All of my main female characters have elements of my own
personality—my better traits—and the best of my daughter and mother as well. As
a trio we are formidable!
Giulia left home (as I did) but I married another
Italian-American. Totally accidental.
Part of Giulia's character and story are based on the real
life experience of a friend from closer to that era who left home and then
defied her parents by marrying a non-Italian-American. She looks like the woman
I describe as Giulia and the scene where John lifts Giulia up off the train to
kiss her is taken from their real story. (With her permission.)
What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?
Hard to answer since I am often doing quirky things. I don’t
believe in following the crowd or trying to lead it. I simply follow my own
path. A lot of times this leads me into fun activities, like writing poems, giving
one-person plays for the other kids while I was in grade school, going down to
see candidate John F Kennedy as he drove into Pittsburgh .
When did you first
discover that you were a writer “write” stories with crayon squiggles on
paper and “read” them to my parents.
Tell us the range of
the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I'm an omnivore when it comes to reading—pretty much. I read
mystery, light romance (no sex,please), YA, picture books, biography, serious
history, poetry, some science fiction. I like long novels, action adventure,
short stories, humor, novellas, and short shorts.
How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?
A morning meditation time with Bible reading and a long walk.
How do you choose
your characters’ names?
I think about it a long time and often look for names that
are the same or similar to names of people I admire, and of friends. “Bad guy”
names I take from imagination and hope they aren’t the same as that of any real
person.
What is the
accomplishment that you are most proud of?
Being a mom.
If you were an
animal, which one would you be, and why?
Lion. I love lions. Svelte, sleek Mommy lion protecting her
brood and lounging about with her hubby lion—hmmmm, maybe not so far off from
my reality now that hubby is retired.
What is your favorite
food?
No hesitation here--pasta!!!!! Especially rigatoni in
marinara sauce, simple but delectable. Use the finest grade pasta you can
afford and 6-in-1 tomatoes.
What is the problem
with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
Energy and procrastination. Deadline helps and exercise and
self discipline
Tell us about the
featured book?
It's a coming of age tale and a story of someone learning to
be independent in an era when woman were not respected for their intelligence
and ability.
Please give us the
first page of the book.
Giulia Goes to War
Chapter One
Anna Maria DeBartolo shook her graying head as she marched
up and down in the small space in front of the kitchen sink. “I am a loyal
American. We have a Victory
Garden . I send my cans to
the surplus drive.” With the wooden spoon she held in her hand, she gestured
toward the front of the house and the dining room window facing Main Street and
continued, “I have two blue stars in the window—both of your brothers are
serving or did you forget, Giulia? We are with the war effort so you working
here, in your Papa's store, is helping the war effort."
With each word, Mama's voice got louder and louder, almost
drowning out the music signaling the ending moments of the “Stella Dallas”
radio program. Giulia, her daughter, ran a hand over her own dark hair. She
hoped no one was walking past the house. Whenever Mama shouted, Giulia worried
the neighbors would hear her through the open windows. A light breeze ruffled
the kitchen curtains, but did nothing to cool down her mother. Giulia tried to
keep her own voice calm, even, and respectful as she answered. She wanted to be
rational and build a good case for leaving Avocatown to work for the war effort
in Pittsburgh or Washington , DC .
“Mama, I don’t do anything that really matters at the store.
Nothing I do is anything you and Papa couldn’t do without me. They need people
in the offices and factories in Pittsburgh and Washington , DC .
Most of my high school friends, almost the entire class of 1942 left right
after graduation and I could live with some of them in either city.”
“No! E una disgrazia!”
As soon as her mother switched completely to Italian, Giulia
knew that her logical
argument had not worked. When Mama got really upset, her
voice became more and more heavily accented, as well as louder. At the peak of
stubborn insistence, Mama switched entirely from English to her native Italian.
Papa was the same way, although his fuse was shorter, so his timeline from hot
and heavily accented English to full Italian was much quicker. “Mama, it is not
a disgrace to live with other girls in Washington
or Pittsburgh
if I am living there to help the war effort. Besides, I would only live with
girls whose parents you know.”
Mama shook her head violently from side to side. “Non, Non, Non! E una disgrazia per
forza.”
Giulia's heart sank. A disgrace in and of itself. Mama
simply did not believe it was
possible for a young girl to live alone and still be a “good
girl.” Good girls lived with their mother and father until they were married,
war or no war. Giulia fought back tears. She picked four plates out of the
drying rack on the side of the sink and carried them into the dining room. She
laid them down to set the table for dinner. She knew it was not possible to
continue a conversation with Mama about this until Mama had calmed down.
On subjects like this, new American ways of doing things,
Papa was usually the difficult
one. Mama liked the increased freedoms of life in America
and was much more on the
American side of most issues than Giulia's father. So, the Mama-first
method of discussion usually worked quite well as a way for Giulia to convince
her parents to allow her to do something not old-world endorsed. Mama would
agree and then Mama would convince Papa to do whatever it was the American way
instead of, the way we always did it in Italy . Mama was usually able to
make him see how doing things the American way would not make him less Italian.
Giulia smiled, recalling how this Mama-first strategy got
Papa to agree to allow Giulia to
attend her first high school dance. At first, both of her
parents had refused permission. Ralph, the boy who had invited her, was an “Americano.”
Neither parent liked the idea of her going with anyone as a date.
Mama said, “We really think it is better for you to go with
a group of girls to the dance or
even with some boys and girls in a group of friends.”
While they washed and dried the dinner dishes one night,
Giulia had put the "Mama-first" strategy into action. She had explained
the situation carefully: “It’s the kind of dance where we get together as
friends when we are there. Each girl and boy goes separately. Besides, there
are not a lot of boys left at school. A lot of them dropped out of high school
to go into the service right after Pearl Harbor .”
Mama agreed to the spring dance. Papa also agreed, but a
family friend had to escort her. So, Giulia went to the dance with Sal, short
for Salvatore, the son of a family friend and a close friend of her brothers.
Sal was a year older than she and had graduated from the school the year
before. He was tall and dark and good looking, and knew a lot of the same
people Giulia knew. In fact, he had been on the football team with Ralph, the
tall blonde boy who had asked her out in the first place.
Sal had not gone off to war yet. He had tested as 4-F due to
flat feet. As they walked from her house to the school gym for the dance, Sal
told her how he had been doing exercises to make his feet less flat. “I roll them
every night on a metal bar—my sister’s old baton. My Dad, he knows someone on
the draft board and this time I think I will make it. I'm hoping to get into
the Marines.”
When they arrived at the dance, several girls in the in group were surprised to see Giulia at
all and especially with someone who used to be on the school’s football team.
Sal was careful to act the part of a concerned date, someone who knew her well,
not someone forced to go to this one dance with the little sister of a friend.
Sal listened thoughtfully when she told him about how, after graduation, she
wanted to go with her friends to Pittsburgh or Washington and work for
the war effort. Later, when the Americano boy, Ralph, came up and asked if he
could swing her around the floor once or twice, Sal winked at her and said, “You
can give her a twirl or two around the floor, but she goes home with me.”
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
Facebook:
Joan Leotta Author and Story Performer
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Joan-Leotta-Author-and-Story-Performer/188479350973
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Joan-Leotta-Author-and-Story-Performer/188479350973
Blog/website:
They can also find me as a speaker in the Society of
Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
And on the voices in the Glen Website
as a performer
Google my name and I will appear!Thank you, Joan, for sharing this new ebook with us.
Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
Legacy of Honor Book One: Guilia Goes to War
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
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7 comments:
Sounds like and interesting book! I always enjoy something new to add to my Kindle...
Forgot to add where I am from in the above comment!
Patty in SC
This sounds like an interesting book. I always enjoy historical fiction (and my sister is obsessed with WWII)
J.C. -Indiana-
Lena, I have only recently started reading books written about this time in history. I find them very interesting, and would love to read Giulia Goes to War
Thank you
Ohio
mcnuttjem0(at)gmail(dot)com
Thank you for the introduction to Joan Leotta. I enjoyed her interview and would enjoy reading her book. Thank you!
Britney Adams, TX
Great to meet you here Joan - my Mother's name. GIULIA GOES TO WAR sounds fantastic.
Mary P
QLD AUSTRALIA
Love WWII stories!
Stephanie
Binghamton, NY
mybabyblessings AT gmail DOT com
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