Murder at Leisure Dreams: Galapagos (Giovanna Rogers Mysteries) by Sharon Marchisello #CharacterInterview / #Giveaway – Great Escapes Book Tour @slmarchisello

Murder at Leisure Dreams: Galapagos
(Giovanna Rogers Mysteries)
by Sharon Marchisello

I am delighted to welcome Giovanna Rogers
to Escape With Dollycas today!

Hi Giovanna. Could you please tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m 26 years old, the youngest manager in the Leisure Dreams international resort chain. I was an overachiever, graduating early from the University of Georgia with a degree in forensic accounting. I did several internships with high-profile companies while at school and secured a job as a corporate auditor right after graduation. I climbed the ladder and made lots of money, but my passion was always animal rescue. After three years in the corporate world, I quit my job and invested my savings to found a nonprofit spay/neuter clinic with my fiancé, who is a veterinarian. Unfortunately, we took on a partner who stole all our donations and bankrupted our business. My fiancé blamed me for the fiasco and broke off our engagement. I’m still a pariah back in Georgia, so I was grateful for this job in the Galapagos—an opportunity to rebuild my career.

What makes you laugh?

Harvey, an annoying sea lion who won’t stay out of our swimming pool, makes me laugh, even though I often want to throw something at him to make him go back to the beach where he belongs.

Are you afraid of anything?

I guess I’m afraid of failing at this new venture and letting down the people who have faith in me.

Do you have a special talent or gift?

I thought I was pretty good with numbers, but after I got swindled last year by Jerome Haddad, my treacherous ex-partner, I lost confidence in my abilities.

Do you have a secret?

It’s hard to keep anything secret around this hotel. My romantic relationship with local police detective Victor Zuniga is now common knowledge. And the main reason I got this job is that my grandmother and I made friends with the CEO and his family on a Galapagos cruise last year. Although I impressed him with my business savvy, the job offer might have had more to do with what happened to me here last year, while the hotel was still under construction. To do my job, I have to put that tragedy out of my mind, and so far, I’ve managed to keep it secret from the staff.

Tell us about your family.

I am an only child. My father died before I was born, and my mother went to prison when I was eleven. After that, I was raised by my grandmother, Michelle, and her husband, Roberto. I didn’t meet them—or even know they existed—until I was ten. Michelle didn’t know about me either. Michelle was quite young when she gave up my father for adoption, and most people I meet think Michelle and Roberto are my parents.

Who is the most important person in your life?

My grandmother, Michelle. She stepped in for my mother, even though she’d never had any parenting experience. (And I don’t think being a mom was ever in her plans.)

What is your most embarrassing moment?

Since taking this job, I’ve had a number of embarrassing moments as I try to practice my Spanish. Belinda Chavez, my assistant, doesn’t cut me any slack. Fortunately, most of the other employees are patient with me, and the company requires that everyone be fluent in English to accommodate our mainly English-speaking clientele.

What do you do for fun?

I just started dating Victor Zuniga, a local police detective, and we share a lot of interests: hiking, snorkeling, and enjoying the incredible natural wonders of the Galapagos. Too bad my job doesn’t give me much free time for fun.

If you could change anything about your life what would it be?

I wish I had never met Jerome Haddad, the sleazy business partner who bankrupted my clinic.

Tell me about your author.

My author is Sharon Marchisello, and she’s been writing all her life, although it took her a long time to get her first book published. She introduced me in Going Home, a whodunnit about her mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease. (Although Going Home is considered Sharon’s first novel, it was actually the fourth one she completed.) I was only ten years old in that book and was just a minor character; my grandmother, Michelle DePalma, was the star. When Sharon wrote Secrets of the Galapagos, which took place fifteen years later, she decided to make me the protagonist. She’s also writing a cozy mystery series with a different publisher about a woman who rescues cats and finds dead humans. The first one, Trap, Neuter, Die, was published in November 2024, and the second, Trapped and Tested, will be released this fall.

Do you like the way they write you?

I have no complaints. I’m glad she let me stay in the Galapagos and hook up with Victor.

Thank you, Giovanna, for visiting today!

Keep reading for more info about Murder at Leisure Dreams: Galapagos and author Sharon Marchisello.

About Murder at Leisure Dreams: Galapagos

Murder at Leisure Dreams: Galapagos (Giovanna Rogers Mysteries)
Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Galapagos
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Milford House Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 26, 2025
Print length ‏ : ‎ 340 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0FFR9Y2GW

Giovanna Rogers restarts her career as expatriate manager of the new Leisure Dreams resort hotel on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos. Due to her youth and limited proficiency in Spanish, she struggles to gain the respect of her staff and the company’s executives. She has to prove to them that she got the job because of merit, not because the CEO is a family friend. And prove to herself that she can overcome a past business failure and make the hotel a success.

When the story opens, Giovanna and her staff prepare for the hotel’s grand opening. Friends, family, and corporate bigwigs fly in for the event. Renowned documentary producer Claire Costello and her film crew have arrived; Giovanna has the staff send a bottle of champagne to Claire’s room to welcome the VIP guest. The next morning, Claire is found dead in her bed; the cause of death is apparent poisoning. Now Giovanna must work with her boyfriend, local police detective Victor Zuniga, to solve the case while juggling the details of the grand opening and controlling the narrative around the mysterious demise of a VIP guest on the property.

Complications in her relationship arise when Giovanna’s ex-boyfriend decides to join her family to attend the grand opening. Her best friend and several of her employees have a history with Claire. And Claire’s team is somewhat dysfunctional, keeping secrets and telling contradictory stories. Despite Giovanna’s efforts to maintain normalcy and apprehend the culprit, things continue to worsen.

About Sharon Marchisello

SHARON MARCHISELLO is the author of two other mysteries published by Milford House, the fiction imprint of Sunbury Press: Going Home (2014) and Secrets of the Galapagos (2019), which is the prequel to Murder at Leisure Dreams – Galapagos. She also writes the DeeLo Myer Cat Rescue Mysteries from Level Best Books. Besides novels, Sharon has published short stories in anthologies and online magazines; one was a 2022 Derringer finalist. She has written travel articles, training manuals, screenplays, book reviews, and a nonfiction book (Live Well, Grow Wealth – 2018). She earned a Bachelor’s degree in French from the University of Houston and a Master’s in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California. She is an active member of Sisters in Crime, the Atlanta Writers Club, and the Hometown Novel Writers Association. Retired after 27 years with Delta Air Lines, Sharon now lives in Peachtree City, Georgia. She serves on the boards of the Fayette Humane Society, Hometown Novel Writers Association, and the Friends of the Peachtree City Library.
She loves to travel, including a trip to the Galapagos Islands in 2014.

Author Links:
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