Welcome, Annamaria! It’s great to have you here. Thanks for being my guest.
It’s my pleasure to be here. You know how much I enjoy chatting with you. I’m honored to be your first guest.
The
honor is mine. I can’t help remembering that Sicilian cake you served during
the interview you did with me a while back. You said you’d tell me how to
make it, but your niece had the recipe for the topping. Somehow that got me
thinking that your background must be Sicilian. Is it?
Yes, both my parents were born in Sicily, my father in a small fishing town called Sciacca in the province of Agrigento. My mother was born in the city of Agrigento. My grandfather was a prominent businessman who owned a sardine and anchovy canning business. My mother’s dad was a wealthy businessman in Agrigento who made his fortune in the United States and Canada. I guess I’m first generation American.
Now we know my origins. What about you? What’s your heritage?
I’m Jamaican, though I’ve lived in Florida more than half my life. But we’re here to get the scoop on YOU, not me. Before I move on to the next question, bet you didn’t know that Jon Bon Jovi’s father’s side of the family came from Sciacca too. Jon Bon Jovi’s real name is John Bonjiovi.
I had no idea his father’s family came from little Sciacca. It’s amazing how small the world is getting.
True, the world is really getting smaller every day and it’s amazing how much information we can access at the click of a button. I just Googled Sciacca where your father was born. It’s a very old town, and it has an interesting history. It was originally called Thermae and was founded in the 5th century B.C. by the Greeks who went there to bathe in the sulphur springs of Mount San Calogero. It was also a royal town at some time. Here it is.
Yes, both my parents were born in Sicily, my father in a small fishing town called Sciacca in the province of Agrigento. My mother was born in the city of Agrigento. My grandfather was a prominent businessman who owned a sardine and anchovy canning business. My mother’s dad was a wealthy businessman in Agrigento who made his fortune in the United States and Canada. I guess I’m first generation American.
Now we know my origins. What about you? What’s your heritage?
I’m Jamaican, though I’ve lived in Florida more than half my life. But we’re here to get the scoop on YOU, not me. Before I move on to the next question, bet you didn’t know that Jon Bon Jovi’s father’s side of the family came from Sciacca too. Jon Bon Jovi’s real name is John Bonjiovi.
I had no idea his father’s family came from little Sciacca. It’s amazing how small the world is getting.
True, the world is really getting smaller every day and it’s amazing how much information we can access at the click of a button. I just Googled Sciacca where your father was born. It’s a very old town, and it has an interesting history. It was originally called Thermae and was founded in the 5th century B.C. by the Greeks who went there to bathe in the sulphur springs of Mount San Calogero. It was also a royal town at some time. Here it is.
Has your father ever shared stories about
Sciacca? Have you ever been there?
No, my father was never much of a story teller, but my grandfather used to tell us that Sciacca had been conquered by the Moors and that’s why what remains of the city walls are painted in a bright pink with green wooden doors that are always kept open, of course.
And I tell you, the
pink walls and green doors are pretty impressive. Yes, I’ve seen them because I
lived in Sciacca for six years when I was a child. I had a lot of fun growing
up there.
The baths were closed when I was in Sciacca, but the top of San Calogero boasted a beautiful pine forest where we’d go frequently on Sunday afternoons with all my cousins, aunts and uncles. We did a great deal all together as one huge family.
Those are such great memories. It almost sounds as though your time in Sciacca was like always being on vacation. Tell us about your most memorable vacation.
Visiting Rome. At the time I was about 11 and we
spent several days visiting ancient ruins. My favorite was the
Colloseum. Such vivid pictures of the gladiators danced in my mind, and then the
terrible games during which the Christians were thrown to the lions. The little rooms
they were kept in before sending them out to the slaughter. What a bloody and
violent history. But I had a great time because Ancient Rome is one of my
favorite civilizations.
I love Italy. It’s my favorite country in
Europe, though I had an embarrassing experience there when I was a teenager. What’s
the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?
I really have to think about this one… I’m not sure it was as embarrassing for me as much as it was for my sister… but when I got married and the church service was over and Nazih and I turned around to leave, my sister stepped on my veil and I would have fallen backwards, to the floor if Nazih had not caught me—the exit of my dreams destroyed forever. ~Chuckles~
Sounds like an auspicious start to a marriage to me. (-: Groom rescues his bride from fall. Kind of romantic. I know you have children. How many?
I have four beautiful daughters. Amanda. who is 24, is married to a wonderful young man. Amelia, 22, is a nursing student, Alessa, 20, is studying accounting and Ariana, 14, is my little high school girl.
How do you juggle motherhood and all the demands of being an independent author? You’ve written several novels, you run a popular blog, plus there are also the business and marketing aspects to contend with.
Even though I'm a stay at home mom, after a twenty-year career in computers, I'm now running my own in-home daycare. When my Ariana is in school and the children take their nap, I take care of my writing. Is it easy? No, but doable because I really have a passion for writing and it's something I've wanted to do since I was very young.
Wow, mother of four, author of six books, blogger, book marketer, supporter of her fellow authors. Readers, you’ll agree Annamaria Bazzi is proof that if you’re passionate enough about something, you can do it – even though other commitments may make it seem impossible. I think the message for us all is if you have a dream, go for it!
Here's a picture of Annamaria age ten dressed up for Carnivale.
That’s every writer’s nightmare. Even losing a paragraph is bad news. You can never recapture it, so I can imagine how you felt about losing a whole book.
I’m chomping at the bit to hear about Incantation Paradox, but I have one more question for you before you tell us about it. What’s one of the most memorable experiences of your life?
One that changed my life and who I am forever. When I was almost six, my father kidnapped my siblings and me and took us to Italy. Once my mother realized what had happened, she followed and fought in the court systems there to get her children back. Immediately, that is after six months, she was awarded custody of my sister because the judge deemed her too young to be without a mother. My sister is only one year younger than me. After a long battle of six years, the court awarded all children to my father. It was summer and I was staying with my mother for a few weeks, but to make this happen the judge ordered my mother to deposit her passport at the courthouse. I’m sure that it’s still sitting there.
Not wanting to lose all her children, my mother kidnaped us and brought us home. It was no small accomplishment considering that to take us out of the country she needed not only her passport, but also written permission from my father.
This is an entire story in itself, one that I’ll be putting down into novel form within the next few years, starting with the life of the two uncles who ended up raising me.
Incredible story. Seeing you’re such a prolific writer, I’m surprised you haven’t written it yet. But there are only twenty-four hours in a day, right? And you’ve just released yet another book. It’s a bit of a departure from your White Swans series for young adults. Genre switching isn’t unusual, but I’m curious to know what inspired you to take a different direction with this new novel.
One morning, I woke up in a very weird mood and sent an email to a good friend of mine telling him I must be crazy because that morning when I looked in the mirror I saw my younger self. That one email turned into a few interesting ones that planted the seed in my head. A few weeks later I was writing Incantation Paradox.
Because I’m not a teen, I wanted to write the perspective of a mature woman struggling in a frightening world that made no sense. I also wanted to know if I could tackle such an internal struggle of a woman and a teen sharing the same body, that is the woman’s essence and teen’s memories.
How did your character feel when she found herself having to deal with the memories, thoughts and emotions of a teen? How did that affect her relationships with the people in her life?
Who is Eric?
Eric is the antagonist. He is the boy Mona grew up with because her father and his father are best friends. Eric looks like a god, but there’s something sinister about him and although he scares her, Dolores is determined to find out what he is hiding. She finds herself facing an evil greater than she ever imagined and is forced to play a dangerous game in the hope of finding a way to return to her previous life.
All Romance e-books
The baths were closed when I was in Sciacca, but the top of San Calogero boasted a beautiful pine forest where we’d go frequently on Sunday afternoons with all my cousins, aunts and uncles. We did a great deal all together as one huge family.
 | ||||
| Eight year-old Annamaria with her brother at the pier in Sciacca. |
Those are such great memories. It almost sounds as though your time in Sciacca was like always being on vacation. Tell us about your most memorable vacation.
 |
| Annamaria and her brother in Venice |
I really have to think about this one… I’m not sure it was as embarrassing for me as much as it was for my sister… but when I got married and the church service was over and Nazih and I turned around to leave, my sister stepped on my veil and I would have fallen backwards, to the floor if Nazih had not caught me—the exit of my dreams destroyed forever. ~Chuckles~
Sounds like an auspicious start to a marriage to me. (-: Groom rescues his bride from fall. Kind of romantic. I know you have children. How many?
I have four beautiful daughters. Amanda. who is 24, is married to a wonderful young man. Amelia, 22, is a nursing student, Alessa, 20, is studying accounting and Ariana, 14, is my little high school girl.
How do you juggle motherhood and all the demands of being an independent author? You’ve written several novels, you run a popular blog, plus there are also the business and marketing aspects to contend with.
Even though I'm a stay at home mom, after a twenty-year career in computers, I'm now running my own in-home daycare. When my Ariana is in school and the children take their nap, I take care of my writing. Is it easy? No, but doable because I really have a passion for writing and it's something I've wanted to do since I was very young.
Wow, mother of four, author of six books, blogger, book marketer, supporter of her fellow authors. Readers, you’ll agree Annamaria Bazzi is proof that if you’re passionate enough about something, you can do it – even though other commitments may make it seem impossible. I think the message for us all is if you have a dream, go for it!
Here's a picture of Annamaria age ten dressed up for Carnivale.
Annamaria, you
mentioned that you wanted to write since you were very young. How old were you?
And what was it that planted the seed? Or were you just born with the writing
gene?
I think I was born with the writing gene. It was in third grade when I had a great vocabulary and started to write my papers, called Tema, using my imagination and writing mini stories to turn in as homework. Many times I deviated from the assignment, but somehow never got in trouble and always got good grades on my papers. Ever since then I’ve never put the pen down. I completed my first full-length novel by the age of 16, and then lost it when I moved to Virginia from Michigan. Very sad day for me when I realized it was gone forever.
I think I was born with the writing gene. It was in third grade when I had a great vocabulary and started to write my papers, called Tema, using my imagination and writing mini stories to turn in as homework. Many times I deviated from the assignment, but somehow never got in trouble and always got good grades on my papers. Ever since then I’ve never put the pen down. I completed my first full-length novel by the age of 16, and then lost it when I moved to Virginia from Michigan. Very sad day for me when I realized it was gone forever.
That’s every writer’s nightmare. Even losing a paragraph is bad news. You can never recapture it, so I can imagine how you felt about losing a whole book.
I’m chomping at the bit to hear about Incantation Paradox, but I have one more question for you before you tell us about it. What’s one of the most memorable experiences of your life?
One that changed my life and who I am forever. When I was almost six, my father kidnapped my siblings and me and took us to Italy. Once my mother realized what had happened, she followed and fought in the court systems there to get her children back. Immediately, that is after six months, she was awarded custody of my sister because the judge deemed her too young to be without a mother. My sister is only one year younger than me. After a long battle of six years, the court awarded all children to my father. It was summer and I was staying with my mother for a few weeks, but to make this happen the judge ordered my mother to deposit her passport at the courthouse. I’m sure that it’s still sitting there.
Not wanting to lose all her children, my mother kidnaped us and brought us home. It was no small accomplishment considering that to take us out of the country she needed not only her passport, but also written permission from my father.
This is an entire story in itself, one that I’ll be putting down into novel form within the next few years, starting with the life of the two uncles who ended up raising me.
Incredible story. Seeing you’re such a prolific writer, I’m surprised you haven’t written it yet. But there are only twenty-four hours in a day, right? And you’ve just released yet another book. It’s a bit of a departure from your White Swans series for young adults. Genre switching isn’t unusual, but I’m curious to know what inspired you to take a different direction with this new novel.
I
have these weird spells, I don’t know, maybe it’s as simple as me getting out
of bed on the wrong side. I know it’s a cliché, but in this case quite true.
One morning, I woke up in a very weird mood and sent an email to a good friend of mine telling him I must be crazy because that morning when I looked in the mirror I saw my younger self. That one email turned into a few interesting ones that planted the seed in my head. A few weeks later I was writing Incantation Paradox.
Because I’m not a teen, I wanted to write the perspective of a mature woman struggling in a frightening world that made no sense. I also wanted to know if I could tackle such an internal struggle of a woman and a teen sharing the same body, that is the woman’s essence and teen’s memories.
How did your character feel when she found herself having to deal with the memories, thoughts and emotions of a teen? How did that affect her relationships with the people in her life?
With
all the mood swings, from adult feelings to teen feelings and back to those of
an adult, Dolores equates it with being a pregnant hormonal woman, which I
would suspect many women could identify with. Mona’s feelings and memories
surface through her primarily when she’s with Eric. Those feelings are so
strong Dolores often finds herself ogling after Eric.
Maybe we should remind readers who Dolores and Mona are. Dolores is the woman who is injured in a horrible car accident, but instead of waking up in a hospital bed, awakens in a teenager’s body. That teenager is Mona, a girl who died under suspicious circumstances.
Maybe we should remind readers who Dolores and Mona are. Dolores is the woman who is injured in a horrible car accident, but instead of waking up in a hospital bed, awakens in a teenager’s body. That teenager is Mona, a girl who died under suspicious circumstances.
Who is Eric?
Eric is the antagonist. He is the boy Mona grew up with because her father and his father are best friends. Eric looks like a god, but there’s something sinister about him and although he scares her, Dolores is determined to find out what he is hiding. She finds herself facing an evil greater than she ever imagined and is forced to play a dangerous game in the hope of finding a way to return to her previous life.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to know what that great evil is, but I’m not going to ask and spoil the suspense
for those who also plan on reading this "mix of paranormal and magic set in the contemporary world" as one reviewer describes it. Can't wait? Take a look inside on Amazon.
Incantation Paradox is available at:
Amazon / Smashwords / B&N
All Romance e-books
Connect with Annamaria Bazzi at:
It was great hearing those stories about your childhood, Annamaria. Thanks again for being my guest!
Joan, this is really great! thank you so much for this opportunity. you are a very gracious host and a very dear friend.
ReplyDelete:) It was a pleasure, my friend. Always have a great time with you. Very best with Incantation Paradox! I'll be reading it soon.
DeleteWhat a great interview. The story of your childhood is fascinating, Annamaria. Enough there to fuel several novels! Good luck with the Incantation Paradox. I've added it to my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea for a blog, Joan. I love "The Scoop."
Thanks, Carol. :) Always good to see you. Agree that Annamaria has enough in her life story to fuel several novels.
DeleteCarol, thanks for stopping by and reading all the dirt Joan dug out of my dark and dreary closet :). it was fun
ReplyDeletethe history on an author is always insightful because it gives the reader a better idea on who or how the author thinks. The book looks very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI'm always interested in finding out who the people behind the pen names are, MS Gibson. Thanks so much for your comment.
ReplyDelete