JB: You were born in Naples, Italy. What brought you to Glasgow, where you now live?

DANIELA: My then boyfriend, now husband and father of my two sons! I adore Scotland. It’s truly my adopted home… the kindness of the people and the beauty of the landscape make up for the moody weather!

JB: I understand you write whenever you get the chance and call yourself a ‘thief of time.’ How much time roughly do you get to write each week?

DANIELA: When I wrote about being a thief of time my youngest was still at home with me – he’s now in school so I get to work every day from half nine to half two, roughly. I’m very lucky that I can do this job full time. I’m also a lot less tired and a lot less sleepy than I used to be! I remember writing the second chapter of Watch Over Me with Luca on my knee, typing with one hand and holding him with the other. Far from being limiting though, having children was a wonderful influence on my creativity, like light to a plant. What they took away in time and energy, they gave back a million times more in inspiration and motivation. 

JB: What would you say to someone who says they don’t have enough time to be a writer and write that book that’s in their brain?

DANIELA: Oh, I’d say that if I managed to write three books in two years with a baby at home and no childcare, and then on two hours a day while he was in nursery, anybody can! I used to set the alarm at five every morning… I suppose I was a bit of a zombie but I kept going. Glue your backside to the chair and start typing.

JB: You are a Primary school teacher. How did you fall into this line of work?

DANIELA: I was teaching in Secondary schools before moving to Scotland, then I decided to apply for a Postgraduate in Primary Education. I love children, I love spending time with them and watching them learn. I miss my old job, actually! But I’d never go back, I have too many stories in my mind waiting to come out.

JB: Where did the idea for your book TAKE ME HOME come from?

DANIELA: I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of silence, of someone who stops speaking and retreats into herself. The first time I read about it was in Lucy M. Montgomery’s book Kilmeny of The Orchard. Kilmeny can’t speak, so she writes on a notebook that she carries around her neck. I was also inspired by Sorley McLean’s poetry, in particular his heart breaking poem Don’t Forget My Love. And finally, I suppose all stories come from the real Glen Avich, my home village of Caravino…an endless mine of stories of place, families and people. All these elements came together and made Inary’s tale.

JB: The main character in the book rediscovers a childhood gift  -  a sixth sense. Do you know anyone with such a gift?

DANIELA: Well, the opening scene from Take Me Home – Inary seeing her neighbour who’d died the same morning – is actually a true story. It happened to my mum in Caravino. It was the first and last time my mum saw a ghost, so I can’t say she has a gift as such – but it touched her so much, she recalled it often when I was child, and it stayed with me.

JB: From start to finish, how long did it take to complete the book?

DANIELA: Nine months… like having a baby!

JB: Do you have any strange writing rituals?

DANIELA: I do, actually! How embarrassing. I put on music very loudly and then I pace up and down half-thinking and half-talking to myself. Bizarre…

JB: What’s next for you?

DANIELA: I’m currently editing Spirit, the third and last volume of my YA trilogy  The Sarah Midnight Trilogy, which is out next September. I’m also writing the next Glen Avich novel, Don’t Be Afraid, where we get to meet some new Glen Avich residents and some familiar ones.

Thanks so much Daniela.

About Daniela Sacerdoti

Daniela Sacerdoti is a mother and a writer. Born in Naples, but brought up in a small village in the Italian Alps, she lives near Glasgow with her husband and sons. She calls herself a thief of time – she steals time to write when everyone has gone to bed, or before they wake up. She’s a Primary teacher, but she chose to be at home with her children. She loves being with her boys, doing art with them, reading anything she can get her hands on and chatting with her girlfriends. But she also adores being on her own, free to daydream and make up stories.

You can find out more about Daniela Sacerdoti on her website.  You can also tweet (@danisacerdoti) with her and find her on Facebook.

 

BUY

The overall giveaway is a paperback copy of Take Me Home.  Open Internationally.