Get to Know the Author: Silvina B. Niccum

Our Get to Know You guest today is romance author Silvina B. Niccum. Welcome, Silvina!

JDP: Did your mother read to you as a child?

Silvina: I remember my father reading to me at night and tucking me into bed, my favorite story was Peter Pan and I had it memorized.  In fact, if he ever wanted to skip a part, I would promptly correct him and make him read me the full version. My daughter does this to me now so it’s gone full circle. 

My whole family in fact is basically made up of educators. My grandmother who lived two doors down in Rosario, Argentina was a special needs teacher and author who wrote a book that taught children to read.  She used this book on us when we were four and five years old, effectively teaching us to read at an early age.  My mother is a teacher also, so reading was a very big part of our lives and we constantly discussed books at the dinner table.

JDP: That’s cool. My mom was a teacher, too. Do you remember a favorite book from your childhood?

Silvina: Besides Peter Pan I had a whole set of Musicuentos which I still have and let my children listen to.  They are beautifully illustrated books on record.  I listened to those every day!  I collected them, but my favorite was “Rapunzel” and “Cinderella”.

JDP: Name a favorite author as an adult.

Silvina: One?  Well…I would have to say Charles Dickens.  I love his characters!  They are varied, and real.  His stories are entertaining and educational, a good combination. 

JDP: Share a book you’ve read multiple times.

Silvina: Jane Eyre.  I guess I should say that Charlotte Bronte is my favorite author for this reason, but I find that Jane is her own person—like she’s not really a character to me but my friend.

JDP: I understand what you mean.  I have lots of “friends” from my favorite books. Now…Kindle, Nook, or good old hard copy?

Silvina: I love the smell of books, I love the feel of paper and I love to look at my book shelf.  But I have to say that Kindle is handy.  I just got one for Christmas and I use it all the time now!  I can take it with me while I wait for my kids to do their sports and it saves my spot in every book that I’m reading.  Also I downloaded like 50 classics for free!

JDP: I admit, the Kindle is pretty cool. What’s your favorite place to read?

Silvina: Under the muted shade of a tree, or curled up in a blanket by a sunny window.  I am solar powered!

JDP: I love that! I think I’m solar powered, too. LOL! What are your three favorite reading genres.

Silvina: Historic Fiction, Fantasy and Mystery. 

JDP: What’s the last book you read?

Silvina: The last two books I finished were: Mary Queen of Scotts: The Fair Devil of Scotland, by Jean Plady and Mary, Bloody Mary a Y.A. by Carolyn Meyer.  I’ve been studying the lives of the Medici, the Italian family who ruled Florence for many centuries and funded the Italian Renaissance.  Mary Queen of Scotts married Catherine de Medici’s son, so I wanted to read about her next!  Then I got sucked into the whole English drama from that same period, so I read about Bloody Mary.

JDP: Oh, I love those time periods and historical characters, too! What are you’re reading now?

Silvina: Inferno, by Dante Alighieri. I’ve been reading that for a while, it’s long and though I enjoy it, it's not a page turner. 

I’m also reading some books written by some fellow writers from my publisher that need to be rated and reviewed. 

Rabbit Chasing Beth Rider, by Ellen C. Maze

Heartless, by Jaimey Grant, and In the Arms of Angels by Linda Boulanger. 

I also read out loud with my ten year old, Ben Franklin: Inventing America. I read this with him because he is part of a homeschooling group called “The Knights of Freedom” and I am one of the advisors for the group.  We read a different book a month and discuss it. 

JDP: What’s next on your reading list?

Silvina: 1984, by George Orwell. It came recommended by my mom.  I also want to continue with my 1500’s fixation and read about Queen Elizabeth.

JDP: What you would like to read more of? (author, genre, etc)

Silvina: I love the Classics, I think that we could spend our entire lives reading the classics alone!  But I’m on a Jean Plady/Victoria Holt/ Philippa Carr kick.  (They being the same person)

JDP: Share a favorite book that you’ve read in the last 12 months

 Silvina: I really enjoyed reading Scaramouche, by Raphael Sabatini.  It was filled with history, a little romance, action and suspense.  I also loved The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Baroness Orczy.  I just love the character of the Scarlet Pimpernel!  I love him, I love him, I love him!  He fits into today’s society so perfectly.  On one hand he’s the spoiled Metro sexual, socialite and on the other he is a hero who under many hilarious disguises, rescues the innocent from the guillotine.

JDP: I read The Scarlet Pimpernel last year and loved it, too! Thank you so much for joining us today, Silvina. It was a pleasure to spend this time with you.

More about Silvina:! : Silvina B. Niccum was born in Rosario, Argentina and raised in Buenos Aires.  Her family immigrated to the US, when she was fourteen.  She attended the University of Utah and studied Spanish Literature.  Silvina now lives in Dallas, TX. with her husband and her three homeschooled children.  Learn more about Silvina by visiting her website and blog.

Books by Silvina B. Niccum:

Veiled

Summary of Veiled:

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 “I have always existed, not just me but all of us, the un-embodied spirits who wait to live.”

Tess is an unborn spirit, who is about to embark on a much awaited journey into mortality to a brand new planet called Earth. She is chosen by the Eternals for an important mission, and is put under a rigorous training by a half-human, half-lion Seraph.  This training exposes Tess to some of her darkest fears and insecurities.  These experiences force Tess to work on her gift as a discerner of thoughts and reader of auras—thus helping her become one of Heaven’s most powerful angels.  But even angels falter, and deep inside her a gnawing fear is growing. Will she meet her soul mate in life? Will their love be strong enough to overcome the forgetting effects of the Veil? And, is she prepared to take on the responsibility of keeping the most dangerous renegade and leader of the Fallen Angels at bay during mortality?