Autumn is the perfect time to read my In The Shadow of The Apennines

Coming off back-to-back weeekend visits to teh tiny Abruzzo town of Ovindoli, the model for my fictional town of Marsican in my novel In The Shadow of The Apennines, I was struck by all the beautiful autumn colors.

Although I love life in Rome, I do miss enjoying the changing leaves and the crispness of the autumn air, and so, nearby mountain escapes are a welcome refuge.

Autumn is also a perfect time to read my novel, which is largely set in that time of year. I so enjoyed writing this story about a disillusioned American woman who moves to an Abruzzo hamlet hoping to change her life, eventually finding inspiration from the difficult life of a sixteen-year-old shepherdess who lived in the region in the lead-up to World War I.

I love exploring the connections between women’s lives across time, and this novel gave me the chance to write about a beautiful region I love, and the devastating effects it suffered following the earthquake of 1915 and Italy’s subsequent entry into WWI.

I spend a lot of time in Abruzzo, so it was a lot of fun to base my story in Marsicano, a fictionalized version of the very real town of Ovindoli, and the very real Pescina, which suffered a horrific earthquake in January 1915. I first learned about that earthquake following the devastating 2009 L’Aquila earthquake, and that is when I began reading the works of a survivor of that Pescina quake, the brilliant author Ignazio Sillone. I enjoyed working this into my story.

You can find my book blurb, editorial reviews, and some of my YouTube videos about the book below.

I hope you’ll take the chance to read my story and to discover more about the background of this lovely region. It’s the perfect read for when you want to curl up under a warm blanket with a steaming cup of tea – and escape to the Italian mountains.

Hope you’ll enjoy your vicarious trip to the rugged Apennine mountains!

 

An American divorcée. An Italian shepherdess.
Separated by a century, united by common dreams

The sleepy little Abruzzo mountain town of Marsicano seems about as far as Samantha can flee from her failed marriage and disastrous university career. Eager for a fresh start, Samantha begins to set down roots in her Italian mountain hideaway.

At first, the mountain retreat appears idyllic, but an outsider’s clumsy attempts at breaking into the closed mountain community are quickly thwarted when the residents discover Samantha’s snarky blog ridiculing the town and its inhabitants.

Increasingly isolated in her mountain cottage, Samantha discovers the letters and diaries of Elena, a past tenant and a survivor of the 1915 Pescina earthquake. Despite the century that separates the two women, Samantha feels increasingly drawn into Elena’s life, and discovers startling parallels with her own.

 

“A poignant and hopeful story of one woman’s search for herself.” -Kirkus Reviews

“An emotionally nuanced thrill ride. Sullivan’s expert prose allows a deeper look at her protagonists’ feelings, fears, and vulnerabilities. The novel succeeds as both a contemporary fiction and a thoughtfully told story of a heartbroken woman trying to come to terms with the new circumstances of her life. A tale of heartbreak, grief, courage, and self-realization that will resonate with many.” -The Prairies Review 

“A compelling literary work. Sullivan’s novel is romantic in the way only foreign travel can be, with the prose beautifully describing the sights and sounds of Italy, as well as unveiling the captivating story of two women’s seemingly disparate lives woven together across time.”-Self-Publishing Review

“From the start, Sullivan’s remarkable storytelling drew me in and had me hooked to the end. The story is filled with delightful descriptions of Italian culture, the breathtaking Apennine Mountains, and details about the hardworking, courageous people who have called Abruzzo home for centuries. This is an unforgettable story about hope, finding the strength to face the past, and embracing new beginnings.”-Readers’ Favorite

“In author Kimberly Sullivan’s newest novel, Samantha Burke unearths comfort and solace in Italy’s idyllic towns and cultures and an awe-inspiring journal of fortitude and adversity. A fascinating fiction with resonant themes.” -Feathered Quill Review 

“An affecting  narrative that connects with the mind and heart. Sullivan has done a remarkable job by bringing a duality between two different women who lived at different periods.Their emotional journies become progressively aligned, interspersing the modern and historical.”-Reader Views

If you’d like to see some of my short videos with real-life locations I used in my novel, you can watch these. And please subscribe to my YouTube channel.

When I get out to this region, I enjoy showing my readers some of the spots of my novel. Here, I show views over Ovindoli, which was transformed into the fictional “Marsicano” of my story.

World War I is important in my novel, and these WWI soldier statues you can find all over Abruzzo also helped inspire my original story – I even “stole” some of the more old-fashioned male names from this monument. You can learn about it here.

And, of course, the hiking trails in this stunning region play an important role in my story, and you can get a good idea of what it looks like from my video out on the beautiful Arano trail. I spend plenty of time out here walking, jogging and biking – and, not surprisingly, so did my modern protagonist Samantha. My love of these trails made it so much fun to write. You can take a look here.