Tag: giveaway

I’m delighted to host today’s stop on the spotlight tour for Dancing in the Rain by Lucy Appadoo, an emotional family drama set in Italy. Dancing in the Rain is the latest title in Lucy’s The Italian Family Series. I’m also pleased to say that Lucy has shared the real-life inspiration for the series in her guest post below.

There’s also a giveaway (INTL) with a chance for one lucky person to win a $50 Amazon gift card. The giveaway closes on 1^st July. You can enter via the Dancing in the Rain tour page by clicking here

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About the Book

Publisher’s description: Fifteen-year old Valeria Allegro works diligently on the family farm in Italy, where she is torn between her duty to her family and her desire to find freedom from her strict, domineering father. She finds solace in Dario, a young student who provides a blissful escape—until a neighbour’s son, Gregorio, decides he wants her for himself. This raises an alarm for her father, which leads to family conflict and aggression. When Dario is threatened and her family is plagued by a series of suspicious accidents, Valeria is desperate to keep her loved ones safe. Can she end the turmoil and escape the firmly built trap to find the freedom she craves?

Book Facts

Purchase links*
Amazon.co.uk ǀ Amazon.com ǀ Barnes & Noble
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Dancing in the Rain on Goodreads

Guest Post: “My true inspiration to write The Italian Family Series” by Lucy Appadoo, author of Dancing in the Rain

“I was inspired to write The Italian Family Series after reading Adriana Trigiani’s The Shoemaker’s Wife, which was a heartfelt and sad story with the beautiful backdrops of Italy with its amazing history and culture. I wanted to write a story about my own Italian background; the history and richness of the culture. The way to do that was to interview my parents about their childhood experiences and explore how they eventually ended up in Melbourne, Australia.

I interviewed my father first, asked him specific questions, and jotted down notes. Then I interviewed my mother and did the same thing. I first had the idea to write about their impending marriage and the challenges around that experience of Italian immigration. From that idea, came my novella, A New Life.

Later I decided to expand on A New Life by going back to my parents’ childhood experiences. The Beauty of Tears was inspired by my father’s childhood experiences whilst Dancing in the Rain was inspired by my mother’s childhood experiences. Hence, the birth of The Italian Family Series.

As I wrote their stories, I was able to admire them even more for all the hardships they had endured. They didn’t mind that I embellished their stories. My parents had lived challenging lives in a poverty-stricken Italian world and never got a chance to be children. They were breadwinners through and through; my father managing a herd of sheep and other farmyard work whilst my mother planted crops, cooked freshly baked bread, and learned to make tomato sauce, sausages, and wine. A great many skills to have.

I am proud of my Italian heritage and feel that both Dancing in the Rain and The Beauty of Tears is a testament to my parents’ rich lives. My parents deserve only the best, given their constant struggles and heartaches. I do hope you enjoy reading Dancing in the Rain, and my other books in the series.”

About the Author

Lucy Appadoo is a registered counsellor and wellness coach with a part-time private practice. She also works as a rehabilitation counsellor for the Australian government. In her spare time, she self-publishes or writes nonfiction and fiction. She previously worked as a rehabilitation consultant, caseworker, English as a second language teacher and proofreader. Lucy has postgraduate diplomas in psychology, education, and English as a Second Language teaching, as well as specialised qualifications in grief counselling and hypnosis. She has also completed wellness coaching courses (levels 1-3) at Wellness Coaching Australia.

Lucy enjoys reading romantic suspense, romance, thrillers, crime novels, family/historical drama, and sagas. She writes in the genres of romantic suspense, historical fiction, and romance. She has enjoyed travelling to exotic places such as Madrid, Mauritius, and Italy, and draws on these experiences in her creative writing. Lucy’s favourite authors include Kendra Elliot, Christiane Heggan, Theresa Ragan, Tara Moss, Nicholas Sparks, Adriana Trigiani, Erica Spindler, and James Patterson (to name a few).

Lucy’s interests include meditation, playing tennis, journal writing, reading fiction and non-fiction texts about writing, coaching, and counselling, ongoing professional development, spending time with her husband and two daughters, and socialising with friends and family.

Connect with Lucy

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