A Year of Lives

Hi everyone, and welcome back to the blog. 🤗 You know I’m not really a “social media person,” but I’m always happy to give you an update when there’s something new. Sales of my novel, Vite straordinariamente parallele (Extraordinarily Parallel Lives), have reached sixteen copies. 😒 In a few days, the book will celebrate its first anniversary. Some might say that’s not many; I’d say that while it’s true the number isn’t huge, compared to a year ago, the novel is actually on the market—it exists, it’s out there, just a click away from a potential reader. And for me, that’s already a lot. 😁 The challenge now is getting people to see it. 🧐 There have been clicks on the Facebook page and the blog, but no one has yet found that one word that made them say: “You know what? I’m sold—I’m buying it.” I don’t lack the imagination to come up with something new; I just need to wait for the right spark to set something wonderful in motion. I also know there’s no point in rushing: as the saying goes, time tells the truth. Speaking of which, I’ve entered Vite straordinariamente parallele in a new competition: the Città di Latina International Literary Prize. We’ll have to wait until December—a month that always feels a bit magical to me—to see how it goes. I enter these contests not to win—you have to keep your feet firmly on the ground—but to get the book read and noticed, and maybe even catch the eye of the right person. That is, of course, assuming the novel deserves it. Let’s move on to something else: my first short story, the one that started it all. 🤪 It had been over two years since I last sent it to a publishing house. This past August, I had my aunt read the trilogy, and she said: “Why don’t you send it to Mondadori? It’s the kind of genre I buy from them.” That first story has been sitting around for over six years, yet I’d never dared to write to the giants of Italian publishing. 🤐 This time, though, I didn’t hesitate for a second: after all, the worst that can happen is getting another “no.” I’ll have to wait six months to find out the outcome. Oh well, it’s been sitting there for years anyway... the wait certainly won’t be nerve-wracking. Also in August—a truly magical month with its charm, the sea, the beach, and all those f... 😋 What are you thinking, you rascals! I meant: those giant watermelons eaten under the beach umbrella... you goofballs! Let’s get serious again. Back in July, I told you I’d started writing a new novel. I’ve kept going, and those initial seven pages have turned into sixty-seven. I’d say I’ve written quite a bit. It’s easy when your mind is clear and you know exactly what story you want to tell. I’ll stop here for now. If you have any suggestions, curiosities, or questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch. It really is time to say goodbye. And if you’re up for it, I’ll see you in the next post. Bye for now! 🤗

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