WHAT DID THEY SAY? SECRETS IN TRANSLATION

WHAT DID THEY SAY? SECRETS IN TRANSLATION
By Margo Sorenson

Not everyone writes a book that uses a lot of foreign language phrases, especially Italian. French? Sure. Spanish? Of course. But, Italian? Who speaks that? And why write about a seventeen-year-old who speaks Italian, but is American? Where can that plot go? As a woman writer, I believe women can be especially attuned to differences in cultures, nationalities, and languages, and my love of exploring different languages and cultures and wanting others to enjoy them as well prompted my writing this book.

The inspiration for writing my adult/crossover Young Adult novel, SECRETS IN TRANSLATION, (Fitzroy Books, 2018), actually began when I was three years old and moved from Madrid, Spain, to Napoli, Italy, and then to Bari. I absorbed Italian and Italy into every pore, not even realizing that it was becoming a part of me. After all, I was just a kid! Then, we moved to the U.S., and life was totally and completely different, and I thought I’d left Italy behind. As I studied Italian in school and became friends with Italians (I used to babysit my Italian teacher’s little boy in college and hung out with the Italian Department!), however, I began to realize that Italy was still part of my heart. On return trips to Italy, I felt I was finally at home again.

Still, although I was writing other books, it never occurred to me to write about Italy, although Italian restaurants do pop up in my other books!I definitely remember where I was when the first idea for SECRETS popped into my head. Guess where? Surrounded by people speaking Italian, of course! It was my very first trip back to Italy since I grew up there as a kid, so, even though I still studied and spoke Italian, I hadn’t been surrounded by a lot of people actually speaking Italian for years.

When we all walked into the hotel, I saw several men look at us and say, “Ah, le donne americane vengono – che belle!” Then they kissed their fingertips (Italian men can be such flirts!). I started to smile and looked at our friends—and suddenly realized none of them could understand a word of what the men were saying: “Ah, American women are coming – how beautiful!” Not only that, the men speaking Italian had no idea that I could understand everything they said, either. Because I looked so obviously American and was with a group of other Americans, no one could even begin to imagine that I could understand the Italian language.

Now, there was an idea for a plot! Authors love to ask the question, “What if?” My “what if” question was, “What if you could understand and speak a language, but no one else knew you could? What if an American girl was fluent in Italian and could understand everything Italians were saying, but they didn’t realize she could—and because she could speak both languages, she discovered a dark conspiracy that threatened those she loved?”

The road to publication was long and windy (I was three, remember? 😊). My book’s journey spans thousands of miles—and many years—with many versions and revisions, lots of research and help from my Italian friends and my long-suffering critique partner, fellow children’s and fellow Fitzroy author Bonnie Graves, but, thanks to my wonderful editor, Jaynie Royal at Fitrzoy Books, who believed in Alessandra’s story, it is in the hands of readers. Italy is a beautiful country and the people are warm and generous, a wonderful place to make the kind of discovery that Alessandra is finally able to make, and I hope it resonates with readers of all ages. My wish is that readers will celebrate Italy and the special culture that has created so much of Western civilization’s legacy of artists, architects, composers, writers, musicians, and designers.

Speaking different languages enables us to tap into other cultures and be more empathetic, something that is always a positive. Because Italy is near and dear to my heart (il cuore e italiano)—and because I wanted to write a story about finding out who you really are—I am thrilled that SECRETS IN TRANSLATION is not a secret any longer.

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Author of over thirty traditionally-published books for young readers, Margo Sorenson was born in Washington, DC, and spent the first seven years of her life in Spain and Italy, devouring books and Italian food. She finished her school years in California, graduating from the University of California at Los Angeles. After teaching high school and middle school and raising a family of two daughters, Margo is now a full-time writer, writing primarily for young people of all ages, toddlers through high schoolers. Margo enjoys writing for young readers since she believes they are ready for new ideas and experiences, and they really have fun “living” the lives of the characters in books. A National Milken Educator Award recipient, Margo always has a great time meeting with her readers in person or virtually in school and library settings from Minnesota to California and Hawaii, as well as internationally. Margo is represented by Dan Cramer of the Flannery Literary Agency

Besides winning recognition and awards for her books from various groups, including the American Library Association, Margo was invited to donate and archive her working papers with the internationally-known children’s literature collection, the Kerlan Collection, at the University of Minnesota. After having lived in Hawaii, California, and Minnesota, Margo and her husband now live full-time in California. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys visiting her grandchildren, playing golf, reading, watching sports, traveling, and hearing from her readers. Just published in 2020 are her newest picture books, LITTLE CALABASH (Island Heritage) and CALVIN’S LAST WORD (Tilbury House), which was chosen by the New York Times in November, 2020, as a featured picture book about books. Margo’s most recent book, a YA/Adult novel titled SECRETS IN TRANSLATION, was published in 2018 by Fitzroy Books, and takes place in Italy, receiving wonderful reviews from such entities such as the National Italian American Foundation magazine, The Ambassador.

Follow Margo on Twitter:

@ipapaverison

on Facebook: Italia Writes

on Instagram: @margosorensonwriter

SECRETS IN TRANSLATION

In this celebration of Italian life and culture, seventeen-year-old Alessandra returns for the summer to Italy, where she grew up. Pressured by her parents into babysitting a rebellious twelve year old—ruining holiday plans with newfound American friends—Alessandra resigns herself to a tedious summer in Positano. Her babysitting gig, however, turns out to be anything but boring! Not only does Alessandra fall for the handsome son of the Bertolucci family, renowned for their limoncello production, but when a body mysteriously turns up on the beach, the influence of organized crime in Positano becomes frighteningly real. As Alessandra is drawn further into an elaborate conspiracy, she must risk everything to protect herself, her family, and those she loves, and in the process finds herself—and her Italian heart.

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