August 10th: The day of Saint Lorenzo and the night of the shooting stars. Every year on this night, Italians head to the hills with blankets and loved ones to watch the “stars of San Lorenzo”. It is around this…
Planning My TLF Publicity Strategy
Today was another day of publicity research for my upcoming debut novel The Love Fool (A Rome-antic Comedy). I focused on making a spreadsheet listing contacts at publications, blogs, podcasts and book-related websites that I would potentially contact for the…
Writing: I’m going to go insane.
So, I’m attempting to write a new story. This time I’m trying to delve into the world of noir fiction. I’ve got my characters in order, I think. And I’ve got an incident, I think. But, I’m confident I have…
Milan: Via Monte Napoleone, Spring 1996 – Part 2
Continuing from Part 1, Laura and I were in a small crowd on the luxury shopping street Via Monte Napoleone, waiting for Claudia Schiffer to emerge from the Gucci store. [Milan. Spring 1996 – Part 2 of 2] Two more men,…
Milan: Via Monte Napoleone, Spring 1996 – Part 1
[Milan. Spring 1996 – Part 1 of 2] It was fashion week; and rumors were flying that the famous models were in town. Remember: The original ‘supermodels’ were still at an all-time peak then. I was twenty-one years old and…
New Orleans: Day 4 (Final): A streetcar, a local lunch spot, more beignet, and back to that awesome Tiki bar.
Our final day: After a morning stroll, we all met up on Canal Street and rode the no.12 St. Charles streetcar through the Garden District, past my hotel, towards the universities. We stepped off at Audubon Park and strolled among…
New Orleans: Day 3, Part 2 – Tiki Time, a Vending Machine, and the Literary Carousel
Yup, we finally moseyed on over to Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29 – a fairly new and nationally renowned tiki bar by legendary and influential tiki expert Jeff ‘Beachbum’ Berry. Lately, I’ve been diving into the world of cocktails; teaching myself…
New Orleans: Day 3, Part 1 – Tornado Watch, Faubourg Marigny, and Beignets
I was awakened by the buzz of my mobile phone. My friend and one of our travel companions frantically sent me a text with a tornado warning advisory. It had rained heavily overnight and it was now Monday, 5:30am with…
New Orleans: Day 2 – Garden District, Fancy Jazz Brunch, and the Revival of a Famous Dessert.
The following morning, I woke up with a bit of a much-deserved headache. I think I was slightly hung over… most likely. After strolling the French Quarter the previous day, we stopped for a full dinner at Café Sbisa on…
New Orleans: Day 1 – Cocktails 1, 2, 3
It was my first time in the fascinating city of New Orleans. The airport taxi dropped me at my hotel – the Pontchartrain Hotel – in the Garden District. I had decided to stay away from what I had assumed…
First Visit to New Orleans
It has been a while since I’ve shared about my travels. And I’d like to share my recent trip and first visit to New Orleans. The city exceeded my expectations in many, many ways. I was excited to see the…
I Guess I Now Know My Writing Method
It’s amazing how my new story is taking shape. And I think I’ve figured out my writing method and procedure that helps me create. With my first upcoming novel THE LOVE FOOL (A ROME-antic Comedy), I really didn’t know what I…