Iris & Lily: 3-Book Series

During an email exchange that spans the Atlantic and continues intermittently throughout the novel, Iris and Lily Capotosti begin reminiscing about their past, growing up as sisters during the 60s and 70s in Upstate New York. Born as two out of twelve children to a hot-blooded Italo-American father and a mild Irish-American mother, they lived in an environment marked by poverty and neglect, abuse and favoritism, stifling Catholicism and disruptive feminism. As adulthood approaches and opportunities slip away, each opts to seek refuge in a marriage she hopes will provide the love and security she has craved her entire life. The dramas and conflicts of their past soon take root in their adult lives, driving a wedge between them and luring them into their respective entanglements of abuse, infidelity, disillusionment and broken dreams. They travel to the edge of self-destruction where they each make a shocking discovery.

Julie started writing at 12 years old, keeping a journal to record the thoughts and feelings that always seemed to be gushing out of her - from her frustrations with being at the bottom of the hierarchy in her large and overbearing family to the confusion and exhilarating experience of first love. "I have a whole trunk full of journals," said Julie. "But I don't know what I'll ever do with them. Anything and everything I want to say about life up until now is embodied in Iris & Lily." With a laugh she adds, "Maybe I'll have a nice bonfire one of these days and we can roast marshmallows over the chronicles of my past." Not only has co-authoring Iris & Lily with her sister Angela given her a hearty outlet for her passion for writing, but Julie says that sharing her story has also given meaning to her own pain and challenges.

REACH JULIE AT: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Angela’s insatiable appetite for literature has always been a way for her to escape reality and imagine different lives for herself. As a young girl, she was so enthralled with Little Women that she pecked out a theater adaptation of Alcott’s novel on her mother’s Smith-Corona, in the hopes of staging a production with Julie and her other sisters. “I draw energy from my dreams. They have made me take leaps of faith, like moving to Italy when I was just a twenty-year-old. They motivate me more than any amount of outside pressure or ambition.” The drive to create the perfect atmosphere in which others could live out their dreams, however briefly, led to a career in hospitality on the Italian Riviera, while Angela’s own biggest dream took shape, giving a new direction to her life. “The dream of writing an inspiring novel that might encourage women to make peace with their past and live in the moment saw me through one of the most profound experiences of my life: co-authoring Iris & Lily with my sister Julie.” REACH ANGELA AT: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter