Barbara Josselsohn

Last night I did something I’ve meant to do for a long time. Something I’m sure many of you have done way before now. Something I’ve been on the brink of doing since July.

I spit into a cup.

Which, as I’m sure you realize, means that I submitted and sent off a DNA sample for analysis. In six to eight weeks, I will have a more complete understanding of my lineage, with maybe a few unexpected surprises about the people, events, and circumstances that contributed to my birth.

I purchased the kit over the summer but it wasn’t until yesterday that I finally got around to opening it up and following the directions inside. I’m not sure what I was waiting for. Was I scared of what I would find out? Or was I scared that I wouldn’t find out anything all that interesting? I don’t know – maybe a little of both!

You see, I love family histories. I love historical fiction – both reading it and writing it. I love creating characters who come across family secrets and probe family mysteries. I love when they go away on a journey – sometimes physical, always emotional – that ends with them learning more about themselves, the people who came before them, and the people they love.

My three World War II novels all revolve around family stories that produce unexpected findings and new revelations. In Secrets of the Italian Island, my main character, Mia, fields accusations that her grandmother stole a valuable artifact – and and discovers the true story behind that missing object; in The Lost Gift to the Italian Island, Tori sets out to confront the grandmother who abandoned her and comes to understand the terrible wartime events that led her grandmother to make the hardest of choices.

And in my latest novel, The Forgotten Italian Restaurant, my main character, Callie, sets out to uncover the decades-old source of her troubled relationship with her family – and ultimately embarks on a friendship that changes the course of her life and teaches her what it truly means to be a sister.
What will I learn when my DNA results come back? Will it be life changing or yawn worthy? A big part of me hopes to learn something fascinating about my past – which will lead me toward a fresh discovery about myself!