The Cielo Journal

A review of "The Cielo" -- in Italian

Patrizia Barraero was born in Italy, studied in Turin and Luxembourg and is now studying at the Art Students League of New York. She is a painter and illustrates children's books. She teaches the Itaian language to children. And she is a writer.

Recently, she read "The Cielo" and wrote a lengthy review which she has posted on her web site. I have managed to read some of it, and thank Patrizia for her insight and her kind words. You can read the entire review here

"The Cielo" to be honored at New York Book Festival

The New York Book Festival will be held in Central Park on Saturday. It's a celebration of books, but also a family day, with live music, clowns, food and author readings. Thousands of people are expected to attend.

More than 1,100 books have been submitted for judging, and the winners were announced over the weekend. I was pleased to learn that "The Cielo" was one of twenty-seven books to receive an Honorable Mention in the Fiction category.

Another nice honor.

Also in New York, "The Cielo" was displayed at the huge Book Expo 2007 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center from May 31 to June 3. It was among the books in the New Title Showcase. More exposure.

At the Printers Row Book Fair

Each year, the Chicago Tribune sponsors the Printers Row Book Fair, with booths stretching along Dearborn for a couple of blocks for a weekend. On Sunday, I joined the Italian Cultural Center of Chicago in their booth, and it was great fun.

Met some interesting people, and sold some books. The weather was just right.

Perhaps best of all, I found a book about the war in Barga. Amazing. It will prove most useful as I continue to write the sequel.

A problem, however: It's in Italian and I don't read Italian. So now I'm trying to find a translator.

A trip to Italy for, well, 'research'

It's been more than a week since I wrote something here. That's because I've been away.

I've hestitated to put this in print, but I might as well. I've started a sequel to "The Cielo."

I don't know if it's going to work or not. I may find that I will have to abandon it at some point. But for now, I'm plugging away. I started writing many months ago, in fact, but wasn't happy with what I'd written and put it aside.

Then in April I started again and wrote what I hope will be Part One. But I'm not sure of that. Those chapters are now being read by two friends and I'm a little apprehensive about their reactions. Maybe I'll toss that version, too.

At any rate, I knew that I needed to get more color, more description, a better "feel" of two places that would form the setting of some of the actions in the new book. So last week I flew off to Italy, and with my trusty driver/interpreter, Marcello, visited Pietrasanta, near the wetern coast, and the area around Barga, north of Lucca.

I also did some interviews and, of course, visited my cousin, Fosca, and her husband, Renato, who inspired "The Cielo."

I've come back with a full notebook and three rolls of film so help my memory when I write. The goal now is to go over those first chapers, expanding and changing where necessary, and then move on. We'll see where this goes.

While I was there, I also placed "The Cielo" in two English-language bookstores in Florence, McCrae's and the Paperback Exchange. Who knows? Maybe someone from Kankakee will discover "The Cielo" in Florence.