Historical Fiction
Date Published: May 1, 2018
Publisher: Warren Publishing
Two young men come of age and fall in love, set against the backdrop of true events in World War II
It’s 1938. Bastian Fisher and Max Amsel meet at an American-Nazi camp, Siegfried. Neither have any idea what to do with their blooming, confusing feelings for one another. Before they can begin to understand, the pair is yanked apart and forced in opposite directions.
Five years later, during the heart of World War II, Bastian’s American army platoon lands in Salerno, Italy. Max is in Nazi-occupied Rome where he has negotiated a plan to hire Jews on as ‘extras’ in a movie—an elaborate ruse to escape the Nazis. Brought together by circumstance and war, Bastian and Max find one another again in Rome.
Exploring the true stories of Camp Siegfried and the making of the film, La Porta del Cielo, The Artist and the Soldier is intense, fast moving, and sheds light on largely untouched stories in American and Italian history.
Interview with Angelle Petta
Can you tell us a little
bit about the characters in The Artist and the Soldier?
The Artist and the Soldier tells the story of two young men as
they come of age and fall in love, against the backdrop of true events in world
war two. It’s 1938. Bastian
Fisher and Max Amsel meet at an American-Nazi camp, Siegfried. Neither have any
idea what to do with their blooming, confusing feelings for one another. Before
they can begin to understand, the pair is yanked apart and forced in opposite
directions. At the start of the book, Max is innocent and naïve in many
ways, and unaware of the horrors of the world. Bastian is tall and handsome and
all too aware of the bad things life has to offer
Can you tell us a
little bit about your next books or what you have planned for the future?
I am in the beginning phases of writing another historical
fiction novel, which takes place in the early 1960’s. It will be a story about mental illness,
identity, and how far we go for the ones we love, even when they inexplicably
hurt us.
How long would you say it takes you to write a book?
It varies, anywhere from a
year to five has been my experience thus far.
What is your favorite childhood book?
I really loved James and the
Giant Peach (Dahl) and as a teen I was a huge fan of Francesca Lea Block’s
books.
If you could spend the day with one of the characters from The
Artist and the Soldier who would it be? Please tell us why you chose this
particular character, where you would go and what you would do.
That’s a difficult questions
because they offer such different things.
If I was up for an adventure I’d likely pick Bastian and if I were up
for a day of conversation and contemplation I’d pick Max- but in the end I think I’d pick Ilsa
because I didn’t get to spend as much time with her as the other two. I think we’d sit at a café in Rome and have a
drink and then take a long walk through some of the ruins, trading childhood
stories.
What was the hardest scene
from The Artist and the Solider to write?
I think the scene about the one and only mass round up of Jews in
Italy was the most difficult, because I know the fate of those who were sent to
the concentration camps. I read many
accounts of the actual day and tried to portray it as accurately as possible,
from the weather, to specific people who were taken, to those on the streets
who watched.
What made you want to become a writer?
I don’t know if anything made
me want to become a writer, I always just felt like one. Plenty of things told me not to become a
writer though I’m glad I never listened to those.
Just for fun
(a Favorite song:
I have great memories from the song “Keep
Breathing” by Ingrid Michelson
(b Favorite book: Too many to choose from! My favorite I’ve read thus far
this year is (nonfiction) Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and (Fiction) Beartown
(Fredrik Backman)
(c Favorite
movie: Pulp Fiction
(d Favorite tv
show: The It Crowd
(e Favorite Food: Pizza
(f Favorite
drink: Chai Latte
(g Favorite
website: writersdigest.com
Thanks so much
for visiting with us today!
About the Author
Angelle holds an MA from Emerson College, and a master’s equivalency in Drama Therapy through the NADTA. She is a registered drama therapist and a PhD student at Lesley University. She works as a Drama Therapist at an Expressive Arts Center in Virginia called A Place To Be. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, two delightful dogs, and one fat cat.
Contact Links
Twitter: @angellepetta
Purchase Links
1 comments:
thanks for hosting
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