Pamela Allegretto's Blog, page 4

“NON-STOP PAGE TURNER”

“NON-STOP PAGE TURNER”

“Pamela Allegretto's latest novel "Bridge of Sighs and Dreams" is a non-stop page turner that will have you riveted and deeply involved from beginning to end. They say it's best to write "what you know" and the author has incorporated her visual ability as a painter and her life experience having lived in Italy into a captivating heart-felt book. Her ability to include the smallest visual details and weave them into a cohesive whole separates her from the majority of writers who lack her artistic background. The writing is almost Hemingwayesque in its ability to imprint visually the individual scenes on the reader's mind. We see this novel. The Italian experience during World War 2 is a much-overlooked piece of fascinating historical territory that Allegretto mines with the expert eye of a painter and the instinct of a natural-born storyteller. The characters jump at you--we feel their personalities and quickly become embedded with this family. We want to know "what happens next" and this feeling never leaves the reader throughout the book. The author keeps her chapters short and never bores us with superficial page fillers that bog down so many lesser reads. If surprise is the key element of a great story--this novel is full of the unexpected twists and turns that only the best books give us. Pour yourself a glass of Italian wine, sit down, and open this novel--you won't look at that cell phone for days.”

Many thanks to Wayne Hagstrom for taking the time to write such a lovely review. I am grateful for your consideration.

BRIDGE OF SIGHS AND DREAMS is available for purchase in paperback and eBook at: AMAZON:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015...
BARNES & NOBLE:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bridg...…
BOOKLOCKER:
http://booklocker.com/books/8228.html
ITUNES:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/brid...
KOBO:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/brid...

"GRIPPING STORY"

“GRIPPING STORY WITH LOTS OF SUSPENSE!”

Thank you so much, Airman Pankdawg, for taking the time to write such a lovely review on amazon.

“I could not put this book down. It's a beautifully written ww2 story about a woman and her family in war-torn Italy. The character development, especially for the villain, was very well done, and the uncertainties and calamities of war so well described kept me turning pages in anticipation of what would happen next. A must read for historical fiction fans!”

BRIDGE OF SIGHS AND DREAMS is available for purchase in paperback and eBook at:
AMAZON:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...

AMAZON.IT:
https://www.amazon.it/dp/B015JRFQE8

AMAZON UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bridge-Sighs...

AMAZON CANADA
https://www.amazon.ca/Bridge-Sighs-Dr...

BARNES & NOBLE:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bridg...…
BOOKLOCKER:
http://booklocker.com/books/8228.html
ITUNES:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/brid...
KOBO:
https://store.kobobooks.com/…/eb…/bri...

Nazi's, Fascists, Greed, and Revenge

“Nazi's, Fascists, greed, and revenge, “Bridge of Sighs and Dreams" has it all. A suspenseful story of survival that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat. I really enjoyed this book that was so unpredictable. Pamela Allegretto paints a picture of one family's love and hope during occupied Italy of WW 2. A must read.” Thank you, Rick Tuber, for this lovely review.
BRIDGE OF SIGHS AND DREAMS is available for purchase in paperback and eBook at:
AMAZON:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...

AMAZON.IT:
https://www.amazon.it/dp/B015JRFQE8

AMAZON UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bridge-Sighs...

AMAZON CANADA
https://www.amazon.ca/Bridge-Sighs-Dr...

BARNES & NOBLE:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bridg...…
BOOKLOCKER:
http://booklocker.com/books/8228.html
ITUNES:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/brid...
KOBO:
https://store.kobobooks.com/…/eb…/bri...

ITALIAN POETRY

IL PRIMO SETTEMBRE/SEPTEMBER FIRST by Luciano Somma

On this first day of September, I felt it appropriate to share the poem SEPTEMBER FIRST written by Luciano Somma. As in all of Luciano’s poetry, we feel the sentimental spirit of one of Italy’s foremost poets. I am always honored to translate his works. https://fineartamerica.com/featured/f...
You can find Luciano Somma at:
http://www.partecipiamo.it/Poesie/Luc...
http://www.scolastica2000.it/MUSICALM...

Per il primo settembre Vorrei offrire la poema IL PRIMO SETTEMBRE scritto di Luciano Somma. Come tutte delle sue poesie, sentiamo lo spirito sentimentale d’un poeta molto noto in Italia. Si può trovare Luciano Somma a: http://www.partecipiamo.it/Poesie/Luc...
http://www.scolastica2000.it/MUSICALM...


IL PRIMO SETTEMBRE
L’ultimo sogno d’Agosto
Si sveglia col primo Settembre,
questa sera è un incanto!
Il cielo è amaranto, uno spiffero di vento
dolce come la carezza d’un bene
amaro come il fiele del pianto
mi porta una ciurma di pensieri
Che affollano la mente
e mettono in croce questo cuore.
Vorrei che piovesse e non piove…
Vorrei tante nuvole intorno
ma la luna è d’argento .
Vorrei che un sogno tornasse
ma il sogno non torna.
Questo sogno è partito
sulle onde
dell’ultima sera d’Agosto
lasciandomi
un grappolo di stelle
lassù nel cielo amaranto
in questa sera incantata
del primo Settembre.
Luciano Somma


SEPTEMBER FIRST
The last dream of August
awakens with the first of September,
this evening is enchantment!
The sky bleeds red and purple, a light breeze
soft like a lover’s caress
bitter like malicious words
brings me a band of thoughts
that crowd my mind
and torture this heart.
I wish it were raining and not rain…
I’d like a cloud-filled sky
yet view a silver moon.
I wish the dream was ending
But the dream doesn’t end.
This dream has departed
on the waves
of the final August evening
leaving me
a cluster of stars
far-off in the bleeding sky
in this enchanted evening
of September first.
Pamela Allegretto (translation)

FUSSY LIBRARIAN INTERVIEW

THE FUSSY LIBRARIAN
When THE FUSSY LIBRARIAN contacts you for an interview, you know there is a God, and She likes you, She really likes you. Sadye Scott-Hainchek aka THE FUSSY LIBRARIAN takes the time to write a lovely introduction and to individualize each interview. She even referred back to my Playboy Bunny days. Now that’s digging! Check it out: https://www.thefussylibrarian.com/new...
“Based on its reputation alone, it’s no surprise that Italy inspired author Pamela Allegretto.
But it wasn’t just the country’s beauty that turned this visual artist into a published writer as well — it was something darker.
Allegretto was raised in the United States but surrounded, both here and in her travels, by Italian relatives who had survived World War II.
Their stories of survival awed and chilled her. So did the firsthand tales she heard upon moving to Florence, Italy, to attend college.
What also moved her, though in a much different way, were the casual jokes about Italian complicity and cowardice.
Allegretto knew, from all of the people she’d met and the history she’d absorbed, that this was simply offensive and inaccurate, that countless people had risked everything to stand up for what was right.
She spent years researching the story she wanted to tell, visiting sites and interviewing survivors, to paint the real portrait of the Italian resistance.
That effort became her debut novel, Bridge of Sighs and Dreams.
Allegretto, who currently splits her time among painting, writing, and translating Italian poetry, took time away from working on her second novel to share her journey with us.
SADYE: What inspired you to pick up writing professionally?
PAMELA: I come from a large Italian family where animated story telling abounds.
I suppose having a vivid imagination is as innate as the ability to twirl the perfect forkful of pasta.
Also, after spending years translating for others, I was itching to do my own writing.
SADYE: Where did you find inspiration for your next work?
PAMELA: I spent many years researching and writing my World War II novel, Bridge of Sighs and Dreams.
And although it is a story near and dear to my heart, I was eager to write something contemporary and not-too-serious.
I have visited Venice more than a dozen times and wanted to base a caper (sort of an international “cozy mystery”) in that beautiful city.
SADYE: Your pre-novelist resume is probably the most colorful of any I’ve ever read. What, besides writing, was your favorite job?
PAMELA: Oh boy, I have had such an interesting assortment of jobs that lasted from one day — as a dog shampooer, being bitten three times — to seventeen years as a hairstylist where I was bitten only once!
I will say that my career as an artist brings me much joy. The thrill of selling something that I have created is never diminished.
As a jazz/blues singer, I loved working the small, dark, smoke-filled clubs. That atmosphere always felt somewhat clandestine and a little bit naughty with its colorful bohemian clientele.
I enjoyed my diverse teaching gigs: I taught Italian at Berlitz, I worked as a swimming instructor, and as a hairstylist, I was sent by Citizens International to conduct styling workshops in Russia.
I continue to draw pleasure in translating poetry for various Italian poets.
SADYE: So what about your time as a Playboy Bunny, then?
PAMELA: I hate to burst any preconceived bubbles, but being a Playboy Bunny was not a glamorous job.
I worked eight-hour shifts, carrying heavy drink trays and wearing a costume so tight that it threatened my capacity to breathe properly, while I walked in four-inch spiked heels that barely stifled my toes’ agonizing cries for liberation.
That said, I had wonderful co-workers, met some interesting people, and learned how to keep my tail fluffed and my ears from falling off.
SADYE: Any chance at all you think it helped you as a writer?
PAMELA: It helped me to want an occupation where I could sit down.
Of course, then I went on to hairstyling, where I stood for fourteen-hour shifts, but at least the wardrobe was more accommodating.
Both jobs did allow me to gather interesting character traits from my clientele that I am able to use and embellish in my prose.
SADYE: What has been the most rewarding part of your writing journey?
PAMELA: I am deeply touched when reader takes the time to let me know through email, website, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, etc. that they enjoy my work.
In addition, it has been a delightful and unexpected perk to have developed friendships with so many kindhearted authors.
SADYE: What’s the best writing advice you’ve received?
PAMELA: Don’t force your characters to say or do something against their nature. Set them free, and they will take you to places you might never have imagined.
Don’t overuse adjectives, adverbs, and “tag” phrases. Less is more.
Pay attention to style. Slow down and enjoy the process. Edit, edit, edit.
Learn more about Pamela Allegretto on her website, where her works can also be purchased; like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.”
To read more visit The Fussy Librarian at: https://www.thefussylibrarian.com/new...
Bridge of Sighs and Dreams is available for purchase at:
AMAZON:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...

AMAZON.IT:
https://www.amazon.it/dp/B015JRFQE8

AMAZON.CA
https://www.amazon.ca/Bridge-Sighs-Dr...

AMAZON.UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bridge-Sighs...

BARNES & NOBLE:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bridg...…
BOOKLOCKER:
http://booklocker.com/books/8228.html

ITUNES:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/brid...
KOBO:
https://store.kobobooks.com/…/eb…/bri...

GREAT HONOR - New Interview

GREAT HONOR - To have acclaimed author Mandy Eve Barnett interview me was indeed a great honor. I felt privileged to be included alongside so many accomplished authors. In addition to my personal background, the interview highlights my novel Bridge of Sighs and Dreams, my inspiration for the book, my research, my writing background, etc. You may recognize a few of the questions and answers from past interviews, but check it out. There are some new Q&A’s that you might find interesting. Cheers!

1 - Does writing energize or exhaust you?
Writing absolutely energizes me.

2 - What is your writing Kryptonite?
Getting sidetracked on Facebook.

3 - Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?
No, never.

4 - What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
I won’t name names; I might leave someone out. I can rely on them to be honest with their criticism regarding plot, style, tone, and character development. I am also inspired and encouraged by the authors I have met through Goodreads and Facebook.

5 - Do you want each book to stand alone, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
My first book is a World War 2 drama that will not have a sequel. My work-in-progress is a diamond caper set in Venice, Italy with an amateur sleuth protagonist who, if she is well received, may find herself in future novels.

6 - What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
$6.95 for a copy of The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White.

7 - What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?
In 8th grade when I began public speaking.

8 - What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
History by Elsa Morante. It was a success in Italy, but the English translated version didn’t receive the recognition it deserved.

Read more at:

https://mandyevebarnett.com/2018/08/0...

OVERDRIVE

OVERDRIVE

OVERDRIVE
Bridge of Sighs and Dreams
I am delighted to announce that Bridge of Sighs and Dreams is now listed on Overdrive. Overdrive is the leading digital reading platform for more than
40,000 libraries and schools in 70 countries.

BRIDGE OF SIGHS AND DREAMS is available for purchase in paperback and eBook at: AMAZON:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015...
BARNES & NOBLE:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bridg...…
BOOKLOCKER:
http://booklocker.com/books/8228.html
ITUNES:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/brid...
KOBO:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/brid...

Mithraism in Ancient Rome

Mithraism in Ancient Rome

While conducting research for my World War 2 novel Bridge of Sighs and Dreams, I wanted to incorporate some of the ancient underground caverns used by the Resistance to smuggle Italian Jews out of Rome in order to avoid Nazi arrests. The caverns that most interested me were those created by the Worshipers of Mithras.

Recently, noted historical novelist, Cynthia Ripley Miller, invited me to post a brief essay on this ancient Roman religion of Mithraism. Here is a link to the article and to other fascinating articles on ancient Rome and writing historical fiction.


http://www.cynthiaripleymiller.com/mi...

SPRING READING COLLECTION Celebrate Spring with Travel by Book

Thank you to Jennifer S. Alderson for including Bridge of Sighs and Dreams in this SPRING READING COLLECTION from Travel By Book. I am honored to have my work alongside such gifted authors. Check out the link to discover some compelling reads.

http://jennifersalderson.com/2018/05/...

“TOTALLY CAPTIVATED” - 5 Stars From Across The Pond

I am humbled and grateful for every review, and those international reviews are always a special treat. Here’s the latest Amazon review from Great Britain, by noted author and much admired photographer, David Bird.
“I've never been much of a reader, but I must say that I totally enjoyed reading this book, I was captivated all the way through. I do hope that there will be more to come from this brilliant writer. I feel she has so much more to offer. Great book and would highly recommend to others."