icon caret-left icon caret-right instagram pinterest linkedin facebook x goodreads bluesky threads tiktok question-circle facebook circle twitter circle linkedin circle instagram circle goodreads circle pinterest circle

Conversazione

Beneath the Sicilian Stars of San Diego with Convivio Society

Thank you to the Convivio Society for such a warm welcome to San Diego's Little Italy on September 18. The evening began with an aperitivo featuring vino courtesy of Scappare Travel Club and a table of appetizers and Beneath the Sicilian Stars book cover cookies courtesy of Dottie's House of Sweets.

It was an honor to read from my novels and share behind-the-scenes stories with such an engaged group. Founded in 2003, Convivio honors the Italian immigrants who helped build the local tuna fishing industry and founded many businesses. Many of those individuals came from Porticello, Sicily, my ancestral homeland featured in The Last Letter from Sicily. It was wonderful to meet guests who had visited the town and knew Chiesa Santa Maria del Lume, where my grandparents were married.

Sharing Beneath the Sicilian Stars, which explores the hardships Italian immigrants faced during World War II, was especially meaningful. Many San Diego Italian and Portuguese fishermen had their tuna boats requisitioned by the Navy, refitted with weapons and radar, and sent across the Pacific. And the crews were absorbed into military service.

After the war, the fleet sustained San Diego's tuna industry for decades, but by the 1970s and 1980s, environmental regulations, declining tuna stocks, rising costs, and the closure of the last cannery in 1984 led to a decline in large-scale tuna fishing. Interstate 5 displaced many families, yet businesses and places of worship like Our Lady of Rosary Church endured. And fishing has evolved as well, with many anglers embracing more sustainable methods.

 

Today, Little Italy thrives as downtown San Diego's oldest continuous neighborhood business district. The history of the fishermen and their legacy can still be felt along the waterfront and Piazza Della Famiglia. Convivio translates to "banquet," and I am grateful to have been invited to their table.

 

 

 

Check out my list of upcoming appearances.

An Evening of Storytelling and History: A Beneath the Sicilian Stars Signing at Vroman’s Bookstore

Thanks to all who braved the Los Angeles traffic to attend my Beneath the Sicilian Stars signing and discussion on September 8 at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, California.

 

The book is rooted in a rarely told chapter of California history: the Italian Americans who endured curfews, property seizures, forced relocation, and internment during World War II. These stories have long remained in the shadows. 

I shared how this historical novel came to be, explaining that my research for my debut, The Last Letter from Sicily, led to my discovery of Una Storia Segreta, a collection of essays and testimonials by Italian Americans affected by World War II restrictions and imprisonment. The book's editor, Lawrence DiStasi, dedicated the last three decades of his life to bringing these stories to light, helping convince President Bill Clinton to pass the "Wartime Violations of Italian American Civil Liberties Act," which was signed into Public Law 106-451 in November 2000. I was fortunate to have had the chance to meet and interview Mr. DiStasi just weeks before he passed away in May of this year.

 

Vroman's holds a special place in the historic events portrayed in Beneath the Sicilian Stars. During the war, the bookstore donated and delivered books to Japanese American internees, offering comfort and connection in a time of hardship. Holding this event here felt both literary and deeply historical, honoring Vroman's legacy of community support.

I'm grateful to everyone who attended and sent well wishes. It was touching to see former colleagues alongside new faces in the audience. Everyone you meet influences your journey, and sharing this night with such an engaged group was an honor.

 

Thank you to Storm Publishing for releasing both of my books to the world this year, and to the small businesses who helped make the evening memorable with customized swag: vegan book-cover cookies from Dottie's House of Sweets (@nicoooo8), lip balm from Bulk Apothecary, and bookmarks from Platinum Print USA. Thank you, too, to Carlie aka ShesBecomingBookish, who shared her own recap of this event on TikTok.

 

@shesbecomingbookish Come with me to celebrate @Lindsay Marie Morris and her new book Beneath the Sicilian Stars, a WWII novel! I had so much fun going to my first ever author event! Shout out to my special guest star: my ring light, which decided to reveal just how sheer my sweater is 😂😂 #bookevent #independentbookstore #vromansbookstore #historicalfiction ♬ The Luxury Lounge - Cassiopeia

I appreciate all of the support I've received from those near and far. It means the world to this author.

 

 

Thank you for reading and watching. Check out my upcoming events and appearances