The Renaissance Club
By
Rachel Dacus
Fiery
Seas Publishing
January
23, 2018
Time
Travel Romance
May
Gold, college adjunct, often dreams about the subject of her master’s
thesis - Gianlorenzo Bernini. In her fantasies she’s in his arms,
the wildly adored partner of the man who invented the Baroque.
But
in reality, May has just landed in Rome with her teaching colleagues
and older boyfriend who is paying her way. She yearns to unleash her
passion and creative spirit, and when the floor under the gilded dome
of St Peter’s basilica rocks under her feet, she gets her chance.
Walking through the veil that appears, she finds herself in the year
1624, staring straight into Bernini’s eyes. Their immediate and
powerful attraction grows throughout May’s tour of Italy. And as
she continues to meet her ethereal partner, even for brief snatches
of time, her creativity and confidence blossom. All the doorways to
happiness seem blocked for May-all except the shimmering doorway to
Bernini’s world.
May
has to choose: stay in her safe but stagnant existence, or take a
risk. Will May’s adventure in time ruin her life or lead to a
magical new one?
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Excerpt:
Bernini
reached for May’s hand and led her down the length of his studio,
their footsteps echoing on the stone floor. They passed many
assistants, to whom he nodded, but no one spoke. She remembered his
rule of silence in the studio. Artists were meticulously working on
sculptural details or making the first blows on raw stone blocks.
Painters at easels captured images of sculptures. Props and tools
littered the work sites in this hive of production. She was thrilled
to witness his industry of beauty, and to see how many people were
involved, working together under his direction. Of course he was
proud of his studio. It was a humming machine of human endeavor.
When
they came back to his clay model, she said, “Isn’t this a model
for your portrait of the English king?” May thought to herself that
this was the beautiful head this English king would lose, and this
sculpture itself would be lost in the Whitehall fire of 1698.
“How
did you—but I remember! You know everything about me, as my
biographer should.”
That
smile of his ought to be illegal. She was standing too close to him
for a biographer. Nevertheless, she moved closer. “You’ve made
him so noble. Really, he wasn’t this beautiful,” she pointed out.
From his surprise, she gathered that he wasn’t used to having his
work critiqued. Of course, he was Bernini. Only his patrons had the
power to criticize his art, and they seemed to universally consider
it fabulous. The matter of fidelity wasn’t an issue in his time the
way it was in hers.
“I
show his stature in his eyes and forehead,” he said. “I reveal
the rest of his nature in the face below the nose, where I capture
his fondness for feasting. And even that is beautiful.”
“Beauty
in his fat jowls?”
He
laughed. “They say he has expansive meals.” He ran a loving hand
over the clay. “I captured his face when he was about to speak, so
you can read his lively thought. Perhaps it was of mutton!”
They
both laughed, and she said, “This king’s image is beautiful in
your eyes and under your hands.”
“I tried to imagine what would move this man. You’re a poet. You
must be able to feel it when the strings of your heart make a music
that becomes a stream of light. You stand in that light and fold your
hands. If you are sincere, truth comes as the body of an angel. A
visitation.”
She stepped closer and bowed. “Cavaliere, you are my stream
of light.”
He laughed and pulled her up. “I was simply answering your
question.”
“I’m beginning to see how you work, and that thrills me.”
He stroked her cheek with a finger. “I must capture your
expression. Something better than a sketch. Come.” He held out his
hand.
He led her to a small studio off the main hall and closed the door.
He pointed to a platform that held a small stool. “I want you to
sit there.”
She
sat down and arranged her skirt. He went over to a modeling stand,
set up a block of clay, and fixed his analytical gaze on her,
squinting and then tilting his head one way and then the other. After
a moment, he gave directions. “Pull up your skirt to your knees. I
want to see the calves. Let the legs be straight, but twist your
torso and shoulders to the right. Look up to that corner, but only
slightly. Just with the eyes.”
She
tried to find and settle into the pose he wanted, but he shook his
head and waved her to twist more. She did, but she turned her head
back to see if it was enough. He nodded and gestured to turn her head
back. His stare was intense, as if he were looking through her. The
thought of Bernini sculpting her was thrilling, as was watching him
do it.
She
turned her head and spoke without looking at him. “When we first
met, you sketched me. What did you see that you wanted to capture,
besides my too-long nose?”
“I
had ideas for you. Your look is unique. Please keep your body turned
one way from the waist down and the opposite way from the waist up. I
want you as my model for a statue of Truth. Were we not speaking of
truth in art?
“I
do remember we were.” She thought of his great sculpture Truth
Unveiled by Time, a
seated, smiling, voluptuous woman whose drapery was being lifted away
by the invisible figure of Time. Invisible, presumably, because
Bernini never finished the work.
~
Praise for The Renaissance Club ~
Enchanting,
rich and romantic…a poetic journey through the folds of time. In
THE RENAISSANCE CLUB, passion, art, and history come together in this
captivating tale of one woman’s quest to discover her true self and
the life she’s meant to lead. Rachel Dacus deftly crafts a unique
and spellbinding twist to the time-traveling adventure that’s
perfect for fans of Susanna Kearsley and Diana Gabaldon. — Kerry
Lonsdale, Wall Street
Journal Bestselling
Author
The
Renaissance Club is a
beautifully written story about a woman torn between two
worlds—the present and the distant past. This
time-travel adventure kept me guessing until the end about
which world May would choose, and if that choice would be the right
one. Highly recommended for lovers of time travel fiction or
anyone looking for a compelling story about a woman trying to find
happiness. — Annabelle Costa,
Author of The Time
Traveler’s Boyfriend.
The
Renaissance Club shimmers with
beauty, poetry, and art. Author Rachel Dacus sweeps her readers away
to Italy with her, lifting the senses with the sights, sounds, and
tastes of that stunning country; imparting her deep knowledge of
Renaissance and Baroque art while immersing the reader in a
gorgeously romantic story. This book is time travel at its best! —
Georgina Young-Ellis, author of
The Time Mistress Series
About the Author:
Rachel
Dacus is the daughter of a bipolar rocket engineer who blew up a
number of missiles during the race-to-space 1950’s. He was also an
accomplished painter. Rachel studied at UC Berkeley and has remained
in the San Francisco area. Her most recent book,
Gods
of Water and Air,
combines poetry, prose, and a short play on the afterlife of dogs.
Other poetry books are
Earth Lessons
and
Femme au Chapeau.
Her
interest in Italy was ignited by a course and tour on the Italian
Renaissance. She’s been hooked on Italy ever since. Her essay
“Venice and the Passion to Nurture” was anthologized in Italy,
A Love Story:
Women Write About the Italian Experience.
When not writing, she raises funds for nonprofit causes and takes
walks with her Silky Terrier. She blogs at Rocket Kid Writing.
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