Desiree Sfalangaalready the author of a first novel and an anthology of short stories, entrusts her third publication to SimplyBook.
A gripping romance novel starring Gioia and Manuel: after years of community, Gioia is ready to start a new life. Left alone after her grandmother’s death, she must find a job as soon as possible. The opportunity comes when she is called to take care of an elderly lady. Her job is to keep her company and help her with small daily tasks, moving into her luxurious villa. There, she will run into her grandson, a grumpy boy who enjoys making her feel uncomfortable. Gioia, who never loses her smile, slowly becomes fond of the members of that family who welcome her with so much unexpected affection, but she still can’t stand that insolent man who often looks at her inappropriately and teases her at every opportunity. However, it seems that her troubles have just begun… because living under the same roof forces her to meet the very person she would like to avoid. Gioia only knows the worst side of Manuel, because he wears a mask to hide a past that made him suffer.
What inspired you to write this book?
I have always been a creative girl, full of imagination. But also, and above all, an eternal romantic. And this always transported me into my world in which I recreated stories, imagined faces… So I always asked myself “Why not put them down in black and white?”.
I started writing when I was a little girl, but I don’t deny that my introverted character at the time led me to always delete everything once I finished. A few years ago, however, while I was writing yet another novel I was caught red-handed by my husband who immediately pushed me to publish it and thus my first novel was born, which was followed by an anthology of short stories whose proceeds were donated to the Enpa of Caltanissetta, with our four-legged friends as protagonists. And then this novel arrived. My irrepressible imagination pushed me: Gioia and Manuel continued to live in my mind, I absolutely had to bring their story to life.
“And if it were forever”, let’s start from the title. Why did you choose this one?
Anyone who knows me knows how attached I am to Biagio Antonacci’s songs and how his lyrics often seem to reflect fragments of life. So when I write my novels I often connect to one of his songs, in this case “And if it were forever”.
When you started writing this book, what were you motivated by?
I started writing it without the presumption of completing it or even publishing it. As already mentioned, I have always written short novels with the most varied stories, but publishing one was a taboo for me. But given the interest aroused by the first, I wanted to convey a growth in writing, to make my readers understand that I could give more and that my stories could also be more than just a short novel. Little by little I began to become seriously fond of the protagonists, part of my character resides in them and they tell more about me than I could have imagined.
What are the most important elements of writing in this book?
Definitely the alternate POV. Being able to read the moods and points of view of both protagonists and reading them especially in first person I think is the best way to get fully involved in a story and really understand it.
What beliefs is your book challenging?
I hate when people around me live with pessimism. I often hear people say “I was born under an unlucky star” or “I am not destined to improve my life”. I am more for the greatness of the universe: if you ardently desire to change your life, do everything to ensure that you succeed and the universe will be able to help you. Gioia often has meltdowns in reality, but she is determined. She knows where she comes from and she knows where she wants to go, she has made promises to herself and she doesn’t intend to disappoint them. So this is what I want to convey: we can all change what seems to be our destiny, but to do so we must not sit still and wait. We must act!
How do you balance writing with your professional career?
This is a good question. After writing this novel I started another one, but between work and family (I have a 5 year old) I had to put down my pen and I don’t know when I’ll be able to pick it up again, so I can tell you that at the moment I’m not reconciling them. But my intent is to finish that novel as soon as possible.
