Interview with Emilia Rutigliano, author of 'Napoleon'

Emilia I. Rutigliano scored fiftieth percentile on her SATs… and on her LSATs… and on her BAR…Sigh…

But she nevertheless survived, and seems to be doing OK. She practices Law read lore) in Brooklyn, New York (read Nu Yawk). She was born in the former Soviet Union, and emigrated in 1979. She is happily married to the same crazy Italian she’s been with since college, who suffers from a severe addition to travel (still in acute form). Together they are doing a somewhat passable job with their three precious darlings (who are now teenagers, thus elaboration is not necessary).

Which is why Emilia writes about Veronica. Veronica, though… is interesting. And Emilia knows interesting.

So she weaved the tale about the interesting characters, places and events from her own life. It is remarkable how if you choose to view a subject objectively, it becomes downright artistically gorgeous. So Emilia views and shows Brooklyn Russians as gorgeous, and the Barese intricacies as gorgeous, and she even tolerates Paris, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia for the reader’s interests.
Thank you, dear reader, for tolerating these scenes….

LAYERS OF VERONICA IS ON FACEBOOK…LIKE US.

Her first book in the Layers of Veronica series is Napoleon.

Visit Emilia Rutigliano’s website at www.layersofveronica.com.

Thanks for coming to the book club, Emilia!  You could say your Layers of Veronica series has more than genre and it’s hard to peg it into one hole. Can you tell us about that?

Emilia:  It is hard to put into a hole.  In fact, I got into a snafu because people kept trying to put it into the Erotica genre.  It isn't.  The closest fit would be Women's Contemporary.  The story is about a 35-year-old divorcee who doesn't have one designation in life.  She is (like very many of us) a mother, a daughter, a friend, and a career woman.  Each definition is important.  So although it is a romance (with many adult situations), it is also philosophical, allegorical and funny.  

So who would be your target audience?

 

Emilia:   Great question!  I thought it would be a NYC immigrant woman in her mid thirties.  I was wrong.  (So happy to be wrong!  :-).)  Veronica appeals to very many people around the world... of many age groups.  The only 'common' factor between the readers that I could find is the willingness to accept that the same lifestyle is not right for everyone... and that neither makes it wrong or repulsive.

Can you tell us about Veronica?

 

Emilia:  To quote one of my dear friends (a 36-year old man):  'Veronica is hell on heels'.  Veronica is fantastic. She is flawed, scarred and 'screwed up.'  And nevertheless, she is ambitious, goal oriented and never shirks a responsibility.  She takes care of her own.  She is loyal and devout to her friends and family.  She is the kind of friend that you want to have.  And her adventures are 100% plausible and real.

Do you see a little of yourself in her?

 

Emilia: LOL.  Uhm... let's go with yes.  Veronica has my biography up until I was 32, which means I know her quirks and screw-ups like no one else.  

This is a three book series but I hear there’s a fourth in the making.  Can you tell us about that?

Emilia:  It's a five-book series.  All five are written, and all will be out come March.  The fifth one is just getting some TLC at the copy editor's.  It is addictive, and people really do love the characters.

Is there anything you’d like to tell your readers?

 

Emilia: I LOVE it when people discover V for themselves and then write me to tell me they made a new friend, or that they can't wait for the next book.  It's an incredible feeling.  And I appreciate every one of my reader's comments.  THANK YOU ALL!!!!