Writing Blog
Book Review: The Switch
I read this book largely in one day, on the beach between swims. It’s a fast paced, fun tale about an identity swap between grandmother and granddaughter. Leena is a twenty-something management consultant/workaholic living in London. Her job is her life and she’s used to dazzling clients and being the It-girl of her consultng firm.…
Read MoreSeeking book reviewers: My novel, Three Coins, now available on NetGalley
Last week I announced my cover reveal for Three Coins, my debut novel, set to be released in October. Like all authors, I am eager to start gathering advance reviews, so an advance copy of my novel is up on NetGalley. For any readers who love women’s fiction with a touch of romance, stories about…
Read MoreCover reveal! Pleased to reveal my new Three Coins cover
I’m super excited to be able to announce a cover reveal for my debut novel, Three Coins, which I’ll be publishing in October. I had so much fun writing this contemporary women’s fiction novel, with romantic elements, told through the perspective of three very different expatriate women living in Rome, Italy. As someone who loves…
Read MoreBook review: Carnegie’s Maid
This is my first novel by author Marie Benedict. But I picked it up because of my fascination with America’s Gilded Age, and the fact that I knew little of the early years of famous Robber Barron (and generous philanthropist) Andrew Carnegie. Benedict is a Pittsburgh native, and so Carnegie loomed large as a powerful,…
Read MoreWriting as a way to banish concerns from your mind, according to Dos Passos
“When you write about something you often never think of it again.” —John Dos Passos I’m a big fan of John Dos Passos and his stories about how cruel the reality could be for immigrants arriving in American cities at the turn of the century – and how harsh and solitary life in those…
Read MoreSono fuori di testaaaaa … editing
To borrow from the (catchy) winning performance by the Italian (Roman, to be precise) band Måneskin at the 2021 Eurovision contest: Sono fuori di testaaa (I’m out of my mind). Mine, however, is not twenty-something existential angst about not being able to adequately express my individuality in a world that constantly pressures me to conform.…
Read MoreMore than halfway through my Goodreads Readers’ Challenge
We’re in July now, and I still have no idea where over half the year has gone. However, I have been enjoying a fun reading year. I’ve already passed the halfway mark to meet my Goodreads Readers’ Challenge for 2021. I’ve read lots of interesting novels, including some (new to me) authors and others by…
Read MoreSurrounded by history at the Historical Novel Society Conference
Moonlighting has never been so much fun! Nor has it ever (at least for me) ranged from medieval times to the Renaissance, swinging on to the Gilded Age and speeding up to the Roaring 20s and the post-WWI world. Exhausting and exhilarating at the same time! Yes, you can find all that and more at…
Read MoreBook review: What the Lady Wants
I love historical fiction and have a softspot for America’s Gilded Age, so I was very pleased to discover What the Lady Wants. Not surprisingly, I loved the novel. This is my third Renee Rosen novel, each set in a different period of time. What the Lady Wants opens in 1871, on the eve of…
Read More900 posts!
I started this blog dedicated to travel, writing and reading – with a generous dash of all things Italy-related – back in 2012, and I’ve been at it ever since. Like all bloggers, it’s great to celebrate some milestones. So, I’m pleased to announce I’ve just reached (gulp!) 900 posts! No one is more surprised…
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