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Annalisa Russo

Goodreads Author

Born

in Joliet, Illinois, The United States

Website

http://www.annalisarusso.com

Twitter

https://twitter.com/RussoAuthor

Genre

Romance, Suspense, Historical Fiction

Member Since

July 2012

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/annalisarusso

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I grew up in the Midwest in a first-generation Italian family. We lived with my grandparents since in an Italian family when the oldest girl gets married, she doesn’t move out, her husband moves in. I was the eldest of five children which caused the usual sibling problems—fighting, borrowing stuff, and eating really, really fast or you were out of luck. Our grandparents spoke to us in Italian, and we answered in English (so we wouldn’t get kicked out of kindergarten like my mother did for not knowing English).

I went to an all-girl Catholic high school (yes, with the plaid skirt/blazer/knee-high socks) and on to an all-girl college where I rebelled by wearing slacks in the library instead of a skirt. I majored in math until I switched to Eng I grew up in the Midwest in a first-generation Italian family. We lived with my grandparents since in an Italian family when the oldest girl gets married, she doesn’t move out, her husband moves in. I was the eldest of five children which caused the usual sibling problems—fighting, borrowing stuff, and eating really, really fast or you were out of luck. Our grandparents spoke to us in Italian, and we answered in English (so we wouldn’t get kicked out of kindergarten like my mother did for not knowing English).

I went to an all-girl Catholic high school (yes, with the plaid skirt/blazer/knee-high socks) and on to an all-girl college where I rebelled by wearing slacks in the library instead of a skirt. I majored in math until I switched to English Lit after deciding to become a teacher. Since I wanted to graduate early, I took several English courses at a time which is frowned upon in math (you know, prerequisite and stuff) and then went on to teach 5th grade math--go figure.

During this exciting time, I began to write, for my own pleasure, as no one wanted to buy my stories. I have a rejection slip from Helen Gurley Brown at Cosmopolitan magazine way back when they published short stories in each issue. I framed it because Ms. Brown actually wrote on it and said (and I quote): "Your story was not quite right for us, but we’d be interested in seeing some of your other work." Of course, I didn’t know at the time that I should have opened a bottle of very expensive champagne, called all my friends over to celebrate that I received an actual written response from an editor instead of a form letter. Now I’m much more savvy; I crack the champagne when I push "send" on the finished manuscript. In my naiveté, I actually took Ms. Brown’s letter as a rejection—gasp--and decided to concentrate on making a living.

I also married, had three children, traveled, took up gardening and became a pretty good cook (now I just cook for company; my stove is for resale purposes only). And I inherited a tabby named Buster who really runs the house and my life. Luckily he’s pretty easy to live with and doesn’t complain unless his dish is empty, which is all the time.

My daughter, Teresa, helped me create my website as her business sense is intact along with her sense of humor (a necessity to working on technology with me, so she says).

My Cavelli Family Saga, a 20th century romantic quartet is about an Italian immigrant family in the 1920s and 30s. The Cavelli family consists of three brothers---Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel, named after the archangels by their overly optimistic mother (and angels they’re not) and two sisters, Anna and Tessia. I also have a stand-alone romance called A Girl’s Best Friend and a sweet contemporary romance series, The Green Earth Christmas series. I LOVE writing holiday stories! Who doesn’t like those wonderful happily-ever-after endings? My next effort will be a female sleuth P.I. series (coming soon, hopefully!) and a cozy mystery: Archibald Lemon's Boarding House. I hope my characters and their love stories stay with you long after you turn the last pages.
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Average rating: 4.36 · 333 ratings · 155 reviews · 20 distinct works • Similar authors

	All Hearts Come Home for Christmas 4.23 avg rating — 134 ratings — published 2017 — 22 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Two Hearts for Christmas: At Christmas, life gets a little bit sweeter... (A Green Earth Christmas Book 4) 4.65 avg rating — 20 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Snowflake Wishes, Christmas Kisses: At Christmas all roads lead home (A Green Earth Christmas Book 3) 4.63 avg rating — 19 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Murder in Disguise (An Archibald Lemon Boarding House Mystery Book 3) 4.58 avg rating — 19 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Read Between the Crimes: An Archibald Lemon Boarding House Mystery 4.32 avg rating — 19 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	All Hearts Come Home for Christmas: A Green Earth Christmas Book 1 4.32 avg rating — 19 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Angel Lost, Angel Found (Book #3 in The Cavelli Angel Saga) 4.79 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 2015 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Archaeologist: Raphael's Story: A 1920s American Saga (La Famiglia: The Cavelli Family Saga Book 2) 4.50 avg rating — 14 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	An Angel's Redemption (Book #1 in The Cavelli Angel Saga) 4.21 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 2013 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	When the Heart Finds Christmas: A Green Earth Christmas 4.46 avg rating — 13 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Thankful. Grateful. Blessed.

Thanksgiving is more than just a meal. It is a rare chance to be together, friends and family, under one roof to celebrate the goodness in our lives. The time spent together shopping, hours of prep work, cooking, baking, and eating erases the miles between us and the time spent apart. It’s a meal of old family recipes and new ones from the younger crowd. A celebration of laughter and sharing joys

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All Hearts Come Home for Christmas: A Green Earth Christmas Book 1

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“A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
― Marcus Tullius Cicero

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“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”
― Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

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“So many books, so little time.”
― Frank Zappa

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“Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.”
― Mark Twain

tags: books, contentment, friends, friendship, life

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“Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.”
― Groucho Marx, The Essential Groucho: Writings For By And About Groucho Marx

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