Beyond This World There Is A World I Want follows a strong-willed woman who finds herself at the heart of the resistance against the Nazi occupation. This is an intriguing setup to a novel that is high in social commentary. What was your moral goal when writing this novel, and do you feel you’ve achieved it?

One of the challenges of writing historical fiction is that history tells you where your characters must be and also how they might personally deal with those times. While doing research for Beyond I discovered that women faced incredible oppression through a rigid ideology that viewed their primary role as homemaker and child bearer. Mussolini’s Italy restricted a woman’s access to education and professional opportunities. That helped me develop my female protagonist, Nina Caruso, a strong-willed young woman who wanted to chase a life-long dream…to be a schoolteacher. Her vigilance to pursue that dream in the era of Mussolini affected her relationship with her husband and father. Not because they were bad people, but simply because they were raised in Fascism and feared retaliation from an authoritarian and vindictive government. How does one make the best decision when the world is falling apart around them? I hope I achieved that objective through the emotional and spiritual growth of my protagonists, Nina Caruso and Vincenzo Spinelli.

I found Nina to be an extraordinarily well-written and in-depth character. What was your inspiration for her and her emotional turmoil throughout the story?

I wanted to write about the challenges of a woman growing up in Fascist Italy who wanted to be more than a homemaker and child bearer. Nina’s dream was to be a schoolteacher. As the war grew closer to her hometown of Gallicano, Nina was forced to choose between the old Fascist guard which had aligned itself with Nazi Germany and the emerging resistance. Whatever decision Nina made would create tension within her family, village, and country. My objective was to have readers see through Nina’s eyes, question what they might have done, and the importance of getting quiet, going inward for those important answers.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

There was an ethical breakdown in Italy after World War One. The lack of trust in the previous government (Democratic Socialist) that had mismanaged the war and the Versailles Treaty led to an Italy that wanted something totally different. And along came a conman in Benito Mussolini, a politician who swayed in whichever way the political winds were blowing to gain power. Fear was Mussolini’s weapon of choice. Make his followers afraid of the ‘other’ (socialists, anti-fascists, immigrants, Africans, etc) and convince them that only il Duce could solve the troubles of the past. I wanted my readers to ask the same questions. What do you do when there is an ethical breakdown in your country? Do you have the courage to stand up to tyranny? To choose right over wrong, kindness over control, love over fear, and make tough decisions that benefit all…not just the ones on top.

What is one thing that you hope readers take away from Beyond This World There Is A World I Want?

I wanted my readers to understand the importance of forgiveness and to go beyond the world their physical eyes see. Both of my protagonists are on that journey during a very difficult time. Italy was not only in the middle of a World War, but also a civil war. My female lead, Nina Caruso comes from a place of control and must surrender that burden to become the woman she wants to be. My male lead, Vincenzo Spinelli, comes from a place of fear and needs to surrender that perception of himself before he can move forward. Fear is keeping Vincenzo from discovering his belonging, purpose, and love in a world gone mad. One of the definitions of the word beyond is unknown. Another definition means when we ‘repurpose our mind’. The vision of one world causes you to lose vision of the ‘real world’—God’s world of Love. There is a world of ego and a world of love and innocence. The ego thought system has been reinforced throughout history—one of greed and gluttony, war and suffering. But, if we have the ability to change our thoughts, we’ll have no reason for war and abuse and control. Which one will we choose today?

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