All the Way to Heaven
Becky Doughty
Becky Doughty
(The Fallout Series, #1)
Published by: Clean Teen Publishing
Publication date: November 2nd 2015
Genres: New Adult, Romance
Anica Tomlin, business major, has just learned that the man she’s been planning her future around, her Global Finance professor, already has a beautiful wife and family. Ani cashes in her graduation gift to herself a little early—a trip to Tuscany—but from the moment she boards the wrong train in Pisa, her plans for solitude and self-indulgence begin to unravel around her.
When a bicycle accident thrusts Ani into the skilled hands of the dashing Dr. Cosimo Lazzaro, she reluctantly accepts his invitation to recover in his family’s country villa, perched on a hilltop surrounded by the Lazzaro olive groves. But it’s been a black year for olive growers all over Italy, and generations of tradition are being put to the test like never before.
Ani is swept up in the drama of life in Tuscany, the convergence of old and new, and the passions that drive people to pursue the desires of their hearts. Just as Ani begins to get her feet under her again, an unexpected turn of events leaves her doubting the very existence of happily-ever-after, unless she can learn to trust the desires of her own heart.
Although All the Way to Heaven is a stand-alone novel, it is the first book in The Fallout Series, a collection of sweet contemporary romances that follow characters featured in the first book.
EXCERPT
I didn’t have to ask questions. The
words flowed freely as they talked of neighbors who stood to lose everything,
of friends who couldn’t see a way out of the loss.
“It is the same all across Italy, Ani.
This tragedy will affect the olive oil market for many years to come. And not
just here. Around the world. Other countries are suffering from some of the
same weather changes.” Franco toyed with the base of his water glass, his blunt
fingertips glistening from the beads of condensation making rivulets down the
sides of it. “The weather is a fickle creature, and grows more unpredictable
each year. We have much competition from other countries, and there is fraud in
the market.” He reached over and laid a hand on his wife’s arm, his thumb caressing
the back of her wrist.
“Many farms, even if they survive
this, will take a long time to recover fully.” Claudia continued his statement,
as though his touch transferred his thoughts to her. “And many are already
beginning to look to other sources of income, allowing their olive trees to go
wild.” A respectful hush settled around the room. Even Margarite stilled for a
few moments.
Franco
rose slowly, sliding his chair back with barely a sound. He straightened his
vest and squared his shoulders. With his chin high and his eyes bright, he
said, “The future of olives in our region is uncertain, but it is the life we
know and love. It is in our bones, our blood. It is our passion. We will
remain.”
GUEST POST
When in Italy… Learn Some Italian!
Becky
Doughty
I love to
travel. I grew up in the South Pacific on the island of Papua New Guinea, in
the area now known as West Papua. My father was a jungle pilot and mechanic and
we lived among the indigenous tribes there. My siblings and I made unchaperoned
two day, 3000 mile, flights to and from a boarding school in the Philippines
for high school, coming home for two and a half months in the summer and about
two weeks over the holidays. Every couple years, our family would pack up and
come back to the United States for a couple months. In other words, traveling
has simply been a way of my life, and I love it.
What I don’t
love, though, is the fact that I have a major mental block when it comes to
learning new languages. Which seems odd to me, since I make my living with
words. But for whatever reason, I’ve always struggled to learn new languages.
Even though I spent most of my childhood in countries where my English was not
even a second language, I bumbled and blundered my way through on the bare
bones of the native tongues, not because I was lazy, but because it was the
best I could do. In fact, I often taught my friends to speak English so we
could communicate, as it always came much easier to them than it did to me.
The thing
is, one of the most effective ways to endear yourself to people in another
country is to learn something about them, and in particular, to at least
attempt to learn enough of their language to show you’re not coming to them
with an entitled attitude.
So with
every trip I take, I make a point to learn a few catch-phrases and carry around a pocket
English-to-Italian (or whatever language is spoken) dictionary, like the one
Rick Steves puts out. (Rick Steves’ pocket travel guides, by the way, are BRILLIANT! Packed
full of useful info; not just the dictionary!) The following list is never
quite adequate, especially not when you’re slightly accident-and-blunder-prone
like I am, but when I show that I’m trying, it never fails that someone will
notice and take pity on me and offer to help.
Hi/Goodbye! (Informal) - Ciao/Salve!
Goodbye! (Formal) – Arrivederci!
Hello/Good morning! – Buon giorno!
Good afternoon/evening! – Buona sera!
Good night! - Buona
note!
Welcome! – Benvenuti!
What is your name? - Como se chiama?
My name is Becky. - Mi chiamo Becky
It’s a pleasure (to meet you). – Piacere.
How are you? - Come
va?
Fine, thank you! - Bene,
grazie!
So-so – cosi-cosi
Please - Per
favore
Thank you - Grazie
You’re welcome (Everything is fine. It’s all good.
Etc.) – Prego!
Nothing/It’s nothing/Never mind - Niente
Excuse me - Mi
scusi.
I’m sorry - Mi
dispiace
I don’t understand - Non capisco
I don’t speak Italian - Non parlo Italiano.
Do you speak English? - Parla inglese?
How do you say “___” in Italian? - Come si dice in Italiano “__”?
Repeat that, please.
- Ripeta, per favore.
Speak slowly, please. - Parli piano, per favore.
You are very kind. - Lei è molto gentile
“Hello” when answering the phone – Pronto!
My goodness!/Wow!/etc - Ai vello!
How much does it cost? - Quanto costa/costano?
Is the tip included? - Il servizio è incluso?
Can you help me? - Mi può aiutare?
Wait! – Aspetta!
Where is Fillunga Street? – Dove è via Fillunga?
Where it the train station? - Dove è trova la stazione?
Where is the bus stop? – Dove è la fermata dell’autobus?
Where is the public bathroom? – Dove è la toilette?
What is in this entrée? – Ciò che è nel antipasto?
There were several fun Italian terms, endearments, and
phrases used in All the Way to Heaven.
Here are a few of the yummy ones:
Tesora – My darling (literally: treasure – a term of
endearment)
Un altro
glorioso giorno! – It’s a glorious
day!
Caffé y
colazione – Coffee and breakfast
Alla Dolce
Vita – The sweet life (This is the
name of the guest house where Ani stays)
damigella in
pericolo - damsel in distress
passerotta - sparrow (a term of endearment)
Vorrei
baciarti. - I would like to kiss you.
Voglio
baciarti! – (more urgent or informal)
I want to/I must kiss you!
Brindiamo
alla vita, all’amore, alla felicità. Salute! - We toast to life, to love, and to happiness. Cheers!
Cin cin! – Hear, hear! (informal response to a toast)
Sei ubriaco -
You are drunk
Buonanotti e
dormire bene - Goodnight and pleasant
dreams
Cucciola - puppy (a term of endearment)
Invaiatura – The changing of the color of fruit as it turns from
green to ripe.
Mi lasci
senza fiato! - You leave me
breathless!
Va con Dio – Go with God.
How I wish I could say I have these all stored on the
memory files of my mind, but I’d be lying. There is one phrase I do know by
heart; one I used often as I traveled from place to place during my stay in
Italy. I leave you with this:
Mi sono divertita!
(I had a wonderful time!)
Thanks for having me today!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Becky Doughty is the author of the best-selling Elderberry Croft series, The Gustafson Girls series, Waters Fall, and more. She’s also the voice behind BraveHeart Audiobooks. She writes Women’s Fiction with strong elements of romance, as well as Young Adult and New Adult Fiction. Becky’s favorite people are edge-dwellers, those who live on that fine line where hope and despair meet, where love is the only answer and grace becomes truly amazing. Becky is married to her champion of more than 25 years. They have three children, two of whom are grown and starting families of their own, and they all live within a few miles of each other in Southern California. They share their lives with too many animals, a large vegetable garden, and a strange underground concrete room they’re certain was built for dark and sinister purposes….
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ReplyDeleteThanks for having me here today, and for sharing about All the Way to Heaven!
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Becky Doughty