Author Archives

In Chapter Five of Olive Branches Don’t Grow on Trees, Cosmo surprises Silvia with some delicious homemade ricotta cookies. Enjoy the following scene and recipe below courtesy of the New York Times. As Silvia got off the old, rusty

In the final chapter of Olive Branches Don’t Grow on Trees, the Grecos are gathered for dinner eating one of my personal favorites–clams and spaghetti. Enjoy the following short excerpt and recipe.   The magic continued

Right after publishing my debut novel, Olive Branches Don’t Grow On Trees, I began a blog with recipes from this book. I would now like to re-introduce these wonderful recipes in my new blog, with pastina being the first recipe. Pastina is

Regardless of whether your story is told in first or third person point of view, the reader should be able to see the world of the story through the eyes of the protagonist.  The reader should also be able to hear, taste, smell and feel what the

I read James Joyce’s novella, The Dead, during my senior year of college.  I enjoyed reading the story, but it wasn’t until I had a lecture on this book that I truly appreciated its value.  When my professor conveyed this meaning, I

In order for a reader to get immersed in a novel, the story must flow as seamlessly as possible from beginning to end; chapter to chapter; scene to scene; paragraph to paragraph; sentence to sentence.  Before I began writing Olive Branches Don’t

We have all experienced those special moments in life either through being moved by a particular song, a beautiful sunset, or by having a profound connection with another being.  In Olive Branches Don’t Grow On Trees, Silvia experiences this

I have read character descriptions that are very precise and detailed, but that lack the true essence of the character.  This essence is revealed through things like how a character moves through the world; how he eats his food; or how she plays

Discovery of an Eagle is the story of 28 year old Cosmo Greco’s spiritual awakening.  This awakening is spurred by a near death experience that he has while driving with his sister.  They are on a trip from New Jersey to Portland, Oregon, and

The characters of a novel need to change throughout the novel.  This change or transformation is called the arc.  This change may be for the better or for the worse, but it must be.  And it must be manifested through the characters’