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| Jeff at the Temple of Athena in Delphi, Greece |
Jeff is holding a copy of my second novel Casino Queen set in the High Desert and Palms Springs. It is about my years working in a Native American casino in California. I know that whenever I want to read a book the first thing I do is look at the reviews. Not the critics reviews I rely on reader reviews. Most readers review books where they buy them, but some go to BookBub or Goodreads among many online sites to answer the question, what does the average reader, someone like me, think of the book? And even if they don't want to write a review, they can always rate the book. You know where you check a box 1 through 5 depending on how much you liked the book.
I have a few things to say to my reader reviewers, thank you, thank you, thank you. Recently my book was featured at Women Writers Women's Books and the first thing that a potential reader will see if they click on my link will be my reviewer rating, the thumbs up that an author really needs. It is nice to know that people who read Casino Queen really enjoyed it. Everyone knows that writing is a solitary pastime. There are so many hurdles to being a writer that sometimes you wonder why you do it. It's because you have a story to share. I feel like I have the best readers in the world!
My path to writing was years in the making. I was dealing cards in a Lake Tahoe casino. The casino owner was a plumbing contractor from Fresno. The head of security was an ex-Mossad officer and every few weeks we would be strapped down and given lie detector tests. They allowed porn movies be filmed in the casino and there were rumors that he rigged the slot machines. I’m not sure if that was true but he did manage to get his casino closed down by the Nevada gaming commission, no small feat. One day a sports agent with Hollywood connections played on my game and encouraged me to write down all my great casino stories. That was the day I became a writer. Well my script got as far as HBO where it was promptly rejected but that didn’t matter, I was a writer.
A year later I went back to the real world and became a systems analyst by day, writer by night. I lived in Boston, the home of perpetual students and so I was able to take writing classes and join critique groups and improve. After a few years I began working on an MFA in writing at Emerson because they were connected to Hollywood. Well, just before I was scheduled to intern in Los Angeles as a script reader I got the opportunity to join Princess Cruises as a croupier. My choice was spend my dwindling savings on an internship or get paid to see the world. I wasn’t scared of going - only staying. The Germans have a word for it torschlusskpanik, the fear of missing the boat.
I stayed working at sea for five years and I would like to say that I wrote every day, but I didn’t. I spent those years soaking up all the history I could. The ship was my home and the crew bar was my living room. The nights I spent there were research since I planned to tell the story of all my crewmates someday. And then on my last contract I met Ray a Scotsman who became my husband. My novel turned into a love story and that surprised me more than anyone else.
After leaving ships we settled in Palm Springs, and I began writing my novel 'Cruise Quarters - A Novel About Casinos and Cruise Ships'. There were years of writing and editing, rewriting and more re-writing but finally I decided my novel was ready to face the world. You would think that when it is published the hard part is over, but it is only beginning. Then your job as an author is to do everything you can to get the word out to readers and after that you wait for that special reader to find you.
And now my second novel Casino Queen is out. It draws from all the years I have worked in the casino industry. I wanted to build a story that took the reader behind the scenes of the casino industry, present relatable characters, and tell a really engaging story with a believable plot.
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| Rosaleen at Ubiquitous chip in Glasgow, Scotland |
But then you turn on your computer one day and you look up your book at a review site, and you find something like this.
5.0 out of 5 stars Robert
There are two things I really look for in a good read, first I want to go inside a world that’s unknown to me. Next. I want to be surprised when I finally get to the part where the “who done it” is revealed. Casino Queen hit it for me on both points and one more. I love Palm Springs California the setting for the story. For over a decade I attended the Palm Springs film festival and saw a lot of films and even more celebrities, writers, directors and artists of all types.
5.0 out of 5 stars Debbie S.
A unique look at casino operations, with so much suspense!
Such great character development and depiction – I could see and hear every character as I read. The Coachella Valley and High Desert were also told from an insider’s point of view, rather than just as a backdrop for the story. As were the casino operations and roles, both on the floor and behind the scenes. Very well done. This was a super-fast read because the suspense just kept layering. There were red herrings and real hints, but as the reader I wasn’t sure which was which. I could not solve the mystery until it was laid out for me, which to me is the sign of a well written book.
Such great character development and depiction – I could see and hear every character as I read. The Coachella Valley and High Desert were also told from an insider’s point of view, rather than just as a backdrop for the story. As were the casino operations and roles, both on the floor and behind the scenes. Very well done. This was a super-fast read because the suspense just kept layering. There were red herrings and real hints, but as the reader I wasn’t sure which was which. I could not solve the mystery until it was laid out for me, which to me is the sign of a well written book.
Lori Caswell wrote:
I started reading Casino Queen and could not put the book down. I stayed up late because the story had a slow build that grabbed a hold of me and wouldn’t let go. Soon the story became so surprising and suspenseful the pages were flying so fast there should have been steam coming out of my Kindle.
Susie Black wrote on BookBub:
Part romance, part mystery, part redemption, and a second chance at life, Casino Queen does not disappoint. Gaming industry pro Cara Bertoia has penned a taut tale that weaves an insider’s view of the world of casinos with a heart-pounding plot that keeps readers interested long after bedtime. The deftly written plot moves at a good clip and is driven by love, loss, trust, betrayal, family ties, and the inner strength one must summon to accept responsibility for the consequences of one’s decisions. Bertoia has created a cast of flawed, but believable characters who drive the plot, and readers find themselves rooting for them right from the first page. Bertoia creates enough conflict with a backstory and throws in a couple of clever red herrings to keep readers turning the pages to see how it all turns out.
Those readers all wrote a review so good that I think I could use any of them as the perfect blurb for my book. They got it. It was even hard to decide which reviews to include in this post because I loved them all so much. Susie, Robert, Lori and Debbie along with all my other readers knew exactly what I was trying to do when I wrote my book. That alone makes all the hard work worth it.
It is not easy to write a review. In fact, most readers never write a review. You have to go back to the site where you bought the book or a review site after you have read the book and write your review and submit it. I also think reviewers like all writers suffer from performance anxiety. They are putting something out there for all the world to see. There are also readers that go above and beyond that post their reviews at multiple sites and since I started writing the number of review sites just keeps growing.
Proud Momma wrote a fantastic review of my book and brought up points in the book that I had taken for granted but that really caught her attention as a reader. TK always wanted to know what it was like to work in a casino and now she does. Susie loved my three-dimensional characters. I re-wrote my dialogue a hundred times to make my conversations sound natural and nuanced. Sandy Young a great writer and the author of the paranormal romance Divine Vintage, took my book along with her on vacation. I have received so many pictures of people carrying Casino Queen across the globe. They will never know how much seeing those photos thrills me.
I use reader reviews all the time as a reader. I love to know what actual readers are saying about a book because they are the ones who have purchased it. Their opinion can sway me to click that buy button. I particularly enjoy going back to the review page after reading a book, it is like having you own book club where you get to discuss the book with readers from around the country.
I know that other writers feel the same way about the reader reviewer. I belong to a fantastic network of writers. Writers love to post their reviews. They glory in every five-star review. Because everyone knows you don't write for the money but to tell your story. And the reader reviewer doesn't write for money either but out of the love of books. Let me end with a thank you to all the readers writing reviews, the people that make it all worthwhile, keep them coming. And remember readers the best thing that you can do for an author when you like a book is to write a review, but if that is too daunting, they will be very grateful for nice rating.
I love interacting with readers. If your book club is interested in reading Casino Queen just email me at carabertoia@yahoo.com. I will provide your group with questions, and I will appear on Facetime, Zoom or WhatsApp to talk at your meeting. I will also answer any questions you have about casinos and gambling.
Cara Bertoia is the author of the critically acclaimed Casino Queen, a new suspense novel published by The Wild Rose Press. She has drawn from her years in the casino industry to create a fascinating thriller. It is all true although the names have been changed to protect the guilty. It had been featured at The Big Thrill and Women Writers Women's Books and at many other sites. Read the blurb here.
Caroline Popov, alone, heartbroken, and deeply in debt ends up in glamorous Palm Springs, California where Native casinos have just opened, offering employment to thousands. She lands a job at the Palm Oasis Casino and is mentored by the charismatic tribal chairman, John Tovar.
Embraced by casino culture, Caroline works her way up to casino manager of the Night Hawk, in the High Desert town of Joshua Tree. There, she is responsible for managing multicultural team members, satisfying the demands of challenging guests, growing revenue while rooting out corruption.
In the process of rediscovering her inner strength, she learns, you have to gamble like your life depends on it. With her life on the line can she pull out a win?
Click the link below to order at Amazon, enjoy your stay at the Night Hawk!
Click the link below to order at Barnes and Noble
Casino Queen by Cara Bertoia | NOOK Book (eBook) | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)
To check out my interview in The Big Thrill, click the link below.
Casino Queen by Cara Bertoia | THE BIG THRILL
Cara Bertoia's first book is Cruise Quarters - A Novel About Casinos and Cruise Ships. Her novel is really a travelogue, a narrative, a romance, a self-help manual for gambling and cruising, and a real-life story all rolled into one funny, obsessive, and entertaining story of two people whose separate life journeys meet at a crossroads. Kindle Fire Dept. says, "This novel is a gem that is nothing short of a vacation in a book!"
Below is the links to Cruise Quarters - A Novel About Casinos and Cruise Ships to buy at Amazon or read as a part of Kindle Unlimited. Cruise Quarters Amazon
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