My book ‘My Father, The Assassin’ is currently the most popular on http://www.firstchapters.net! Visit the site now and read the first four chapters for free!
Posts Tagged ‘My Father The Assassin’
‘My Father, The Assassin’ – Most Popular Book on FirstChapters!
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged book, June Finnigan, My Father The Assassin, writer on July 30, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Exciting New Website for Authors and Book Buyers
Posted in Books, tagged Books, My Father The Assassin, Romantic thriller, writer on July 29, 2013| 2 Comments »
I am delighted to be a participating Author on a new web site called http://www.firstchapters.net It is the brainchild of David Conway, a hugely talented author who has recognized that posting the first three or four first chapters of a novel/book on-line with a direct buy link, is much more likely to draw in readers and encourage them to buy the book. I think this is a great idea and encourage all writers to look at this site and consider posting their work without delay, particularly as there is no charge!
Go to http://www.firstchapters.net now!
Another Seven Fabulous Days in Beautiful Tuscany
Posted in Life, tagged book, Chianti, Famous, Fiano, Golden Oriole, Italian hairstylists, Italy, Joyce Grenville, June Finnigan, My Father The Assassin, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Romantic thriller, Silvio Berlusconi, The Scarlet letter, Tuscany, writer on July 28, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Bentornati and Benvenuti to all my Lovely Followers,
It’s a wonderful thing to be able to write to you all every week, and to tell you about the fun and interesting goings on in my little bit of Tuscany. I would, however, like to first mention my Man. He has just returned from five working days in London and he had some very interesting ‘journey’ stories to tell. Before I go into these, I must say that I am forever grateful for him handing out my author cards and promoting me , his girlie, wherever he goes. He is currently reading an ancient leather-bound book written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and called The Scarlet Letter. This book is an heirloom and has been in our family since 1850 and always comes up fresh. It is also small and easy to travel with. He was on the train reading it and an Italian lady opposite asked if he was reading the Bible! She turned out to be incredibly interesting, a teacher in New York, with a house on the very ‘tip’ of Italy, had flown into Pisa from London, was staying a few days in Florence and was then going to a Persian Wedding in Rome. Phew! Earlier my man was on a flight from Luton to Pisa and before take off, he was settling in to the pleasing fact that he was going to have three seats all to himself. Then two very large (but lovely) ladies rushed in through the door at the last-minute. His heart sank, as they headed straight for him. They were friends but their seats were one each side of him and he is not a small man. Thankfully, the blonde one offered him her window seat, however, as they strapped themselves in it was obvious he was going to be well and truly wedged up against the window for two hours! If he had wanted anything out of his pocket, there was no way of getting his hand in and for the whole flight he had nothing to eat or drink. But bless them, these ladies from the Midlands were so funny and entertaining that the time flew by and he came away armed with some hilarious ‘blond’ jokes!
Meanwhile, back at the Bar/Alimentari in Fiano, Sig Rotund is unhappy with the inconsistent arrival of the newspapers and in particular, the sporting pages. Today he sent an Algerian runner for one, but he came back empty-handed. Now Sig Rotund is a very popular customer and poor Laura the owner did not want to disappoint him yet again. So she walked down to the other bar to get him one. Two or three of the local ladies give Sig Rotund’s wide back a massage whilst he is reading the ‘giornale’, including Laura, and he takes this all for granted. He is, by the way, a very likeable man too.
Milko showing my books for sale!
Then some good news. Milko, at the ‘Cartolibreria’ in the Piazza, was delighted to have sold three of my novels yesterday, to a German lady and her two American friends. Monica, if you are reading this, I hope you are all thoroughly enjoying the book! Drop me a line.
Earlier in the week and back in our lovely garden, I saw a flash of yellow in the orchard, dashed for the binoculars and saw my first ever Golden Oriole fly across my view. Of course it’s a time when you really want to share this experience, however, here is a picture for you all to enjoy anyway.
Eurasian Golden Oriole
I may have already told you that I always have a book on the go. I am talking about reading, not writing, although I always have one of those in preparation too, as I find it very relaxing to go and read when a little bit of stress creeps in. I am currently reading ‘Joyce Grenfell Requests the Pleasure‘ which is an autobiography by this lovely funny lady who I have been fortunate enough to hear on radio years ago and see on TV. I can only say that not only was she a great entertainer but a pretty good writer too. Writers should always read as it can provide unexpected inspiration and education.
Silvio – Still Sexy even when firing on all cylinders!
Photo stefanogalla.blogs.com
And so to the man himself. May he always keep the journalists, hairdressers, make-up artists, dancers, politicians and judges in work. Without Silvio there would be a massive increase in unemployment. Talk in the local bar is very much against his opposition as these people have no idea what a great loss he would be to tourism and students studying economics & politics. Whilst Italy does have a king tucked away somewhere, possibly in jail – I’ll check this out for next time, Silvio has for several decades now been a form of ‘royalty’. He’s certainly rich enough. As is often said in the bar, better the ‘Devil you Know’!
Well, must get organised and go out to lunch (pranzo) at ‘C’era una Volta’ in Luccardo near Fiano. It’s far too hot to cook or to eat outside at present, however, we will look forward to a nice aperitivo in the early evening when it is a little cooler.
Have a great week and see you next weekend.
Amore June x
PS If you would like to read or leave a review for my novel, click the top right of this page ‘My Father, The Assassin’ under blogroll.
Still Famous in Fiano, in Beautiful Tuscany
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Certaldo, Chianti, Cicada, Fiano, Italy, J W Finnigan, June Finnigan, My Father The Assassin, Rock Concert, Romantic thriller, Silvio Berlusconi, Squirrels, The Rock Chick Band, Tuscany on July 8, 2013| 2 Comments »
Ciao Ragazzi and welcome to all my lovely new followers,
Today I am talking about Still being Famous in Fiano, Local Book Sales, The Mother Who Got Home for Christmas, An Old Signora & Her Dining Chair, No Newspapers in the Cafe Bar & Sig Rotund, My Man & The Squirrels, A Visit to Montalcino, Cicadas, Concert Withdrawal symptoms and not to forget the sad, but gorgeous Silvio Berlusconi.
My current Novel
Yes, I am still famous in Fiano. A lovely lady in the doctor’s waiting room asked me if I was the famous writer (in Italian of course). She had seen my book in Milko’s cartolibreria in Fiano and asked if I could produce it in Italian. She then rummaged in her bag and out came a well-thumbed thriller which she was delighted to show me! Milko, that lovely engaging man, sold another book to an Englishman last week and I met three tourists who have promised to go and buy one! No I’m not desperate, I just gently cruise up to people in the village and hypnotize them with my writer’s card…..
Amongst all my other writing things and with the help of my very talented niece who is doing the illustrations, I will be publishing ‘The Mother who got Home for Christmas’ in the next couple of months. This is a rhyming story for kiddies and I am really looking forward to seeing the proof. I’ll keep you posted.
In this commune (Commune di Certaldo) a new system of refuge collection started a couple of years ago, which we hate. So we take our rubbish to an adjacent commune on the way to the supermercato. Whilst we were unloading last week, an old Signora was placed in the middle of the street on two cushions on her dining chair. Firstly, we thought she was being put out as rubbish, however, she was actually waiting to be collected by la Misericordia to go for some medical check. (La Misericordia is a very commendable service, run by medically trained volunteers, which takes the needy to their hospital appointments – and sometimes back home again.) The ambulance arrived and the commotion of transferring the old dear to a wheelchair was unbelievable. Her daughter was prizing the cushions out from under her, to put in the wheelchair and the old lady hovered in mid-air for what seemed an agonizing length of time. Then the dining chair was removed and she was still in a sitting position! The wheelchair slowly trundled over, pushed by another ancient relic, and got to her just before she ended up sitting in the street! This may not sound funny to you, but if you had been watching this, you would have been in hysterics…….. Meanwhile the traffic queue was growing and, as always, Italians love to sound their horns!
Back at the Alimentare/Bar there have been no newspapers to read for four days. Now Sig Rotund has got quite angry about this and he is a very important (and large) figure in Fiano. There has been some hold up with deliveries and they are blaming poor Milko who should go down to Certaldo and get some. My man also likes to read Il Tirenno so is equally unhappy, and I like to look at the bit in the back of La Nazione for any visiting rock bands. If there are no papers today we may have to boycott the bar like Sig Rotund!
Leaf suspended by single thread in garden
The weather here is now hot and dry, as it should be, and was a long time coming. We seemed to have missed spring and jumped directly from winter into summer. I am very impressed with my man who has decided that the only way to get the garden up together, is to rise at six and work outside until our morning coffee trip at eight thirty! This then avoids the hot sun, but unfortunately not the squirrels. No, he’s not tripping over the pretty little dark red things, they are up in the pine trees eating the pine nuts and throwing the sharp inedible bits directly at the man! I have actually witnessed this, so he is not exaggerating…..
Montalcino
Last Friday we took a much-needed day off from work (yes we do have a day job) and drove to Montalcino. It was a lovely day out but the Citta was a mite disappointing. It has a church at one end and a castle at the other, but no central piazza which to us is so important for a community. The views are panoramic, we had a nice walk along the city walls and a good lunch. So we did chill out, which is what it was all about anyway.
The real Cicada
Isn’t it amazing that you can go for years believing you are right about something and then get proved completely wrong! Now I am talking about Cicada’s; those noisy flying insects that you can never see in the summer because their camouflage is so good. For three years we had what we thought were cicadas wintering in our outside blinds at the old house. We actually liked these insects that were big brown grasshopper looking things and were careful not to disturb them. My man and I were enjoying our evening aperitivo last week and a cicada landed right in front of us, on a tree trunk and started chirping. Gosh that’s very small I said to the man, perhaps it’s a young one. So he got on his clever phone and found a picture. Lo and behold, it was normal size and the big brown ones that we had been nurturing, turned out to be locusts!
The Rock Chick Band in rehearsal
It’s hard to believe that our rock concert was two weeks ago. To compensate, my man has been playing Led Zeppelin very loudly and I have already started planning the next one! Yes, it’s a bit of a flat time after singing my little heart out with the band, however, these Chianti Hills are throbbing with live music most weekends and we can just relax in our garden and enjoy it.
Silvio- “feel my muscle!”
And finally, has anyone seen or heard from our idol, Silvio Berlusconi? Well there are whispers in the bar that he may be planning to do a runner with his twenty seven year old girlfriend. (A mite old don’t you think?) There have been masses of protests and just after his trial a number of his angry allies descended on a central Piazza in Rome to hold a protest under the banner ‘Siamo tutti puttane’ (We are all whores). In advance of this demonstration the organiser Giuliano Ferrara, editor of the right-wing newspaper Il Foglio, filmed a video of himself applying lipstick! So nothing unusual there then.
Well must go and organise cena and may you all have a fantastic week.
Ciao June x
PS Click top right of this page, just below Blogroll, to view or buy ‘My Father, The Assassin’. Enjoy.
The Rock Chick Band and a Great Party in Beautiful Tuscany
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Chianti, Italy, J W Finnigan, June Finnigan, My Father The Assassin, Rock Concert, Silvio Berlusconi, The Racquet that Turned, The Rock Chick Band, Tuscany on June 30, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Well Hello to all my loyal and lovely new Followers – let the fun begin,
Today I am talking about The Rock Chick Band, Great Friends & Groupies, Fun and Silliness over the weekend, A Contadino and his Ape, A good friend’s request for his Wake, The Racquet that Turned and of course the downfall of Silvio Berlusconi.
I want to thank the guys in the band for a tremendous performance and particularly Stefano Bartalesi (lead guitar and band leader) for his flawless electric guitar performance. The lovely Paola, with legs up to her armpits, gave a great performance as our new backing singer, harmonizing and uhhuhing like a professional. Thank you also to my man for doing the speaking bit at the beginning of Meat Loaf’s ‘You took the words right out of my mouth’ and for the large rose to fit my cleavage. A huge hug goes to all our friends and family who came, despite the competition from other music festivals and concerts going on around the Chianti Hills. I hope to post more fotos in future blogs as the people taking them, they know who they are, forgot to put their cameras on ‘night mode’!
Me and The Rock Chick Band (yes very dark)
The following day we were a little slow to rise and when I ventured out into the fresh air, my sister-in-law was heard saying, ‘Well I looked up from the parsley and there was Paul pushing June on a sack-truck!’ Unfortunately she had a photo to prove it….O dio! I think we may have also annoyed the neighbours, as immediately after the rehearsal, they let loose with a noisy strimmer. I did give them invites, but hey ho, we made a lot more noise than they did!
A few days before, we were waiting in the petrol queue and this little old farmer (contadino) got out of his Ape (small three-wheeled vehicle and pronounced apay) and spent three whole minutes studying the pumps at close range, doing funny little head nods and swaying movements (Aka the English comedian and actor Norman wisdom, who was big in Albania). We broke down with laughter and just as we were about to get out and assist him, the pump attendant came to his rescue. Now this is the queue for self-service as the petrol is cheaper, but he was being assisted anyway. Meanwhile the queue was getting longer and longer. Then, as one does, he rocked his vehicle to make sure the petrol was going down and asked for a drop more. All this time he is swaying & nodding and we were having hysterics. Then he opened the wrong door and got in, got out again, scratched his head, stared at the ape and then walked round to the other door. We were amazed when he actually managed to drive away without some further dilemma. Oh, if only we had thought to film it….
Meanwhile, a good friend and musician was planning ahead for his proposed funeral party and he wants us all to have a really good time. He also made a special request that a certain musician from the north, who he really dislikes and who will no doubt invite himself, may like to ‘accompany’ him on his final journey…..ha,ha!
Oh yes, last week I promised to post a limerick, which a wrote a few years ago after my man hit himself with his own tennis racket on Valentines Day. The poor boy arrived home late with a single rose, a pale face and a very convincing excuse! I should have been really sympathetic, but I’m afraid that I see a lot of humour in mishaps, including my own!
The Racquet that Turned
By June Finnigan
There was a young man called Paul
Who rushed for a high tennis ball
The racquet instead, hit him hard on the head
and now he’s not nearly so tall.
The nurse smiled and said “What a shame,
self-inflicted! Then you are to blame.
But please do not worry, t’will mend in a hurry
we’ll glue it to keep out the rain!”
For days Paul felt terribly glum
His head held together with gum,
After such a mishap, he’ll be wearing a cap
and the jokers will not spoil his fun!
Of course, there’s a moral to this.
When you run for the ball and then miss,
do not hit your own head, thrash your partner instead
for the blame is most certainly his!
And back to the real world….
The gorgeous Silvio Berlusconi
Well, what about poor (if wealthy) Silvio. Last Monday was decision day and he has received the much dreaded seven-year jail sentence and a lifetime ban from public office. We think this is most unfair, particularly as the prosecutor only asked for six years! The judges also failed to consider the cost of a penthouse, en-suite cell with resident hairdressers and make-up artists! Of course there will be an appeal and he will remain free in the meantime. Time for him to dig up all those gold bars supposedly buried in all the useless roundabouts that have appeared around the country over the last few years. Only ‘bar’ talk, but well, nothing surprises us here in Italy.
Well, must head off to Montespertoli for our traditional aperitivo & then to ‘C’era Una Volta’ for pranzo. Then tomorrow it’s back to the day job for few working days.
Buona Domenica June x
P.S. I would love to have your comments on ‘My Father, The Assassin’. To view or buy the book click the top right-hand bit below Blog Roll. Also, if you have already read it, please return to Amazon and leave a review and I’ll be eternally grateful. I’m working hard on the follow-up novel, ‘The Bolivian Connection’ so watch this space….xx
Home Alone and Sunshine in Beautiful Tuscany
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Berlusconi, Chianti, coffee, Fiano, Italy, J W Finnigan, June Finnigan, My Father The Assassin, Rock Concert, Romantic thriller, Silvio Berlusconi, The Rock Chick Band, Tuscany on June 16, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Benvenuti to all my lovely followers, new and old,
Today I am talking about being Home Alone, Concentration or the lack of it, Eyes, Election Boards, Secrets from a Tuscan Kitchen, a Beautiful Friend and scuttlebutt, Singing practice, Silvio Berlusconi (yes him) and The Rock Concert.
For a brief moment, we thought that summer had come and gone because last week we only had one day of sunshine. But now, thank god, it is 29 degrees and the sky is the brightest of blues!
My Man and the Summer Sky
My man went to London last Monday. Sometimes we have to make an appearance for the sake of our business and the need to eat and drink. This then left me home alone. Well, you might say, make the most of the quiet and no cooking agenda. Unfortunately, I am the dizzy one and he stops me from spinning all over the place. Tuesday morning was the first crisis. I knew my concentration had gone out the window when I started to mascara my glasses. Then I drove to Fiano for my espresso fix and got asked, in Italian of course, how many eyes I had! Now this chap is a regular joker, so I thought he was probably up to something. I had put on my reading glasses to read La Republica, so not to be caught out I said ‘four’. No, he said and so I put my thinking cap on, which has never been a very good fit. Eyes in the back of my head, I thought, so I said six, triumphantly! No, came the reply from our friend, then he returned to his sporting pages and gently chuckled to himself. Ready to leave, I put my sunglasses back on, my reading glasses in my bag and walked back to the Piazza. I got in the car and adjusted the rear view mirror and would you believe it, my spare pair of sunglasses were on my head along with my glasses with the mascara smudge! So the answer was eight, and nobody had pointed out my absent-mindedness, they just had a good laugh! Numerous other things got confused and forgotten during the week, but this story could go on and on…. My man is back now, so things are a little calmer!
Very informative election boards in Fiano
The election boards finally came down in Fiano, so the non-government has obviously decided to muddle along with what they’ve got. So nothing changes on that front. It’s pretty pointless putting up these boards in the first place because, as you can see opposite, the Italian government has nothing useful to say!
Secrets from my Tuscan kitchen by Judy Witts Francini – visit http://www.divinacucina.com
Also on Tuesday I met a lovely lady called Judy Witts Francini who has a fabulous Tuscan cookbook, which you must buy. Its called ‘Secrets from my Tuscan Kitchen’ and it is not just a gorgeous book to look at, it also contains the most wonderful Tuscan recipes. We have lived in our current home for eighteen months and have never managed to chat with Judy, an American married to a Tuscan, and she lives next door! It’s amazing how busy and very interesting people can pass in the night….
On Wednesday morning I met my tall, blond and beautiful friend from Bavaria for coffee. She filled me in on all the ‘scuttlebutt’ from where I used to live. It’s amazing how easy it would be to write a soap about a tiny hamlet (borgo) containing just four houses! she also reminded me of a limerick, which I wrote a few years ago, called ‘The Racket that Turned’. As Wimbledon is just around the corner, I’ll post it in my next blog – watch this space!
I was very good all week, stopping for singing practice every day, doing my brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrs, oooooooooooooooohs and eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees with great gusto! When I collected a prescription from my doctor’s surgery, the envelope contained a little note in English, ‘I am longing to listen to your songs’ it said. Yes I know, I’ve even invited our local medic! But really, he is seriously into rock music and a very nice man. And by the way, the person who said that I was overheard in the cafe bar shouting ‘ I need groupies, please come to my rock concert, I’ll pay you’, is a rotten liar! The garden is looking fabulous now and our concert guests on Saturday will really enjoy it. I certainly will! If you are in Tuscany and would like to come email me at june.finnigan@virgin.net.
I would love Silvio Berlusconi to come to our Rock Concert Party. Can’t you just imagine it; little Silvio bouncing up and down to ‘Your so Vain’ and ‘Forever Young’. All the girlies would go wild and argue over who should be his dancing partner! So what’s the latest from the courts? Very little is being said at the moment other than Silvio quoting ‘If you think you can scare me, you are very mistaken’, in Italian of course. I suppose his confidence comes from being vertically challenged; it’s difficult to spot him in a crowd. I think he should be more afraid of all those girlies that offer him a wardrobe to hide in.
Well, enough of that. We have guests arriving on Tuesday and I must get the house sorted. My lovely English sister-in-law is our VIP guest as she is like a real sister to me. She loves to rummage in cupboards and last year managed to find some Scholl shoe deodorant and spray it under her arms! It did say deodorant on the container, but the rest was in Italian, of course. Then she trimmed the bottom of our fly curtain and left it four inches short! But we love her anyway.
Very, very excited now with only six days to go!
Salute June x
P.S. If you would like to view or buy my book, ‘My Father, The Assassin’ click the top right of this page under blogroll.
Summer has finally arrived in Beautiful Tuscany
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Berlusconi, Fiano, Italy, J W Finnigan, June Finnigan, My Father The Assassin, Rock Concert, Romantic thriller, Silvio Berlusconi, The Rock Chick Band, Tuscany on June 9, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Buon Giorno Ragazzi & a warm welcome to yet more Fabulous Followers,
Yes, summer has finally arrived here in Tuscany and what a relief it is.
Today I am talking about Fiano’s Preparations for Celebration and our local Characters, A Large American, Farty Barty, My Man & a Smashed Rear Windscreen, Silvio Berlusconi (yes him), our Rock Concert Rehearsal & ‘My Father, The Assassin’.
Our local village of Fiano is getting ready to celebrate La Festa di Prima Estate, basically the start of Summer. Also, ’15 anni di Storia del G S Fiano con Cena in Piazza’, that is 15 years of the History of Fiano with Supper in the Piazza on 21 June. So it is all getting very hectic here.
A local character, who had best remain nameless, was telling us that a lovely lady in her sixties or seventies, who we see regularly, brought a large American into the Alimentare/Bar recently and now she is pregnant. How recent this was, we are not sure, but she denies everything! We are told lots of tall stories in Fiano….
I forgot to mention that whilst I was in England, my man had a little problem with Harry Honda the car. A passing tractor managed to fire an old vine root, looking much like a fossilised dog’s head, straight through the rear windscreen! My man, sweating buckets and upping his blood pressure, chased the tractor across three large vineyards waving the offending article above his head. The driver calmly rang his boss who arrived, rang his own garage and arranged for the delivery of a new rear windscreen immediately! This seemed too good to be true, but no, it was genuine and the new glass was fitted last Thursday at no cost! However, we can hear lots of small pieces of glass rattling around inside the door. Nothing a drop of Chianti won’t fix.
The offended vehicle and the offending article.
After two weeks of trying to catch Farty Barty the cat during vet opening hours, we finally got him in the cage yesterday morning. He always knows when something is up and has been arriving for food last thing at night! He has now had his overdue jab, but looked very upset when the vet suggested snipping off his vital bits. So, I doubt if we’ll see him again for at least five days when hunger will have him sneaking low profile into the kitchen at midnight!
My man has also been in defensive mode, clapping his hands over his own bits every time I pick up a kitchen knife or a pair of scissors!
I’ll be back in a minute; I just want to check the latest on the gorgeous Silvio Berlusconi! Mmmm, this will take a bit of reading, so I’ll join my man for an aperitivo and come back later………. Well hello again. I’ve enjoyed a nice aperitivo & had lunch (pranzo) and can now tell you what is going on with our good friend Silvio. I also visited his blog site and fan club site. I’m sure he must visit the latter last thing every night so that he can feel loved and refreshed in the morning. Well, the news from the courts is much the same; this time former dental hygienist, Nicole Minetti, claims she loved the ex-prime minister and never invited anyone to his Bunga Bunga parties. Perhaps he was just after a good flossing!
Thursday evening was a final rehearsal for ‘The Rock Chick Band’s” concert party and despite my lack of practice, my voice seemed OK. One high note was a bit difficult, however, Lorenzo the rhythm guitarist has an alto voice (or very tight jeans), so worst ways he could cover for me! We are getting very excited now, only two weeks to go and if you are in Tuscany and would like to come, email me at june.finnigan@virgin.net.
Well must go and plant some new rosemary and dead-head a few roses. On the other hand, it might be aperitivo time again…..
have a great week and don’t forget to click top right of this page if you want to view or buy the book, ‘My Father, the Assassin’.
Ciao June x
Back Home in Beautiful Tuscany
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Berlusconi, coffee, Cuckoos, Farty Barty, Fiano, Fungi, Giant Moths, Italy, June Finnigan, My Father The Assassin, Rock Concert, Silvio Berlusconi, the Cuckoo, The Rock Chick Band, Tuscany on June 2, 2013| 6 Comments »
Ciao Ragazzi and a big welcome to all my new followers,
Today I am talking about my visit to England, Marketing ‘My Father, The Assassin’, Signing Autographs, Cuckoos, Giant Moths, Fungi, My Man Home Alone, Silvio Berlusconi (who?) and The Rock Concert.
Yesterday I returned from six days in England having left my man in charge of the villa and cat. I am always homesick when away from Tuscany and the homecoming is always very emotional. My man organized some lovely fizzy prosecco on the upper terrace and I started to unwind in no time. It was a good week, meeting with new potential clients, promoting the book and seeing family & friends. I particularly enjoyed handing my writer’s card to people on trains & planes and watching them immediatley download onto Kindles or order on-line direct from their phones – incredible! This morning we went for our coffee fix at Fiano and was greeted by the lovely Laura & beautiful daughter Benedetta like a long lost friend. Benedetta even asked me to sign her autograph book – wow!
Laura & Benedetta at the Alimentare/Bar in Fiano (not to be confused with the other bar in the piazza)
My Man had quite an eventful time when I was away and talked a lot to Farty Barty the cat. He also had a lengthy conversation with a giant moth that landed on his lap and stayed for ages.
Giant Moth on the man’s trouser leg.
Then he was visited by three cuckoos, which is extremely rare as they are very shy and usually alone, so he chatted with them. Then he discovered the most amazing fungi in the garden and chatted with that.
Finally, he resorted to taking a picture of his own reflection, but he’s OK now……
My man in reflective mood.
Anyway, what is the latest from the hunky Silvio Berlusconi? You may be aware that he is being prosecuted for under age sex (he’s 76) and fraud, amongst other things. He claims that he is being persecuted by by Italy’s magistrates. On Saturday he turned a ‘political’ rally in Brescia into a protest against the Italian judiciary. Karima el-Mahrong now claims that she never slept with Silvio when she was seventeen and that he gave her money purely out of the desire to help her build a life for herself….. Well, just look at that face below, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a used car from him or accept a donation to further my career. What do you think?
Silvio in Brescia
And finally, I really must get on with some singing practice as Stefano, my lead guitarist and mentor, wants to do a rehearsel on Thursday! The Rock Chick Band’s concert will be on the 22nd June, which is only three weeks away – fantastico.
Have a great week and ci vediamo la prossima weekend.
June xx
PS if you are in Fiano, you can buy my book from Milko’s Cartoleria or on-line by clicking the top right hand side of this page. Enjoy! xx
How to be Very Famous in Beautiful Tuscany
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Berlusconi, Chianti, coffee, Fiano, Italy, J W Finnigan, My Father The Assassin, Rock Concert, Romantic thriller, Silvio Berlesconi, The Rock Chick Band, Tuscany on May 25, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Ciao Ragazzi and all my New Followers – welcome,
Well, I am very excited and can’t wait to tell you about my amazing book sales here in Tuscany. I am also going to be talking about Milko, Silvio Berlusconi (remember him?), The Rock Chick Band, Cold Winds, Zucchini Plants and Snails and going to England.
Firstly, I am delighted that Milko the owner of our local Cartoleria (stationers) has already sold two of my novels ‘My Father, The Assassin’. One to a lady from Finland and the other to our local doctor, who speaks a little English. As the book is only currently in English, this is quite an achievement! So well done Milko! We saw a couple of German tourists today, so hopefully more English speaking people will be passing through soon!
The very handsome Milko and his book display in Fiano!
Things are hotting up with our plans for the next Rock Chick Band concert in our lovely garden. My lead guitarist and mentor, Stefano Bartalesi, is checking that I am practicing and we will be having a rehearsal with the two backing singers and rhythm guitarist in two weeks time. My alarm goes at noon everyday to remind me to do a half hour singing practice before pranzo (lunch), however, I am so side tracked by work and book marketing that I don’t always achieve this. But don’t tell Stefano. My plan is to practice like crazy during the two weeks run up and to soothe my throat with some lovely Chianti from Claudio Corbinelli’s vineyard! If you are in Tuscany on the 22nd June and would like an invite to this private concert party, email me at june.finnigan@virgin.net.
So what is the latest from the gorgeous Silvio Berlusconi? Mama Mia, Ilda Boccassini, prosecutor, has been sent threats including a letter with two bullets, her office said. Well, what can we say, Silvio has such a huge fan club that they could have come from a little granny or a seventeen year old dancer, who knows? Silvio claims he is the victim of a campaign by left-wing magistrates. Look him in the eye and tell me what you think!
We have been coming up with all sorts of ways, short of stepping on them which sometimes cannot be avoided, to keep the snails off our zucchini (courgette) plants. We collect bucket fulls and throw them, one at a time, in a gentle arc into the olive grove which gives them a second chance. However, if you come out at dusk you will find them trooping back up to the garden in convoy. Whilst the plants are small enough, we have them inside plastic bottles overnight and coffee dregs around the bases. Please don’t suggest any chemical deterrents; our local plant shop gave me some crystals to sprinkle around and I was heartbroken to find the tiny plants eaten and the snails belly up! Never again….
The weather has been wet, cold and windy, so my going to England tomorrow will not make any difference to my wardrobe. Arrgh, you might say and I agree with you. However, I must make an appearance from time to time and will be networking and promoting my company, http://www.hoareworth.com, whilst handing out lots of cards for ‘My Father, The Assassin’. I read recently, that an American writer hit record novel sales because her husband was handing out cards on all his business trips! My man (bless him) also does that, and I shall do the same this next week. I will be back next Saturday so will send you my next post on Sunday 2nd June.
Have a great weekend. June xx
Four Star Book Review
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Book Review, David Conway, June Finnigan, My Father The Assassin on May 22, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Thank you David Conway for giving ‘My Father, The Assassin’ a four star book review on amazon! http://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Father-The-Assassin-Finnigan/dp/1481904396/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358800225&sr=8-1
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