Simply put, writing about the Chickalini family brings me back home again.
Raised in the heart of western New York’s snow-belt, I had parents who were married at twenty-one, had me at twenty-two, and strolled hand in hand through four-plus decades of marriage. Our sprawling Italian/Sicilian family—dozens of aunts, uncles, and cousins, plus all four grandparents—lived within a few treelined blocks of our Queen Anne Victorian. Family and friends dropped in at all hours and were greeted with coffee and cookies or wine and cheese. We celebrated milestones at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church and holidays around noisy, crowded dining room tables laden with food.
There were times when all that togetherness got on my nerves, as it does on Ralphie’s. But like Ralphie, Nina, and their siblings, I learned the hard way about the importance of family, and tradition, and holding on—and letting go.
My beautiful young mom was tragically taken from us, much too soon, a few years back. Gone, too, are two of my grandpas, a grandma, cousins, and countless old friends. But they all live on in my heart, and every now and then, they are captured in a fictional glimmer right here, in the pages of the Chickalini family books.
Cent’anni!
www.wendymarkham.com
From the desk of Shari Anton
Dear Reader,
There’s a moment during the writing of a book when an author knows she’s telling the story she’s supposed to tell. For some authors, this sublime moment of serendipity occurs in the initial stages of plotting. For me, these pleasant, priceless discoveries tend to happen when I’m writing the first draft of my books.
Each time that moment happens, I’m relieved at my good fortune and thankful for a cooperative muse who always seems to know I’m headed in the right direction even when I’m doubtful.
Such a moment happened while I wrote MAGIC IN HIS KISS (on sale now). I knew all along that Rhodri ap Dafydd, the hero of my story, was a talented Welsh bard. But I didn’t realize the importance and significance of his music until I wrote the scene where Rhodri is composing a new song on his harp. I knew then what course his life was meant to take, and why he was the perfect hero for Nicole de Leon.
Of course, at that point in the story, Rhodri doesn’t realize how important his music will be to Nicole’s life work, and Nicole has no idea that because of the magic in his music Rhodri is destined to be her life’s partner. At that point in the story, they aren’t even sure they like each other! But, of course, they are bound together by the music, by destiny, and by love.
It’s always fun to watch a story unfold. An author sometimes blindly follows the lives of the characters to discover where they’re going and why, just as a reader keeps turning the pages of a good story to learn what happens next. The experience for both of us can be (dare I say it) magical!
Enjoy!
www.sharianton.com