Book Title: Cecilia House by Simon Gandossi
Category: Adult Fiction, 322 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Xlibris
Release date: September, 2019
Tour dates: Nov 18 to Dec 6, 2019
Content Rating: R

Book Description:

Life is a precious gift and it can change within the blink of an eye, something Patricia discovered at a young age. After an extremely tragic event her loving family, good friends and many dreams and aspirations were all gone. An unwanted child was sent to what was supposed to be a place of lovingness and warmth. Instead she soon discovered that those responsible for her care added so much more pain and sadness to many lives. What occurred within the walls of Cecilia House was one of the most despicable and unimaginable acts to ever happen within an organization whose duty it was to protect innocent children.






LCR: Simon, welcome to Library of Clean Reads. Cecilia House is your third historical fiction novel. What draws you to write this genre?

SG: When I was very young, a place that had come to mean so much to me was large park owned by one of the oldest families in the area. When the council decided to open a museum there I frustrated my parents by constantly nagging them to take me to visit it. I was fascinated by every antique I saw. I knew then that I wanted to make history my career and become an archeologist and writer. History is my passion and I love to bring it to life for my readers.

LCR: Your novels, including Cecilia House tackle sensitive and heartbreaking topics. What made you want to write about abuse of children by the Catholic Church?

SG: I saw a documentary about such abuse and during their interviews they all said one thing in common, “No one cared.” I had written my first two book set during WW2 and after thinking about it for a while I just decided this subject was something I felt I had to write about. In the 1930s, many records were destroyed and the extent to which the abuse was is unknown. I wanted to be their voice.

LCR: How do you do research for your novels?

SG: I conduct my research in various ways, obviously utilizing the internet but if I can I interview survivors and or their family members I prefer to do that. I also chat on facetime and skype to people from around the world, including historians, to gain as much information as possible.

LCR: What are some books that you have loved reading and/or that have inspired you?

SG: The first ever book I read inspires me, Anne Frank’s Diary and I still continue to read it today. The other book is Burt Monro: The World’s Fastest Indian, a story about a man who never gave up on achieving his dream. This describes me.

LCR: If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?

SG: When I ask myself this question I always end up creating such a long answer. I would travel as far back to the Tudor era in England to the Vietnam War era. I love hearing my dad talk about life during the 1960s and I would love to see for myself. I would love to travel back and see some of the major events of our history including London during The Blitz, Pearl Harbor and watching the moon landing live on TV.

LCR: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me!

Born and raised in Western Australia, author Simon Gandossi grew up on a small quiet farm. Very early on in his life he began to visit museums. As he looked at the various antiques, he created stories about each of them in his mind. When his father bought him his first computer, those stories came to life. That passion for history grew over the years making him one of the best up-and-coming historical fiction writers.

His first two books Elsa and For Beau: The Sarah Ashdown Story have gained outstanding reviews from several major bookstores and critics. His unique perspective shocks and inspires those who read them. This has carried over into his newest novel Cecilia House when yet again Simon has created a confronting and powerful story.

Simon will continue to write on that same peaceful farm from which he wrote his first story so that for a long time to come we all will be captivated by his work.