Blog Tour - White Swans: The New Girl in Town by Annamaria Bazzi

One important question that is always wanting an answer from readers is: has your own life influenced the subjects you write about?

Readers need to understand that writing is always an extension of the author, who he is—his experiences, influences from society, family upbringing, the peer pressures endured as a teen… and much more. The author’s personality is also a factor in his writing. When did my passion for writing start? It started when I learned to write back in Sicily, Italy. I suppose you need to understand how I ended up in Italy. Simple, my father kidnapped his three children and brought them to Sciacca, Sicily where he was born and raised, where his family lived.

I grew up there for six years, enjoying the company of all my cousins, and I have quite a few since my father was one of eight siblings. My cousins always turned to me to invent exciting games, filled with great adventures. When I learned to write, I found great pleasure in writing down many of the ideas that floated through my kiddy brain. They usually involved fairies and magical beings because, even at the age of eight, all things magical had fascinated me. Since I had no magic, it was fun to daydream about it. These pieces always ended up as part of my homework, and my fourth grade teacher felt obligated to show my writings to my father.

Well, six year later, after I had adjusted to life in a new world, my mother kidnapped my sister and me and brought us back to the states, where once again, I had major adjustments to make. But each time this happened, I saw life as an adventure to be enjoyed and to participate in it fully.

The new world theme is in practically all my writings. It’s a part of me I can’t let go. So, I let my heroes experience the wonders and tribulations of finding themselves in strange new worlds, where they need to learn to adjust to survive. It’s an expression of my life.

My adventures into untested territories continue well into my life. As a strict Roman Catholic I married a Lebanese Moslem—this adventure is still going as I raise four daughters. Moving to Virginia with my job was a completely different type of adventure and discovery—all the nuances of southern living. Yes, folks, I’m a northerner from the Midwest—Michigan.

The sense of adventure still lives in me, and I release it through my short stories and novels, and that’s why Jillian, The New Girl in Town, finds herself in a new world after wishing upon a star. However, this new world is not without perils to her existence.

White Swans is a fantasy series for young adults comprised of short stories. Why short stories you ask? My youngest daughter swears she doesn’t read because novels are just too long. Some of her friends feel the same. I wondered how many young teens use this as an excuse not to read. The thought process led me to create the short story series also perfect for very busy adults who would like to read, but don’t have the time.

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Although born in the United States, Annamaria Bazzi spent a great deal of her childhood in Sicily, Italy, in a town called Sciacca. Italian was the language spoken at home. Therefore, she had no problems when she found herself growing up in a strange country. Upon returning to the states, she promised herself she would speak without an accent. She attended Wayne State University in Detroit Michigan, where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Computers with a minor in Spanish. Annamaria spent twenty years programming systems for large corporations. During those years, she raised four daughters and one husband. Annamaria lives in Richmond Virginia with her small family where she now dedicates a good part of her day writing.

White Swans: A Regency Era

which is book of the series:

 Preview on Amazon

Visit Annamaria at her blog http://annamariabazzi.com 

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Preview White Swans:
The New Girl in Town
on Amazon