"When it came right down to it, our dream trip felt like falling off a cliff." After early retirement, in 2017 Pam and her husband Dave packed four suitcases and one beer cooler full of insulin and boarded a one-way flight to Italy for a year-long dream trip. The dream was to live like locals, find out-of-the-way restaurants, and watch the seasons change. But behind every dream, there is the reality. What happened when two people retire from their full-time jobs and realize they have … [Read more...] about Braving the World: Adventures in Travel and Retirement by Pam Saylor
A Girl’s Tuscan Dream by The Girl
This book is about how a forty-year dream landed me in one of the most unspoilt and beautiful areas of Tuscany. As I start writing I am sitting in my dream home looking out towards the Mediterranean Sea. The Tuscan sun is still strong at this hour, and the soft light reflecting on the hills makes the olive trees a vibrant grey green. The Love I found along the way is busy doing DIY projects. We will soon have an Aperol Spritz, some fresh basil, mozzarella and tomatoes from the garden. We … [Read more...] about A Girl’s Tuscan Dream by The Girl
Ardor’s Prestige by Patricia M. Muhammad
Duchessa Anastasia sneaks away from the family mansion at night in 18th Century Venezia during Carnevale. Giorgio, her cavalier servente, has feelings for her. Anastasia accepts the esteemed courtier, Leandro's marriage proposal though he fails to disclose an important detail about himself. The royal guards seize Giorgio at the d’Alessi manor. The Crown accuses Giorgio of treason. Capriana, a servant, knows how Giorgio was framed. A conspirator intends to murder her. Anastasia and Leandro … [Read more...] about Ardor’s Prestige by Patricia M. Muhammad
With All My Love, I Wait by Gloria Panzera
In a remote village in Post-World War II Italy, Liliana is the best baker in town and life is looking up until the love her life, Raffaele, leaves seeking economic opportunity elsewhere. She promises to wait for him so she can finally leave the stone walls and stifling town of Gildone. After years of waiting and not hearing from him, Liliana marries Domenico, a strong and accomplished soldier. After the couple experience a distancing, both physically and emotionally, Liliana discovers she is … [Read more...] about With All My Love, I Wait by Gloria Panzera
Interview with Author – Stef Smulders
About Stef Smulders: In 2008 Stef Smulders, his partner Nico and their dog Saar emigrated to Italy to start a new life and set up their B&B Villa I Due Padroni. They sold their home, left their friends and family behind and took a leap into the unknown. In 2016 Stef shared his experiences in a collection of witty short stories. The book "Living in Italy: the Real Deal" treats the trials and tribulations of an emigration. What inspires you to write? My life in Italy, the people … [Read more...] about Interview with Author – Stef Smulders
Interview with Author – Christine Simolke
About Christine Simolke: I am a former middle school language arts teacher/group cycling instructor with a master’s degree in English education. I’m married and have two sons, two dogs and two cats. I love to read, run, take group exercise classes, dance with my husband, and cook. When my youngest son entered high school, about 7 years ago, I quit teaching to work on writing full time. What inspires you to write? I am inspired by reading about and talking to interesting people, watching the … [Read more...] about Interview with Author – Christine Simolke
The Italian Ski Instructor by Ann Streetman
The Italian Ski Instructor by Ann Streetman Shaken by an unwanted divorce, Jennifer was not ready to get involved with anyone. And, then she met Matteo Soldati. They were about as different as two people could be. San Diego red white and blue to the core, Jennifer was from a multi-generation Navy family. Matteo was a guest Italian ski instructor at a resort in Lake Tahoe. He would soon be going back to Italy where he lived with his parents and young son between ski seasons. Then he would be … [Read more...] about The Italian Ski Instructor by Ann Streetman
That Man in Siena by Ann Streetman
That Man in Siena by Ann Streetman When Laura Langston, a nurse from Oklahoma City, went to Siena, Italy, to celebrate her 60th birthday, she was not looking for a man. But, there he was – 62-year-old Raffaele Balducci, a talented potter, jazz guitarist, father, and grandfather. His face was pleasantly wrinkled from many years under the Tuscan sun. He had lively brown eyes and dark wavy hair sprinkled with gray. Their attraction was swift and strong. Laura and Raffaele were old enough to know … [Read more...] about That Man in Siena by Ann Streetman
Marked Masters by Ritter Ames
Laurel Beacham made working solo a personal success story and is known for her nerve, instincts, and ability to do whatever necessary to return each priceless masterpiece safely intact. As the world’s leading art recovery expert, she’s thwarted more heists than the average law enforcement professional. Museums applaud her skills. Thieves admire the cunning way she operates. Her last job landed her the head position over the London branch of Beacham Foundation, but bringing one case to a … [Read more...] about Marked Masters by Ritter Ames
Blessed Are the Contrarians: Diary of a Journey Through Interesting Times by Samuel Robert Piccoli
Blessed are the contrarians, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. But they must be very, very careful in these "Interesting Times," in the Chinese sense. Unless you think that "May you live in interesting times" after all is a blessing and not a curse, or better still the first of three curses of increasing degrees of severity, the other two being "May the government be aware of you," and "May you find what you are looking for." But in this case you had better not read this book—and you can't … [Read more...] about Blessed Are the Contrarians: Diary of a Journey Through Interesting Times by Samuel Robert Piccoli
Forgotten Objects by Carlos Rubio
Forgotten Objects traces the life of Anna d’Amio, daughter of opera singers Louis and Francesca d’Amio, from Mussolini’s Italy to the city of Pittsburgh during the mid sixties. The novel proper is made up of three parts: Italy, Cuba and United States. Married at seventeen and widowed at twenty, Anna leaves war-torn Italy to find her fortune in Cuba, she eventually meets Ramón Contreras, a wealthy tobacco grower who later becomes her second husband. The idyllic world that the couple had so … [Read more...] about Forgotten Objects by Carlos Rubio
Contemporary romance by Aubrey Wynne
Kathleen James has put her practical side away for once and looks forward to the perfect romantic evening: an intimate dinner with the man of her dreams—and an engagement ring. She is not prepared to hear that he wants to bring his grandmother back from Italy to live with him. Dominic Lawrence has planned this marriage proposal for six months. Nothing can go wrong—until his Nonna calls. Now he must interrupt the tenderest night of Katie's life with the news that another woman will be under … [Read more...] about Contemporary romance by Aubrey Wynne
