Those of you who read my blog every week know that I love books! You can usually find my current read on the nightstand next to my bed or on the end table near my favorite spot on the couch in our family room. 

Most of my friends and family are well aware of my bibliophilic tendencies, so I often get asked who my favorite author is. I definitely have a few favorites, like Kristin Hannah and Sue Monk Kidd, but none of these talented writers have more books housed on my shelves than Adriana Trigiani.


From the Big Stone Gap and Very Valentine to The Shoemaker’s Wife, and Kiss Carlo, I can’t get enough of her stories and I’m always waiting patiently for her to release a new title.

She’s a New York Times best-selling author of eighteen books, an award-winning playwright, TV writer, producer, speaker, and filmmaker. She has received numerous awards that I can’t count, and if you look into her heart, I’m convinced you can leaf through it like the pages of a book. When you visit her website, please explore all her amazing accomplishments, but I want to tell you how she shares her heart with me.

The first Adriana book I ever read was Lucia, Lucia, a fabulous story about a 25-year-old woman in the 1950s who becomes an apprentice to a promising New York designer. The storytelling in each of her books is beautiful, warm, inviting and descriptive. Most of Adriana’s stories have a connection to her Italian roots and her hometown of Big Stone Gap, Virginia, which adds a wonderful personal element to her books. I find that her characters stay with me long after I finish one of her stories. There’s nothing better than curling up with one of her titles and sinking deep into a hypnotic rhythm of captivating stories.

Adriana also has a special connection to my hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, through a local family, the Vechiarelli’s, so she often makes book tour stops here to sold-out crowds. I still remember the first email I sent to her years ago explaining who I was, how much I loved her books, and that I live in Youngstown. She emailed me back and I freaked out! She was so kind and I felt an instant connection to her. Through the years, we’ve communicated on occasion and she is a follower of My Heart In Pen. Once, I created a purse out of one of her book covers and gave it to her as a surprise. I even sent her pasta sauce from a local Italian store. She later told me that she used the sauce to make dinner for Rosanne Cash (No kidding!)!

This beautiful, hilarious, incredible writer, emailed me, wrote me a hand-written thank-you note, and sent me books and posters. I’ve met her in person numerous times and she draws you in like you’re part of her inner sisterhood. I fell in love with her writing way before I got to know her, and now when I read her books, they resonate with me even more.

You should read her books. Pick any title because they’re all fantastic. Anyone of them would be the perfect holiday gift for a sister or girlfriend. Once you choose one and start reading, get ready to fall head-over-heels with her characters and stories. Adriana has such a big heart so I’m pretty sure she will have room in there for you as well. Enjoy her books, my friends!