Although my Italian grandfather was the initial inspiration for writing Daughter of Calabria/Echoes of War, it was my Italian grandmother who was the inspiration for the heart of the story. Sadly my childhood memories of her are few and so instead I drew on the stories told by my father and aunt. She remained in… Read more
As you may know, the smaller paperback format of each of my novels follows a year after the first release of the original larger edition. As we prepared for the paperback release of Echoes of War in September, my publishers wondered whether the original title told readers enough about the setting and story. They asked… Read more
I had the pleasure of speaking to SBS Radio about Echoes of War recently. I really enjoyed talking to journalist Carlo Oreglia about my Italian heritage and my grandparents and of course, the inspiration for Echoes of War. It was an Italian segment, the podcast and article transcribed into Italian, for the Italian community, and… Read more
While researching Echoes of War, I was fascinated to learn about the rich religious history of Calabria and the legends that accompany many of the religious sites. Calabria is famous for its religious festivals, especially involving the Madonna. In the village my family comes from, the festa happens in early September where a statue of… Read more
My love of family stories is nothing new. I’ve been fascinated by them since I was a child and eternally curious about the lives of the people involved. Sometimes the stories are rich in detail but most often they’re snippets of what life was like in another time and place, almost like photos capturing a… Read more