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WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 978-532-5880 APRIL 29, 2021
Author catching up after a late start
By Steve KrauSe
PEABODY — E.J. Gandolfo
is in the prolific stage of her literary
life, which might seem unusual
considering she didn't start
writing until she was 74.
Now, three years later, she
can't stop.
She recently released the
fourth book of her Veronica Howard
Vintage Mysteries series, this
one entitled "Tasting Death." To
say it's been a long journey for
her doesn't begin to tell the story.
Her only writing prior to becoming
an author was in advertising
and public relations, writing
TV commercials and copy for
newspaper ads.
"I never thought I would write
a book," she says.
That was early in her life. Her
"middle period," as it were, consisted
of the 32 years she spent
as an antique dealer. But it got
to the point where the economy
couldn't support that, either.
So she circled back to her earlier
profession, this time writing
fiction instead of ad copy. And
what she found was that writing,
like a lot of things, requires discipline.
"You need the discipline, and
you need the time," Gandolfo
said.
She also learned that inspiration
doesn't always come when
you want it to. It comes when it
comes.
"If you have an idea for a story,
and you outline it, that's fine,"
she said. "But you still have to
flesh it in, and that doesn't always
come when you want it to."
She indicated that the way that
worked best for her was to let the
ideas come when they may.
"Sometimes, flying by the seat
of your pants is the way you can
create," Gandolfo said. "It gives
you the juices so you can keep
going."
To anyone who might want to
start writing novels, she provides
one bit of caution: "This is a very
tough way to make a buck."
"Tasting Death" is the fourth
in what Gandolfo thought would
be a trilogy — with No. 5 in the
making, too. She wrote "Tasting
Death" as homage to her grandfather,
who was in the food business.
At the time he died — when
Gandolfo's father was 2 years
old — he owned the largest import-export
store in the North
End of Boston.
"I'd have loved to have met
him," she says. "My father's
whole family was in the food
business. They worked very hard.
They were up at 4 every morning,
and put in long days."
She uses all of her environmental
influences in her books.
For example, "Tasting Death"
concerns organized crime infiltrating
her fictional North Shore
town of Bromfield in the 1980s to
distribute drugs "in an ingenious
manner," which has something
COURTESY PHOTO | JANE GANDOLFO
Jane Gandolfo is the author of the Veronica Howard Vintage
Mysteries.
to do with the food business (she
won't say what).
"Bromfield," she says, "is a
PEABODY — Parents and
caregivers of children 3-8
years old are invited to a free
mental health workshop with
Jeanine Fitzgerald, May 13, 7
p.m. at Olio, 43 Main St., or
virtually on Zoom.
Contrary to popular belief,
mental health is not treating the
symptoms of a disorder or disease.
Mental health structures
the conditions of an environment
for optimal functioning.
The conditions to be structured
include creating a repertoire
of effective strategies
that meet the authentic needs
of children, cultivating enduring
relationships, transforming
environments so they embrace
full inclusion, and increasing
competence through effective
educational programming.
Fitzgerald has more than 35
years of professional experience
in empowering teachers
and parents to achieve more
with “at-risk” children. With
experience as a certified teacher,
mental health professional
and mother of three grown
children, she understands the
promise of every child, as well
as the diversity of their needs.
Pre-registration is required.
Register at: https://nsjcc.org/
event/mentalhealthworkshop2/.
In-person space is limited.
Masks and social distancing
are required to attend in-person.
For more than 36 years, the
North Suburban Jewish Community
Center (NSJCC) has
combination of several North
Shore towns, like Lynnfield,
Marblehead and Peabody. This
all takes place on fishing boats,
and there are references to Beverly
Airport."
The book's heroes — Veronica
Howard and Harry Hunt —
are undercover FBI agents who
appear in all the books. The couple
lives in Boston, but Veronica
has a store in Bromfield that sells
antiques.
"All the stories involve antiques,
vintage clothing, antique
jewelry," Gandolfo said. "That's
my marketing niche for writing
books.
"You have to find what nobody
else has written about," she
said. "There are 10,000 books a
week printed in the United States.
Probably more than that, but
that's the figure they throw out.
Most of them are self-published,
as are mine. I had an agent look
at my stuff, and had a couple of
publishers who rejected me. They
told me to come back in five
years. I was 74. I didn't have five
years."
Lest anybody think self-publishing
is an inexpensive proposition,
think again.
"You have to set aside a
large chunk of money and time,
and you have to have computer
knowledge," she said. "That was
the hardest part for me. There
are no more galleys. In my day,
everything was galleys (proofed
pages). I'm an old-timer. That's
how we did it."
Early childhood mental health workshop
been known in the Greater Peabody
area as a center for Jewish
life and
community programs,
through its renowned Early
Childhood Program and its
many family and adult program
offerings. The NSJCC offers
infant, toddler, preschool
and transitional kindergarten
programs.
The NSJCC has provided
thousands of children with the
warm, nurturing care that gives
them an early sense of accomplishment
and self-esteem. The
NSJCC also brings infant, toddler,
preschool and school-age
children together with residents
of Chelsea Jewish Lifecare to
incorporate real life experiences
into their curricula and expose
children to the benefits of
intergenerational relationships.
The NSJCC also offers
many programs open to its
members and the community
at-large. Learn more at www.
nsjcc.org.
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COVID vaccinations
April 29
PEABODY — Free COVID
vaccines for 18 years and older,
Thursday, April 29, 10 a.m. – 1
p.m. at the Council on Aging, 75R
Central St.
Preregistration available at
https://www.maimmunizations.
org/clinic/private_registra tion/
oj5zaiqGS86jhkCA1jVuk-
JHZcvw5ehHJ.
For assistance, please call the
Peabody Health Department, 978-
538-5926.
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