The Wish follows the story of an American girl studying in Rome for a semester. On her first day there, Emilie Russo tosses three coins into the Trevi Fountain, a la Three Coins in the Fountain, a movie that takes the traditional approach of one coin and making a wish, and expands it to three coins, each representing something different. The first is your promise to return to Rome one day, the second will lead you to a new romance, and the third to marriage. While Emilie doesn’t put much stock in the evolving tradition, she tosses the coins in anyway, wishing to have an unforgettable and amazing experience. The very next day, Emilie literally crashes into the broad chiseled chest of Jeremy Knight, an actor whose stardom is about to explode, and her life from that moment on will never be the same.

Great start to a romance story. This is a love story, isn’t it?
Set against the backdrop of a European adventure, The Wish explores the many facets of young love, and the complications that arise when a new romance gets splashed across the pages of tabloid magazines, and entertainment news shows, while paparazzi seemingly lurk around almost every corner.

The Wish fits snuggly into the Chick Lit/New Adult Fiction genres, with some bits of Romance thrown in.

Readers who are fans of the Love Unscripted and Love Unrehearsed series will be drawn to The Wish, as well as anyone who loves a quick read that keeps your hopes alive, and the strong pull to keep turning the page to see what happens next.

Tell us about Emelie and Jeremy.
Emilie Russo is your average 20 year old. She’s about to spend a semester in Rome, and is looking for a little adventure in her life. Outwardly, Emilie’s on the shy side, but can get along with just about anyone. Like a lot of women, she sees her imperfections (specifically, her curvy body) more than what makes her special, and has allowed a bad experience with her first (and only) boyfriend to convince her that it’s better to be alone than risk getting hurt again.

And Jeremy? Doesn’t sound like he’s got any imperfections.
Jeremy Knight may be on the cusp of stardom, but just because he looks great on camera, and can give a terrifically candid interview, doesn’t mean he’s Mr. Confidence behind closed doors. Don’t misunderstand, Jeremy is smooth, and sexy, but definitely isn’t perfect. His insecurities and vulnerability are what draws Emilie to him, and makes their blossoming romance relatable.

We already like them. We’ll be happy to hang out with them for one novel … or maybe two?
The Wish’s sequel, Always, is out now on both Kindle and Nook.

Oh good. Is there anything else we need to know?
The Wish is my first novel, and given my relative closeness in age to Emilie, I used how I’ve reacted to the different experiences Emilie has as inspiration in creating her character. Some of what she feels I’ve felt before, which I truly believe helped me create a relatable, believable main character.

Tell us more about yourself.
I studied Communications at High Point University in High Point, NC. interned and worked at a radio station for two years, then made a permanent move back to NC after spending most of my life in the NY/NJ area. I’ve always had an affinity for writing and reading, and am so thrilled that my ideas are finally making their way from my head to the page!

Do you have a website where we can keep up with those ideas as they’re born?
I currently do not have a website, but all of my writing updates can be found on my Facebook page, as well as Twitter.

How can we find you there?
I’m on Twitter – @AlyssanRomeo and my official writing page on Facebook is www.facebook.com/AlyssaRomeoWriting.

What’s next?
I’m in the beginning stages of a new fictional novel that will still fall into the chick lit genre, but include some paranormal and religious aspects as well. I’m so early in the outlining phase though that I’m not ready to give away too many details, so stay tuned!

How easily do new storylines come to you? If we give you four random words  – Man, Woman, Airport, Darkness – can you give us a brief storyline?
I read a blog post once about when writers are on and off the clock. For me, I always seem to be on the clock. I always find myself observing people, places and scenarios, making mental and physical notes for future use in any capacity. Man, Woman, Airport, Darkness – It’s Christmas Eve, and a major power outage up and down the east coast has left millions of people without electricity, and thousands more stranded at countless airports. The last thing Rebecca Christian remembers is slinging her carry-on over her shoulder. As she fiercely tries to rub the blurriness out of her eyes, the sting of pain above her eyebrow causes her to gasp and retract her hand.

“Easy, you have quite the bump there.”

The voice startles Rebecca. Somewhere beyond her blurry field of vision, a man rummages around in his suitcase, looking for anything he can use to help dull Rebecca’s pain…she’s going to need it.