Hi all! Welcome to all new members and thanks for joining me.
It's been a very hot, melting August. So much so, the Italians termed the heatwave, Lucifero. Temperatures hit a record 48.8 in Sicily and there have been hundreds of wildfires which have tested the Italian fire brigade. I know there have been similar experiences in Greece and Turkey, yet in some parts of France it’s been a very different picture. Thankfully, over the last few days the temperatures have dropped, we have had some rain and the garden is sighing with relief. So my brain has returned to, almost, normal function.
Things about September
A poem:
There are flowers enough in the summertime,
More flowers than I can remember—
But none with the purple, gold, and red
That dye the flowers of September!
—Mary Howitt (1799-1888)
Funnily enough, September is associated with Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, which would have suited last month.
A Full Harvest Moon is due on 20th September and the Autumn Equinox, my favourite time of the year. I’m a little obsessed with all things moon.
A Night out at the Opera
We had our first grown up night out at the outdoor opera, La Sefisterio, in our provincial town of Macerata. It was a little stressful, not knowing what to expect but they had pulled out all the stops in terms of safety. Plenty of space inbetweens seats, temperatures taken and masks worn. The new kind of normal I suppose. And the performance of La Traviata did not disappoint, it was magical.
My Publishing Strategy
I have become very disillusioned with the regular approach to self publishing, largely through the big monster that we all know too well, and the changes on Instagram following the trend of Tik Tok with videos. So I took some time out to rethink my strategy after reading about a different, but not unknown approach. I will be serialising the first Season of my fantasy series, The Luna Legends, publishing a chapter per week which will be sent directly to readers inbox. There has been a lot of talk about this approach in some circles and it is not new! Think Charles Dickens and Alexandre Dumas for starters. And it appealed to me because I have written the series in a fashion that suits this particular approach. So I’m excited to say the least. I’ll share more in the coming weeks.
On My Bedside Table
I’ve struggled to keep up with my usual reading levels these past 18 months. I know many readers who have escaped into the pages of a good book, looking for a world they can lose themselves in, but my attention span has been rubbish. Coupled with my difficulty in reading on the Kindle, I spend so much time looking at a screen, I long for the tactile buzz I get with a real book, made of paper. Anyway, here is my To Be Read pile… let me know what’s on yours!
If you're looking for your next good read, the Book List Queen highlights some suggestions.
My Ideal Day
If you were picking your ideal day from a menu, what would you order? My palette gets very excited as autumn approaches. The delicious thoughts of Sunday roast dinners with rich gravy and hot breakfast crumpets slathered with butter. Yum! We can’t buy crumpets here in Italy so I’ve learnt to make our own from this recipe. They are fairly easy and I couldn’t imagine buying them from a shop ever again. In fact, I’ve learnt to cook and make lots of things I took for granted in the UK. 😋
Finally,
August 24 was a sombre day and has been since 2016 when a fatal earthquake hit our region. Here is something I wrote in honour of those lost. I’ve learnt that home is not about bricks and mortar, or possessions. It's a feeling.
The clock stopped today at 3.36am when the earth quivered and quaked. Walls crumbled and tumbled and rocked our world. Three hundred lives in slumber. Robbed of their future. Robbed of their history. Robbed of their present. Taken to eternal sleep before their time.
We Remember You. Amatrice, 2016.
Let me know what you have been up to or what you are planning to get up to. I would love to hear from you!