#staci troilo

Ciao, amici. Today’s post title is a song title, as I’m sure you’re aware. I chose it because a dear friend of mine (and probably yours) frequently quoted song titles or lyrics applicable to any situation. It’s with a heavy heart that I chose this title in her memory. Joan Hall passed away on December 6, 2025. “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” Gandalf the…

Ciao, amici! I’m happy to announce today is the release day for my new novel, Weeping Boughs Don’t Break. This standalone family drama is thematically similar to Type and Cross, but the religious element is more prominent in this book. A woman struggling with loneliness, self-worth, finances, and faith finds herself sucked into prior obligations when her former husband suffers a health crisis.…

Ciao, amici! Just popping in today to share a new book cover. What’s it about? A woman struggling with loneliness, self-worth, finances, and faith finds herself sucked into prior obligations when her former husband suffers a health crisis. He, his family, and even their kids expect she’ll reassume her role as caregiver and problem solver. And no one seems to realize or care what it could cost…

Ciao, amici! I’m happy to again participate in the annual Virtual Cookie (Recipe) Exchange. This year, I’m offering a recipe for my mini nut rolls. Nut rolls are always a favorite on my family’s cookie tables. In year two, my sister shared a regular nut roll recipe, which calls for shaping the dough into a rectangle, spreading on the filling, rolling it into a log, cutting into pinwheels, then…

Ciao, amici! Can you believe it’s Novemeber already? I swear we just celebrated New Year’s Day, and now it’s right around the corner again. But, before we pop open the champagne, we have Christmas (or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or whatever winter holiday you bake for). This is year four of my annual virtual cookie exchange—your chance to share a family tradition with all of us or to add a new treat…

Ciao, amici! I have to admit, I haven’t exactly been writing up a storm lately. I’m a third of the way through what I’ve outlined, but I always end up adding scenes because compelling detours present themselves as I flush out the work, so technically I’m probably less than thirty-three percent done. I also encounter resistance at this point in every story and look for ways to procrastinate. In…