Ambition—Why is it important?
Bigger, Better This blog post is the final in the series about themes in The Ambition. The novel was released, and the week of September 16-23 will be its official Launch Week. As the title implies, ambition is the primary theme. But what is it, and why is it important?...
Read morePower: Who Has It?
The theme of power flows through my upcoming novel, The Ambition. Powerplays arise between characters, adding to the conflicts and complexity of the story. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary lists one of the definitions of power as: “Possession of control, authority, or influence over others.” We all want control over our lives....
Read moreThe Senses: Is smell the most powerful sense?
In The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing, Janet Fitch contributed the article “Sense and Sensuality.” She advises writers: “Appealing to the five senses is the feature that will always set writing apart from visual media.” In my soon-to-be-release novel, The Ambition, I embraced Fitch’s advice, making the story powerful. The...
Read moreLove: Stealing Love
Love has been defined by many people, each stating an opinion on the topic. Many famous people have shared their views on the subject, and here I quote a few: “Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.”—Aristotle. “Love isn’t something you find. Love is something that...
Read moreFamily: What is a family?
In many cultures, family is the most cherished thing. What is a family? The American Psychological Association states: “A family consists of a group of individuals united by biology or by marital, adoptive, or other intimate ties. The family is the fundamental social unit of most human societies, but...
Read moreImmigrants: Why do They Leave Their Homeland?
In my upcoming novel, The Ambition, the immigrant is the theme that sets the narrative in motion, rearing its head as the story progresses. What is an immigrant? Dictionaty.com defines it as “a person who migrates to another country, usually for permanent residence.” The patriarch of the Cippione family emigrated...
Read moreTreat: Do it or Else!
A novel is “an invented prose narrative that is usually long and complex and deals especially with human experience through a usually connected sequence of events,” states the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. But it is much more than that. Janet Burroway gives us more meat on the bone in Writing Fiction. She...
Read moreRetirement: What to do?
Retirement is a minor theme in The Ambition; however, that act sets the entire story in motion. It is clear that had Giuseppe, the patriarch of the Cippione family, not retired when he did, the story would have evolved differently. What is retirement? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as: “Withdrawal...
Read moreReminiscing: Longing For the Blue Green Hills of Calabria
My upcoming novel, The Ambition, begins with Giuseppe, patriarch of the Cippione family, reminiscing about his life back in Italy. Now retired, he’d emigrated from Calabria at nineteen and made Canada his home for over forty years. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary states, “Reminisce implies a casual often nostalgic recalling of experiences...
Read moreDebut Novel Coming Soon
In the fall of 2024, my debut novel, The Ambition, will be released. Over the years, I have published four adult non-fiction books and three children’s picture books, but never a novel. It is not to say that I did not want to publish one. Back in 2017, I...
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