It was a simple train station, brick and stone, with a dark red door. Empty and abandoned, it sat nestled in the mountains of southern France. Truly, it was just a blip on an otherwise picturesque route that we were enjoying aboard the Tournon Steam Train one morning last June. Along with my fellow travelers, I…
Read MoreLast 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…
Read MoreA faded restaurant menu from 1943; a memorial plaque with a mystery; a secret plan to feed those in hiding; and a grave mistake made in the hours before dawn… These are just some of the elements of my newest historical novel, The Forgotten Italian Restaurant. And I’m so excited to be writing about…
Read MoreIt’s a funny thing about novel writing – sometimes you realize connections between your fictional world and your real life only after the story is complete. That’s what happened to me with THE FORGOTTEN ITALIAN RESTAURANT, which launched on Aug. 21st. I found myself creating a wonderful character who serves as a substitute sister to…
Read MoreThe day after my parents were married, their car soared off the road and landed upside-down in a ditch. I remember hearing this for the first time when I was about nine years old. I was in the kitchen with my mother, who was telling the story to a friend on the phone. My parents…
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Do you believe in love at first sight? Valentine’s Day always makes me think of a couple I’ve known for a long time, a couple for whom the phrase “love at first sight” had to have been invented! I’ll call them Jackie and Scott, and they met while they were each traveling through Europe on a…
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How did you start the new year? I hope the beginning of 2024 delivered exactly what you were hoping for – whether that was a wonderful adventure, a heartwarming personal connection, a spark of joy or a moment of serenity—whatever you most desired! As for me, I started the year by crossing off something on…
Read MoreWhen I was about eight, one of the strangest, scariest, and possibly most revealing moments of my life occurred. I was driving with my family to my grandparents’ apartment to take them with us to dinner. My father was driving, my sister and I were in the front seat (this was back before seatbelt laws), and my…
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Typically for an author, the two months leading up to a book launch are nothing short of thrilling. There are interviews to do, podcasts to record, swag to order, giveaways to host, and lots of excitement about sending your newest “book baby” into the world. Earlier this month I began crafting this month’s newsletter, fully anticipating…
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I’ve always loved historical fiction, so I was thrilled to step into this genre over the course of the last year. SECRETS OF THE ITALIAN ISLAND, my new book launching May 11th, centers around two strong women: Mia, a 32-year-old single researcher living in in modern-day Long Island, and her grandmother, Italian-born Annalisa, who was…
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