One Page: Lies, Whispers, and the Truth

by P. A. Moed

“Never believe a thing simply because you want to believe it”~Tyrion Lannister

For my first post in a new series, One Page, I’ll begin with a quote from Tyrion Lannister, which struck a chord with me the other day.  Even if you haven’t clocked weeks and months in front of your TV watching all eight seasons of The Game of Thrones, you probably know that the diminutive but mighty Tyrion says some of the wisest and most quotable lines in the show.

http://me.ign.com/en/movies/103304/feature/game-of-thrones-20-great-tyrion-lannister-quotes

His statement resonates now more than ever in this era of Trump.  I think ALL of us–no matter our political affinities–are intent on believing and affirming what we already want to believe–sometimes despite evidence to the contrary.

So how do we keep an open mind in an era where truth is fluid (i.e., subjective).  How do we distinguish lies from the truth?

You may be reassured to know that we’ve been in a similar spot in history before.

The Backstory

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt faced an American public that was predominantly isolationist and against entering World War II.  At the same time, FDR had committed to provide aid to Winston Churchill and the British people.  What’s worse, anti-British sentiment ran high in different parts of the country, especially in places where Irish immigrants settled–like Boston and New York City.   In this tense era, rumors swirled, circulated by isolationists Americans and those who wanted to help the Allies or the Axis powers.

In the 1940’s several newspapers and colleges, most notably The Boston Herald and Harvard University, ran Rumor Clinics, which solicited rumors from the public, had teams of volunteers, staff, and students who researched them, and posted the results.

Rumor Clinic at the Boston Herald. 1942. Life Magazine.

Fast Forward to Today

Two journalists from The New York Times, David Lionhardt and Stuart A. Thompson, have undertaken the task of keeping track of President Trump’s lies, fact-checking them and periodically updating the list in the article “Trump’s Lies…and Counting.”

Source: Trump’s Lies,..And Counting. The New York Times. Updated July 21, 2017

Sound Familiar?

It’s tempting to think America has never been so divided before on the issues of race and religion, and people have never struggled as hard to sift out the lies from a caldron of daily, heart-wrenching news.  It’s tempting to believe that terrorism is a relatively new phenomenon.  It’s tempting to think  anti-fascists battled against totalitarian regimes in Spain, Italy, and Germany decades ago, but they never existed here in America.  But you’d be mistaken.

After several years of researching a new novel about the rise of fascist hate groups in America in the 1940’s, I am struck again and again with the parallels between the past and the current struggles in our world.  While I’m working on my new novel set in Boston in the 1940’s, I’ll post “flashbacks”–brief profiles of people, places, and events which echo what is happening today in America and in other parts of the world.  My hope is that the successes and missteps in the past will help us today as we struggle to find our way through the murkiness and ugliness to a better future.  This is not simply my wish for my own country, but for all of us around the world.  I’m an optimist.  I believe we can avert the gloomy predictions of people like C.S. Lewis who believe we are destined to sink again into the mire of divisiveness:

“That is the key to history. Terrific energy is expended – civilizations are built up – excellent institutions devised; but each time something goes wrong. Some fatal flaw always brings the selfish and the cruel people to the top and it all slides back into misery and ruin.”― C.S. Lewis

Instead, I believe in a hopeful future.

What are your thoughts?  I’d love to hear them.

Bravo! Praise for Montebello from Writer’s Digest

by P. A. Moed

Here’s a toast to The Incident at Montebello, which received the highest rating (outstanding) by the judges of Writer’s Digest in 5 areas:

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  • Structure, Organization and Pacing
  • Spelling, Punctuation, Grammar
  • Production Quality and Cover Design
  • Plot and Story Appeal
  • Character Appeal and Development

The judge commented:  “I was gripped by the events in The Incident at Montebello from the beginning…The author deftly portrays Italian villagers of that era, along with their attitudes. The way that Isolina gains a new understanding of Fascism and its stranglehold on her village will help readers understand how any political movement takes hold, chiefly through fear. The author shows what people will do to survive…I appreciated the message that one action can trigger another and change the lives of all.”  from the 23rd Annual Writer’s Digest Independent Book Awards 
 

A First Look at the Buonomano Family Tree

by P. A. Moed

Two very talented illustrators–Alex Ross and Brandon Moore–took my humble sketch of the Buonomano family and turned it into a work of art. Do the characters Donato, Carlo, and Sofia look the way you imagined them? I’d love to know what you think of the finished drawing.

The Buonomano Family Tree by Alex Ross and Brandon Moore
The Buonomano Family Tree by Alex Ross and Brandon Moore

To learn more about Brandon Moore and his work, click here.
To learn more about Alex Ross and his work, click here.

Hungry? Don’t Read My Book

by P. A. Moed

One of my favorite comments when I visit book club is that my book makes my readers hungry. For me, this is the highest form of praise.

Some of you may know that I have worked as a food and travel writer, so naturally these two areas are my passions. I love nothing better than visiting a new country and getting to know it via food. Not long ago, we had some friends over to dinner to talk about their upcoming trip to Italy. They had never traveled to Italy before and wanted to know more about the food and wine, so I created a menu that featured dishes from various parts of Italy. We started with a Sicilian salad made with romaine lettuce, slivers of red onion, grapefruit and orange sections, pine nuts and some gorgonzola cheese. This was topped with a citrus vinaigrette. Then, we had spinach gnocchi with pesto to sample the typical food from the Ligurian region. We followed that with Pasta Ettore, a fettuccine dish from Naples made with roasted red peppers, garlic, parsley, capers, some toasted bread crumbs, and topped with a fried egg. Mixed together, the steam from the fettuccine combines with the egg yolk and creates a heavenly melange that melts in your mouth.

Since my book is set near Naples, it features the food from that region–scamorza cheese:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Pasta sauce topped with fresh roasted tomatoes:

Arthur's Tomato Sauce

And small local markets in the piazza, where women shop daily for their fruit and vegetables:

Resize Campo di Fiori

Do you want the recipe?

Spaghetti di Ettore

adapted from Naples at Table, Cooking in Campania by Arthur Schwartz

2 red bell peppers
1 tbsp salted capers, rinsed and chopped if large
1 or 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped (or more to taste)
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley or basil
salt
freshly ground pepper
3 rounded tbsp fresh or dried bread crumbs
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 handfuls of dried or fresh spaghetti or linguine
2 eggs
1 tsp. of Italian seasoning blend like Mrs. Dash

1. Roast, peel and clean the peppers. Cut them into strips. *For more detail on this step, see note following the recipe.
2. In a small baking dish, combine the pepper strips, the capers, the garlic, and the parsley. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Set aside until you are ready to finish the dish. This can be done in advance.
3. When ready to assemble the dish, put the water to boil for the pasta. Just before placing the pasta in the salted water, drizzle the pepper mixture with 2 tbsp of the olive oil, then place it in a preheated 350-degree oven for 10 minutes,
4. While the pasta is boiling and the peppers are baking, fry the eggs over medium heat, in 2 or 3 tbsp of olive oil, sunny-side up, until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny. Make sure not to overcook the eggs. The yolks should blend with the hot pasta.
5. Drain the pasta and pour it into a large (preferable heated) serving bowl. Using 2 forks, toss in the baked peppers and the fried eggs, using some or all of the egg-cooking oil, too. As you toss, break the whites into pieces and let the yolks act as sauce. They will mix with the pasta and cook further from the heat.
6. Check for salt and pepper and serve immediately with or without grated Parmigiano or Pecorino cheese.

*Roasting peppers over coals or a gas flame is ideal. The point is to blister and char the skin and to tenderize the peppers, not to make them soft. (If you, like me, have electric burners, you can do this with a cast-iron skillet or a grill pan).

Author Interview: P.A. Moed | Tipsy Lit

by P. A. Moed

How exciting! An interview on Tipsy Lit! Curious? Here’s the link:

Author Interview: P.A. Moed | Tipsy Lit.

The Hero Mussolini?

by P. A. Moed

Last month I heard from someone who read my book and hated it. Why? Because I portrayed Mussolini as the villain, and not the hero. This comment set me back a bit. Who was this fan? Apparently, she was born in Italy and emigrated to the U.S.A. decades ago, but had fond memories of the hero Mussolini, who ushered Italy into the modern age.

It’s true, no doubt that Mussolini brought many modern advances to Italy and helped to unify a country that was historically a loose confederation of provinces, more than a nation. But at what cost to its people? After twenty two years of his iron-fisted rule, he was executed by a firing squad and hung by his heels in a public square in Milan to send the message that his death was a fitting end for a tyrant.

Mussolini was a complex man, no doubt, who was capable of good as much as evil. But this is the ultimate contradiction of evil–isn’t it? It wears many disguises and can fool virtually everyone.

Glorious Italian Advertising From the 1930’s

by P. A. Moed

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These images are as fresh and visually-interesting now as they were in the 1930’s. They were the visual reference photos for my book jacket. They come from Italian car and cigarette manufacturers during that era and help define the distinctive Italian Futurism style.

Italy Today

by P. A. Moed

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Book Club Q & A

by P. A. Moed

I’m a big fan of my book club readers. To aid your discussion about The Incident at Montebello, I’ve created a Book Club Q & A_ Send me an email at patriciamoed@gmail.com if you’d like me to visit your book club in person or via video chat during your meeting.

The Buonomano Family Tree

by P. A. Moed

After speaking to several readers, I created a family tree for my novel. If this is helpful, can you please let me know? If so, I’ll include it in the next edition of my novel. Just click on the image to save it to your desktop. I’ve attached a form below for your comments. And thanks, everyone! Your feedback and support have been wonderful!

The Buonomano Family Tree
The Buonomano Family Tree