rome may be chock-full of it, but that doesn’t mean she wants to move there!

Too bad Beatrice’s father got a job as the head of the history department at the American Academy in Rome—now, Beatrice has no choice but to get used to the idea.
              
When she arrives in Rome she explores her new city as much as she can, but it isn’t until she hears talk of a strange neighborhood legend that Beatrice perks up. A centuries-old unsolved mystery about the beautiful turtle fountain outside her window? Sounds like fun!
              
Before Beatrice has a chance to explore, though, she sees a dark figure emerge from the shadows of the square in the middle of the night—and steal the famous turtle sculptures that give the fountain its name.
              
​When no one believes her story, Beatrice knows that it’s up to her to solve the crime and restore the turtles to their rightful place. With the help of her new friend Marco, she navigates a world of unscrupulous ambassadors, tricky tutors, and international art thieves to unravel one of Roman history’s greatest dramas—before another priceless work of art is stolen.

​TITLE: MIDNIGHT IN THE PIAZZA
AUTHOR: Tiffany Parks
PUB DATE: March 6, 2018
ISBN: 9780062644527
PUBLISHER: HarperCollins
IMPRINT: Harper
PRICE: $16.99
FORMAT: Hardcover
AGE GROUP: 8–12
PAGE COUNT: 304

AMAZON

Tiffany's BEST AND WORST

     1. Best Book - That is an impossible question!! But I would have to say that truly the “best” book I have ever read is Possession by A.S. Byatt. But that doesn't mean it’s my favorite!               2. Best Band - Queen. There’s simply no competition. 
    3. Best Song / Worst Song – Best: Another impossible question! But if had I had to pick I guess it’s “Mi Chiamano Mimì” from La Bohème, Worst: “Anything” by Kenny G 
   4. Best Holiday / Worst Holiday – Best: Christmas, Worst: Thanksgiving. I actually adore Thanksgiving. But celebrating (or rather not celebrating) it in Italy where it doesn’t exist and is just a regular Thursday, it’s truly depressing.
    5. Best Animal / Worst Animal – Best: Baby seal (the white, furry kind with the huge black eyes), Worst: Big hairy spiders 
      6. Best Item of Clothing - Hermès scarf 
    7. Best Food / Worst Food – Best: Anything my Italian mother-in-law makes, Worst: I’ve never eaten but I’d have to say pajata, a traditional Roman dish made with the intestines of milk-fed calves—with semi-digested milk still inside! 
      8. Best Drink / Worst Drink – Best: Black Tea with milk, Worst: Fizzy soft drink.
     9. Best Alcoholic Drink / Worst Alcoholic Drink - Best: Champagne, Worst: Anything with gin
     10. Best Friends - Katy Sewall and Suzanne Morrison
    11. Best Writing Moment - Completing NaNoWriMo 2017 literally 5 minutes to midnight on November 30th.
  12. Best Childhood Memory / Worst Childhood Memory – Best: The first time I ever performed in a play. It was Bye Bye Birdie at the Village Theater in Issaquah, WA. I was 8 and in the chorus. It was one of the happiest times of my life, and even today, the smell of sawdust transports me back to rehearsing while the set was being built, Worst: When I was two, I wanted pointe shoes for my birthday. Not pretend pointe shoes, but real ones. When I got a stuffed Grover instead, I was so upset I donated it to charity.
     13. Best Word - Synchronicity  
     14. Best Shop - Any bookshop with a big cozy armchair where you can curl up and read.
     15. Best Sport - Curling. Just kidding. Baseball.
     16. Best Job - Author
     17. Best Saying - Dum Spiro Spero (While I breathe, I hope)
   18. Best Teacher / Worst Teacher – Best, Edie Delegans, my first voice teacher, and the person who made me fall in love with opera. Runner up: Mr. Ulstein, my high school English teacher, Worst: Mrs. Fridell, my high school French teacher. I don’t think she even spoke French!
     19. Best Time of Day / Worst Time of Day – Best: Dawn, Worst: Middle of the night when I should be sleeping
      20. Best Room - Library…obviously!
      21. Best Day Ever / Worst Day Ever – Best: May 29th, 2011. The day I got married. (I should say the day my son was born, but that day was waaaaaaay too painful to be the best.), Worst: October 15th, 2017. The day my dad died.
      22. Best Smell / Worst Smell – Best: Gardenias, Worst: Cigarette smoke
     23. Best TV Show / Worst TV Show – Best: Moonlighting. Runner up: Sherlock, Worst: If a show is bad I don’t watch it, so I have no idea!
      24. Best Gadget - Wireless speakers that let me play music anywhere in the house.
    25. Best Sound / Worst Sound – Best: Kiri Te Kanawa singing Puccini, Worst: The hum of florescent lights
      26. Best Restaurant - Taverna Trilussa in Rome
     27. Best Movie / Worst Movie – Best: A Room With a View, Worst: Anything with gratuitous violence.
    28. Best Time of Year / Worst Time of Year – Best: September, a time of new beginnings! Worst:  The dead of summer when it’s too hot to go outside
     29. Best School Subject / Worst School Subject – Best: Creative writing, Worst: Chemistry
     30. Best Body Part / Worst Body Part – Best: Collar bones, Worst: Elbows
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Fantastic! I'll see you in the library with a glass of champagne,Tiffany!