Cappuccino Is Six Months Old Today!

So I thought you might like to see how the sausage is made.

Photo by Wout Vanacker

First, a shoutout to all of you who subscribe to and read Cappuccino. You really are the reason I do it, and your comments and observations are the wick that holds the candleflame. Without you, there is nothing, nada, niente, zilch, which is why my heartfelt thanks goes to each and every Cappuccino reader around the globe. I love you.

In these strange and wondrous times, it’s good to have a friend you can depend on. I hope you feel the genuine friendship that goes into crafting each and every article for Cappuccino, which I present to you Monday through Thursday. But you may well be asking yourself, why is she doing this? What is she getting out of it? And where does she come up with all those crazy ideas?

In the interests of pulling back the curtain a bit, here is an abridged version of me: I am a rapaciously curious, intellectually promiscuous, tiresomely workaholic human female born with a deep-seated need to understand the world and everyone in it. Apparently, I was always this way. An early letter from my godmother reminded me to never forget that my greatest gift is curiosity. It sure isn’t housekeeping or sequential reasoning, so a girl’s gotta work with what she’s got.

Having a forum like Cappuccino to share some of that curiosity with you brings me enormous joy. Those “crazy ideas” you ask me about are all things I’ve wondered, researched, or yearned to have a better understanding of. My only regret is that I will one day go to my grave without knowing all the things there are to know about this beautiful, insane world. I have fantasies of entire chunks of knowledge being dropped inside my brain like Neo in The Matrix. I don’t think it’s too much to ask, do you?

This is where I sit (chair across the table) and write until my eyes bleed. The snacks are for you.

In addition to the fun of interacting with you, I love to write. I was put on this earth to write. I am a novelist by trade. Sadly, it is a dying art form. 98% of all books fail to sell even 5,000 copies. The written tradition of story telling is being replaced by video, just as words replaced oral story telling. It’s a circle-of-life thing.

That’s one of the reasons getting people to buy your stories and read them is more of a challenge these days. I’m hoping that by getting to know me, you will be more likely to buy books from me in the future. It’s tough, forking over hard-earned dollars on an unknown author. I know because I’m always reluctant to do it. Cappuccino provides me with an opportunity to be a little less unknown to you.

I almost always write Cappuccinos on Sunday and Monday. Like many writers, I’m an inveterate night owl. It’s so wonderfully quiet. The church bells toll in the campanile at 6:02AM here in Amelia, which is usually my signal to start wrapping it up. I un-zap my statically charged brain by watching thirty minutes of mindless entertainment, and then I tiptoe to bed.

You’ll want to watch this video with the sound on.

For as long as I am able, I’d like to continue providing Cappuccino for free. Those of you who have the means and inclination to buy subscriptions, your names are holy names in this house. Shockingly, our apartment runs us only $400 a month, which is one of the reasons we live in Italy instead of the U.S. But I do occasionally need to eat, buy cat food, or pay a Wi-Fi bill, and your contributions MATTER. A lot. As a member of the artistic poor (there are far too many of us, I regret to say), I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The ceilings are from the 1700s, and there are ceiling frescoes in every room. #BecauseItaly

To celebrate you, and to usher in another six months of Cappuccino, here is a list of articles that got the most reads. If you like any one in particular, feel free to share it. And if you know anybody who needs a free Cappuccino membership, hound them like a debt-collector until they finally subscribe.

I raise a Cappuccino in your name.

#1: This article has received thousands of views, more than any other Cappuccino.

Lack of Affordable Housing is Killing the Arts

#2: A look at what I used to do to support my kids (and my writing habit).

Ten Things You Need to Know About Becoming a Group Fitness Instructor

#3: The man who changed my life forever. Another several-thousand-view Cappuccino that got picked up by other outlets.

The Love Story I've Never Told Before

#4: It did surprisingly well for a prescriptive sociological article.

You Owe It To No One To Be Beautiful

#5: A Cappuccino written with love.

Italian Nonnas Know What You Did But Love You Anyway

Olive, working hard to help write Cappuccinos.

Do you have a favorite Cappuccino or a topic you’d like to see me write about? If I’m curious about it, you can bet I’ll run with it. Feel free to leave your thoughts and suggestions below.