A Song for Bellafortuna by Vincent B. "Chip" LoCoco (author interview and giveaway)

I love discovering new authors, especially when they write a novel set in Italy. This one is set in Sicily and is a historical fiction, one of my favorite genres. Although my parents are from Rome and Abruzzo, I have a lot of friends whose parents are from Sicily, and I've learned to understand the dialect, which is almost a language in itself!

So let me introduce you to Vincent B. "Chip" LoCoco and his second novel. First off, isn't that a gorgeous cover? Makes me want to hop on a plane to Italy, like right now. The minute I read the book's description, I knew I wanted to read this story: a family saga revolving around wine, olive oil and opera? It appealed to my Italian blood, alright. And this book pulled me right into its story from the first page. So watch out for my review of A Song for Bellafortuna on Library of Clean Reads on Sept 14!

Book Description

A Song for Bellafortuna is an inspirational Italian Historical Fiction novel concerning a young man's desire to free his Sicilian village from the domination of one family's long reign.

For years, the beautiful, yet secluded, hilltop village of Bellafortuna, Sicily, was a great producer of wine and olive oil. The entire village prospered. However, after the arrival of the Vasaio family, production dwindles and the villagers soon find themselves in crushing debt to the Vasaios. Only one family in the village remains outside the control of the Vasaios, but the reason haunts Antonio Sanguinetti every day of his life. Antonio is determined to erase this legacy by offering financial and emotional support to his fellow villagers. He introduces them to the choral song from Verdi's opera, Nabucco, which becomes the rallying cry for the villagers and offers them hope for a better life.

When Antonio's only son, Giuseppe, discovers his family's past, he becomes determined to take on the Vasaios and remove them from power. Led by the young Giuseppe, a plan is hatched that could result in either complete freedom for the villagers, or if it fails, forever solidifying the Vasaios' control. Find out what happens in A Song for Bellafortuna, a sweeping epic historical fiction tale of love, drama, sacrifice, and redemption, set among the beautiful landscape of Sicily.

Where to buy the Book: 

  Amazon

An Interview with Vincent B. "Chip" LoCoco:

EI: If you could describe your novel in one sentence, what would it be?

VBL: A passionate story of redemption and sacrifice, set among the beautiful landscape of Sicily.

EI: What does it mean to you to be an Italian- American?

My great-grandfather, Castranzio LoCoco, came to New Orleans from Cefalù, Sicily in 1890. New Orleans is a unique place. So many Sicilians flocked here because of the agricultural life that was similar to the one they left in Sicily. It seems the main reason for the Sicilians coming to New Orleans all around the same time has to do with employment. As the Louisiana farmers lost more and more workers after the Civil War, a call went out to Sicily for those looking for a better life and work in America. The Sicilians answered the call and came by the thousands. But here is the key. Yes, they assimilated into the American culture, but they kept their own customs as well, and introduced those customs into the New Orleans society. These customs were related to food, music and religious rituals. They also kept their strong sense of family and a commitment of living life with passion.

So for me, being an Italian-American means a person who is fully American, yet fully aware of where his/her ancestors hailed from, and incorporating some of those customs from the old county into his/her own life today – and to do it with passion.

EI: How interesting. I did not know that about New Orleans and the Sicilian immigrants. Do you speak Italian or the Sicilian dialect? If so, have you passed the language on to your children?

VBL: I do not speak Italian or the Sicilian dialect. However, I do know phrases and Italian words, which does allow me to understand Italian. Don’t laugh when I say this. I learned Italian from opera librettos. I taught myself words and phrases from the operas I adored. The words I knew best were love and death, since my Italian class was opera.

Growing up in a large Sicilian family did introduce me to the language. My Sicilian relatives spoke some phrases, and when they got excited, would speak in Italian, all of which gave me a love of the language. I try to show in my novels a sense of the beauty of the language. Because I do not speak it, I always use Italian readers to assist me in correcting my mistakes. They get a kick out of American style of Italian I use – as they call it.

EI: Have you ever been to Italy? What are some of your experiences with the country of your ancestors?

VBL: I have been to Italy twice in my life. The first was with my parents and sisters when I was in College. Did the normal Rome, Florence and Venice. I fell in love with the place, as we immersed ourselves into the cultural as much as we could. My father had studied in Rome for 2 years, so he loved taking us around to all of his old haunts.

My second visit to Italy was with my wife. What a magical trip. We travelled all over Italy, and were both convinced that the further South you go, the more beautiful it becomes. Sipping wine at on outdoor café or listening to music in a piazza with someone you love makes for a unforgettable experience. Also, spending the night in Assisi in an old Monastery after all the tourist left was something we will never forget.

EI: Are you working on another novel? Can you tell us a little about your writing journey?

VBL: Let me answer this question by first telling you about my writing journey. I was a history major and I am a lawyer. I never thought I could write a novel. After my son was born, a story came to me about an opera singer growing up in Milan. I outlined the story that night and began writing. My first novel, Tempesta’s Dream, was the result. Then, along came my daughter, so I knew I needed another book. Somehow, the idea of A Song for Bellafortuna came to me. I know the idea of a book that involved Caruso and a village was the impetus.

As for my next book, the joke is I only write when I have a new child, so my wife says my career is over. We shall see. I mean about another novel, not another child.

At this point, I do have germ of an idea about Italian and German POWs during WWII who were shipped to Louisiana and worked on Sugar Cane Plantations. My family has such a farm, and those same German and Italian POWs indeed worked on our farm, sneaking out at night to meet the local ladies. But that is another story.

EI: Oh my gosh, that sounds wonderful! I hope you write that story.

VBL: Thanks for wanting to know a little bit about my writing career and me.

EI: Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions! I'm looking up your first novel Tempesta's Dream.

Award winning and bestselling author, Vincent B. "Chip" LoCoco, lives in New Orleans. His first novel, Tempesta's Dream - A Story of Love, Friendship and Opera, became an Amazon bestselling novel and was awarded the 2014 Pinnacle Achievement Award in Historical Fiction. Amazon also has named his book as a Top Rated Novel in Italian Historical Fiction.

His most recent novel, A Song for Bellafortuna, was shortlisted in the William Faulkner - William Wisdom Competition. He is an estate planning attorney in New Orleans, where he lives with his wife and two children.

Connect with the author: Website ~  Twitter  ~ Facebook

The giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Drawn by Chris Ledbetter (Author interview, Book spotlight and Giveaway!)

Today we kick off the tour of Drawn by Chris Ledbetter! It's on tour with Italy Book Tours from June 1 to 19, so be sure to stop by and read the reviews. My review will be up on June 4 at Library of Clean Reads. It's one of my favorite YA novels this year!

About the book:

Caught between the sweltering fall landscape of Wilmington, NC beaches and southern illusions and expectations, all sixteen year-old Cameron Shade thinks about is art. That, and for Farrah Spangled to view him as more than just a friend. Cameron longs to win her heart through art.

After several warm interactions with Farrah, including painting together at the beach, Cameron discovers just how complex Farrah’s life is with her boyfriend and her family. Following a tense run-in with Farrah’s father, she forbids Cameron to ever speak to her again, but Cameron’s convinced there’s more behind the request.

To impress Farrah with a last-ditch effort, Cameron sketches her portrait. But the sketchbook he uses hides a dark secret. Farrah’s now in grave danger because the sketch he drew of her siphons her real-life’s soul into the sketchbook. Cameron now has twenty days to extract Farrah. To save her, he must draw himself into the book.

If he fails… they both die.

My Interview with Chris Ledbetter:

EI: Welcome to Essentially Italian, Chris! Your book has so many great elements to it, one of them being art. This came through beautifully in your book. Are you an artist who paints?

CL: Thank you. I am a very amateur artist. I began drawing at a young age. My earliest memories are from second grade when I sketched Snoopy during nap time. Through the years, I sought to advance my skills, but only through self-education. I drew a lot of graffiti-style art, especially names for friends. I copied and emulated comic book covers. I began a comic series, but then abandoned it. Interestingly enough, in high school, I did sketch a portrait of a girl I sought to impress. So in that regard, art imitates life.

However, I don't paint at all. HAHA! I wish I could paint. I never truly invested the effort into painting. Only one painting of mine exists... one I painted for my mother when I was in elementary school.


EI: The fantasy and original part of your novel that takes place in a drawn setting resembling Renaissance Italy was fascinating. How did you come up with this idea?

CL: I wanted the world inside the book to be created by artists, for artists. The Italian Renaissance was one of the most artistically creative eras in history. And I'm a Leonardo Da Vinci student. And as I was drafting Drawn, the Da Vinci's Demons television series came on and I just dove into it.


EI: Your love for Italy and its art comes through in your novel. I loved that you knew some of the Italian expressions! What is your history with Italy?

CL: I do have a pretty intense love of all things Italian, and Greek for that matter. But the expressions and language all came from research. Tons and tons of research. I hope to Jove that I have adequately represented the language and culture, while at the same time adding a bit of fantasy to the mix.


EI: I truly enjoyed your writing style that I think not only appeals to your YA audience but to my generation. Your metaphors were both beautiful and appropriately humorous depending on the scene. How long have you been writing? Did you always want to be a writer?

CL: Thank you so much! That's humbling. I work really hard. I began writing seriously in 2006. I joined SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and other organizations. I joined a super critique group. We all push one another to grow.

It feels fantastic to know that my writing appeals to different demographics. I don't write down to a younger audience. I simply try to get as deeply into the heads of my characters as I can and allow the story to flow out of that.


EI: I loved the fact that your novel includes interracial relationships. The only other YA book I've read that did that was Like No Other by Una LaMarche. Can you tell me more about how you feel about this topic in novels?

CL: Thank you so much! And, I'm really glad you brought that up. Diversity in literature, as a concept, is very close to my heart. But so is reflecting the real world. I've seen scarcely few interracial relationships in novels. And even fewer in young adult novels. In fact, I can't name a YA novel featuring an interracial relationship. But i wasn't trying to make a statement with Drawn. Cameron and Farrah's relationship is as natural as anything to me. I've been in interracial romantic relationships before. As I walk down the street and when I'm working my day job at a vitamin and supplement store, I see relationships between people ranging from all manner of hues and ethnicities and nationalities and so forth. This is something to be celebrated. When we're able to move past superficial differences, our souls grow closer together.

Love is love. In fact, the term "interracial relationship" shouldn't even be a thing. At the end of the day, it's just two human beings, two souls, connecting.

EI: I agree! I just have to ask this one last question because the ending was satisfying but left an opening for perhaps a sequel? Am I correct in thinking this? I hope I am!

CL: Yes. I am currently working on a sequel. It's gratifying to know that the ending was satisfying yet left you wanting more. As an author, that is the exact feeling we want to leave readers with, whether or not it's more of the same characters or more with a new set of characters.

EI: Woohoo! I'm so happy to hear that. I can't wait to read it. Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

About the Author:

Chris Ledbetter grew up in Durham, NC before moving to Charlottesville, VA in 11th grade. After high school, he attended Hampton University where he promptly "walked-on" to the best drum line in the CIAA. And, without any prior percussion experience. He carried the bass drum for four years, something his back is not very happy about now.

After a change of heart and major, he enrolled in Old Dominion University and earned his degree in Business Administration. He's worked in various managerial and marketing capacities throughout his life. While teaching high school for six years in Culpeper, VA, he taught business management, business law, marketing, and sports marketing, and also coached football.

He has walked the streets of Los Angeles and New York City, waded in the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and climbed Diamond Head crater on Hawaii and rang in the New Year in Tokyo, Japan. But he dreams of one day visiting Greece and Italy.

He's a proud member of SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and a strong supporter of the Need for Diverse Books. As a self-described, young reluctant reader, he writes young adult stories specifically to reach other reluctant readers. As a participant in the prestigious Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program, he was blessed to be mentored by Suzanne Morgan Williams, 2012 SCBWI member of the year.

He now lives in Wilmington, NC with his family, including three cats.

Connect with Chris: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

And now for the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Going Against the Grain: Author and Beauty Blogger Nuccia Ardagna Talks about Gluten-free Lifestyle and Cooking

A few days ago, Italy Book Tours kicked off Nuccia Ardagna's new book Going Against the Grain: Italian Style.  I just love that title! A second-generation Italian living in Montreal, Nuccia has shared her journey from being diagnosed with Celiac to learning to live with this illness by adapting the recipes she grew up with so that they are gluten-free, and of course, delicious!

To read my review of her book, and one of her recipes, please visit Nuccia Ardagna's page on Library of Clean Reads. I made the Cauliflower Crust Pizza and it was mouth-watering good!

I decided to ask Nuccia more about both her writing journey and her Italian roots. Please help me welcome Nuccia to Essentially Italian!

EI: What prompted you to write a cookbook, when there are so many on the market?

NA: There are tons of cookbooks out there and let’s face it, we aren't reinventing the wheel when it comes to recipes. When it comes to the recipes I share in my book, I pride myself on the fact that they highlight a huge part of my heritage. These recipes aren't all just Italian, many of these are truly authentic and native to Sicily that go back many generations. When I say that I grew up with my family cooking, baking, making sauce in the fall, making wine, marinating our garden vegetables in mason jars, I hope the reader can really sense that I am a simple first generation authentic Sicilian girl who’s just wanting to share these delights with them.

Many cookbooks out there are labeled “Italian” and personally I think that term is severely overused, but I can truly say that every single one of those recipes are foods we ate every day at home. We ate well. Most of them are naturally gluten-free which is great while others clearly had to be modified.


EI: You decided to self-publish. Tell us the process you followed to make sure the quality matched that of other cookbooks on the market.

NA: That’s a great question! It might surprise you to know that I wasn't a big reader at the time that I decided to write a book, however, I did have a few cookbooks lying around. So as far as quality was concerned I knew what I needed to deliver! When I decided that I was going to write a book, I took a virtual online 3-day course that gave me a solid understanding of the process of writing and promoting a book on Amazon.

I wasn't sure of the process of working with a publishing house so I decided that I would do it on my own. I followed the course outline, downloaded a template and began typing up a storm. I did online research for the medical part of the book, however most of the first part was drawn from personal experience. I reached out to TME (Topic Matter Experts) for added credibility and was honored to have had the foreword provided by a renowned doctor in the field of Celiac disease.

The recipe part of the book was the most extensive and the part that took the longest time. There was the cooking, writing up the recipes and of course, the pictures, which that in itself was a big task. After all, we wanted the dishes to come alive through the pages of the book! My husband took care of that part. He’s not a professional photographer but took the project very seriously and made it his own! From there, I found a graphic designer to create the cover, spine and back cover and he was also the one who did the page layouts for me. When it was completed the file was sent to me, where I then uploaded it to Createspace.

Createspace is the print division of Amazon. They are super easy to work with and they make it virtually idiot-proof. It was a real pleasure working with them! I can’t begin to express the emotions I felt when I received my first ‘proof’ copy in the mail. I was ecstatic! It had really exceeded my expectations, and if you know anything about me, you’d know that I am a perfectionist with very high standards. I took my book to some renowned book stores and compared it to others in its category and I was extremely confident that it held its own!


EI: Some of the recipes are from your grandmother who came from an era where the word gluten-free didn't even exist. Was it difficult to adapt these recipes?

NA: You are absolutely right! The term ‘gluten’ or ‘gluten-free’ was not even known to them. Other than the pastas, pizza and cookies and cakes most of the recipes are naturally gluten-free so that wasn't an issue at all. When you think of mussels in marinara sauce, or stuffed cabbage rolls or risottos these are naturally gluten-free which was an added bonus for me and my new lifestyle. The only recipes that needed to be modified, were the ones that I mention in the beginning.

I could very well start making my own gluten-free pasta, but unfortunately I don’t have the time so I have to rely on brands that manufacture such products. That too, was not easy, as finding ‘delicious’ GF pasta was not easy and that really is a personal preference. Some may like the brands I chose and some may not and that’s fine too. When it comes to pasta, there are a few varieties to meet anyone’s tastes. The pizza was the hardest. While we can make GF crusts using GF flour we can certainly find lots of alternatives online and one that we enjoy a lot is the cauliflower crust. You can make it with zucchini as well. Desserts? That too wasn't a problem. With the right combination of GF flours and yeasts they are not a problem. I share a few great recipes in my book!


EI: You call yourself a true Italian to the core. What does that mean to you?

NA: As I mentioned earlier, I sincerely feel that the term ‘authentic’ and ‘Italian’ are severely overused. To me a true Italian is one who was raised in Italian traditions (no matter from what part of Italy they or their parents are from), understands and lives the culture and carries it on in his or her own life. The other really big part for me, that identifies a ‘true’ Italian is if you can speak the language. I can’t tell you how many times I've come across people who say they’re Italian and just when I’m about to switch the conversation over to it they quickly stop and say ‘oh no I can’t speak it though’. And that bothers me.

I also see many situations where Italian grandparents now living in Canada for so long ‘learned’ how to speak English and that became pretty much the language in the home to ‘accommodate’ the grandchildren. That bothers me too. My grandparents spoke Sicilian at home and that was that. My parents only spoke Sicilian and Italian at home and that was that. There was no compromising on what the language of communication was at home. Outside of the home was a different story but inside our home we all spoke our mother tongue. So it doesn't really matter if you’re first or even second generation, if you can keep your heritage and culture alive by means of what you eat, how you speak and the traditions you carry on in your life you demonstrate that you are truly Italian to the core. I am proud to say that I am one of these.


EI:  Are you working on another project?

I am responding with a loud and resounding YES! I felt there was a need to educate those who entertain family and friends on how to cook gluten-free so with these ones in mind I am co-authoring a book which will focus strictly on how to entertain gluten and dairy free and will feature incredible simple to elaborate menus. Stay tuned!

EI: Thank you, Nuccia, for sharing all this with us! I look forward to your next book.

More about Nuccia:

Nuccia Ardagna loves to travel to the place of her roots: SICILIA! Being Sicilian, she grew up with mamma, nonna and all her zie learning all the tricks of the trade and creating DELICIOUS Italian food from scratch. When diagnosed with celiac disease she was forced to learn new habits and, now, after trial and error and experimenting, wants to share her exquisite culinary creations with you.

She IS a true Italian to the core.

Connect with Nuccia: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

To read reviews of Going Against the Grain, please visit Nuccia's page on Italy Book Tours.

And for a chance to win a copy, enter here:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Italy Book Tours

The Artisan's Star by Gabriella Contestabile (Book spotlight, author interview, and giveaway!)

Today, I want to introduce you to Gabriella Contestabile, author of The Artisan's Star, which is currently on tour with Italy Book Tours. If you want to be immersed in the Italian culture, Florence and the art of perfumery, then you need to check out the book! Read my review of it here.

About the book

Elio Barati’s perfumery shop in Florence marks its entrance with a mosaic star. This shop immerses Elio in the artisanal world he loves, but he harbors a regret. As a young man he created a full-fledged perfume of jasmine, iris, and cypress at the renowned Ecole des Parfumeurs in Grasse—a fragrance his idealism and stubbornness boxed away before ever bringing it to light. 

A second star now brightens Elio’s life, his daughter Romina, an artist. She has her father’s unrealized talent, a precise and intuitive sense of smell. She's also inherited more challenging traits of Elio's: unbridled ambition and an insatiable wonder for the world.

But changes ripple through modern-day Florence. Artisan traditions wane; and when Romina tells her father she has no intention of running the family business Elio fights to hold on to the Florence he cherishes. Confronting the lost opportunities of his youth, Elio is thrust into this journey by five spirited women: his Greek mother, Elena; his mentor Palma; his soul mate, Marina; his astronomer wife, Sofia; and finally his beautiful artist daughter, who like the city of her birth, shows him how tradition and modernity can and must co-exist. 

Now he must alter his own path by harnessing the transformative powers of the fine and artisanal arts.

Where to buy the book

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

An Interview with Gabriella Contestabile

Please help me welcome Gabriella as she discusses her book and her writing.

LF: Gabriella, welcome to Essentially Italian. There are many books out there about Italy. What makes yours different?

GC: One cannot say or write enough about Italy. I’ve drawn inspiration from writers who’ve ventured into this gorgeous territory before me, (Mary McCarthy, Frances Mayes, Anton Gill, R.W.B. Lewis, Bernard Berenson, Francesca Marciano). I have always been drawn to the sense of place and the way it influences the way we feel, think and act. I love to see, re-visit, and describe the sensory detail around me, while traveling, or just walking around familiar streets. So “The Artisan’s Star” is both a novel and a travelogue. The characters inhabit artisan workshops, cafes, wine bars, and country vistas that continue to draw the curious traveler to Florence and surrounding Tuscany.

Throughout my life I’ve wanted to travel to the places I saw made real through literature. Reading about a character in a setting, following his thoughts, her revelations, their observations, makes one feel present in that very spot. It all comes together; the visual detail, the smells, the memories and fears that play against the backdrop. Setting is a character unto itself. In ‘The Artisan’s Star” present day Florence joins with Romina to wake Elio up; force him to confront his fears and regrets, and embark on a new dream.

LF: I enjoyed your book and of course, its setting. What advice would you give budding writers?

• Make time to write. No matter how demanding your life may be. Everything is material. Even that moment when you feel the entire world is conspiring against you is an opportunity to put thoughts to paper. Someday one of your characters will face a similar conflict and those thoughts become insights.

• Don’t let fear in. There are stories out there that need to be told, yours among them, and very often it’s art, not traditional news, that enables us to fully understand the world we currently live in. There are sparkling new voices and resonant older voices. There are emerging new literary styles and conduits. It’s a very exciting time. 

• Ask for feedback. I owe my writing teachers and my developmental editor a million thank yous for their unsparing feedback. Their goal, and mine, was to create a meaningful and transformative reader experience. They kept me focused on that vision and, in the process, taught me my craft. 

LF: Excellent advice. Do you have another profession besides writing?

GC: I’ve had a number of career incarnations; foreign language teacher, international training and education executive, free-lance writer. Somehow I’ve always ended up doing something that involved, writing, teaching, travel, and languages. So I suppose that in an unfocussed way I have followed my dreams, or taken all sorts of crisscrossed paths to get here.

Right now I’m on a three-tiered path. I’m going to keep writing both fiction and non-fiction. I’m also President and Founder of a boutique travel company that specializes in artisan-inspired tours of Florence. And, as a result of my volunteer work, with Dress For Success, I’ve designed a series of training workshops related to the world of work. Once a trainer always a trainer I say. Empowering women and girls through education and training is one of the initiatives I’m most passionate about.

Again, all these pieces interlock. They’re about ‘work’ in its many forms, our connection with it, how we shape our life choices around what we do, don’t do, or want to do. It took me awhile to see the connection but it’s there. And I go back to the philosophy that one’s life is a work of art, to be continually sculpted, shaped and re-imagined, around the life events we encounter along the way.

LF: You are one talented lady! How long have you been writing?

GC: Since second grade in Ottawa, Canada. It’s a funny story. Back then in Catholic schools we took some serious penmanship classes. We had to learn free-hand cursive without resting our wrists on the desk. I was so bad at it my mother made me practice all my letters everyday. I got bored writing those same letters so I started writing stories instead. And I haven’t stopped. I remember the day I started, at a round wooden table in our 6th floor walk up apartment on Bank Street, on a snowy day.

LF: I didn't know you spent part of your childhood in Canada! Do you write every day?

GC: Yes. But the length of time varies depending on my schedule. I make it a ritual to write in my big notebook/journal when I first wake up. It’s when my ideas flow more freely. Just the feeling of waking up to a new day provokes fresh thinking.

LF: Thank you, Gabriella, for taking the time to answer my questions and for allowing us to get to know you better.

About Gabriella

Gabriella Contestabile is an author, educator, and owner of SU MISURA JOURNEYS, a boutique travel company connecting people to the artisans of Florence. She emigrated, with her parents, from Italy to New York City in 1959. In her pre-writer life, she worked as a foreign language teacher, management development specialist, and fragrance/cosmetics executive. Gabriella is a strong advocate of the arts, of multiculturalism, and of social justice—a passion inspired by reading Dickens and Dante at a very young age. 

She has been an active volunteer with Dress for Success for over eight years and is a member of the Slow Food NYC Food and Farm Policy Task Force. She lives on the Upper West Side with her husband, her daughter, her mom, and a furry Shih–Tzu named Oreo. ‘ The Artisan’s Star’ is her first novel. She is currently working on a collection of short stories, also set in Italy, and a screenplay.

Connect with Gabriella: Website ~ Twitter ~ Amazon Author Page ~ Su Misura ~ Facebook

Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Transporting us to Venice and the Art of Gondola Making

Today, I'd like to spotlight Laura Morelli, art historian and award-winning author of The Gondola Maker. Morelli is currently touring her book with iRead Book Tours, and I had the opportunity to meet her at BookExpo America in New York City this past Thursday, where she accepted the Silver IPPY Award for Best Adult Fiction.

The Gondola Maker is also finalist for the Eric Hoffer Award Category, shortlisted for the da Vinci Eye Prize and finalist for the Indie Excellence Award.

Laura Morelli accepting the IPPY Award

Laura Morelli is a lovely woman and I thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with her. In the fall, The Gondola Maker will be on tour again with Italy Book Tours, another tour company that I am launching this month. I will be spotlighting more books set in Italy and their authors. So if you love everything Italian like a lot of bloggers I know, stick around for some great upcoming titles!

Morelli is also launching a series of travel guides, especially for travelers who love to discover and learn more about Italy's beautiful artwork. I'll be spotlighting those as soon as they are published.

Me with Laura Morelli at BEA 14

You can learn more about The Gondola Maker by reading Sandra's review and interview with Morelli on my review blog Library of Clean Read. If you love historical fiction and atmospheric books, this one is sure to please! It will transport you to medieval Venice and the art of gondola making.

Here's a brief synopsis of the book:
From the author of Made in Italy comes a tale of artisanal tradition and family bonds set in one of the world's most magnificent settings: Renaissance Venice.

When Luca Vianello, the heir to a renowned gondola-making enterprise, experiences an unexpected tragedy in the boatyard, he believes that his destiny lies elsewhere. Soon he finds himself drawn to restore an antique gondola with the dream of taking a girl for a ride. Lovers of historical fiction will appreciate the authentic details of gondola craftsmanship, along with an intimate first-person narrative set against the richly textured backdrop of 16th-century Venice.



Where to buy the book:
Amazon
Barnes & Nobles
Book Depository
Indigo Chapters

About Laura Morelli:

Laura Morelli earned a Ph.D. in art history from Yale University, where she was a Bass Writing Fellow and an Andrew W. Mellon Doctoral Fellow. She has taught college art history in the U.S. and at Trinity College in Rome. She is the creator of the authentic guidebook series that includes Made in Italy, Made in France, and Made in the Southwest, published by Rizzoli. Laura is a frequent contributor to National Geographic Traveler and other national magazines and newspapers. A native of coastal Georgia, she is married and is busy raising four children. The Gondola Maker is her first work of fiction.

Connect with Laura here: www.lauramorelli.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauramorelliphd
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lauramorelliphd
about.me/lauramorelliphd

Do you like books set in Italy, in particular Venice?

The Verona Trilogy: Medieval Italy, Time Travel and a Guest Post

Today, I'd like to welcome Lory S. Kaufman, author of the YA novels, The Verona Trilogy. Lory is currently touring with his books for two months on a mega virtual book tour. You can follow the tour here. Since I love books set in Italy and time travel, I am super excited about this trilogy!

Following the synopsis of his books, Lory is guest posting about time travel. Be sure to scroll down and read his post.

The Verona Trilogy is an adventurous series that takes readers along on the life-changing journey of three 24th century teens. Travel in time to 14th century Verona Italy with them and get lost in this exciting sci-fi, historical fiction tale.

The LENS and the LOOKER
BOOK #1 of The Verona Trilogy:

It’s the 24th century and humans, with the help of artificial intelligences (A.I.s), have finally created the perfect post-dystopian society. To make equally perfect citizens for this world, the elders have created History Camps, full sized recreations of cities from Earth’s distant pasts. Here teens live the way their ancestors did, doing the same dirty jobs and experiencing the same degradation. History Camps teach youths not to repeat the mistakes that almost caused the planet to die. But not everything goes to plan.

In this first of a trilogy, we meet three spoiled teens in the year 2347. Hansum almost 17, is good looking and athletic. Shamira, 15, is sassy, independent and an artistic genius. Lincoln, 14, is the smart-aleck. But you don’t have to scratch too far beneath the surface to find his insecurities.

These three “hard cases” refuse the valuable lessons History Camps teach. But when they are kidnapped and taken back in time to 1347 Verona, Italy, they only have two choices; adapt to the harsh medieval ways or die. The dangers are many, their enemies are powerful, and safety is a long way away. It’s hardly the ideal environment to fall in love – but that’s exactly what happens. In an attempt to survive, the trio risks introducing technology from the future. It could save them – or it could change history.

The BRONZE and the BRIMSTONE
Book #2 of the Verona Trilogy

What could go wrong in the 14th-century for three time-traveling teens? How about – EVERYTHING!

Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln, three teens from the 24th-century, are trapped in 14th-century Verona, Italy. They’ve survived many deadly experiences by keeping their wits about them and by introducing futuristic technology into the past. Principal among these inventions is the telescope, which brought them to the attention of the rich and powerful.

But standing out can get you into unexpected – situations. The nobles of Verona now believe Hansum is a savant, a genius inventor, especially after he brings them plans for advanced cannons and black powder. Being the center of attention is great, but the potential for trouble is now exponentially greater because people are watching Hansum’s every move.

Meanwhile, artistic genius Shamira has fallen for a Florentine artist with bloody and disastrous consequences. Lincoln, considered an incompetent back home in the 24th-century, has blossomed – at least until he’s shot in the head with an arrow. And Hansum, after secretly marrying his new master’s beautiful daughter, Guilietta, is offered the hand in marriage of lady Beatrice, daughter of the ruler of Verona. To refuse could mean calamity for all the teens.

Amazingly, none of this is their biggest challenge. Because a rash illness is spreading across Verona – and it is threatening to consume everyone. Do they have a future in this past?

The LOVED and the LOST
Book #3 of The Verona Trilogy

A quest for lost love. An adventure of many lifetimes.

Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln are three 24th-century time travelers desperate to return to 14th-century Verona and reclaim their medieval family’s shattered lives. It is a mission fraught with danger and the risk of unexpected consequences for themselves and their worlds. For all three, it is a matter of the heart. For one, though, it is truly the only thing that matters, as the fate of his eternal love and the life of their unborn child is the prize to be won – or lost forever.

In this, the final book of The Verona Trilogy, our three time travelers go on the boldest adventure of their lives. They will face hardship, tragedy, and threats from sources they couldn't have imagined – all in an effort to wrestle a future from the steely grip of an unforgiving past.

Guest Post by Lory S. Kaufman: 

Time Travel: A Fun Way to Make the Impossible Seem Real  

At the beginning of The Lens and the Looker, Book #1 of The Verona Trilogy, humans in the 24th-century can’t time travel. They can in the 31st-century, and a History Camp counselor from that future, Arimus, comes back and kidnaps three spoiled hard cases: Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln. He takes them back to 14th century Verona Italy, a time when there is no social safety net. He abandons them. That’s when the fun and adventure starts.

As a writer whose stories depend on time travel, do I actually believe it’s possible? Not in the way it’s used by me or most speculative fiction authors. Am I suggesting that in the foreseeable future it will be possible? I used to believe it, but now I’m not sure.

Then why do I use time travel?

Well, it’s a great literary device that allows characters from different times to be thrown into the same arena of life to compare notes and knock heads – and the more outrageous the situation the better. You see, for me the art of writing (and the fun) is to make the impossible seem real and truly plausible; to craft words in a way that the reader will want to suspend disbelief. Also, time travel works especially well for me since my interest in doing these stories is to be part of a discussion about what type of world the human race will plan for the future. Time travel allows me to compare the past, as well as the future, and then I hope some readers will want to live the changes they want to see happen in the world. Hey, like Arimus, a character in my book says, “. . . what’s life mean, without an impossible dream?”

One last thought about time travel and the one thing I am certain about. We shouldn’t hold our breath about it coming soon enough to help fix and save the world. The older I get, the more obvious it becomes that we’re on our own for that.

If you are further interested in reading about the preparation I did to create the future universe of The Verona Trilogy, you can go to my author website and read the BACKSTORY tab. There you’ll find an expanded essay about the many topics that are “between the lines” of my futuristic, post-dystopian adventure. http://www.lorykaufman.com/back-story. 

Thanks for allowing me the space on this excellent book blog, and thank you, readers, for taking the time to read it.

Meet the Author:

"I write Post-Dystopian fiction. After society’s collapse, which is imagined in so many great dystopian stories, humans will either fade into history, with the dinosaurs, or, if it learns the right lessons, society will go on to construct a civilization to last tens of thousands of years. The books of THE VERONA TRILOGY are the exciting adventures of young people doing the latter.” -Lory Kaufman

On the artistic side of Lory’s career, he’s written, acted and directed children’s theatre and musical theatre. He enjoys art, especially sculpture. He loves science fiction and historical fiction and he has been deeply involved in the green movement all across North America. All this shows through when you read his work. Lory has three grown children and works and lives in Kingston, Canada.

Author website: www.lorykaufman.com
Connect with Kaufman on Twitter and Facebook.

Where to buy the books:
Amazon
Barnes & Nobles
Book Depository
Indigo Chapters

Thank you, Lory, for joining us today! Ciao e alla prossima!

Author Spotlight: Joyce DiPastena, Queen of Sweet Medieval Romances

As a book blogger, I've come to meet many interesting people in the community of authors, book bloggers, book publishers and publicists. Therefore, whenever I can, I will spotlight authors who are Italian, of Italian origin or write about Italy and its plethora of subjects.

Today, I'd like to introduce you to Joyce DiPastena, an American author of Italian origin. Actually, her grandfather was from the region of Abruzzo, just like my grandfather! Joyce is proud of her Italian heritage, having told me about one of her trips to Italy with her sister. One of the things that touched me about Joyce is her kind-hearted nature. I once won a box of chocolates from one of her contests and although the chocolate company did not deliver to Canada, she insisted making alternative arrangements to deliver the box even though this would have been costly. I told her she could pass on the prize to someone else, but she told me no way, you'll get your chocolates. Thank you, Joyce!

Joyce has a degree specializing in medieval history, and let me tell you, she knows her stuff when it comes to the medieval era. A few years ago I asked about the genre she writes and why, this is what she said:

"I write medieval romances, although I tend to include so much additional plot alongside the romance that I had an agent tell me I don’t really write romances at all. But they’re all romances to me. There may be a lot of other stuff going on…mysteries, assassination attempts, medieval politics…but at the heart of each story is a man and a woman falling in love against all the odds around them.

I became fascinated with the Middle Ages back in high school, when I read The Conquering Family by Thomas B. Costain. I fell in love with King Henry II of England. Not “romantic” love. There was just something about the way his contemporaries described him that stirred a great affection in me for him. He seemed to be one of those rare kings who was actually more interested in trying to improve his country than in simply enjoying the “glory” or “privileges” of his rank. He is described as a man who hated war, even though circumstances forced him to spend most of his adult life at war. He was a man of tremendous energy and intellect. And he laid important foundations to the legal system that we have inherited from England and enjoy ourselves today.

His legacy was marred by his quarrel with Archbishop Thomas á Becket, and the son who succeeded him, Richard the Lionheart, is a more flashy character of legend. But everything I’ve read about Henry II since those high school days has only increased my love and admiration for this man. Loyalty’s Web and Illuminations of the Heart are both set during his lifetime, and although he has not yet actually appeared on the scene in any of my books, the references I make to him, small though they might be, are my own way of paying tribute to this great, underappreciated king."


I have read two of Joyce's books, Illuminations of the Heart and Dangerous Favor, both of which I enjoyed. You can find out more about Joyce and her books by visiting her website.