Meet Adriana Allegri

We were lucky to catch up with Adriana Allegri recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Adriana, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?

My ability and willingness to take risks is something I inherited from my parents. Like them, I learned to listen to my internal voice, and honor it, in pursuit of my dreams.

I’m a first-generation American, and my parents came to the United States after World War II. It’s a big risk to leave your birth country — to pull up roots, learn a new language, and create another kind of life. My parents took that risk in the late 1940s and 1950s when they immigrated from Italy to the east coast. They worked hard, saved every penny, and embraced change in pursuit of their American Dream.

In the late 1970s, my parents took another big risk, this time with my brother and me in tow. We moved from New Jersey to Arizona — literally packed a van with our valuables and drove across country — in search of a better standard of living and what my parents called “room to breathe.” They were drawn to the desert, to wide open spaces. My father switched careers, and my mom started her own business.

Our move to Phoenix, one that seemed risky to friends and family at the time, paid off. We bought a wonderful house with a garden and more space. Phoenix is much larger than the town we grew up in, so my brother and I had greater opportunities here — more choices in terms of educational programs and classes, as well as extracurricular activities and clubs.

While my parents never had the benefit of a formal education, they were voracious readers. Over the years, there were thousands of books in every genre in our home, and they encouraged me to read broadly. Knowledge was power.

My mom always said that she read to me while I was still in the womb. It’s no surprise that “book” was one of my first words, or that I found freedom in books as a child and teenager.

As an adult, it’s also not surprising that I made two cross-country moves and two major career shifts to follow my dream of becoming a published author. Both moves seemed pretty risky to family and friends at the time, but they helped me grow as a person and a writer.

In the early 2000s I left teaching, a career I loved, and moved from Arizona to New Jersey to work as a writer in marketing communications. I’d begun my first novel at that point and knew I had to improve my level of skill. That move also brought me closer to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., which had resources critical to completing my first book.

Fifteen years later, I came back to Arizona to focus more on my novel and creative projects. (Like my parents, I was drawn again to the desert, to wide open spaces.) I met my first literary agent here at a local conference two years later — not in New York, as I’d once imagined. Had I not moved back to Phoenix, that wouldn’t have happened.

In both cases, if I hadn’t listened to the internal voice that said, “go for it, take the risk, it’ll help you grow,” I’d never have completed my first novel, which will be published by St. Martin’s Press in November, 2024.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m an author, and my debut, The Sunflower House, has been a 25-year journey and dream.

My novel is the story of Allina, a young woman in Nazi Germany, who must hide her Jewish identity when she’s forced to work at Hochland Home — a state-run ‘baby factory’ created to perpetuate the so-called ‘master race.’ While serving as a nurse there, she fights to save herself and the children in her care who are suffering from neglect.

Although this book is about one woman’s determination to resist and survive, it also explores the healing power of love in all its forms–love of family, love of friends, and romantic love. Although she’s lost everything and is in great peril, Allina’s heart remains open. She chooses compassion over hatred and revenge.

The world seems very divided right now, so I’m glad my book is being published at this time. I feel strongly that it’s important to examine our own thoughts and prejudices. We always have the opportunity to change, both personally and collectively, so that we make better choices.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

First, persistence. It took a few years to find all the books I needed for research; most were used, and some came from overseas. Also, early feedback from the publishing industry showed that my book wasn’t commercial enough, and that the writing needed work. That feedback made me me work harder. I don’t believe in failure; instead, there are temporary setbacks that help you adjust and find a better way to move forward. Like Anne Lamott says, “You wait and watch and work; you don’t give up.” I’m glad I didn’t!

Second, flexibility, which often goes hand-in-hand with persistence. There’s more than one path to success and it’s important sometimes to take a step back and reassess. For example, I found pitch conferences to be a better way to appeal to agents and connect with them on a personal level. Doing so led to more constructive feedback, which I incorporated into my writing. That’s another reason flexibility is important. Authors need to be flexible enough to value constructive feedback and use it to improve.

Finally, kindness. I’ve been mentored by writers and agents who were at different stages of their careers, and I’ve tried to help others when I can. The publishing industry is undergoing a transformation right now, and there’s a lot of frustration with those changes. It’s important to realize that everyone in the industry is an actual person who loves books and reading. A little kindness goes a long way to building professional relationships. I’ve been on the receiving end of that kind of grace. Sometimes a brief note or text has been enough to keep me motivated.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

I’m an introvert and tend to look inward when feeling overwhelmed. Meditation, walking, and music are all tools to help me calm down and focus. Movement in combination with music is particularly helpful. It unlocks both the body and mind, helps me breathe easier and release tension.

There’s so much going on in the world right now, and stress can lead to illness as it increases cortisol and inflammation. If I’m feeling really stressed, I’ll take a break and breathe in a 7:11 pattern. It’s pretty simple, but effective: Breathe in to the count of 7, and then out to the count of 11 at the same pace, so you’re breathing out more slowly and completely. Five minutes of that sort of breathing creates bliss. Try it and see!

Of course, as a writer I’m also moved by beautiful writing. If I’m having a bad day, some of my favorite authors help me stay focused.

As introvert, I tend to not seek outward support. That’s something I’m working on, reaching out to friends and family more to discuss my deeper fears. So that’s the next part of the journey for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.adriana-allegri.com
• Instagram: @adrianaallegri
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriana.writes
• Linkedin: Adriana Allegri
• Twitter: @adrianaallegri
• Other: I’m @adrianaallegri on TikTok and also on Threads. My Linktree is https://linktr.ee/adriana_allegri. My email is [email protected].

Image Credits

Photo 4 only (the photo of the book in the field of sunflowers) should be credited to the following Bookstagrammer on IG:
@HOLLYREADIT