Many years ago after a reading, a man came up and handed me two books. “Write about Venetian trading beads,” he said. “There are lots of great stories attached to them.” I nodded, glanced at the books later that night and thought he might be on to something. I tucked that idea away, and in 2019 brought it out again  to examine when my husband said, “Could you set a novel some place we’d actually like to visit?” (Hey, what’s wrong with cornfields and swamps in Ohio??) "OK," I replied, “How about HERE?”

I began going regularly to Venice, and learning about glassmaking, and glass beads. They are beautiful and indeed do have fascinating stories attached. After several years and a pandemic, I have at last finished The Glassmaker. Set on Murano, an island off of Venice, it spans 500 years, which is possibly why it took so long to write! Publication will be in Summer and Autumn 2024.

So, grazie mille, Giorgio Teruzzi. Yours is the first reader’s idea I’ve ever taken up, and I owe you!