Kimberly Menozzi, Author

Found myself in a bit of a time crunch as I've been writing and researching and pestering people for their help with information about the book, lately.

Which is actually how this week's topic came about. So please, permit me to share with you:

1) It's a quick and easy way to see what some of my friends are up to - even better than Facebook, because the whole point of Twitter is to be concise.

2) The reason I joined Twitter in the first place: Cyclists. They're everywhere on the site - from professionals to amateurs, from hobbyists to lobbyists, and I get a real sense of community amongst them.

3) The rapid spread of information is sometimes intriguing to watch on Twitter. The attempts to clear up misinformation are, too.

4) Being able to share news with a large group of people all at once is nice. The instant feedback is gratifying, too.

5) Classic tweets are still funny, even now. I'm pleased to say I've been following my boy Fabian from the start, and I've witnessed first-hand the birth of the words "bevor" and, as seen here, "planket". This is a word used almost daily in my house.

Make of that what you will.

6) Celebrities who use Twitter. I follow only a handful, but they're generally an entertaining bunch.

7) I like the fact I've been able to do some of my research via Twitter. The community there is remarkably good about helping get the word out when you need an answer to a question. I've been able to get lots of information "straight from the horse's mouth", as they say - cyclists, cycling fans and photographers alike have shared details with me which I believe will enrich 27 Stages considerably.

8) Naturally, I've met some wonderful people on Twitter, some of whom have become friends on other social media, and even - dare I say it? - in the "real" world.

9) I mentioned, of course, that I follow professional cyclists on Twitter. I have good reason to - some of their tweets are absolutely hilarious, or at the very least they're enlightening as to what life is like during the races and during the off-season, too.
Very, very useful stuff for me.

10) I also like being kept up to date on what my fellow writers are doing. Some of the random thoughts which come out of their heads and through their keyboards are distinctly amusing. Or ouch-worthy.

11) There are "characters" on Twitter, too, such as Sockington the cat. This kitty tweets his everyday experiences for his human audience's amusement, and reassures us that all cats are, at heart, pretty much the same. Bless their fuzzy little hearts.

12) The fact that anyone can share or "retweet" someone else's posts is interesting. You get to see what your friends (and total strangers) are into. It's actually a sometimes fascinating glimpse into people's minds.

13) Self-promo. I know it's been done to death on Twitter, but some people have come up with pretty clever takes on how to promote themselves or their work on this site. I particularly enjoy being able to share the promotion of people I know and love - and their projects I believe in - with people who have thought I'm worth following. Hopefully, all this sharing will lead to something more for all of us, eh?

So there you have them: 13 Things I Like About Twitter.








Feel free to agree or disagree, if you wish.






















To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how well it works for getting the word out about my work, but I'm ever hopeful.






















I mean, I'm really an optimist at heart. Where some people see the glass as half-empty, I say the glass is... well...uh...





















I'm pretty sure I left it around here somewhere when I was reading...

Just for the heck of it, I thought I'd share a reasonably random peek into my life for this week's Thursday Thirteen. So now you have:

1) Offered advice and - in a manner of speaking - counseling to a few different folks via Twitter. I've also been incredibly silly there, too. It's funny - I didn't think I'd like Twitter much, but a friend persuaded me to use it to follow all the cyclists on there. Now I'm pretty well hooked on it!

2) My darling furball, Sophie (a.k.a., Doodlebug) has seen to it that I've been awakened at varying points throughout the night to keep her company/feed her/I have no idea why. So, one reason I don't have a smashing TT post is because I'm incredibly sleepy.

3) This week, I agreed to continue doing guest blogs for Book After Book. I'm pleased to be able to continue my ongoing relationship with this book blog. It's been a lot of fun, so far - and now I'll be writing about more subjects than before, including a fictional piece or two.

4) I've gotten back to work on 27 Stages in a big way. Needless to say, this pleases me. I'm roughly four chapters away from wrapping up the first draft. Wish me luck!

5) I vacuumed most of the house. Except for the bedroom where my kitty was cowering, because I couldn't bring myself to scare her further with the vacuum. Even though she has no qualms about keeping me up at night.

I'm a sucker. I know.

6) I'm reading (will finish it today, actually) my wonderful critique partner Nell Dixon's book, Crystal Clear.

7) On a similar note, I also got to critique a couple of chapters of one of Nell's current Works-in-Progress. I can't wait to see how this one will play out!

8) This week (this morning, in fact) saw the end of Alternate Rialto as one of Amazon's free offerings. I have mixed emotions about this. I enjoyed seeing the (for me) higher "sales" numbers, but I really would like to actually earn some money on this book, too.

9) I saw the New Year in with my hubby's family. We had a quiet evening - well, mostly, as there was a hyper-excited three-and-a-half year old involved - and that's how I prefer to go about it.

10) This week also saw Ask Me if I'm Happy as the Book in the Spotlight for the day over at the Famous Five Plus blog.

11) I've helped my hubby with his Beatles homework*, and we've watched episodes of Beatles Anthology via YouTube almost every night this week. It has been a wonderful way to wind down and end the day, and I'll miss it when we've watched the whole series.

*My hubby was told by a friend of ours to "study" the Beatles albums when he confessed over a dinner that he wasn't exactly familiar with all of their work.

12) I finally managed to get the exercise bike brought up and put in my office. This picture is of the model I have, but it's not a photo of mine. I just wanted you to see that I'm rocking this thing old school. (I can't wait to ride my real bike again!)

13) In relation to #2 above - I spent a couple of hours poring over maps of France in order to plot out the final two race stages of 27 Stages. I even had to negotiate a French train ticket site in order to be sure I hadn't gone mad with the route planning.
I don't speak French.
It was exhausting.

Don't judge me.

I know, it doesn't sound like much when I mention it like this, but these events really have kept me quite busy over the last week.












And I'm pretty prone to distractions, so that doesn't help.



























I mean, I'm wandering around online, here and there, tra-la-la-ing as I go...























And then...


























I'm sorry, I... ah... Hmmm?

Well, I hate to say it, but I've been busy, busy, busy - and who hasn't, right? - but last night, the hubby and I took a few hours for ourselves. We had a lovely dinner at a Japanese restaurant, and then we went for a walk in the city center. We hadn't done this at night for a long time, and we brought along the camera and tripod to capture some of the scenes for posterity.

So, please, allow me to present to you

And there you go. I hope you enjoyed these.

















It's so rare to see the streets so empty and so quiet. It almost felt like the whole city was made just for the two of us.













It was a frosty night, but it was a delight to go out and walk with my hubby in it.










After we got home, there was a chance to cuddle and warm up together. Naturally, I'll keep my hubby to myself.


















You get to warm up with this lovely gent, okay?

I know we're just now creeping up on Christmas, but I've already got my brain pan boiling with thoughts, hopes and plans for 2012. So, bearing that in mind, I'd like to share with you:

_ "Why Bologna?"

"Al centro esatto di Piazza Maggiore
con leggerezza da pattinatore
Bologna adesso voltati
mi fai commuovere
lo sai che esagero con le parole..."

"At the exact center of Piazza Maggiore
With the lightness of a skater
Bologna you now turn -
You move me
You know that I exaggerate with words…"
-        "A Bologna" ("In Bologna") by Samuele Bersani  (translation mine)

I frequently have to explain "Why Bologna?" I mean, I live in Italy – I'm surrounded by historic locations which could have hosted Emily and Davide's story in Ask Me if I'm Happy, right? So why limit myself to a frequently cold and foggy setting in northern Italy that readers might not be very familiar with in the first place?

Well, why not?

The truth is there was no other place as well-suited to the story as Bologna was. I cited some of the reasons elsewhere once, in an interview I did prior to Ask Me if I'm Happy's initial release in 2010: "It's the major train travel hub for northern Italy; it's simply a place I love; it is, as my husband might say, characteristic of the region where I live; and finally, it's a beautiful and historic city.

"Most of all, I feel it's one of the unsung locations in this country. Nearly everyone knows about Tuscany, Rome, Naples and Venice, but very few folks, it seems, are even aware of Bologna. I wanted my area of northern Italy to be represented, for better and for worse, and I think I've done that in Ask Me if I'm Happy."

I've done my best to give a real sense of the city and to show how it affects Emily and Davide throughout their relationship. I tried to not make the story feel like a travelogue, preferring to let the city peek through from time to time, by citing real places and inventing amalgamations of others. From what I've been told, I've done a decent job of it.

In spite of Ask Me… being a love story, I really hoped to write a story which could serve as an antidote of sorts to many other Italy-set stories. I wanted to show the Italy where I – and my ex-pat co-workers and friends – live and work every day. All of us had grown tired of the oh-so-perfect life described by so many novelists and travel writers, the false la dolce vita-isation of these places we know too well. As a result, I aimed to write about this place I've come to love with all my heart, but to write about it warts and all.

Yes, Italy is a beautiful country, there's no doubt about it. I don't deny that, and I do think this aspect shows through in Ask Me if I'm Happy. But there are other aspects of living here which fall quite short of the idealized imagery in those "Ex-pats in Tuscany/Rome/Venice" tales we're all familiar with. This discrepancy is what Emily struggles with, and it's something Davide deals with, too, although in slightly different ways.

From the beginning of the novel right through to the end, I've tried to show the Italy I know in the season I love best: the cold air, the grey skies, and the style of urban living which is the reality for the majority of Italians I know. I wanted to show the romance in a foggy afternoon and in warming one's hands over a hot cappuccino or in the grasp of an attractive companion. I wanted the reader to imagine strolling along the porticos of La Grassa, the city of Bologna, and see her rather weathered charms in all their flawed splendor.

Emily rediscovers these aspects of Italy every time she leaves and returns, just as I – and many of my friends who came here from abroad – do. And every time they open Emily and Davide's story and journey into an Italy they might not previously have been familiar with, I sincerely hope that readers of Ask Me if I'm Happy will do the same.

Well, here we go: 'Tis the season and all that stuff. Everyone's running around looking for Christmas gifts, so I thought I'd share what I requested from Santa this year. I mean, hey, you never know, right?

So, with that in mind, please allow me to present:

The Bag of Holding. $39.99 (on sale!)

I don't care much for purses and/or shoes, but I'm crazy about backpacks and messenger bags. They're "my thing" as it were. And I LOOOOOVE this!!!!

There's a backpack version too! AUGH!!!!

A replica of the Tenth Doctor's coat!
Only $329.99!
How awesome is that???

Stormtrooper hoodie. $59.99.
I'd get this in a heartbeat, if only I wouldn't ruin it instantaneously. (White is murder to keep clean!)

Twitch Programmable Cat Toy. Just $19.99!
Seriously, I could *totally* use this - if I could distract the Doodle during the day I'd get a lot more work done, and she'd be content to play on her own.

Then I'd just need something to hold her tail while she eats... Nah, I'll keep doing that myself.

USB plug-in Toast Handwarmers. $24.99. They fit over your hands so you can type and keep your hands warm at the same time. Don't you want these? I sure do.

A Star Wars Galaxy Poster. $5.99 - Every character in the Star Wars galaxy is here. I really want to double-check, but I'll have to brush up on my Star Wars geekery.

And there you go: 13 Items on My Christmas Wish List.










This post practically wrote itself!










And so, I thought it best to keep with the overall theme of the gifts in my post.
















You did pick up on it, right?














The only thing I left out was "Firefly". Which I adore.














And what do I adore most about "Firefly"?













I think you'll figure it out.

_ Davide

One of the most surprising aspects of writing Ask Me if I'm Happy had to be the way Davide was received by the first folks to read the story. From its earliest days, men and women alike singled Davide out:

"Davide is a knight in shining armor that we all pray for to come save us."

"This Davide fella gets more attractive by the word."

The story was reworked considerably before it appeared on Authonomy, but I was confident it would – for the most part, anyway – pass muster. Again, to my surprise, people still seemed to notice Davide more than I expected:

"This man could seduce an iceberg! I'm half in love with him myself."

"Davide sounds so dreamy - good looking, sophisticated, cultured, kind, and a professor of literature - what girl wouldn't fall for him?"

"… Davide is lovely and one wants to spend time in his company."

I became concerned. Had I written someone too perfect? Had I written someone who couldn't possibly exist in the real world?

This proved rather troubling, as my intention had been to write a story which was, ultimately, very realistic. I wanted both Emily and Davide to strike home for the reader, to be people with whom the reader could identify – not in a fantastic manner, but in recognizing something of themselves as they read along.

I forged forward and the story grew and grew, giving me deeper insight into Davide's mind, his motivations and even his past. Based on "Connections" alone, it's clear he's not the "typical" Italian male. He's studious, perhaps slightly nerdy, honest and conscientious almost to a fault – not the self-involved, vainglorious and self-assured sort of man we're accustomed to imagining as the classic "Italian love interest".

No, Davide is no Casanova, no Valentino, no love-'em-and-leave-'em sort of guy. However, when the moment presents itself, he knows when to step in, when to seize the opportunity to declare himself and his intentions. When he does, he does so with all the fear and trepidation most of us would surely feel for taking such a chance.

In short, Davide is simply himself. A man who doesn't bow to the caprices of fashion and who quietly despairs for a world around him which seems to do just that; who struggles to maintain a standard of civility and propriety which he sees slipping to the wayside; who worships the woman he loves because he isn't able to see her flaws – however many there may be – and can only see her perfection magnified by his love.

Tragically, this may well be his most self-destructive aspect. Davide believes himself to be honest in all things yet his mistrust of anyone's ability to love him, or to be as honest with him as he is with them, keeps the world safely at arm's length. This, combined with his need to protect Emily, is his blessing and his curse. The very things which bring them together are what might well break them apart.

Not long ago, a friend read through Ask Me if I'm Happy and cited Davide's self-imposed isolation, his rejection of societal trends, his need for a deep emotional connection with someone – anyone – as proof that he is a man "out of his time". His initial perfection – as seen through Emily's eyes – gives way to his own view of his imperfection. His self-critical nature stifles his ability to be honest with himself – and thus, with Emily – in the way he knows he needs to be. Of course, this leads to trouble. Just like in real life.

Now, when I hear people telling me how much they admire Davide, how attractive and romantic he is to them, I have a better understanding of why that is. It is my belief that these readers, male and female alike, really do identify with him and with his struggles throughout the novel. They see themselves or their loved ones – or both – in him, and that spurs their desire to see him succeed, to work out his problems and emerge victorious on the other side of the struggle.

Whether or not he does this, I won't say here. You'll just have to read the book to find out.

Well, I promised some eyecandy for the ladies yesterday, since I didn't feel it appropriate with my Thursday Thirteen post on John Lennon.

In fact, I'll go one better and give you a whopping SEVEN pieces of candy, one for each day until the next Thursday Thirteen. How's that for customer service, eh?

So here you go, ladies! Enjoy!