Ciao for now!


Happy New Year!

Well, here we are, on the verge of a New Year, releasing the old and making way for the new, and so on and on.

I find myself staring down my current WiP, 27 Stages and trying to get the next chapter to unfold. Or, rather, I'm trying to get the current chapter to wind up so I can move on to the next chapter. This is the sort of thing writers deal with on occasion, I suppose: stubborn words, stubborn images, etc.

You see, it's not that I don't have more to write for this story. The problem lies in the fact the images which are coming to mind fall into one of the following categories:

a)     They aren't from the chapter I'm presently attempting to complete.

b)     They have little – if anything – to do with the story I'm working on.

c)     They would be better placed in another part of the manuscript.

d)     They almost certainly won't survive the final cut, and their inclusion in this manuscript would muddy the waters more than is strictly necessary.

And so I sit, type out a little, backspace over it and start over. Repeat. Repeat again.

Then I pack it in, frustrated until another idea comes to mind and I open the WiP and make another attempt. GrrrrrRRRrrrrr…

Federico and Abby are still there, demanding my attention, speaking up at the most inopportune times and making me wish I had the ability to write directly out of my subconscious onto the document on the computer.

My focus is wonky, refusing to clarify and permit me to slip into 27 Stages' world again for more than a few moments at a time. I need to rest, but as soon as I do something else, the voices are loud and clear, but they only remain so as long as the computer is off and the WiP is out of reach.

But there's good news, too. Last night, I dreamed of a race. I dreamed I spent time talking with the riders, but Federico wasn't there for me. I caught glimpses of him, but he wouldn't look my way. I reckon he will before long.

I sought Abby in the crowd before the dreamscape shifted and changed, taking me somewhere else. Hopefully next time she'll join me for a few minutes. We have a lot to talk about.

One thing is certain: I miss our chats.

On a pleasing note: I sold a copy or two of Ask Me if I'm Happy on the Kindle recently. At least, I know of a couple of purchases, and they led to an upward swing from 229,283 all the way up to 95,961 in just two days. I'll take that for the time being.

Now if I could just find a way to get Amazon to quit saying the book isn't available when it is, I'd be in "business"…

A little pressed for time, but for mostly good reasons this week. No time to give details, but I'm here to present

Okay, that's enough from January. What about the rest of the year?

Phew! That's a lot to look forward to!











And that's not everything, either. So far, 2011 is going to be a busy, busy year for me.



















I don't mind. I'm really looking forward to all of it.

















Besides, if I get tired...






















I could always grab a nap.

Ciao for now! Buone Feste!

I've decided to do something a little different this week. If you are a member of Goodreads, it might be worth keeping a copy of this Thursday Thirteen around, as I'm prepping a quiz for that site, based on Ask Me if I'm Happy! (Which, by the way, would make an excellent gift for Christmas, either as a paperback or Kindle e-book...)

So when you've read the book, you can have fun answering these questions - and more! - or you can have a go without having read it yet. I promise, there are no spoilers.

So, I now present to you:

13 Ask Me if I'm Happy
Trivia Questions

1)     The novel is divided into how many sections?

a)     One

b)     Three

c)     Five

d)     Six

2)     Davide shares his last name with a famous Italian. Who is it?

a)     Bruno Magli

b)     Sophia Loren

c)     Enzo Ferrari

d)     Anna Magnani

3)     Emily had a job in Italy. What was it?

a)     Singer

b)     Bank clerk

c)     Teacher

d)     Tour guide in Venice

4)     There are two statues on the cover, one of which plays a role in the story. Where are the statues found?

a)     University of Bologna

b)     Piazza Maggiore and Piazza Galvani

c)     Piazza San Domenico and Piazza San Francesco

d)     Piazza del Nettuno and Parco della Montagnola

5)     The title is the translation of which Italian phrase?

a)     Chiedimi se sono felice

b)     Dimmi un piccolo bugia

c)     Dammi un piccolo sorriso

d)     Provare il tuo amore

6)     Where did Emily and Davide first meet?

a)     At the airport

b)     On the London Underground

c)     In a parking lot

d)     On a train

7)     Something about Davide's appearance makes Emily smile. What is it?

a)     His glasses

b)     His scarf

c)     His shoes

d)     His shirt

8)     Why does this make her smile?

a)     They're scratched

b)     It's unraveling

c)     They're scuffed

d)     It's dirty

9)     Why does Emily go to Rovigo?

a)     To meet her ex-husband Jacopo and reconcile

b)     For a teaching conference

c)     Sightseeing

d)     For the sale of her house there

10) Why is Emily in Bologna at the beginning of the book?

a)     Italian lessons

b)     For the annual book fair

c)     She's stranded by a transportation strike

d)     She's there to hire a detective to follow her ex-husband

11) What happens when Davide goes to Milano?

a)     Trick question – he never goes to Milano

b)     He has dinner with Emily and falls asleep on the sofa in her room

c)     He stays up all night plotting to seduce Emily

d)     He spends a restless night alone thinking about his ex-fiancée

12) Where does Davide live in Bologna?

a)     A flat in the city centre

b)     In the suburbs

c)     A tiny, cramped loft near the university

d)     Next to McDonald's

13) What does Emily keep in her planner at the beginning of the novel?

a)     A receipt from her first dinner with Jacopo

b)     A movie ticket

c)     A photo of Jacopo in Rome

d)     A phone number on the back of a theatre ticket

How do you think you did? You can check your answers below.



















1) The novel is divided into how many sections?

b)     Three

2)  Davide shares his last name with a famous Italian. Who is it?

d)     Anna Magnani  

3)   Emily had a job in Italy. What was it?

c)     Teacher

4) There are two statues on the cover, one of which plays a role in the story. Where are the statues found?

d)     Piazza del Nettuno and Parco della Montagnola

 
5)     The title is the translation of which Italian phrase?

a)     Chiedimi se sono felice


6)     Where did Emily and Davide first meet?

d)     On a train


7)     Something about Davide's appearance makes Emily smile. What is it?

c)     His shoes


8)     Why does this make her smile?


c)     They're scuffed


9)     Why does Emily go to Rovigo?

d)     For the sale of her house there


10)Why is Emily in Bologna at the beginning of the book?

c)     She's stranded by a transportation strike


11)What happens when Davide goes to Milano?

b)     He has dinner with Emily and falls asleep on the sofa in her room


12)Where does Davide live in Bologna?

a)     A flat in the city centre


13)What does Emily keep in her planner at the beginning of the novel?

c)     A photo of Jacopo in Rome







And there you go - but wait!










There's one more thing!

Ciao for now!

Time for the tried and true. Since I'm dealing with allergies, straightening up the house for my private English lesson this evening, preparing to go to the doctor and trying to get some laundry done - I'm pretty well squeezed for time today.

So I'll have to do a "promotional" Thirteen today.

With your kind indulgence, I present:

8) Because you want to read more of this excerpt:

Fifteen minutes later, that man was smiling at her again. His eyes tickled at her periphery like so many nimble fingers until she allowed herself to sneak a few peeks at him on the sly, using the reflection in the window. In only a few minutes, she noted he was Jacopo’s exact opposite in many ways.

He’s the other side of the same coin, though, I’ll bet.

Still, he was easy on the eyes, with a strong jaw, dark eyes and dark, boyish curls which fell along his brow. His clothes weren’t fancy, but simple in design. A pale blue chambrayshirt peeked out from beneath his red scarf.There were no fancy designer labels, no ostentatious, trendy affectations on view.

She liked that.

When he crossed his legs, she risked a direct look at him and smiled in spite of herself. His shoes were black running shoes, rather scuffed up at that. She knew too well the premium Italians placed on footwear; it was nice to see someone who wasn’t completely fussy about his appearance for a change.

When he drew out an eyeglass case from the inside pocket of his coat, she turned to the reflection in the window once more. He perused a copy of La Repubblica—not Libero, not La Padania—so she was reasonably sure he wasn’t from Veneto. Despite her fugue, this thought made her smile again. A glimpse of his dark eyes straying in her direction, followed by his own secretive smile, sent a pleasant shimmy down her spine.

Ciao for now!