Feel like a fly on the wall in the homes of two Italian-American families. This light fiction reveals characters whose irreverent, ludicrous and intimate behavior affirms the old adage: ''Family is family, like it or not!''
A brother and sister depart war-torn Italy in 1947 and cross the Atlantic to reunite with their father in Benton, New Jersey. As the seasick brunette dreams of eligible Americani, the young fellow dreads the prospect of dealing with his cantankerous Papà. Meanwhile, in Benton, another Italian-American family bickers over mundane issues with burlesque animation. Partnerships test the patience of the brothers and domesticity puts the women at odds.
These economically disparate clans, the Camaras and the Matteos, cross paths after Teresa Camara literally bumps into love-starved Mack Matteo. Instead of letting their mutual attraction evolve slowly into something more, her scheming father takes matters into his own hands, placing their relationship on course for possible disaster.
While the households of the Camaras and the Matteos are fraught with normal sibling rivalry and shared secrets, a few obnoxious family members engage in outlandish behavior, causing total mayhem and discord. One unscrupulous brother's involvement in an embezzlement scheme leads to murder.
How the two families cope with the absurdities of love, intimacy and life unfolds in a true comedy of errors complete with misunderstandings, laughter, frustration and tears.
The author grew up in an Italian neighborhood in Trenton, NJ called "The Burg." To the background music of her mother's native tongue, she danced around old world customs and traditions practiced by the local immigrants who lived there. Her favorite annual tradition, the ''Feast of the Lights,'' a weeklong festival in honor of the Madonna di Cassandrino, was celebrated in the streets just outside her doorstep.
Like Ellis Island, her parents' home welcomed many immigrant relatives. Reminiscing about the lively family gatherings held there, she conceived the plot for this fiction. Now residing in Prescott, AZ, she still holds true to her roots.
With the Americanization of her first name and then her marriage to Carl Boyd, Jr., Rosa Maria Maisto became Rose Marie Boyd. However, a few old friends and many relatives still prefer to use her Italian name.
A graduate of Cathedral High School and Trenton State College, the author is the proud mother of her successful children Jessica and Justin. She relocated to Prescott, Arizona, with her husband in 2001. As she basked under the Southwest sun, the writing bug decided to bite her. Since then, she's been expressing her creativity through poetry and novels.
An avid reader, she enjoys critiquing a bestseller or an old classic with the women in her monthly book group. The author also loves a competitive game of tennis and volunteers for both an adult literacy program, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and a women's domestic violence shelter.
You can preview the first two chapters at: http://thespaghettiset.blogspot.com/ and follow her poetry blog at http://rosemboyd.blogspot.com/.
