Joe Pfeiler's Blog

It's a bronze!

Half Italian (and then some) has won a Readers' Favorite bronze award in the Nonfiction - Cultural category; I got the email this morning. So that's a big woohoo, for today.

More thoughts, later. Now I'm off to my cousin's home for a Labor Day weekend pool party. Those of you who've read the book would know this Italian cousin as the one with whom I shared a warm moment, the day of my great-aunt's funeral. Also, his dad is the one who created the homemade electric chair!

Here's brownies with peanut butter frosting that I'm taking to the party.


- Joe

Half Italian (and then some)  on Kindle,  on Nook,  on Kobo.  For iBook and others, click here.

I've been interviewed

September 1st is just around the corner. On that day, winners will be announced in the 2013 Readers' Favorite contest, and my book is a finalist in two categories. 

In the meantime, I've been interviewed -- here's the link.

Today, I'm off for a week or so to visit wine country, Napa and Sonoma.  

- Joe

Half Italian (and then some)  on Kindle,  on Nook,  on Kobo.  For iBook and others, click here.

Finalist

There’s more news to report. I didn’t mention this before, but I entered Half Italian (and then some) in a book contest. I met deadlines for 2013’s contest by the “skin of my teeth” as they used to say.

Finalists have been announced, and the book made two of three categories into which it was entered.
Considering I’d thought this manuscript’s permanent home was on a shelf in my closet, this progress seems significant. 
- Joe

Memoirs Only

Half Italian (and then some) is now on memoirsonly.com and you can read an excerpt from the "Showcase" page.

- Joe
Half Italian (and then some)  on Kindle,  on Nook,  on Kobo.  For iBook and others, click here.

Cover with RF emblem

A view of the book's cover, now with the Readers' Favorite 5-star review emblem. RF gave Half Italian (and then some) five 5-star reviews, and two of them included the cover which was designed by Get It Together Productions. Thanks, Kae.

- Joe
Half Italian (and then some)  on Kindle,  on Nook,  on Kobo.  For iBook and others, click here.

Reviews

Reviews have come in and here are some. My head is spinning, once again. Seems each bit of progress opens more promotion avenues, via online social platforms. My Italian grandmother, with her sketchy English, never used the word "dizzy"; instead, she translated "Mi gira in testa" literally, saying, "My head, it going around in circles." What an image that was, for a kid!For those who enjoy sketchy English, there’s more in the book as you can tell from the reviews.

- Joe
Half Italian (and then some)  on Kindle,  on Nook,  on Kobo.  For iBook and others, click here.

Gnocchi

Yesterday I made a hearty vegetable marinara sauce, my first, to help prepare a friend who’ll soon travel to India where he’ll eat a complete vegetarian diet for nearly two weeks. He’s been warned to “prepare” his non-vegetarian body for the “shock.”
Coincidentally, someone from India recently asked, on a Goodreads discussion, how to make vegetarian Bolognese (meat sauce). Well, you can’t, because then it’s not a Bolognese. But last night’s chunky vegetable sauce came out so good that I didn’t miss the meat. I used it on gnocchi. Here’s an excerpt from Half Italian (and then some): 

“Gnocchi are thick ropes of pasta, cut into bite-size pieces. My family has always made the kind that’s potato-based. Gnocchi are well known in Italy, perhaps not as typical as the hot dog in America, but I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t like them.”
Here’s the gnocchi, being made:


Here they are, boiling:
 


Adding boiled gnocchi to the pan with the chunky marinara...

 
…and ready to eat (with some chopped avocado, a California touch that my immigrant relatives made to nearly every salad, many sandwiches, even avocado pie -- but never to gnocchi!).
  
But now that the book is out, what’ll I do with this great sauce idea!?
 - JoeHalf Italian (and then some)  on Kindle,  on Nook,  on Kobo.  For iBook and others, click here.

iBook

People have asked me if Half Italian (and then some) is available as an iBook. Click on the “For iBook and others” link in the box below, and you’ll arrive at Kindle’s free reading apps page. There, select the free app for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Android Tablet, and others. Enjoy.
- JoeHalf Italian (and then some)  on Kindle,  on Nook,  on Kobo.  For iBook and others, click here.

Kobo

Half Italian (and then some) is now available on Kobo, a popular eReader in Canada. Click here.

- Joe
Half Italian (and then some)  on Kindle,  on Nook,  on Kobo.  For iBook and others, click here.

And...

Half Italian, now officially Half Italian (and then some) is available.


Here are the links for Kindle, and for Nook.

My head is spinning. I didn’t expect this, at all. What was simply a personal thank-you for years of reading enjoyment, less than a month ago, from me to the author who told me to PERSEVERE, led to life for a project I thought was dead. My head is spinning from the speed of getting the book online and profiles created.

I know there’ll be nasty remarks; I’ve read plenty on Amazon, even for bestsellers. They’ll hurt, of course, but that’s part of a project’s life. Alive!

And so, with all this, I now move from “PJ” to “Joe”.

 - Joe
Half Italian (and then some)  on Kindle,  on Nook,  on Kobo.  For iBook and others, click here.