James Carnarvon

Did I really write that and not notice? I’ll definitely hunt that down later tonight. EDIT: Well, I fixed it. I must have re-read that paragraph several times without noticing. Funny how the brain sees what it expects to see!

Thank you so much! This is probably my favourite chapter too, but the part I was most pleased with is actually the dinner party scene. It hasn’t been much commented on, but parts of this story are definitely meant to be humorous, and that’s one scene where I felt that side of it really came together. But maybe the jokes aren’t landing for anyone else. 😆

Thank you for the lovely comment! And, please, nip away. In case there's any doubt: I'm English, and the Italian words are just there to add a little flavour and to remind the reader that these characters think and speak in Italian. I can speak a little of the language myself - just enough to get by when on holiday.

The weekend arrived, which meant that it was almost time for Gianni’s birthday dinner. Gianni and Angelo had confirmed to all their guests that the evening meal at Da Rossi was to be followed by a late night after-party at the Villa Cimbrone gardens. Since meeting Isabella, Toto’s spirits had risen considerably. While he still didn’t really know where he and Michele stood, he at least felt he had his friend back. As such, when he met up with Michele the following day, he assumed an apologet

Let’s just say I think you’ll find the next chapter interesting…

Thank you! The descriptive writing has been much commented on. The characters take centre stage in the coming chapters; I hope you enjoy it!

Maybe take a break from the marathon...?!? Thanks again!

Wow, you're really going for it! 😄 Thank you for reading.

Thank you for the lovely comment. I was tempted to message you last night when I could see you were binge reading the whole thing! I’m glad you enjoyed it. The story and these characters still mean a lot to me.

July rolled around with no change to the hot and sunny weather. By day, the numbers of visitors continued to grow until the hotels were full; and by night the stairways and lanes that bordered the Villa Rufolo gardens resounded with the distant sounds of classical music. The Ravello Festival was in full swing. Salvatore knuckled down as his shop entered the busiest period of the year, and Toto helped him out as and when his father would allow it. Salvatore seemed content to let Toto do an o

Yeah, I wasn't planning to write that. It just sort of... came out? 😅 It's weird when your characters develop minds of their own.

It's not stated directly, but it's loosely implied that she lives in Amalfi rather than Ravello.

A few days later, a sunny morning found Toto and Michele alone together among the chestnut woods on the lower slopes of Monte Brusara, riding their mountain bikes along the upper reaches of the Valle del Dragone. Toto pedalled determinedly through the dappled shade of the trees, his open shirt fluttering, swift pendant hanging out over his grey vest top. Michele led the way, concentration evident in the set of his shoulders. Lizards scattered as they went, disturbed from their daily bask by

I saw a boy of 11-ish who was wearing a pink tie-dye t-shirt today. He wasn't blond, but it still made me smile. I'm glad you all seem to be taking to Daniele as a character - I was worried some might find his endless enthusiasm a bit annoying. @travlbug I guess the Gianni/Angelo scene serves a couple of purposes. First, it contrasts Toto's frustrating situation with that of Gianni and Angelo at a similar age. And it's also, perhaps, a gesture to the readers who were frustrated that The Summer of the Firefly ended where it did. "Angelo and Gianni are only getting started" were your words, I believe. 😄 What do all you think of the regular flashbacks as a format? They're not always a popular narrative device, but I think they're a step up from dream sequences, which I used to decent and, I think, less decent effect in The Summer of the Firefly. @drsawzall This story has twelve chapters, so eight to go! Hmm, you seem pretty sure that Toto and Michele are going to become a couple - or is that just hope? 😉 @drpaladin "Festers like an open wound" - that's a lovely image! 😱

Toto and Michele passed the next few days much as they normally would, hanging out at each other’s homes, cycling together, chatting in the square, or wandering the lanes and gardens of the town. Toto did not tell Michele what he had seen on Sunday evening, and Michele steadfastly failed to mention it himself. Toto tried not to let what he had seen bother him, although the image of Michele walking with that girl kept popping into his head, unbidden, distracting him from whatever he was doin

Dani? He’s just Dani. 😊

Sunday morning found Toto in the cathedral square, waiting for the church service to finish. Toto and his father had stopped going to church regularly after his mother died, but Michele and his mother still went to Mass every week. Michele’s father joined them as and when he could. Over the course of the previous afternoon, Toto had recovered from his initial sense of affront that his friend had chosen to spend the coming Wednesday with someone else. Freshly showered and dressed in clean cl

It's really interesting to see your reactions to this new character and all the speculation he is causing! He has a role to play, of course, but possibly not quite the one you think...? More tomorrow...

Great to have you back on board once again, travlbug. I always enjoy your comments. I was tickled by your interpretation of the 'blond boy' in the first chapter as a potential rival for Toto's affections, before you knew how young he was. However, even if he had been of a more 'consenting age', so to speak, I'd like to think that Toto wouldn't be so easily swayed by a pretty face!

drpaladin, thank you, and your comments are as insightful as ever. drsawzall, thank you too. I’m glad the interplay between the characters is working for you so far, because this story is really about Toto’s relationships with a wider ensemble of players and not just that one core relationship. Compared to ‘Firefly’, this story is also much less focused on describing the environment, although I can’t help doing some of that too! This story may not quite scale the same melodramatic heights as ‘Firefly’ but I feel like the writing is more settled and mature. There are bits of dialogue in some of the later chapters that were great fun to write. I hope you enjoy it.

Toto woke late the next morning. He sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Sunlight filtered into his bedroom through the cracks in the shutters over the windows. Toto and Salvatore’s apartment did not have air conditioning. In the lingering heat of the night before, he had slept in just his underpants. Now, he opened the window and pushed the shutters apart. The refreshingly cool morning air flowed over his skin, reviving his senses. Toto’s compact bedroom looked out over Via Ro

Thanks guys! I have a feeling this will probably be the last story in the ‘Ravello cycle’. I don’t want to be trapped into writing the same sort of story about the same people in the same place forever. But hopefully, by the time I’m done, you’ll all feel I’ve done it justice!

I hope you enjoy my new story, which I have worked on intensively since March! To make it last for a while longer and to help my readers keep up, I'm planning to post new chapters every two days - instead of daily as I have done with my previous titles. I would love to hear your thoughts as we go along.

The June sun beat down on the Italian seaside town of Amalfi, a densely packed sprawl of old terracotta rooftops on the shore of a turquoise sea. Narrow and crowded, the main street wound its way up a green and rocky gorge flanked by tree-crowned hills and mountains soaring almost vertically out of the water. Away from the seafront and the tourists, at the quiet end of town, a teenager leant nonchalantly against a creeper-covered wall of rough-hewn rock and stone outside the gates of the lo

Toto is sixteen and in love with his best friend. Michele doesn’t seem to mind, but he never seems to have felt the same way. It’s the end of the school year, and Toto is looking forward to spending a long, languid summer together, exploring the hills around their home town of Ravello, but the arrival of new friends brings unexpected twists and turns in their lives. Follow Toto and Michele through a summer of decision as they face tough choices about their future.