It Happened in Tuscany by Gail Mencini

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Book Details:

Book Title: It Happened in Tuscany by Gail Mencini 

Category:  Adult Fiction (18+), 408 pages Genre:  Mainstream Fiction, Historical Fiction Publisher:  Capriole Group 

Release date:  Feb 18 2020 

Content Rating: PG-13. The novel includes violence in war scenes and non-explicit sex scenes, but not f-words, religious profanities, or crude terms as described.

Book Description: From the multiple-award-winning author of To Tuscany with Love comes a captivating story of the epic tug of war between honor and duty, the irrepressible power of love, and the concept of family. In 1945, Will Mills and his fellow soldiers in the 10th Mountain Division scaled Italy’s treacherous Riva Ridge in the frigid night to break through the nearly impenetrable German line of defense. Severely wounded, Will was rescued by Italian partisans and one, a beautiful girl, tended his injuries until he had the strength to rejoin the U.S. troops. Tormented and haunted by his decisions and actions during wartime, Will knows he has unfinished missions in Italy to complete. The passage of time and years of carrying this unfulfilled need have molded Will into a bitter, angry man. Seventy-five years later, Will’s spunky thirty-two-year-old neighbor, Sophie Sparke, faces disaster in her life. Everything is going wrong—her job, her love life, even her dog. Part of the problem is that confident and fiercely independent Sophie lets her quick mouth get her into trouble. Grouchy, mean-spirited Will finagles Sophie into traveling with him to Tuscany to find the partisan who saved his life. Will also secretly hopes to confront the demons his wartime actions created. Sophie and Will comb enchanting Tuscan hill towns on an improbable and unfolding mission with few clues to aid them. Will’s passionate tenacity drives their quest and in the process exposes their darkest secrets. The journey alters the course of their lives, and Will and Sophie find more than they had imagined in the hills of Tuscany.

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Will is still troubled about his severe injuries in the war, Will take his quirky neighbor into going to Tuscany with him to find the partisan who saved his life, and hopefully confront the demons he has fought since the war. It was a blast following the two on their journey. With Will's grumpy old mean spirited attitude and Sophie's spunky self mixed together there was a lot of humor thought this story. The author does an amazing job detailing their journey to make readers feel like they are there in the moment. I love the vivid descriptions of the scenes in Italy. I'll never be able to go there but it was sure fun to dream and imagine I was there while listening to the descriptions of the different places. The supporting characters were well thought out and created as well. Over all this is a interesting book to read, while some parts were fun and exciting, others were not so much. I was able to listen to the Audible copy of this book and I want to comment Susan Fouche on the fabulous job reading this book. Her voice is smooth to listen to and the different voices for the characters brought the story to life in a real way. I appreciate listening to someone who does such a beautiful job.  A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Interview with Gail Mencini, author of It Happened in Tuscany Hi Gail! Thank you for being willing to share some of your writing life with us. What inspired you to write, and how did you get started? My husband and I vacationed in Key West, Florida, in the perfect month to travel there–July. People know Key West for sunsets, water sports, Jimmy Buffett, boozy celebrations, and Ernest Hemingway.   We toured Ernest Hemingway’s house in Key West. I stepped over six-toed cats, and a bizarre thing happened. Prickles ran up and down my body! I grabbed my husband’s arm. “Don’t you feel it?” “Feel what? It’s hot. It’s humid, and I need something cold to drink.” “No. Don’t you feel it—in the air? On your skin?” “It’s July. In Key West. It’s hot.” “That’s not it. It’s the ghost of Ernest Hemingway.” My secret spilled out later that night. I confessed what I had told no one. “I’ve always wanted to write novels.” “Then do it.”  So I did. I learned the craft from books and workshops and started writing.  In both To Tuscany with Love and It Happened in Tuscany you included a character with breast cancer. Why? I’m many things–wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend, and breast cancer survivor. I’m also a dreamer and a writer. All these characteristics are an integral part of who I am. My husband, a radiologist specializing in breast imaging, read my mammogram in 2009 and found my cancer. Breast cancer became intensely personal for him. He saw how lost and afraid I would have been without his help to plan and navigate my course of treatment. He vowed to start a Breast Center of Excellence at St. Anthony Hospital in Denver and create a Breast Network to serve and guide patients throughout their journey, which is exactly what he did. When he shares that his wife is a survivor and thriving, it helps give his patients courage. A screening mammogram saved my life. Early detection is a vital key to beating breast cancer. I had a mission: if my novels had one or more characters affected by this disease, I could highlight the importance of regular mammograms while entertaining my readers. But first, I had to be published so people could find my books and read my words. The only thing holding me back was me. I made a vow to believe in myself as a writer. I asked myself: if not now, when? The belief that it would happen made all the difference in the world. What is the most troublesome part about writing for you? Research. I have to fight myself from being too complete and too detailed with my research. I write fiction, but want it to be authentic, even if not one hundred percent historically or geographically accurate.  For example, I researched hairstyles, fashions, what songs were at the top of the charts, and what colleges held semester abroad classes in Florence, Italy as part of my To Tuscany with Love 1980s research. I did extensive research for the war scenes in It Happened in Tuscany. It pleased me when one reader, who is a retired Army officer, commented with excitement that I got the weapons and bombs exactly right, for both the United States and German soldiers. Both your characters and scenes are realistic and well-formed. Do you do this work as you write the novel, or before you start? I do extensive setting and character building before I write the manuscript. I create files in Scrivener, a writing application. My research files and character sketches include photographs, webpages, maps, descriptions, and other research. The character sketches detail physical descriptions, history, motivations, background, and stock photographs. I also include timelines to keep events and time periods consistent. When you’re writing an emotionally draining, sexy, or sad scene, do you do anything special to get in the proper emotional mood? I acted in and directed plays during high school and part of college. When I write, I “become” the characters as I would if I were acting. For the sexy scenes, I know the characters and their motivations well, so it isn’t difficult to “put myself in the scene.” For emotionally draining or sad scenes, I do the same, but draw on personal experiences as needed. Without giving away plot details, there are scenes that take place in cemeteries in It Happened in Tuscany, and To Tuscany with Love. I have visited some of these cemeteries and wanted to incorporate them in the novels for important plot reasons. When writing, I drew on my personal experiences in cemeteries and at funerals. Thank you for a glimpse into your life, Gail! A note from Gail:  Thank you for this interview! My goal in writing is to entertain and for a brief time, transport readers to another world. If you read It Happened in Tuscany, I sincerely hope you enjoy it. When you finish the novel, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads, or a shout-out on Facebook. I love reader comments, they inspire me to continue writing! You can learn more about my novels at: www.gailmencini.com, on Facebook: @GailMencini.Author, and Instagram: @gailmencini.  

Meet the Author: Gail Mencini is the acclaimed author of It Happened in Tuscany and To Tuscany with Love, both of which are Denver Post #1 bestsellers and award winners. Gail grew up in DeWitt, Nebraska, graduated from Wartburg College with a BA in Accounting and Economics, and earned a master of taxation degree from the University of Denver. A frequent visitor to Tuscany and a homegrown gourmet cook, Gail has toured Italy by car, train, bus, Vespa, and foot. She lives in Colorado with her husband. Connect with the author:  Website  ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ Goodreads

 

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