Sunday, May 18, 2014

Author Interview: Melissa F Miller on 'Critical Vulnerability'

A new novel by Melissa F. Miller has just been released, and, in what has now become a regular occurrence, I have managed to steal a few minutes of the writer’s time to ask a few questions.

Here they are!


What made you decide to start a series spin-off at this point? Were you bored writing Sasha?

I wasn’t bored with Sasha, exactly. What happened was I had a story I wanted to tell, but it really wasn’t Sasha’s story. At this point, I know her well enough to know that she wasn’t the right character. I put that story on the backburner and wrote Improper Influence, but I kept thinking what would happen if a bad person exploited this vulnerability in computer systems? So, I decided to bring Aroostine (who has a very tiny role in Inadvertent Disclosure) to the foreground and make it her story.

Was it a challenge to make Aroostine different from Sasha?

Yes and no. I spent some time thinking about Aroostine as a character—who she is, her dreams and fears, her strengths and weaknesses—before I started writing. It was important to give Aroostine her own voice and not simply to make her different from Sasha.

Once again, this novel deals with a really current issue. Just as I was reading it, the Heartbleed vulnerability was all over the news. What made you choose technology as the focus of the story, and how hard was it to research it?

The idea for the story came from an article I read on Wired.com. Here’s a link to the article, in case you or your readers are interested in seeing it: http://www.wired.com/2013/02/tridium-niagara-zero-day/
The idea of all these systems that run in the background of our daily lives, controlling the mundane and the critical, being open to exploitation is terrifying to me. As is the case with many writers (or, at least, thriller writers), I write what I fear.  And, as we’ve talked about in the past with the Sasha books, I’m a born researcher. One of my favorite things both about practicing law and writing is doing the research. I really enjoy digging in and learning as much as I can about a topic in a short amount of time.

How are you planning to balance this new Aroostine series against the Sasha McCandless series? Will you be writing the two at the same time, or will you alternate?

I am planning to alternate releases. Currently, I’m finishing up the sixth full-length novel in the Sasha McCandless series, titled Irrevocable Trust. While that book is being edited, proofread, and formatted, I’ll be researching drones for the second Aroostine book (Chilling Effect).  After I write that, it’ll be back to Sasha.  I have at least one more story planned for Aroostine after that, but I also have plans to sneak Bodhi King, the Buddhist forensic pathologist from Improper Influence into the rotation with a series of medical thrillers.  (In not-unrelated news, come this Fall, all three of my kids will be in school five days a week fo the first time ever, so I expect to have more time to write!)

Are there any plans for your books to be translated into any foreign languages? Your novels would certainly cross over to the European market very well.

It’s interesting to hear you say that. I have a fantastic agent whose foreign rights representative is shopping the books, but so far we haven’t had any offers. If a foreign publisher doesn’t snap them up, then I will explore having them translated myself. I know a handful of authors who have started issuing their own translations. I’ll be sure to keep you posted!

Sorry - one more! What are you going to publish next?

Next up is Irrevocable Trust, the sixth full-length novel in the Sasha McCandless series.  This book pits newlyweds Sasha and Leo against Jeffrey Bricker, an enemy from their past, who’s seeking revenge. It’s tentatively scheduled for a late June release, but please don’t hold me to that. It may slip to July.

Thank you, Melissa, for talking to me once again and I'm looking forward to the next book!

My review of "Critical Vulnerability" can be found here.

You can buy the book on Amazon UK and Amazon US.


Saturday, October 19, 2013

One Writer, 5 Questions - Melissa F. Miller on Energy Drinks, Buddhism and Writing Software


Six months have passed since we last caught up with legal thriller author Melissa F. Miller - the last time being March, when I quizzed the indie author about the fourth novel in the series, Indispensable Party. In what has now become a recurring event, I managed to steal a few minutes from our busy attorney-turned-writer Melissa to ask her a few more questions about her latest Sasha McCandless novel, ‘Improper Influence’. 

1) You say at the end of the book that your brother is a buddhist. Was he the inspiration behind the character of Bodhi King? If so, what does he make of the book?  

He absolutely was!  I find his outlook so fascinating and different from my own, that I decided I really wanted to write a character who was a Buddhist.  Of course, I didn’t want to write my brother, so I did a lot of reading and listened to some podcasts of the Buddha’s teachings, but he was always in the back of my mind. He read an early draft of the book before he left for Myanmar and said he thought I got Bodhi right. That as a huge relief.  (He’s actually back in the states for family reasons, so I might get him to read the final published version, too.)  As an aside, I really like Bodhi even though he sort of frustrated Sasha (or maybe because he did) and I am toying with the idea of bringing him back in a future book or giving him is own spin-off.  Time will tell.

2) Once again, the case Sasha is dealing with has a very current feel to it. What inspired the energy drinks story line?  

I had read about sudden unexplained death clusters in Thailand and Vietnam. The one in Vietnam, for instance, was ultimately traced back to wild mushrooms that people foraged. I started to think about what could cause a similar cluster in the U.S. and the energy drink craze popped to mind. I did some more research and … voila!

3) At the end of the book, Will Volmer, Prescott & Talbot’s Managing Partner, asks Sasha to let him join her firm. What prompted this development?  

I hadn’t planned that twist. But, Will’s been a decent person in several books now, and I just knew he wouldn’t stay at P&T any longer. I like the idea of Sasha taking on a partner and growing her firm while trying hard to avoid the behaviors that prompted her to leave P&T in the first place.

4) And now a technical question - unashamedly triggered by my own recent experimentations with writing software. What are the technical tools you use for your writing? 

Do you use any writing package (such as Scrivener or Story Mill), or do you stick to a trusted word processor like Word? Or yellow legal notepads? All of the above! I do use Scrivener (and for my money nothing beats it for drafting) for my first draft because I like to jump around and write unconnected scenes if I get stuck. But I also carry a notebook and a pen around.  And sometimes type out short scenes on my phone if I am caught without a pen.  But my beta readers and editors work in Word, so after the first draft, I transfer the file over to Word for the rest of the process. I’ve found that my process has evolved (or at least changed!).  So, I heartily endorse experimenting!

5) You are becoming one of the most successful indie writers in your genres, with the first novel in the series, Irreparable Harm, currently at no. 2 on the US Amazon’s Kindle legal thriller best sellers rank. Did you expect to make it this far when you started out writing the first book?  

Oh, absolutely not!  I mean, I thought Irreparable Harm was a solid story and I was (and still am) proud of it, but the reception by readers of the series has exceeded my wildest imaginings.  I can’t even begin to express how fortunate I feel that these books have found a home with readers and that I get to keep writing them! 
As always, Paola, thank you so much for letting me babble about my writing!  

Thank you, Melissa, for your time!

Read my review of Improper Influence here
You can buy Improper Influence from the Amazon UK and Amazon US stores.

Friday, March 29, 2013

5 Questions on Writing with Melissa F. Miller


It has been a few months since my last interview with legal thriller author Melissa F. Miller, but I am glad to report that she has been busy writing the fourth instalment of her Sasha McCandless series: Indispensable Party hit the Kindle store a few weeks ago. You can read my review here.
I enjoyed reading it so much that I asked Melissa to share her writing tips and techniques with me. If you are an aspiring writer, start taking notes!

How do you take a big issue such as hydrofracking or the danger of a pandemic, and turn it into a good story?


I know I have a kernel when something makes me say “what if?” When it's an issue like in Book 2 or 4, I focus on the characters and let the issue play out in the background.

Once you have the general idea for the story, how do you come up with all the unexpected twists and turns?

Sasha’s pretty capable, so I throw a lot of obstacles at her. When in doubt, I make her situation worse. Beyond that, some twists are planned but others are organic.


How much do you outline? Every chapter/scene? Do you know everything that will happen in the book before you start?


I sketch out my scenes in a sentence or two. I usually know my “big” scenes and I always think I know everything that will happen, but so far I’ve been wrong every time!


Has writing changed the way you experience working in law? Do you find yourself making mental notes of literally everything?


Oh, yes! But civil litigation isn’t nearly as thrilling as novels make it out to be, so most of those notes never see the light of day.


Do you have a special plot-writing tip or technique that you would share with an aspiring writer?


If you get stuck, reverse engineer. Jump ahead to the next scene that’s clear in your head and figure out how to work back to where you are.


Thank you, Melissa, for taking the time to answer these questions!

You can buy Indispensable Party from Amazon UK and Amazon US
The first three novels are also available as a box-set on both UK and US stores.


Tuesday, September 11, 2012

The Author's Corner: Melissa F Miller




There is something distinctly slick and brand-like about the Sasha McCandless novels - for a start, all titles start with the letter ‘I’. Irreparable Harm, Inadvertent Disclosure and now Irretrievably Broken. The titles themselves make a considerable impact: they instantly appeal to the fans of the legal thriller genre, who will recognise the jargon, and grab the attention of the casual browser, who might be intrigued by the similar sounding headings. The ‘brand’ feel, of course, goes way beyond the titles: Irretrievably Broken is only Melissa F Miller’s third novel, but it already feels part of a firmly established series, and one that is destined to gain a bigger and bigger readership with every volume.



Readers new to the Sasha McCandless series would probably benefit from reading the previous two instalments in order, as they set a lot of the scene and introduce recurring characters; however, this is not strictly necessary - Miller expertly feeds enough background information throughout the story, so that all readers can follow the main plot, but without giving her existing readers the impression that content is being unnecessarily repeated. It’s a very tricky balance to achieve, and even very well-known writers often get it wrong; take the example of Jean M Auel - the author of the Earth’s Children series. Her last novel - The Land of Painted Caves - was plagued by continuous, mind numbing repetition of character traits and events that, by the seventh book in the series, most readers would have been be very familiar with. In this respect, Auel could certainly learn a things or two from Melissa Miller.

The ingredients of the ’Sasha novels’ have, by book 3, become essential staples that, I am sure, all her loyal readers have come to expect: a tight plot combining action and legal exposition; snappy but still realistic dialogue, and brilliantly flawed characters. This is the time for us readers to look at Sasha through a lens in order to really understand her relationship with Connelly and with her own family, her dedication to her work, her severe caffeine habit. As a result, Sasha as a heroine is not infallible -  a trait that makes a fictional character instantly sympathetic.

Flawed characters demand a carefully balanced flawed world, and as we know,a  lawyer’s life is not always hunky-dory;  if Irreparable Harm set the scene and Inadvertent Disclosure expanded it, we could say that Irretrievably Broken signals a time for break-ups; not only by its reference to matrimonial law, but also by introducing a rift between Sasha and Connelly - which prevents the characters’ dynamics from becoming stale.  Even Sasha’s invincibility is questioned, as she struggles to find her way in the unfamiliar territory of criminal law. Without giving away any spoilers, by the end of the book, her own infallibility as a lawyer will be seriously tested.

After having consumed my third ‘legal’ fix in the space of a year, I am once again left craving for more. I envy future readers of the series, because they will be able to binge read, while I have to wait patiently until the next instalment is published. Thankfully, Miller is a very prolific writer, and is already at work to keep us topped up with more coffee-fuelled Sasha goodness; until then, I might have to follow a friend’s example and just read the first three again, and hope that the megadose will tie me over until number four.

Read on for a Q&A with the author!




Q - When did you decide that you were going to become a writer?

A:        I suppose I always wanted to be a writer.  Growing up, I wrote tons and participated in creative writing workshops and the like.  I even have a concentration in creative writing from my undergraduate English literature program.  But, I never considered being a writer to be a particularly practical pursuit.  Not until I was flying cross-country to take some witness depositions in July of 2009 and I read The Lincoln Lawyer on my outbound flight.  Michael Connelly so accurately captured some of the realities of criminal law (as I understand them from friends who practice in that area) and did so in the service of a really gripping story, that I closed the book thinking, I’d like to do that! And, so I returned to writing.

Q - They say write about what you know; well you clearly have a background in law. Having worked in a big law firm once, I think you got the details totally nailed. The gruelling long hours, the boredom of meetings - everything that Sasha describes…was that your experience of corporate law?

A:        First off, thanks for that.  I’m glad to hear it resonates with your experience.  In many ways, that has also been my experience of practicing corporate law.  It’s a strange environment in that the work is sophisticated, the stakes are high, the stress is higher still, and usually no expense is spared.  From the outside, I think that tends to lend it an appearance of, not glamour exactly, but importance or excitement.  The reality, as you mentioned, is somewhat less exotic.  The hours are long, the workload is heavy, and the work itself can become monotonous, especially for junior lawyers. That’s the experience I wanted Sasha to bring to like, at least in the first book.

Q - I’ve been meaning to ask you this since book 1: Prescott & Talbott actually remind me of the fictional firm of the TV Show The Guardian, which was also set in Pittsburgh. Have you ever watched the show

A:        I know of the show, because it was not only set in Pittsburgh, it was at least partially filmed in Pittsburgh.  I did watch an episode or two when it aired; however, it was on in the early 2000s, when I was a junior lawyer at a large law firm and, truthfully, I barely had time to brush my teeth, let alone commit to watching a television series!  That said, I’m now intrigued enough by the parallels you see that I’d like to get it on DVD and watch it.

Q - This might sound like a silly question but…is it a coincidence that all three novels so far start with the letter ‘I’?

A:        Yes and no.  “Irreparable Harm” seemed to me to be the perfect title for the story---both for the legal principle and the idea that other events in the book would or could have consequences that were irreversible.  And similarly, “Irretrievably Broken,” as you noted in your review, works on those same two levels.  So, when I was sketching out the series, I decided that the book that fell in the middle should start with an “I,” as well.  And because the subtext was that Sasha was slowly beginning to reveal herself to Leo, “Inadvertent Disclosure” worked out, too.  So, now, of course, I’m committed to “I” titles---at least until I run out of legal doctrines!  The title of my work in progress is Indispensable Party.

Q - Now …Krav Maga. That is certainly an interesting skill to have. Tell us the truth: do you practice it? And what made you decide to give Sasha the nearest thing to a human superpower?

A:        I wish I did practice it, but, I’m afraid I don’t.  I wanted to make Sasha a physically small person, because I think it’s really interesting how diminutive women are often underestimated.  Some of the most formidable women I know are tiny, and, as it happens, several of them are attorneys. But, as the star of a thriller series, Sasha needs to be capable of defending herself in a believable way. I have a good friend, who is not an attorney, but who is a small woman who practices Krav Maga.  She carries herself with a lot of authority and has a great deal of confidence about her ability to protect herself. That’s what I wanted for Sasha.

Q - Do you still practice law? How do you reconcile your new writing career with a job and a family? Do you suffer from writer’s guilt?

A:        I do.  Although, I didn’t start writing seriously until my husband and I had left our jobs at international law firms in Washington, D.C. to start our own two-person law firm in a small town in South Central Pennsylvania.  Running our own firm has added some administrative responsibilities to my plate, but it also gives me much more flexibility than I used to have. Oh, I have writer’s guilt, mom guilt, lawyer guilt---no matter what I’m focused on, I am convinced I should be doing something else!  But, the writing, as an act, is important to me, so I make the time for it.  I do try to limit how much it infringes on time with my family by doing a lot of my writing after the rest of the family is asleep for the night and before they wake in the morning.  Luckily (or perhaps not), my caffeine habit is about as bad as Sasha’s, so sleep is an easy area to skimp on!  I’m also truly fortunate that my husband is wildly supportive of my writing. He’s been known to disappear with our three small kids for the better part of a day if I am under a deadline.


Q - Where do you get inspiration for Sasha’s cases?

A:        Honestly, everywhere. Some of the legal doctrines I’ve had experience with in my own work and some (like “irretrievably broken”) I remember from law school.  As I read legal journals or cases for my legal practice, there’s a part of my brain that’s filing away interesting facts or issues for my fiction.  I’m careful to ensure that the facts of Sasha’s cases don’t mirror my own to avoid any confidentiality issues.  And then I put whatever twists on the issues or the facts make the cases work for my plot.

Q - What would you say to a new writer struggling to combine their love of the written word with a job and a family?

A:        Writing advice is dangerous because it can take on the ring of a prescription, but it all sort of boils down to this: You just have to get the words on paper. Each writer has to decide if the way that fits into his or her life is as 500 words written every morning while sitting in the carpool line, a dedicated block of writing time at the same time each day, or the occasional binge-writing weekend while the laundry piles up, the lawn goes unmown, and the kids eat pizza.  However you can squeeze in the time, do it. And if that stops working for you, try something else. Once you’ve truly committed to a writing project, you’d be amazed as the time you manage to find.

Q - One last question: how long until the next novel?

A:        Sure, save the hardest question for last!  Well, because I’m still a practicing attorney, I build a lot of extra time into the schedule, just in case a client matter comes up.  So far, the only time I haven’t needed that cushion was with “Irretrievably Broken”.  I am definitely going to need it this time, because I have a case going to trial next month. I have been too busy on the lawyering front to make much progress on the book.  With all those caveats out of the way, I’ll say the plan is for Indispensable Party to be available for the holidays.

Paola, thanks so much for the interview. It’s been a lot of fun!


You are very welcome, thank you for taking the time to talk to me! I am so looking forward to Indispensable Party!

Melissa F. Miller's novels are all available as Kindle e-books from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Cinque Domande all'Autore: Angelo Ricci

Vi dico subito che Angelo Ricci, autore di Notte di Nebbia in Pianura, è un bibliofilo: sul suo blog su Tumblr compaiono innumerevoli immagini di librerie, negozi di libri,  biblioteche, tutto ciò che insomma ha a che fare con quel feticcio chiamato ‘libro’. Con una premessa così, non poteva non essermi simpatico.

L’Ossessione Per Le Parole - la seconda sortita editoriale di Ricci - è un’espressione di questa bibliomania, che l’immediatezza di Tumblr può a malapena scalfire. Questo libriccino di capitoli brevi ma densi, parte come un ambizioso un tentativo da parte di esporre le proprie influenze non solo letterarie ma anche cinematografiche e musicali. Il risultato è - come ho detto io stessa ad Angelo in una conversazione su Twitter, ‘ un pozzo di ispirazione da cui attingere’.

Se la descrizione vi pare ancora un po’ vaga, avete ragione; e allora, chi meglio dell’autore stesso può spiegarcelo?

1) Angelo, ribadisco la mia definizione di ‘L’Ossessione Per Le Parole’ come ‘pozzo di ispirazione a cui attingere’. Cosa ti ha spinto a condividere con i tuoi lettori le tue influenze? La mossa più ovvia dopo ‘Notte di Nebbia in Pianura’ sarebbe stato un altro romanzo, ma ho l’impressione che tu non sia uno che scelga la strada più battuta. O sbaglio?








Angelo: Non sbagli. Infatti non mi piace scegliere la strada più battuta. Tuttavia scrivere ‘L’Ossessione Per Le Parole’ non è stato difficile e non credo rappresenti nemmeno una scelta controcorrente. Semplicemente da qualche anno scrivo di libri sul web. Lo faccio con molta leggerezza e non ho certamente la pretesa di dire parole definitive o di mostrare verità rivelate che non ho mai posseduto. Sono cose queste che lascio volentieri a chi quelle parole definitive crede di poter dire o a chi quelle verità rivelate crede di avere. Quando scrivo di libri non mi passa nemmeno per l’anticamera del cervello di avere una qualsivoglia competenza letteraria. Sono soltanto un passante distratto che legge qualche libro ogni tanto e che, da ogni libro che ha letto, cerca di trarre non una recensione, ma un piccolo racconto che racchiuda le sensazioni che quel libro mi ha dato e le coincidenze e i raccordi che quel libro inevitabilmente condivide con tutti gli altri libri. 
Ecco, ‘L’Ossessione Per Le Parole’ è nata proprio dall’esigenza di andare in cerca di quelle connessioni che uniscono tutte le storie.

2) In un passaggio di Ossessione, citando Flaubert parli della distinzione tra il leggere per divertimento (‘il leggere dei bambini’, per istruirci (‘degli ambiziosi’) e infine il leggere ‘per vivere’. La consapevolezza di appartenere a questa terza categoria ti fa accettare una triste realtà, che cioè non riusciremo mai a leggere tutto ciò che vorremmo leggere, e che ci saranno sempre zone inesplorate, come una carta geografica del XIX secolo. Quali sono, nel caso tuo, le zone inesplorate? Ti confesso che dopo avere finito ‘Ossessione’ sono stata colta da un complesso di inferiorità incredibile nei tuoi confronti, perché la tua ‘mappa’ a me sembra esplorata eccome. E penso mi darebbero ragione anche la maggior parte dei tuoi lettori.

Angelo: Quella definizione di una mappa personale delle letture rappresentata come una carta geografica del XIX secolo che, inevitabilmente, riporta aree inesplorate, me la diede, in un freddo e nebbioso pomeriggio invernale di diversi anni fa, il grandissimo Mino Milani. Ed è stata una delle più belle a affascinanti definizioni che io abbia mai sentito. L’impossibilità di leggere tutti i libri è una maledizione che ogni lettore forte porta con sé. Ma è una maledizione molto letteraria, una maledizione che va accettata. A suo modo è un paradigma della vita. Come tutti i lettori anche la mia mappa presenta vaste zone inesplorate che non avrò mai il tempo o la forza di conoscere. 
Un esempio di una mia zona letteraria inesplorata? Non ho mai letto Proust (ma prima o poi quella zona cercherò di esplorarla, per Dio!).

3) Torniamo un attimo indietro. Tempo fa ho recensito Notte di Nebbia in Pianura - un libro che contiene, tra i protagonisti principali, anche un ex-avvocato diventato televenditore. Sei anche tu un avvocato: quanto di autobiografico possiamo trovare in questo personaggio? E se sì, qual è stato il tuo ‘vendere’?

Angelo: Certamente, e direi inevitabilmente, c’è sempre in ciò che si scrive qualche elemento autobiografico. Magari non riferibile alle azioni dei personaggi, ma a certe loro sensazioni, a un certo loro porsi di fronte alla vita. Nel personaggio che tu citi non c’erano elementi autobiografici diretti, ma ho infuso in lui un certo disincanto e una certa disillusione nei confronti della vita e degli altri, disincanto e disillusione che ritrovo anche in me. Forse è stato questo il mio ‘vendere’.

4) Sia in Notte di Nebbia in Pianura che in Ossessione, la nebbia appare come immagine ricorrente della tua ispirazione. Anch’io provengo da lande nebbiose (seppure del Nord-Est) e vivendo in Inghilterra, la nebbia mi manca moltissimo (qui non sanno nemmeno cosa sia, la vera nebbia!). Ho letto Notte di Nebbia in Pianura prima di tutto per il titolo. Secondo te uno scrittore può mai scrollarsi di dosso il ‘suo’ clima? Se Angelo Ricci vivesse in Sicilia per qualche anno, gli scorrerebbe ancora la nebbia nelle vene? 

Angelo: Ti rispondo che in quel romanzo il vero personaggio principale era proprio la nebbia. E’ una cosa che mi disse il mio editore, dopo aver letto il manoscritto. Io non me n’ero accorto. E questo ti dimostra quanto, come dici tu, la nebbia (e quindi la mia terra) mi scorra nelle vene, al punto da esserne, senza nemmeno rendermene conto, assuefatto.

5) Il tuo ultimo libro ha un titolo a dir poco intrigante: Borges Aveva un Tumblr. Anche Angelo Ricci ha un Tumblr: spiegami cosa ti affascina di questa piattaforma di microblogging, e  che cosa possiamo aspettarci dal tuo terzo libro.

Angelo: Tumblr è un modo di essere. E’ una piattaforme che ho scoperto qualche anno fa. Ho capito che non era soltanto una banale content curation o l’ennesima incarnazione social del web. Tumblr permette la creazione articolata di una personalità costruita con i tuoi interessi. In particolare il suo uso fa di ogni appassionato di letteratura un personaggio degno (vittima, forse) di un’autodafé alla Elias Canetti. In questo senso è forse il livello esponenzialmente più estremo e affascinante di quella realtà virtuale cantata da William Gibson. Tumblr si incarna in noi e, attraverso i contenuti che immettiamo, fa di noi gli artefici di una storia che unisce tutte le altre storie. Borges è stato il più grande esploratore di connessioni fra tutte le storie e se oggi fosse ancora tra noi avrebbe certamente un Tumblr. ‘Borges aveva un Tumblr’ è una creazione forse scellerata, forse sperimentale. E’ un work in progress, è una testimonianza destrutturata che guarda alla destrutturazione del web, cercando però con pazienza estrema un filo conduttore.


6) [Siamo giunti alla fine delle 5 domande, ma ‘baro’ con una no. 6] - Non avendo ancora letto ‘Borges’ non abbiamo potuto discuterlo  in dettaglio in questa intervista. Posso contare su un ‘bis’ ‘prossimamente - su Whisky Andati’?

Angelo: Certamente!

L'Ossessione Per Le Parole è disponibile qui

Notte di Nebbia in Pianura è disponibile su Amazon.it  e IBS.it

Borges Aveva Un Tumblr - scaricalo subito su Kindle

'Like' la pagina di Angelo Ricci su Facebook

Friday, May 18, 2012

Cinque Domande all'Autore - Parte V



Cosa possiamo aspettarci dal prossimo libro di Antonio Romagnolo?

Antonio Romagnolo ha due romanzi pronti. Uno simbolico, una favola per adulti diciamo, ma è scritto in Inglese e va tradotto. L’altro invece è un romanzo di psicologia esoterica da rivedere, forse riscrivere, un romanzo che ha delle grandi potenzialità, ma è stato scritto quando ancora i tempi non erano maturi. Ad ogni modo Antonio Romagnolo sta scrivendo una nuova storia, ma sta anche aspettando la chiamata di Simone e poi deciderà...


Sono Io, La Tua Aria è disponibile su Amazon.it e Amazon.co.uk e recensito su questo blog.




Sunday, May 13, 2012

Cinque Domande all'Autore - Parte IV


Qual e’ stata l’ispirazione per SILTA?

Mi succede spesso d’essere invitato da un mio caro amico in barca a vela. Lui è uno skipper quotato, anche mio parente, perché il cugino della mia compagna. Simone è sempre stato decisivo nel mio percorso e nel decretare il mio destino. Non so se ringraziarlo o mandarlo a quel paese. 

Simone mi chiama e mi chiede se mi andrebbe di volare in Grecia ed aiutarlo a trasferire una barca a vela da Corfù alla Sicilia. Avere un parente ed amico così è una fortuna inestimabile; infatti dopo tre giorni mi trovavo al timone in mezzo allo Ionio, mentre lo skipper e Salvatore, l’altro amico nostro, preparavano la cena cucinando del pesce appena pescato. Accadde che, esattamente come mi capitava su quella bicicletta trent’anni prima, iniziai a sentirmi rapito da questa storia che mi esplodeva dentro. Come puoi ben vedere nulla è un caso, ma tutto sembra essere collegato. Iniziai a scrivere sul mio Iphone tutto quello che mi veniva in mente, imbastendo così una trama, e dopo un anno riuscii a pubblicare. Di base, c’era la necessità di comprendere il mondo femminile per poter avere un rapporto migliore con la mia compagna.


Inoltre, l’ambiente nel quale ho vissuto, mi ha spinto a creare questa donna dell’est. Vivo a Cambridge dal 1997, ed ho incontrato e fatto amicizia con tantissime persone provenienti dall’Europa ex-comunista. È stato quindi naturale per me, creare un personaggio così forte come Beatrise. 


Il luogo in cui vivo è ideale per intervistare gente comune proveniente da ogni angolo del mondo. Di solito faccio moltissime domande, comunico con tutti, e questo è un grande vantaggio; sono le persone che vivono lontano da casa quelle più propense a svelare i dettagli della propria vita, personalità, e nel caso di ‘Sono io, la tua aria’, del passato sotto il regime comunista. 

Sono Io, La Tua Aria è disponibile su Amazon.it e Amazon.co.uk e recensito su questo blog.