Isn't it the best??
Here's what you can expect in WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN (May 6, 2014, Bloomsbury), blurbed by the fabulous Lindsey Leavitt!
Pippa always wanted to go to Italy, but not by herself. And
not to sit in a classroom the summer before senior year learning about
paintings by dead guys. Tempted by the romance of Rome and the chance to
photograph ancient ruins, Pippa ditches the program and sets her own list of
goals—get my picture taken at the Colosseum; get a makeover; fall in love
with an Italian.
She befriends a local girl whose gorgeous cousin may be just
the Italian Pippa’s looking for, but the road to amore gets
detoured when she keeps running into a cute American student. And she can’t
forget that her summer abroad is only temporary. As she explores the famous
cities of Rome and Pompeii, Pippa must sort out her feelings before her parents
figure out where she really is.
Praise:
“With Italy's brilliant landscapes, a main character you'll
love from the first line and a new dreamy book boyfriend (he's mine!), WISH YOU
WERE ITALIAN is a charming and addictive read. Devour this delicious treat like
a double scoop of gelato.” —Lindsey Leavitt, author of Going Vintage and Sean
Griswold’s Head.
I know, right? I want gelato now. And a trip to Italy. And you know that things are going to turn out in different ways than Pippa expects, right?
Kristin has actually been to Italy (but of course!) and here are some of places and things that inspired this story, along with her own words about them:
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| The gelato, of course! |
KR: Gelato plays a big part in Pippa’s story, but I won’t give
anything away! There’s really nothing quite like authentic Italian gelato. It
was actually hard for me to eat ice cream once we came back home after our trip
to Italy. I think it’s the texture and unique flavors that sets it apart. My
favorites were mint and stracciatella, though, like Pippa does, I had to at
least TASTE the pistachio! I don’t know how they get a nut to taste good as ice
cream, but they do!
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| The view! |
KR: It’s a dream come true for Pippa to photograph ancient ruins
and historic monuments like the Colosseum, but quite a lot of the story takes
place in a coastal region called Cinque Terre (“five lands” – pronounced CHING-kway
TAY-ray). The views have to be seen to be believed, the food is the best I’ve
ever eaten (it’s the birthplace of pesto!), and it’s ROMANTIC! You can even
walk on a path between all five villages along the coast, shopping and sampling
food in each. I think about going back there EVERY DAY.
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| And oh my, the pizza! Pippa’s from Chicago, so she’s had her fair share of deep-dish pizzas! But she’s quickly won over by the simplicity of Italian pizzas and the papery thin crusts. She makes it one of her summer goals to eat entire pizza by herself. If I get a chance to visit Italy again one day, I think this will be a goal of mine too! DELIZIOSO
I say that we all need to pre-order WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN today!
Want to hang out on line with Kristin Rae? Here's where you can find her and WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN:
Website: http://www.kristinrae.com/
Twitter:
@kristincreative
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kristinraewrites
Instagram: http://instagram.com/kristinraesnaps/#
Indiebound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781619632851
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wish-you-were-italian-kristin-rae/1117011662?ean=9781619632851
Member of the Class
of 2k14: http://classof2k14.com/
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