What advice can one author give to another?
Plain and simple, keep writing.
Don’t wait for that super special idea to come along before you sit at
the computer. I always find my ideas coming when I’m already writing.
perhaps my way of tackling the task (I use this word because the
creative writing process is rather a struggle) is not the usual manner
most authors use.
Yes, I start out with a little idea. Sometimes it just comes to me, like my
IF TEDDY BEARS COULD TALK. Actually having two small grandchildren
helped matters. There are toys and teddy bears of all sizes in our
house. So I thought, how does a teddy bear react to children and
family? I really had fun writing Teddy’s thoughts, along with his hopes
and fears.
Other times, I draw from personal experiences, especially my travel
experiences. I travelled extensively when I was young and I had the
habit, even then, to takes notes on the things I saw, as well as
situations I had to deal with. My books FLORENCE AND ME, HAWAII
AND ME, ATHENS AND ME, and 8 EUOPEAN CITIES AND ME, were the
outcome. My TURIN AND ME book instead talks about my life in a
small town in the providence of Turin. You see, I married an Italian man
and together with our two children we created a life “all’italiana”.
There were lots of adjustments to make and if you read my book you’ll
find out what they are. Of course, being a teacher urges me on to
“instruct”. My KEEP YOUR SHIRT ON does just that. It instructs
travelers to Italy on how to behave in this beautiful country. I gave lots
of helpful tips to make their trip even more enjoyable.
I didn’t stop there about talking about my Italy. I wrote a play about a
couple who came to Italy to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary
and the trip with all their comical experiences turned out to be much
more than they expected. It turned out the title says it all, IT COULD
ONLY HAPPEN IN ITALY.
My love for Christmas and everything it involves, was my inspiration for
writing two Christmas books. My first book, CHRISTMAS AT MY
DOORSTEP, was where I envisioned a toy store and the people who
worked there. Work and family problems blended together with a little
romance thrown in. My BECAUSE IT’S CHRISTMAS tells of a young
woman who ends up taking her much desired Christmas vacation at a
Vermont resort. She didn’t plan on taking it alone but her fiancé had
other plans. She was fortunate to meet wonderful people there who
made her feel less lonely. She too finds an unexpected romance.
My TALES OF A WEDDING PLANNER is also the result of helping my
daughter who had a big role in organizing weddings. The beautiful
decorations she prepared were always a big success. I decided I
wanted to write about these hardworking women and put in a little
mystery and suspense to boot. Actually, there were three separate
stories in this book, each one dealing with weddings. I also added a
number of wedding décor ideas, explained in great detail, to help the
to-be brides.
I once had an art studio in Florence and I have always been attracted
to painting even now I create hand-painted greeting cards. Take a look
at my LITTLE LADIES https://www.facebook.com/Little-Ladies-OriginalHand-painted-Greeting-Cards-163359353695942/
I always admired those artists who dedicated themselves to portrait
painting and that’s how I got the idea to write about one of them.
LAINIE’S LADIES was the result. A famous woman portrait painter,
Lainie, has her studio in Brooklyn and gets to meet three lovely women
who come to her for their portraits to be painted. Each one has a
particular reason why she wanted a portrait of herself. Lainie discovers
many things about them, especially their secrets and finds that the final
painting reveals more than just a beautiful face. Later, there is a
mystery regarding a missing portrait.
I’m an ex pat from Brooklyn, New York and many people who live here
in my area are quite curious about my city. Many too are planning to
visit the city and needed some inside advice from a person who once
lived there. This brought me to writing COME WITH ME TO NEW YORK.
as well the Italian version, VENITE CON ME A NEW YORK, for my nonEnglish
speaking friends. In this little book, I give lots of practical advice
about seeing the city. I added out of the way places to see and also my
favorite places to eat. One, in particular, is a diner with live music!
I can’t forget to mention that being a proud grandmother, “Nonna”, in
Italian, I couldn’t resist talking about my first grandchild, Gioele. When
he gets older he will surely enjoy reading about himself in my CALL ME
NONNA. I really enjoyed talking about him and his cute and astute
experiences until the age of two and a half. He is our little man and
you’d be surprised at all he accomplished during this time. Now I’m
working on CALL ME NONNA 2, for my little granddaughter, Micaela.
She’s only one but there is still a lot to write about!
So, I just want to say, don’t get discouraged. Look into your own life
and find a story. I guarantee there is more than one.
Be observant to things that are going around you. Sometimes you can
find a story line in a recent happening. I found one on Facebook. A
woman who decided to retire on a cruise ship This made for my up and
coming book, JUST CRUISING ALONG.
As I said in the beginning of this article, keep writing. Everything is
worth writing about.
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