In Recycled Lives, an Italian artist loses her memory following a car accident, and she and her family must face the repercussions of her tormented past. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

At the time, I was exploring the question of taking responsibility, where it begins and ends. I just realized in my own life that every choice and action has a price and a consequence, and the concept fascinated me.

The story came alive in me when I was living in Hungary, homesick and desiring almost desperately to return to Italy, where I used to live in my twenties (and where I live now). This might be why I didn’t even ask myself where it would play out.

Was Selvaggia’s backstory something you always had, or did it develop as you were writing?

Yes, it was clear as day before I started writing, just as the story and the other characters did. I didn’t really brainstorm about any of it while writing on a what-happened level; I outlined everything beforehand.
I knew the facts and what was about to happen in a given chapter or scene, while at the same time, it was a surprise how it all took shape. As I sat down at my laptop, I felt the top of my head sizzling and my fingertips moving on the keyboard, and I became aware of the words as I saw them on the screen, not while they formed in my mind. It was a super-interesting, super-creepy experience.

Which character in the novel do you feel you relate to more and why?

I asked myself the same question after everything was said and done. More than identifying with one, each represents a part of me. At some point in my life, I felt how they felt or acted like they acted.

I know Selvaggia’s darkness from the inside and how it is when you don’t want to go on living, wanting to escape from your reality. I know Luca’s painful struggle to repress his needs in order to obtain only the illusion of being loved and living a life of compromise.

They are the shadows in my soul I embraced. On the one hand, Alessia represents my personal transformation in the last ten years. On the other, she’s the person I still desire to become, inspiring me to stay connected to my true self and preserve my purity in every situation I face.

What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?

I’m working on a three-volume magical realism series. It’s an entirely dissimilar investigation of life choices, loyalty, and personal transformation, questioning the polarity of good and evil. If everything goes as planned, the first volume will be available by the end of the year.

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