Hello and welcome to my blog,
In an all new Author Q&A Session, I present you with the first-time author, Gail Mencini, who took us on a trip through the beautiful landscapes of Tuscany with her novel, To Tuscany With Love, which is heart-touching story about friends, love and loss. Read the interview below to know more about Gail and how she wrote this incredible novel.
Read the review of To Tuscany With Love
Me: Hello and welcome to my blog, Gail. Congratulations on your debut book, To Tuscany With Love. Can you please tell us about the story behind the book, To Tuscany With Love?
Gail: Hello, Aditi. Thank you for asking me to visit with you on your blog!
It has been a whirlwind of activity since the release of my debut novel, To Tuscany with Love.
The actual writing took much longer than I like to admit.
First, I polished my craft by writing, attending workshops and conferences, and reading books on the many aspects of writing a novel. Next, I plotted the book and developed my character sketches. Since this novel has many points of view, I developed a spreadsheet to keep track of the characters, their individual motivations, slang words, and appearances. Then, I wrote, and rewrote, and rewrote again after my editor got her hands on it.
In the process of writing my manuscript, “life” happened to me, as it did to my characters. What do I mean by “life?” Family needs, work demands, and health issues. I am a breast cancer survivor. That took time, too.
Eventually, To Tuscany with Love was completed and selected for publication, but my work wasn’t done. Proofing, developing my website and social media presence, and marketing the book were just beginning.
What an adventure! Now, I’m busy with all of this, plus writing my second novel. I feel very blessed and love connecting with readers, whether through social media or in person at events and reading groups.
Me: What inspired the inception of this story in your mind?
Gail: The premise of the story—a reunion of a semester abroad class of students—came from a family friend. This friend mentioned in passing that he was heading to Europe for a reunion of his semester abroad class.
I thought, “How fun! I wonder if these people who met during those very impressionable college years have anything in common now?”
I know nothing of my friend’s actual reunion, or any of the people who attended. This premise, though, started haunting my waking and sleeping hours and the characters came into my head, eventually demanding I tell their story.
Their story is To Tuscany with Love.
Me: How did you come up with so many diverse characters in your book, To Tuscany With Love? And tell me one trait of each of your primary characters that intrigues you the most?
Gail: The premise of meeting during a college semester abroad, and later returning for a reunion, evolved through these eight characters.
Once I began pondering the basic premise, these eight characters bombarded me, each competing for my attention to their individual stories. They are all fictional characters and, to my friends delight, bear no resemblance to anyone I know.
Creating a story with so many diverse characters was an ambitious undertaking for a first-time author, but I “heard their story” through their individual points of view, and that’s how I wrote it.
Bella
Since the semester abroad and later reunion takes place in Italy, I wanted one of my characters to be Italian-American. Bella, a single child born to an unwed, financially challenged mother, wants most what she was denied as a child—a traditional family comprised of two parents and children. I love her passion and how an integral part of her growth as a character is her reluctant accountability for her actions and assuming responsibility for her own future.
Stillman
I wanted a character with a very diverse background from the others, which became Stillman, the Southern gentleman who rises above a poor and abused childhood. The intriguing thing for me about Stillman is determining his true underlying motivation.
I frequently visit reading groups, and will Skype with book groups located anywhere in the world. A frequent topic for debate at these groups is delving into Stillman’s true motivation, which stems from his childhood background.
Phillip
A California athlete, Phillip, added geographic diversity to the mix. Phillip is one of those people that one thinks they know until they dig deeper to discover his true being. I love that Phillip is much more complex than one might originally imagine.
Rune
Rune is the Midwest boy gone bad and I wanted to spice up the dynamics with a “wild child.” Rune named himself. His line, “My name is Rune, and I’ll ruin you this summer”, came to me in the beginning of imagining my characters. He was especially fun to write, perhaps because he is so different from the obedient Midwest girl that I was growing up.
Lee
I know people who do the bidding of their family even though it goes against their own desires, needs, and passions. Do you know anyone like that? This is Lee. Grappling with these divergent needs and demands become Lee’s personal demon, which is what makes him intriguing.
Meghan and Karen
These beautiful, affluent twins from Chicago are identical twins by appearance, but very different characters in personality and motivation. I am lucky to have two sisters and a brother, and I value sibling relationships. The special relationship between siblings is intriguing to me as a writer, and even more so, the relationship and dynamics between twins.
Hope
Hope, the straight forward, yet complex, girl from Colorado is my character of hope. I love how the reunion and her friends from long ago become a vehicle for her self-actualization.
Can you tell that I love, for different reasons, all of my characters?
Me: How did you research for the plot? Did you travel to Italy for this purpose? Tell us about your trip to Italy.
Gail: I was fortunate to have visited Italy and Tuscany a few times with family and friends before, and also during, writing the novel. My trips occurred for recreational purposes rather than solely for research, but I dream that someday future book royalties would support research to wonderful places like Italy!
During these trips, I visited most, if not all, of the sites in Tuscany mentioned in the novel, although I may have altered exact details and names for fictional purposes. Since the novel’s release, I received excellent feedback from people who have toured these areas in Tuscany, with remarks that the novel helped them revisit their favorite places. Other readers have used it as a tour guide to plan their trip, which I view as a rewarding and delightful compliment.
I toured Tuscany by Vespa with a group where a tour company was in charge of arrangements, which was a remarkable experience. I booked other trips to Italy myself for my husband, four sons, and I, using guidebooks and the Internet for planning and scheduling. The cities and hill towns mentioned in To Tuscany with Love are some of my favorite places that I’ve visited in Italy and I love being able to share them with my readers.
Me: How will you describe your journey so far as an author?
Gail: Surreal. A dream come true! Exciting. An education. Exhausting.
Me: How did you become an author? And was it always your one true dream to be an author and name us one author who inspired you to take this road of writing novels?
Gail: I am a lifelong lover of books and reading. At college, I studied accounting and economics with the goal of having a profession to support myself. I should have suspected my true passion was writing though, as all of my elective courses were Literature classes. After college, I practiced as a CPA and tax consultant for many years.
One hot July summer in Key West, Florida my husband and I toured Ernest Hemingway’s house. There, I felt the potent being and presence of Ernest Hemingway as strong as if he were standing next to me.
Smacked in the face with the master writer’s ghost and palpable presence, I confessed my secret desire to write books. Unlike me, though, my husband felt only the heat and humidity and not a trace of Ernest. That was my start to writing.
My confession led to a novel that won contests, but otherwise never saw the light of day. Years of writing, revising, and rejections occurred, and then a kernel of an idea, and several trips to Italy, evolved into To Tuscany with Love.
Me: How will you describe your normal writing day like? And what are ways you unwind yourself from the stress of a long day's work?
Gail: I am an early riser. On most days, I will exercise and then walk our dog, often getting plot ideas during the walk. The next hours I spend writing at my computer. I sit by a window with view to open space or carry my laptop to an outside table if the weather is nice—my favorite part of the workday! Nature is definitely a muse for me.
I leave marketing, emails, bills, appointments, and correspondence for the late afternoon and evening.
I love to cook and try new recipes, which is relaxing for me and usually rewarding for my family. My favorite way to unwind after a stressful day, though, is to sit and visit with my husband. In our family, we believe in celebrating all manner of events and things, and have done that since our sons were very young. We celebrate sunsets in honor of Key West (a tradition there and a nod to my start in writing) and al fresco dining in memory of our cherished times dining in Italian piazzas.
Me: After writing this book, what did you expect the readers of your book to draw from it's conclusion?
Gail: At the end, the characters in To Tuscany with Love realize the strength and power of friendship and love. Their reunion is a turning point in their lives.
My hope is that readers will take a moment to think about their own lives. If a person is not happy with the direction their life is going now, I hope they take stock of it, think of what they would like to change, and move with purpose and passion in the direction of their dreams. It’s never too late!
Me: What's next up on your writing sleeves? Please tell us briefly about it.
Gail: To Tuscany with Love is the first in the Tuscany series. I am busy working on the second in the series, which brings a different cast of American characters to new hill towns in Tuscany. It is not a sequel, but carries similar themes of self-actualization and redemption.
Me: Thank you so much Gail for sparing time to have this interview session with me for my blog. I can only wish you luck in all your future endeavors.
Gail: It is truly my pleasure, Aditi, to visit with you through your blog. Thank you most kindly for your time, your interest, and your review of To Tuscany with Love! Grazie!
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Gail's Bio:
