“Il Molo = One woman + two soulmates + the Italian Seacoast + crime” – I thank Writers’ Lens for coming up with this equation of Il Molo as the title of an interview I gave on the website (See post).  The next four posts will delve a bit into each of the parts of the equation of Il Molo.   

Martha Nathan, the protagonist of Il Molo, is an expat living in Geneva Switzerland. This year she is enjoying her traditional summer vacation in Varigotti, Italy on the Ligurian seacoast, reading, relaxing and swimming in the beautiful Mediterranean.  She has some doubts about her career and her love for her husband. Being naturally optimistic and positive she tries not to let these doubts interfere with her vacation.

Dreams are an important part of Martha’s psyche. She dreams every night. Sometimes she remembers the scenario that she lived in her subconscious but most of the time only vague sensations or snippets stay with her once she wakes up.  Her fear is that the dreams are premonitory. She would prefer them not to be and would rather have them be only a reflection of incidents she experienced during the day. Her dreams are an integral part of Il Molo and lead the reader to the action that unfolds in Part II.

I will let you in on a little secret. The character of Martha (my mother’s name) is based on me, sometimes the real me and sometimes the imagined me. I have been living in Geneva since 1979, working in finance, and my husband and I do take our yearly summer vacation in Varigotti. I dream almost every night – fantastic, absurd, and sometimes scarily realistic dreams. I remember the dreams the first thing in the morning, but unfortunately, as my senses become assaulted by reality, the only thing left of my nighttime scenarios is a vague impression of what transpired.

Martha’s husband Carl is also based on a real person – my husband – who is an artist, a painter. One of his paintings graces the cover of the book. Carl’s approach to the world as related in the book is also real. For that I consider myself lucky. Most of the other characters are based loosely on friends and acquaintances.

Why did I decide to be so realistic in Il Molo? Because it was appropriate to the development of the story.

Il Molo  – available on Amazon, paperback and Kindle.

Stay tuned for – Two soulmates – #ilmolo