Mission Hills’ Author’s Book Release Party
This past November, Anna Wilcoxson of Mission Hills held a book release party to announce her debut novel, “Secrets and Promises.”
The book is fictional, however, is flavored with some of her own heritage and memories, which are reflected in the contents of the story:
When a feisty ninety-six-year-old schoolteacher and her daughter go to Italy to find their roots, they uncover a secret about their family’s past…a secret that connects them to the powerful Urbani Truffle Empire. They share the same last name but no one in the village is talking, until they meet a one-eyed man, named Enzo, who still remembers.
Enzo looked at us, his one eye intent and compassionate at the same time. “Some stones are better left unturned. Are you sure you want to hear this?”
Mom’s answer was immediate. “I’ve lived a long time and I’ve always found that knowing more of the truth is better than knowing less of it. There are secrets in this town…I can feel it…secrets about our family’s past. Tell us the story.”
In the early 1900s, three brothers flee their Umbrian village in Italy for a fresh start in the promised land of America. They leave behind an act of vengeance, a devastating loss, and the heartache of unrequited love. Settling in a seaside town near the Mexican border called San Diego, they struggle to gain a foothold and secure a piece of the American dream. How they deal with the burden of loss that haunts them, and how they earn their seat at the table through sacrifice and ingenuity, is a story every immigrant can relate to.
Through it all, the truth about their past, and their ancestry, remains a mystery. It is only after three generations, and the revelation of a secret love affair, that the pieces of the puzzle finally come together.
Anna Wilcoxson, who grew up in San Diego, California in the 1960s, has lived a colorful life filled with adventure and artistry. She began her career in 1975 as a dancer with the original San Diego Ballet Company under the directorship of Dame Sonia Arova. She performed with the Santa Barbara Ballet Theatre and The USIU International Company, which is where she earned her BFA for dancing and teaching at the USIU School of the Performing Arts. In 1995, Wilcoxson opened her own ballet school, teaching and directing classic ballet productions for children.
In 2009, when she assumed the role of caregiver for her ninety-five-year-old mother, Wilcoxson’s creative passion shifted, and she began writing short stories based on her life and experiences in the performing arts. A trip to Italy with her mother in 2010 sparked the idea for a novel centered around the stories she had heard as a child about her immigrant ancestors. She now divides her time between San Diego and Scheggino, Italy, and more stories are likely to be written.
Category: Authors, Books, feature, Local News
