Writing News

I’m excited to share that I’ve been working on my latest short story, “Luca”. Luca is the antagonist in my novel, Buried Secrets and he is a deeply troubled man with a secret he’s been keeping for decades. Up until recently, no one knew about this secret. Hidden notes are discovered, and a series of clues are revealed following the death of Luca’s brother, resulting in one determined character, intent on peeling away all the layers until a truth is finally exposed. 

When I thought about how to describe Luca, I wanted readers to understand where he came from. What experiences came together to build this man and make him who he was.  I wanted to portray a man who was raised by a very difficult father and had some personal challenges to overcome. Luca was well liked by many, but as he got older, his father’s influence negatively affected the choices he made and the things he obsessed over. Some people saw it developing within him, but most did not.  His secret remained in the past for many years and he went on to live a normal, happy life surrounded by a loving family. Luca is a complex man on the inside, disguised by a simple man on the outside.

Another important aspect when creating Luca, was that I wanted him to be an exact opposite from my main character/protagonist, which is his niece, Ella. Luca is sly, secretive, calculating and very organized and neat, almost obsessive compulsive about everything. He is also paranoid and untrusting, although he has kept that part of himself hidden for a very long time. My protagonist, Ella is none of these things. In fact, she is too trusting, slightly naive and messy, can’t make decisions and easily overwhelmed.  Although they are opposites, Luca and Ella are very close.

I will be adding my short story, “Luca” to my website soon!