Cafe Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island by Barbara Bonfigli - Summer Virtual Book Tour

Would you like to travel to an exotic Greek island this summer? This year - we have a great opportunity for you. Author, Barbara Bonfigli, has completed her first novel and you can travel to this fictional Greek island through the pages of her fictional memoir. Meet Sarah and come along as she visits the island, sails the waters around the island, eats and drinks local food and drink and as she organizes a summer play which is put on with a fascinating array of local characters.

Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island

A fictional memoir that does for Greece what A Year in Provence did for France.

What is it about Greece that makes it so exotic, so romantic, so tantalizing that it’s right at the top of everybody’s bucket list – the one foreign land they’re longing to visit? Our dreams are made on Never on Sunday, Zorba the Greek, and more recently My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Mama Mia.

Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island is a witty, evocative, beautifully written novel that puts you right in the heart of Greek island life. It’s so alive with the sights and smells and tastes and characters of Greece that you can pick it up and start your Mediterranean vacation on page one. On a deeper level, the book is filled with the kinds of observations, reflections, and arc of self-discovery that make Eat, Pray, Love so compelling.

“Welcome to Pharos. Laugh and dance in the hammock—not the cradle—of Western civilization,” says author, lyricist, and theatrical producer Barbara Bonfigli. “I’ve been falling in love with Greece since I was old enough to drink retsina. But if Sarah hadn’t captured my imagination you’d never know how I feel about friendship, feta, and the abundance of grace that turns friends into lovers and fishermen into kings.”

Synopsis

When Sarah, an American theatrical producer, is asked to direct the locals in their summer show, she picks Shakespeare’s play The Tempest. What follows is a hilarious adventure in casting, rehearsing, and consuming. Her neighbors are excited about acting but delirious about eating. Their rehearsals in a deconsecrated church become a feast in four acts.

Armed with a sizzling wit, a dangerously limited Greek vocabulary, and a pitch-perfect ear for drama, Sarah navigates the major egos and minor storms of a cab driver Caliban, a postmaster Prospero, and a host of fishermen dukes and knaves.

When she falls in love, there are even trickier seas to navigate. Her own offstage romance provides an exhilarating, unpredictable counterpoint to Shakespeare’s story of magic, intrigue, and the power of love.

Café Tempest is Barbara Bonfigli’s first novel. Visit: www.barbarabonfigli.com

The book includes luminous illustrations by Roman artist Gaia Franchetti and seven favorite Greek recipes, re-created and embellished by chef Ana Espinosa.

Visit: www.TellMePress.com

Spend a few minutes with Barbara Bonfigli from her book launch which happened in New York on Thursday May 28th at the fabulous Greek Restaurant Periyali on 20th - http://corinescorner.com/blog2/2009/05/on-may-28th-i-attended-book-party.htm

Virtual Tour Schedule

We're still adding dates, so check back and the latest dates will be posted on the main page of www.virtualblogtour.blogspot.com

July 2009

Monday July 6 – Peter Minaki shares his review for Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island. Peter’s love and knowledge of all things Greece, including food and drink made him a perfect person to help us kick off our tour for Café Tempest. He will even share the recipe for a Tempestini on his blog at http://kalofagas.ca/2009/07/06/cafe-tempest-adventures-on-a-small-greek-island/. If you try the recipe, we want to hear your thoughts. The recipe also mentions retsina – trust me, you will hear more about retsina before the tour is over.

Tuesday July 7 – Pamela Thibodeaux shares information about Café Tempest and Barbara Bonfigli on her blog - http://pamswildroseblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/vbt-barbara-bonfigli.html

Wednesday July 8 – Peter Jones shares details about Café Tempest and Barbara Bonfigli on his New Great Books blog - http://newgreatbooks.blogspot.com/2009/07/adventures-on-small-greek-island.html

Thursday July 9 – Diane Ascroft comes to us from Northern Ireland to share her review for Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island - http://dianneascroft.wordpress.com/2009/07/10/cafe-tempest-thats-where-im-unwinding/

Friday July 10 – Carolyn Howard Johnson shares a review for Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island - http://thenewbookreview.blogspot.com/2009/07/barbara-bonfigli-captures-essence-of.html

Monday July 13 - Wendy Burt shares her interview with Barbara Bonfigli, author of Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island - http://askwendy.wordpress.com/2009/07/09/10-questions-for-barbara-bonfigli-author-of-cafe-tempest-adventures-on-a-small-greek-island/

Monday July 13 – Joyce Anthony - http://joyce-anthony.blogspot.com/2009/07/barbara-bonfigli-and-cafe-tempest.html

Wednesday July 15 – Chelle Cordero - http://cce613.xanga.com/707151718/woman-in-charge-barbara-bonfigli/ – Chelle shares an excerpt from the book and an interview with Barbara Bonfigli, author of Café Tempest

Thursday July 16 – Margay Justice shares Barbara Bonfigli’s inspiration behind Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island -
http://moonlightlacemayhem.blogspot.com/2009/07/little-mayhem-with-barbara-bonfigli.html

Friday July 17 – Visit A Book Bloggers Diary to hear about Barbara Bonfigli’s journey to publication of her first book a fictional memoir titled Cafet Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island - http://abookbloggersdiary.blogspot.com/2009/07/blog-tour-cafe-tempest.html

Monday July 20 – Pamela Kinney shares her interview with Barbara Bonfigli, author of Café Tempest - http://pamelakkinney.blogspot.com/2009/07/cafe-tempest-adventures-on-small-greek.html

Tuesday July 21 – Barbara Bonfigli is interviewed by Barry Eva on “Across the Pond” radio – http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Across-the-Pond/2009/07/21/A-BOOK-AND-A-CHAT-with-Barbara-Bonfigli Call-in Number: (347) 237-5398 at 6:30 PM EST

Wednesday July 22 – Margay Justice shares her review for Café Tempest: Adventure on a Small Greek Island http://margayleahjustice.com/?p=305

Friday July 24 – Jeff Maziarek shares his review for Café Tempest on his blog which focuses on Greek information and especially Greek Islands - http://alonnisos-blog.pondercentral.com/2009/07/20/recommended-beach-reading--cafe-tempest-adventures-on-a-small-greek-island-by--barbara-bonfigli.aspx

Monday July 27 – Joyce Anthony - http://joyce-anthony.blogspot.com/2009/07/talk-with-barbara-bonfigli.html

Monday July 27 - Antonia Malchik shares her review for Café Tempest by Barbara Bonfigli - http://perceptivetravel.com/blog/2009/07/27/cafe-tempest-adventures-on-a-small-greek-island-a-fictional-memoir-by-barbara-bonfigli/

Wednesday July 29 – Yvonne Walus shares an excerpt from Café Tempest on her blog - http://yewalus.blogspot.com/2009/07/cafe-tempest-adventures-on-small-greek.html

Thursday July 30 – Debra Rayner shares her review for Café Tempest on her blog - http://www.bookreviewsbydebra.com/index.php/reviews.html?review=1972-Caf-Tempest-Adventures-On-A-Small-Greek-Island

Friday July 31 – Rebecca Taylor shares her review for Café Tempest - http://imlostinbooks.blogspot.com/2009/07/blog-tour-cafe-tempest-adventures-on.html

August

Tuesday August 4 – Gwendolyn Bruno shares her review and an excerpt for Café Tempest - http://aseaofbooks.blogspot.com/search?q=cafe+tempest

Wednesday August 5 – Gwendolyn Bruno shares her interview with Barbara Bonfigli, author of Café Tempest - http://aseaofbooks.blogspot.com/search?q=cafe+tempest

Friday August 7 – Shel Horowitz - http://www.frugalfun.com/day-party-in-greece.html

Saturday August 8 – Read an excerpt from Café Tempest at http://authorspromotingauthors.blogspot.com/2009/08/blog-tour-cafe-tempest-barbara-bonfigli.html

Monday August 10 – Wayne Hurlbert shares his interview with Barbara Bonfigli, author of Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island -
http://blogbusinessworld.blogspot.com/2009/08/barbara-bonfigli-cafe-tempest-author.html

Wednesday August 12 – Nikki Leigh shares a unique promotional idea from Barbara Bonfigli, author of Café Tempest. Find out the origins of the Tempestini - http://promo101tips.wordpress.com/2009/08/11/the-tempestini-as-a-promotional-tool/

Friday August 14 – Joyce Anthony shares her review for Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island by Barbara Bonfigli - http://joyce-anthony.blogspot.com/2009/08/cafe-tempest-by-barbara-bonfigli-review.html

Monday August 17 – Karen Bryan shares her review for Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island by Barbara Bonfigli - http://www.europealacarte.co.uk/blog/2009/08/17/book-review-cafe-tempest-by-barbara-bonfigli/

Wednesday August 19 – Nikki Leigh shares Chapter One of Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island by Barbara Bonfigli on Nikki’s Start at the Beginning blog - http://startatbeginning.blogspot.com/2009/08/chapter-1-cafe-tempest-adventures-on.html

Wednesday August 19 – Stephanie Ward shares her review for Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island by Barbara Bonfigli - http://starkravingbibliophile.blogspot.com/2009/08/cafe-tempest-by-barbara-bonfigli.html

Thursday August 20 - Karen Page & Andrew Dornenburg share information about Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island by Barbara Bonfigli - http://www.becomingachef.com/blog.dwt.php

Monday August 24 – Joyce Anthony shares some food and recipe details from Café Tempest by Barbara Bonfigli - http://joyce-anthony.blogspot.com/2009/08/barbara-bonfiglis-cafe-tempest-more.html

Wednesday August 26 – Nikki Leigh shares information about Sara – the main character in Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island - http://fictionalcharactersindepth.blogspot.com/2009/08/meet-sarah-from-cafe-tempest-adventures.html

Friday August 28 – Pam Mandel shares her review for Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island by Barbara Bonfigli - http://www.nerdseyeview.com/blog/2009/08/27/book-review-cafe-tempest-adventures-on-a-small-greek-island

Friday August 28 – George Valsamis shares his review for Café Tempest by Barbara Bonfigli - http://www.greecetravelblog.com/blog/?p=1014