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Date: 6/15/2022
LONGMEADOW – On June 27, novelist/publisher Linda Cardillo will release “A Place of Refuge,” the fourth book in her “First Light” series, a family saga that starts at the beginning of World War II on the Chappaquiddick Island of Martha’s Vineyard.
Cardillo is an award-winning author that has built a loyal following by her works of fiction with the novels “Dancing on Sunday Afternoons,” “Across the Table,” “The Boat House Café,” “The Uneven Road,” “Island Legacy” and “Love That Moves the Sun;” the novellas “Catríona’s Vow,” “True Harvest,” and “A Daughter’s Journey;” the short story collection “Italian Tales” which was a number one new release on Amazon, and the illustrated children’s book “The Smallest Christmas Tree.” She’s also the co-founder of Bellastoria Press, an independent hybrid publisher partnering with authors to produce, distribute and promote compelling and beautiful stories.
Cardillo’s latest novel is the story of Izzy (Isabella) the daughter of Mae Keaney and Tobias Monroe.
In “A Place of Refuge,” Cardillo is taking readers back to 1971 when Izzy was a young woman who just graduated from college. At the very beginning, she’s severely injured in a near fatal automobile accident where she experiences a brain injury, and her short-term memory is damaged. The story is about Izzy’s recovery and rediscovery of herself, what happens to her in this near-death experience and how she comes to understand the gift of life she has.
This story has a special meaning for Cardillo, as she was injured in a near fatal automobile accident and wrote the book to draw upon her own growth because of that experience.
“The seed for this story is my own near-death experience,” Cardillo explained. “I wanted to explore what happens to someone who comes back from an experience like that and comes back changed.”
Cardillo introduces a new set of characters, the Richetelli family, who influence and have an impact on Izzy as she comes to this moment of who she is after the accident. Izzy leaves Chappaquiddick Island and goes to work on a farm in Italy owned by Raffaello Richetelli, the grandfather of her college roommate Maria. There is also Linda, Maria’s cousin who is the director of the farm, and Daniel, Linda’s brother, a Jesuit priest who comes to the farm for the summer. These characters form a circle around Izzy and with whom she has different relationships that overlap and connect.
The role of family is always a thread in all of Cardillo’s books depicting the challenges and rewards of those relationships, which she calls the tangle and embrace of family. What Cardillo said she tries to present is that despite sometimes difficult family relationships, love can bind us.
She told Reminder Publishing one of the aspects she feels people will appreciate about her work is her exploration of relationships. All of Cardillo’s characters have families and they interact with one another. Whether it’s relationships between parents and their children, siblings and friends, they add a layer of depth to the love story that is at the center of her books. “We don’t live or love in isolation. We are a part of a community and that’s certainly one of the things my readers look for in my books,” Cardillo added. “I like to entertain people with my stories. What I try to do with all of my books is to explore our human capacity for resilience and our ability to face difficult situations with a certain amount of courage and gratitude.”
Although Izzy’s challenges are significant and her struggles are intense, Cardillo said there is hope in her story.
“A Place of Refuge” will be available online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and Apple. It will also be available in print and as an eBook. Additionally, any brick-and-mortar bookstore can order it through their system. Cardillo has three book readings scheduled: June 27 at Storrs Library in Longmeadow at 6:30 p.m., June 29 at Enfield Public Library at 6:30 p.m. and July 20 at the Longmeadow Adult Center at 1:30 p.m. For more information, go to www.lindacardillo.com.