Following the rules of writing effective opening scenes is vital so that readers will be able to suspend disbelief. Readers must be grounded in the protagonist’s point of view in the beginning of a story. They must see the world through
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Fiction Books about Happiness: Musical Novels
Posted by Grace Mattioli in Finding Happiness | 0 commentsThe theme of music is in my two previous novels and will be a major theme in my forthcoming novel. In Olive Branches Don’t Grow On Trees, Silvia listens to music while she paints. Music inspires her: “The music seemed to go right
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Tips for Writing Fiction: Creating Three Dimensional Characters
Posted by Grace Mattioli in Writing Craft | 0 commentsI wrote my first story when I was ten years old. It was called The Magic Pen. This story was about a pen, that when used, created stories and poetry without the use of any human input as if a sacred power came through the ink of the pen. I
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Tips for Writing Fiction: How my words teach me
Posted by Grace Mattioli in Writing Craft | 1 commentI write fiction for many reasons. It’s fun; it gives me joy; it makes me sane; I feel a need to tell stories to the world. I also write so that I can learn life’s lessons. In Olive Branches Don’t Grow On Trees, Silvia learns
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Portland, Oregon: places from the road trip story, “Discovery of an Eagle”
Posted by Grace Mattioli in The Places in "Discovery of an Eagle" | 0 commentsPortland is the destination of the journey and so it is the last stop along the way. Situated near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers, Portland has several bridges and is also known as the “City of Bridges.”
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Berkeley, California: places from the road trip story, “Discovery of an Eagle”
Posted by Grace Mattioli in The Places in "Discovery of an Eagle" | 0 commentsCosmo and Silvia visit their younger brother Vince in Berkeley, where he attends college. Named after the 18th Century bishop and philosopher, George Berkeley, this university town has long been a major center of social change and civic unrest.
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Santa Cruz, California: places from the road trip story, “Discovery of an Eagle”
Posted by Grace Mattioli in The Places in "Discovery of an Eagle" | 0 commentsSilvia and Cosmo visit one of Silvia’s friends in the lovely coastal town of Santa Cruz. Situated about 90 miles south of San Francisco, Santa Cruz is home to both a major university and a boardwalk filled with restaurants, shops and an
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The Many Places in the Road Trip Story, Discovery of an Eagle
Posted by Grace Mattioli in The Places in "Discovery of an Eagle" | 0 commentsThe next series of blog posts will be in celebration of my forthcoming novel Discovery of an Eagle, which will be released on May 1st. This is the second book in the Greco family trilogy and is told through 28 year-old Cosmo Greco’s point of
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Eggplant Parmesan: traditional Italian food recipes from my new family drama book
Posted by Grace Mattioli in Recipes from "Olive Branches Don't Grow On Trees" | 0 commentsIn Chapter Seven of Olive Branches Don’t Grow On Trees, Silvia goes through a box of family photos to get inspiration for finishing her painting. She comes across one from Cosmo’s Confirmation and recalls the party after the
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Sausage and Peppers: traditional Italian food recipes from my new family drama book
Posted by Grace Mattioli in Recipes from "Olive Branches Don't Grow On Trees" | 0 commentsIn Chapter Six of Olive Branches Don’t Grow On Trees, Silvia goes home to find Frank making a sausage and peppers sandwich. She pretends that she’s interested in his cooking in order to strike up a conversation with him about her
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