New Literary Agent
I’m very excited to share that I’m now represented by literary agent, Dr. Dorothee Schmidt. As you know I recently translated my award-winning novel, Surviving the Fatherland, into German and I’m hoping this true story about my parents will be available in the German language market.
New Prohibition Novel
I’m putting the finishing touches on my upcoming historical novel, THE ITALIAN’S DAUGHTER. Next step is a complete checkup by my editor. Right now I’m anticipating a release date of March 2019. I’m also still on the fence about the novel’s title, so that may still change.
Like ‘Surviving the Fatherland,’ this novel is written from the points of view of Sam and Paul, the adorable and flawed protagonists. I’d call it a love story, but not in the sense of a historical romance.
Here is a short intro (subject to change):
Cincinnati, December 1924: When feisty and headstrong Sam (short for Samantha) loses her mother in a freak accident, she decides to search for her brother, Angelo, who didn’t return from a business trip to Chicago six months earlier. It is the year 1924, the height of prohibition, and the city of Cincinnati is in the midst of a deep recession. Narrowly escaping a band of thugs, Sam meets Paul, a twenty-year old hobo with a big secret. Together they make their way to Chicago where Al Capone is building an empire.
During a raid Sam and Paul are separated. Sam is forced into a brothel while Paul is arrested. Trapped without money and decent clothes, Sam plots on how to evade the demands of her new profession and the inevitable that comes with it. She realizes that she doesn’t even know Paul’s last name and that she is on her own.
Because the judge is an old family friend, Paul learns during his hearing that his father, a wealthy inventor, is on his deathbed. The judge gives Paul an ultimatum. Go home now and see your father or go to jail. Reluctantly, Paul returns home and learns that his decision to run away seven years earlier was based on a terrible mistake.
Here is to all things new!