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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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Combine Editions
Annalisa Russo’s books

Average rating: 4.32 · 170 ratings · 109 reviews · 12 distinct works • Similar authors

	All Hearts Come Home for Christmas 4.24 avg rating — 116 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
	Angel Lost, Angel Found (Book #3 in The Cavelli Angel Saga) 4.79 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 2015 — 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
	An Angel's Redemption (Book #1 in The Cavelli Angel Saga) 4.23 avg rating — 13 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
	Rags to Rubies 4.56 avg rating — 9 ratings — published 2012 — 4 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 (La Famiglia: The Cavelli Family Saga Book 2) 4.43 avg rating — 7 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 Healed (Book #2 in The Cavelli Angel Saga) 4.17 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2014 — 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 Boy 4.60 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2016	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
	PROOF: How to Market Your Book for Profit The Non-Negotiables: The Newbie's Guide to the Complicated World of Promotion it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	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 Boy (The Cavelli Angel Saga Book 4) 0.00 avg rating — 0 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
	The Cavelli Angel Saga: The Complete Boxed Set 0.00 avg rating — 0 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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Annalisa Russo's Blog

Last of Summer

Hello Friends!

Aren’t we all looking forward to the day our lives return to normal? I have had to cross off more than a few penciled-in events on my calendar, personal and author-related. Aren’t we all learning to balance the tension and uncertainty in the world and in our daily lives?

One of the ways I have chosen to cope is by going on an early morning summer walk before I take on the daily slog.

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Annalisa rated a book it was amazing Sea Glass and Fireflies by Kate Ellington (Goodreads Author)	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
I love a happily-ever-after, and Sea Glass and Fireflies doesn’t disappoint. You’ll fall in love with Kate Ellington’s characters and cheerlead for them as the story progresses. She paints a realistic picture of early 20th century life for Elsie and ...more
May 27, 2023 11:57AM · like · see review
Annalisa rated a book it was amazing Little Lost Lord (Shady Side of the Law, #3 by Susan Varno (Goodreads Author)	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
Little Lost Lord is a nicely paced, regency romance with plenty of action, adventure, and love-against-the-odds to go around. Not all is as it seems when Lucy Campbell Broadwell is swept up in the mystery of her son’s untimely death. Jesse Fitzhenry, ...more
Apr 21, 2023 05:45AM · like · see review
Annalisa has read The Archaeologist: Raphael's Story (La Famiglia: The Cavelli Family Saga Book 2) by Annalisa Russo (Goodreads Author)	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
Feb 21, 2023 06:52AM · like
Annalisa has read La Famiglia: The Patriarch: Michael's Story: A 1920s American Family Saga (La Famiglia: The Cavelli Family Saga Book 1) by Annalisa Russo (Goodreads Author)	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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Feb 21, 2023 06:52AM · like
Annalisa has read Snowflake Wishes, Christmas Kisses (The Green Earth Christmas Series Book 3) by Annalisa Russo (Goodreads Author)	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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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Making Connections: 5048. - ALL HEARTS COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS by Annalisa Russo	7	23	Mar 04, 2018 01:23PM

Annalisa’s Quotes

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

tags: attributed-no-source, books, simile, soul

130970 likes

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

tags: aliteracy, books, classic, humor

50585 likes

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

tags: books, humor

142862 likes

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

tags: books, contentment, friends, friendship, life

46556 likes

“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

tags: animals, books, dogs, friends, humor

37722 likes

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