For our upcoming newsletter we are preparing a very special piece with USA TODAY best selling author Traci Andrighetti, the Italian American writer-creator of the wildly successful Franki Amato mystery/comedy book series. Traci may be one of the most fascinating - and entertaining! - people we have had the chance to interview. Her love for and commitment to the Italian language and culture is contagious. Traci is 1000% convinced that learning Italian has been “the most important life decision” she made during her college years. During the interview, Traci told us that the most important moments of her life and career - such as her successful tenure at Apple computers, or the creation of her best-seller book series - have all had something to do with her knowledge of Italian and Italian culture. To back that statement, she also has an incredible number of stories about how her Italian has improved her life and allowed her to live many adventures and meet several interesting people she would have never met otherwise. Since we would hate to spoil the surprise, we’ll leave it like that for now. Do keep an eye out for our next newsletter, which comes out March 21st! We promise it will be packed with tons of amazing stuff, including this super cool interview with this fantastic Texan Italian author. In the meantime, we’ll leave you with a list that Traci shared with us, of the many incredible and hilarious jobs/gigs that she was able to land, solely because of her knowledge of Italian: 1. Go to the Austin jail to interpret for an Italian guy who was arrested for shoplifting socks
2. Help a Baptist Texan and her Italian Catholic boyfriend discuss their sexual issues
3. Call the post office in Florence to find out what happened to an Austin attorney’s package containing paintings and his leather pants
4. Find a surrogate for an Italian couple unable to conceive
5. Help an Italian man’s wife shop while he attended the Austin Formula One race (he offered me 5 grand)
6. Call a hotel in Rome on behalf of five wrestlers from Iowa who wanted more towels and a shower curtain. As a very special gift, here’s also a link with a free Franki Amato short story for you to enjoy, which Traci set in the Eternal City of Rome. Traci’s writing style is filled with humor, wittiness, and strong knowledge of Italian culture that she has developed throughout the years.