The Cielo Journal

Yes, 'Dino's Story' has been published.
I got my copies last week and ordered a supply for festivals, book readings, etc. It's available now at www.amazon.com , www.barnesandnoble.com , iUniverse.com and other places. Or you can ask your bookseller to order it.

I like it!

"Dino's Story" really is on its way now

I've received the cover and should have my copies next week. It's already available at www.iUniverse.com

The final volume of A Tuscan Trilogy is on the way!
I can't believe I haven't written in such a long time. I guess it's because I've been writing -- a book. Yes, "Dino's Story: A Novel of 1960s Tuscan" should be out in a couple of weeks. I've been working on it for months and have really enjoyed writing it. I always liked Dino, when he was a baby in "The Cielo" and when he was ten years old in "Sparrow's Revenge." This is his story, a coming-of-age. In the first part, he's still in Sant'Antonio, going through the pains of being a teenager. He goes to Florence to study art in the second part and learns a lot more than he expected. And then, in the third part, he becomes a man during the devastating flood of 1966 that ravaged Florence.
I should note that the novel does an unconventional thing: I've used photographs, which I think will help make this a more realistic piece of historical fiction.
It should be available soon on Amazon, Barnes&Noble and other sites.
Enjoy!

More nice reviews for 'Sparrow's Revenge'

Here are a couple of nice recent reviews for 'Sparrow's Revenge; A Novel of Wartime Tuscany':

In Fra Noi, the Italian American monthly published in Chicago, Fred Gardaphe, who directs the Italian American Studies Program at the University of New York at Stony Brook, wrote:

"From the author of 'The Cielo: A Novel of Wartime Tuscany' comes 'Sparrow's Revenge,' a sequel that's just as exciting and full of twists and turns. As the survivors of the massacre at Sant'Anna try to put their lives back together and understand the trauma they endured, two men, enemies during the war, come face to face and resolve their differences in unexpected ways. Paul Salsini's attention to history serves as a good antidote to Spike Lee's 'Miracle at SantAnna,' and makes for a rewarding read."

Meanwhile, the US Review of Books, an online service, wrote, in part:

"One aspect that sets this novel apart is the lush scenery of Italy. In addition to good dialogue, Salsini is a wonderful storyteller with flashes of deep understanding of the human psychology and modern history."

'Sparrow's Revenge' honored at NY Book Festival

This just in: "Sparrow's Revenge: A Novel of Postwar Tuscany" received an honorable mention at the New York Book Festival. "The Cielo: A Novel of Wartime Tuscany" received the same honor two years ago. Thank you, New York Book Festival!

Devil's Bridges story in the Dallas Morning News

My story about "Devil's Bridges" in Europe appeared in the Travel Section of the Dallas Morning News, complete with the blurb at the end about how the bridge at Borgo a Mozzano is featured in my novel "Sparrow's Revenge: A Novel of Postwar Tuscany."You can find the story here

"The Cielo" is a finalist in another contest

On the heels of the announcement that "Sparrow's Revenge" is a finalist in the Midwest Independent Publishers Association contest comes word that "The Cielo" is a finalist for the 2008 Foreword Magazine Book of the Year. Why a book published in 2006 is considered is beyond me. The winner will be announced May 30 at the BookExpo America in New York.

"Sparrow's Revenge" a finalist in midwest competition

Hello. I learned this week that "Sparrow's Revenge: A Novel of Postwar Tuscany" is a finalist for Best Fiction in the annual Midwest Independent Publishers Association competition. The winner will be announced at a reception in St. Paul, Minn., on May 13.

An amazing book festival

My wife and I just returned from the Virginia Festival of the Book, and it was a fabulous experience. Our son Jim lives in Charlottesville, and he's been telling us for years about the festival. This was the fifteenth anniversary and it ran from March 18-22. There were, I think, about 170 panel discussions, talks, luncheons, programs and all sorts of events spread around Charlottesville. I was lucky to be asked to be on a panel on historical fiction on Thursday. On Saturday there was a huge book fair at the Omni Hotel, followed by an authors' reception on the wonderful University of Virginia campus. Great fun, all around.

And still more attention for "Sparrow's Revenge"

Several things have happened lately.

First, "Sparrow's Revenge" received an excellent, and long, review by Nick Schenkel, director of the West Lafayette (Ind.) Library on his NPR radio program. Here's a little of what he had to say:

"Sparrow’s Revenge offers a richness of place. Dark though the plotting may be, the Tuscan sunshine is yet every present in this novel. Too, Sparrow’s Revenge offers us a panorama of characters, for whom irony is the commonplace, not the reality of real life but the contradictions of each person’s personality as part of the warp and woof of daily living, a novel that begs the question: can fact not be as equally confounding as a good piece of fiction?

"Too, I respect the author’s respect for my intelligence as a reader. There are no quick fixes for either character development or plot in Sparrow’s Revenge. And Salsini’s love for the people and the land of Tuscany makes this a true delight to read as more than a good story."

Second, I was part of a discussion on book marketing at the Spring Writers Festival sponsored by the Department of Continuing Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

And finally (for now), I went to New York last week to tape a program in the Italian American Writers Series on a public access television network. It was conducted by Vito De Simone, who also interviewed me about "The Cielo" two years ago. 

I'm very grateful for all of this.