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Why All My Novels Are Set in Italy

It’s hard to avoid noticing — all my novels are set in Italy. All or part of all three of my stories take place in that magic land, Italy. It began as an homage to the most fabulous traveling of my life, an art history tour of Rome, Assisi, Florence, Portofino, and Venice. Even just one of those places makes you want to fall in love — if with nothing more than this beautiful place.

My main character is already in love when she first arrives in Italy, but it’s with an artist of the past, the great Baroque sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini. He famously said, “those who never dare to break the rules never surpass them”, and he teaches my heroine all about rule-breaking — artistic and otherwise!

But after The Renaissance Club, which fictionalizes my art history tour, and throws in a big romance across the centuries, courtesy of a magical tour guide, I could have quit. But I hadn’t include in TRC the magical Ligurian Coast, where Portofino is. So of course I set my next novel, The Invisibles, on that beautiful coast over looking the sea and full of hilly medieval and Renaissance cities.

When I realized I wanted to tell the origin story of the magical tour guide, George St. James — there was no way to do it without again returning to Italy. Giving art history tours of Northern Italy became his career, after all. So back to Italy we go with The Time Gatherer. And art and the Renaissance and Baroque again, with another fabulous artist of the time,
Elisabetta Sirani.

Next Book in the Works — Back to Italy?

I’m working on a new Timegathering Series story, and this time — I know you’re holding your breath — there’s again Italy, this time Florence. But we don’t stay long. The timegathering takes us back to Spanish-ruled Alta California and Revolutionary War era London to follow artist and spy Patience Wright. Of course, the sinister 23rd century Optimalists will make an appearance, and George St. James as well.

But I couldn’t resist using contemporary Florence, Italy, as a starting point for my story. Add to it an art restoration project for a small, mythical museum. The fictional project of restoring the Renaissance art by women artists is based on a real project, the marvelous Advancing Women Artists.

I really can’t help my obsessions with Italy, art, and romance. Don’t those things always belong together? A deathless trio involving beauty and the heart’s warmest feelings.

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