Hello, and welcome to Sublime Sunday Reading.

Today, we’ve featured author of the week, Ann Chiappetta.

I’ve known Ann for many years and I’ve also had the pleasure of reading many of her books.

Ann is an amazing lady and she’s taken time out of her busy schedule to talk to us about who she is, what she does, and why.

So, without further ado, here’s Ann.

First, in your own words tell us a little about you.

I am Annie (Ann) Chiappetta. I write just about everything from email messages to novels. I am a published poet. I am an indie author with six books. I love words and being creative. I am married to a retired United States customs officer who is also retired from the U.S. Navy. We have two adult children. I grew up in New York’s lower Hudson valley and relocated to western Pennsylvania in 2023.

Where do you live?

We live in a quiet suburb outside of Pittsburgh and love it. It’s less hectic and friendly and the cost of living is cheaper compared to New York. It has it’s own cultural identity, which makes it a great city to visit. There are plenty of restaurants and theaters to visit, libraries, beautiful conservatories and parks.

Who are the special people in your life?

My husband is my best friend and partner. My daughter, April is special, we talk all the time, though she is still in New York. I have a bestie Myla, we email every day and talk a few times a month. We’ve gone on trips together and we are planning one next year to Ireland. We met in high school and have been friends since 1980. I like people. I like being surrounded by friends, people I’ve come to care about for many differing reasons but mostly because they also care for me. There are all levels of friendships and companions. I find growing my network helps not only myself but also others. When someone asks me a question or for n idea and I can go to my mental list of people I know and connect them, it’s gratifying.

Do you have any pets?

I have two cats and a pet dog. I am waiting for my third guide dog. I lost my second guide dog, Bailey, last March . Having our pet dog helped me with missing Bailey. She and I moped around together and comforted one another. This convinced me animals like cats and dogs do feel unsettled when another pet dies.

What keeps you going? I mean, like what inspires you and keeps you moving forward in your work.

I am older and less active now and my mind hasn’t seemed to slow down even though my body faces everyday challenges. I possess a highly driven imagination. I am innately curious and it drives my husband to distraction. I ask plenty of questions, think things over. I want to feel creativity with my hands and hear it with my ears, taste it, smell it, and produce it with my heart, mind, and spirit.

I have words inside me pushing to get out, be written and be read by others. I want people to read what I write and the only way it can be accomplished is to write it and get it published.

What is your favorite song?

I have different songs I love. I love Take It Easy by the Eagles, When the Levy Brakes by Led Zepplin, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Black Celebration by Depeche Mode, there are too many to list. If it moves me and gets me feeling it in my heart or tapping my foot and fingers, it’s good stuff. 😊

What is your favorite movie? Feel free to list multiple titles.

Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope; Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Incredible Journey, Toy Story, Airplane, Monty Python, Excalibur, Full Metal Jacket, The Matrix, John Wick (all), The Replacements, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

What is your favorite book? Feel free to list multiple titles.

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot, All titles by Wilbur Smith, John Irving, (The Hotel New Hampshire) Salem’s Lot by Stephan King, the Lincoln Lawyer series and Harry Bosh series by Michael Connelly Lindsey Buroker ( Emperor’s Edge series) , and Nora Roberts. Too many poetry books to mention except one: Sand and Foam by Kahlil Gibran.

What is your favorite food? Feel free to elaborate on all your favorites.

Italian: eggplant parmigiana is my all-time favorite. I also love Chinese, Japanese/Asian, Indian, Mexican, and all-American bistro. I do like some French foods and have learned from many chefs on tv and YouTube how to make great food. I make a great meat sauce with meatballs, sausage and fresh herbs. I learned to make excellent fried chicken. I try to learn a new meal every so often and now know how to make vodka sauce. I like to experiment with spices. I love to cook.

What is your favorite quote?

“I write to find out what I think” by Stephen King.

What is your favorite affirmation? Dos it in some way relate to your work.

Do my best to not take things personally, taken from Don Miguel Ruiz’s Four Agreements. Yes, I rely on it in my writing career.

The other life agreements are

“Be impeccable with your word”

• “Do not take anything personally”
• “Do not make assumptions”
• “Always do your best”

What is your biggest pet peeve?

When others cut me off when I am speaking.

What do you think your best strengths are, and how do they help you in your work as a writer?

I love to read and this is the top reason why I’ve learned to be a better writer. In order to be a good writer you’ve got to be a voracious reader. Read everything from the news, recipes, to children’s books.

My past training as a therapist and counselor taught me to be a good listener, to hear and recall conversations. My experience with breaking down a conversation and processing has influenced how I create characters, write the emotional content and hopefully resonate with a reader.

Being a writer who is blind helps me tap into the other, less primary sensory information, making my writing rich and filled with imagery and emotion.

What are your weaknesses, do they hinder your work, and how are you making them stronger?

Proofreading is not my strongest point, mostly because I am blind and do not read braille do to a cognitive processing problem. I rely on others to correct punctuation, formatting, and other tasks when proofing a novel or manuscript. But I write it all, format it to about 80% corrected. My editor has said it’s in good condition when she gets it.

I also edit dialogue once I am editing a draft. I am not satisfied until what is being said in a story is read out loud and feels as close to natural as possible.

What is your dream for the future, and how does it relate to your work as a writer?

I want to continue writing and releasing books independently. I think being discovered and becoming a best-selling author takes more luck than anything else. I would like to find an assistance to set up all the Amazon advertising algorithms, though. That stuff boggles my mind.

What is your preferred way of communicating and how can someone best reach you if they wish to buy from or work with you in some way?

My email is anniecms64@gmail.com

Website AnnChiappetta.com

https://www.annchiappetta.com/

Ann is a sponsoring member of Patty’s Worlds Publishing Where blogging is publishing too.

AD: Imperfections by Ann Chiappetta

© 2024 By Ann Chiappetta

Novel, Imperfections © 2024

For Lainie, feeling unwelcome is only the beginning of her struggles. Her mom is addicted to

painkillers, her stepfather is a felon, and her dad traded her in for a new family.

So what if she’s kicked out of high school? Determined and attractive, Lainie sets out to make

her own path.

Shane, the young man she begins dating and believes is trustworthy, transforms into a

possessive and cruel boyfriend. When Efren, Shane’s older cousin, enters her life, Lainie grasps

onto a sliver of hope, falling in love.

Shane’s obsessive and abusive treatment of her, however, casts a deep shadow over Lainie and

Efren’s chance to find safety and a future free of the fear of Shane’s sadistic retribution.

Will their love persevere, or will Shane’s pervasive and negative influence push Lainie and Efren

apart, forcing them to love secretly?

About the Author

Ann Chiappetta, M.S. Poet and author

Ann’s award-winning poems, creative nonfiction, and essays have appeared internationally in

literary journals, popular online blogs, and print anthologies. Her poems have been featured in

The Avocet, the Pangolin Review, Plum Tree Tavern, Magnets and Ladders, Oprelle, Western PA

Poetry Review 2024and Breath and Shadow. Ann’s short story, The Misty Torrent appeared in

the Artificial Divide anthology published by Renaissance Press (2021).

Ann is the recipient of the 2019 GDUI Excellence in Writing award and the WDOMI 2016 Spirit

of Independence award.

Independently published since 2016, the author’s six volume collection includes poetry,

creative nonfiction essays, short stories and contemporary fiction.

Diagnosed in 1993 with a rare form of progressive retinal disease, Ann accepts vision loss as

part of her life but doesn’t let it define her as a whole person.

Contact Ann by visiting her website:

www.annchiappetta.com

subscribe to Ann’s blog www.thought-wheel.com

Before you go, is there anything you’d like to add about yourself, or your work that I’ve not asked?

I am writing a nonfiction memoir book about the healing relationship with humans and animals during my career as a trauma counselor. I am working on a poetry collection and short stories for a second short story collection.