I'm so excited to be spotlighting fellow book blogger and author Melissa Muldoon who has released her debut novel Dreaming Sophia. If you are a lover of art history and Florence, then get yourself a copy and become immersed in a novel that will whisk you away to Italy. Read my interview with Melissa and be sure to enter the giveaway to win a copy!
Book Details:Book Title: Dreaming Sophia: Because Dreaming is an Art by Melissa Muldoon
Category: Adult Fiction, 232 pages
Genre: Literary
Publisher: Matta Press
Release date: August 2016
Tour dates: Nov 21 to Dec 16, 2016
Content Rating: PG (Mild profanity, and mild religious expletives, exploration Italian swear words, kissing - oh my!)
Book Description:
Dreaming Sophia is a magical look into Italy, language, art, and culture. It is a story about turning dreams into reality and learning to walk the fine line between fact and fantasy. When tragedy strikes, Sophia finds herself alone in the world, without direction and fearful of loving again. With only her vivid imagination to guide her, she begins a journey that will take her from the vineyards in Sonoma, California to a grad school in Philadelphia and, eventually, to Italy: Florence, Lucca, Rome, Verona, Venice, and Val d’Orcia.
Through dreamlike encounters, Sophia meets Italian personalities—princes, poets, duchesses, artists, and film stars— who give her advice to help put her life back together. Following a path that takes her from grief to joy, she discovers the source of her creativity and learns to love again, turning her dreams into reality.
My Review:
To read more reviews, please visit Melissa Muldoon's page on Italy Book Tours.
My Interview with Melissa Muldoon
LCR: Can you describe your book in 20 words or less?
MM: I
can try, but it is a difficult assignment as my book is about Italy
and weaves together many strands of Italian culture in a mixture of
fantasy, romance, art, and history. It is as diverse and complex as
Italy herself. From start to finish readers are taken on a journey
from the vineyards of Sonoma California to Florence, Fiesole, Lucca,
Rome, Verona, and Venice. Along the way, they will discover more
about Italy, popular legends and illuminating anecdotes, film, music,
and food. They will also learn a bit of Italian to boot! The story
begins with tragedy, with the main character, named after La Loren,
being blindsided by fate. But, “Dreaming Sophia” is also a joyful
story, at times even divertente—funny
and capricciosa—whimsical.
It ultimately tells how Sophia emerges from a very dark place by
tapping into her creative, imaginative powers. In Italian, a person
who daydreams is said to sognare
ad occhi aperti—to
dream with eyes open. And this is what my character does. Through
sogni
Sophia meets famous Italian personalities and they each give her a
gift and a bit of advice, urging her to follow her heart to Italy.
But
here is my attempt at a 20 words or less description:
Dreaming
Sophia is about finding one’s inner confidence and creativity and
falling in love with a country and its culture.
…or
perhaps…
Artist
recovers from tragedy by tapping her imagination. Through daydreams,
she meets Italian personalities who remind her Italy is her destiny.
LCR: I read your book and loved being transported to Florence and to the
past. How much research went into this book and how did you do it?
MM: The
answer to that would be about thirty years went into the research of
this book. It all began when I was an art history student in Florence
in college and lived with an Italian family in Campo di Marte. The
book is a culmination of my personal experiences during that time and
my more recent travels in Italy as well as the time I have spent
studying art history and being an artist. It is also a reflection of
my journey to learn the Italian language. Since beginning the Matta
blog six years ago, every day I think in Italian, write in Italian
and even sing in Italian. In preparing content for the Matta blog, I
am constantly discovering fascinating stories about Italy, language,
and culture through reading, surfing the internet and watching films.
I am always researching and adding to my list of things I want to
write about and share with my readers.
LCR: One of the things that struck me about your book is how well you
managed to portray Italians, even though you yourself are not
Italian. (I'm swear you must have some Italian blood in you!) Can you
tell us what you love the most about the Italian culture and
language? What you dislike the most?
MM: I
am not Italian, but it sure feels like in a previous life I must have
been! I have always been a great observer of all things. I take in
all manner of details and file them away in the back of my mind for
future reference. So naturally, living in Italy and having Italian
friends all over the country from Milan to Lecce has been an
inspiration for the characters in my book as well as their dialogues,
body movements, and conversations.
What
intrigues me most about Italian culture and language? Well, I can
tell you that living in Florence during college had a profound impact
on me and touched a place inside that I have allowed to nurture and
bloom. Since that time I have embraced the Italian “joy of
living”—the sense of “lasciar andare” to let go and enjoy
life. In America I am constantly on the go, ticking things off my
list, never slowing down for a minute. My head is always full of new
projects, and I can’t react fast enough to complete them. But in
Italy, I seem to relax and take things more slowly. I go with the
flow, enjoy an afternoon spritz or take the time to make pasta from
scratch. In Italy, my senses come alive, and I appreciate all the
trivial things, that when added up make life so interesting and
meaningful.
The
thing I love most about the Italians themselves is how open and
welcoming they can be when you speak their language. It has given me
the ability to get to know a more authentic Italy and even create a
whole new family there. Language has been the key to opening doors
that many tourists never have the opportunity to unlock. For
instance, I have done some incredible things I have never done in the
States! I have zip lined in the Basilicata, made chocolate truffles
with a chef at Baci Perugina in Umbria, attended weddings in
Renaissance churches, and eaten dinners with Italian families that
don’t end until midnight. I have jumped off cliffs into the warm
ocean in the Salento and even made orecchiette pasta with a
ninety-year-old nonna in Lecce. The experiences and intimate moments
are so vast and plentiful, and many of the daily Italian routines
have been repeated so frequently that now when I go to Italy each
year, it does indeed feel like I am returning home.
You
ask, what do I dislike about Italy? I would have to say the Italian
bureaucracy. I do enjoy a high level of efficiency and order, and at
times the Italian lack of urgency drives me nuts. I also wish there
were more automatic cars in Italy. The country seems only to be
filled with cars with stick shifts, and I’m trying desperately to
learn so one day I can drive in Italy with confidence!
LCR: Tell us more about your "Matta" Language and Culture trips
in Italy.
MM: Over
the years as my language skills improved and I started making friends
in Italy and having more and more personalized experiences when I
visited, I realized I wanted to share the Italy I was coming to know
and love with others. I have always advocated that to learn a
language well, you need to know about its culture. To find out more
about a country’s culture, you need to learn its language.
After
I had begun the Matta blog, many individuals and schools in Italy
with a similar philosophy to mine began reaching out to me wanting to
form partnerships to put together small groups to learn Italian in
Italy and immerse in language and culture. Now together we create a
small group environment in which students feel comfortable using the
language, not only during class time but during our afternoon
activities when we are wine tasting, making pasta or visiting
medieval castles.
The
programs are designed by myself and my Italian partners. We organize
accommodations, dinners, and engaging activities. We encourage all
levels of students to attend, from beginners just starting their
journey to learn to language to advanced students wanting to take
their language skills to the next level. Students are placed in
language classes appropriate to their needs with other students from
all over the globe. In the afternoon our group reunites, and we
partake in an activity or excursion designed just for our group.
Single travelers, as well as couples, are welcome.
I
just posted the Matta language programs for 2017. You can find more
information about each program on the Matta website:
Still
to be announced:
Dreaming
Sophia 5 day program in Florence - to learn more about Florence and
go places where Sophia visits in the book!
LCR: What surprised you the most about the feedback on your book thus far?
MM: I
am thrilled that the book is resonating with people, not only because
the story line is set in Italy, but by the message of hope it
conveys. I am receiving comments that people are moved by Sophia’s
story and her ability to overcome her tragedy and that dreams really
do become reality with hard work and perseverance.
I
was also greatly touched by Dianne Hales comments, as she along with
several other women authors I admire, inspired me to write to write
this book. I was delighted that she saw the complexity of all that I
was hoping to convey, and could appreciate the nuances and the work
that went into pulling all the threads of Italian culture together.
She summed up the story beautifully:
Brava!
You are not only becoming Italian, but a Renaissance woman as well. I
know how much work goes into a book, and yours certainly shines
through.
In
Dreaming Sophia, Melissa Muldoon weaves many strands of Italian
culture into a delightful blend of fantasy, romance, art and history.
With an artist’s keen eye and deft touch, she brings to life the
titans of Italian culture in a touching tale of a young woman reeling
from loss who discovers that “Italy is the answer.” The many
Italophiles who share her belief will revel in the adventures of this
kindred spirit.
LCR: What is your favorite Sophia Loren movie. (I had to ask!)
MM: I
adore light romantic comedies and Sophia certainly made her fair
share of them. I am also quite taken with her performance in “La
Ciociara” (Two Women) for which she received an Academy award. Her
portrayal of a woman protecting her daughter during the war is quite
moving. But I have to say; my favorite Sophia Loren movie would have
to be “Ieri, Oggi e Domani” (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow). It
is a trilogy by Vittorio de Sica also starring Marcello Mastroianni.
The stories are all unusual and show the depth and breadth of Sophia
Loren’s acting capabilities. The first is a story about a young
pregnant wife and mother in Naples who supports her husband by
selling black market cigarettes. The second it that of a wealthy
socialite toying with a man who is infatuated with her. The final
story in the trilogy is that of a prostitute who enlists the help of
a client to spurn the advances of her neighbor’s infatuated
grandson. All three women are unique and Sophia gives delightful
performances, bringing each to life splendidly.
LCR: If you could travel back in time where would you go? Who would you
see?
MM: I
would travel back to Renaissance Florence. I would like to meet
Lorenzo de’ Medici and be a part of his inner circle. It would also
be a delight to watch Leonardo and Michelangelo paint side by side in
the Palazzo Vecchio in the Salone del Cinquecento or witness
Florence’s magnificent Duomo before it had a completed cupola. How
extraordinary to be present in the room when the master architect
Brunelleschi explained for the first time his ideas of how to build
the largest free-standing dome since antiquity. I would like to dress
in Renaissance fashions and take a stroll through Florence to stand
in front of Orsanmichele, the granary in the center of town. There
I'd watch as the statues representing Florence’s fourteen trade
guilds are placed in their niches. What a thrill to then turn the
corner and knock on Botticelli's studio and be invited in to observe
the elegant master putting the final touches of color to his Birth of
Venus. How exhilarating to witness so many changes in society as
Medieval man’s view of the world took a step backward and that of a
new breed of Renaissance men—embracing new philosophies and
humanism—rushed forward.
LCR: What is your next exciting project
MM: Since
publishing “Dreaming Sophia”, I have been asked to speak at the
Istituto Italiano in San Francisco and several other venues in the
city. I also plan to take part in the Italian Christmas market at the
Italo-Americano Museum in Fort Mason in San Francisco offering signed
copies of my book.
I
will continue to write for the Matta blog and Youtube channel. I have
also created a Dreaming Sophia website, Facebook Page and Pinterest
Board. On these sites, I plan to post more stories about Italy and
art history. Through the website, I offer items I have designed, such
as Dreaming Sophia book bags, t-shirts, mugs, and calendars.
In
2017 I am organizing two Italian Language programs in Lucca in June
and Arezzo September, as well as a “Dreaming Sophia Tour” in
Florence in September. It will be a 5-6 day program, and we will
visit all the places that Sophia goes in the book, as well as a day
trip to Lucca.
I
am also developing an idea for a new novel and plan to start writing
soon. Stay tuned!
Thank
you Laura for featuring Dreaming Sophia on your blog. I have enjoyed
the journey of bringing Dreaming Sophia to life. I hope you too will
enjoy your travels with Sophia! Non
smettere mai di sognare—never
stop dreaming!
LCR: Thank you for chatting with me Melissa!
LCR: Thank you for chatting with me Melissa!
Buy the Book:
Melissa meets Sophia Loren in March 2016!
About the Author:
Melissa Muldoon is the Studentessa Matta-the crazy linguist! In Italian, "matta" means "crazy" or "impassioned". Melissa has a B.A. in fine arts, art history and European history from Knox College, a liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, as well as a master's degree in art history from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. She has also studied painting and art history in Florence.
Melissa promotes the study of Italian language and culture through her dual-language blog, Studentessa Matta (studentessamatta.com). Melissa began the Matta blog to improve her command of the language and to connect with other language learners. It has since grown to include a podcast, "Tutti Matti per l'Italiano" and the Studentessa Matta YouTube channel. Melissa also created Matta Italian Language Immersion Tours, which she co-leads with Italian partners in Italy.
Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Youtube ~ Pinterest
Enter the Giveaway!
Prizes:
Win a copy of Dreaming Sophia (print open to USA & Can, ebook int’l) One winner will get the grand prize package that includes a copy of the book, calendar, mug and tote bag (USA & CAN only) 7 winners total
Ends Dec 24
I want to win for my sister because I think she will enjoy this book
ReplyDeleteThis wonderful book would be a treasure which I would cherish. The Italian setting, culture, experience and the unforgettable story would be special and memorable. Loving Italy, the culinary delights, the culture, and the history this would be something I would keep forever and enjoy greatly.
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