Maricla Pannocchia

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your hobbies and interests.

My name is Maricla, I am 36 years old and I was born and raised in Tuscany, Italy. I have always loved writing. I also love reading and travelling. I always have had an interest in social causes, in fact I want to use my writing as a tool to shed a light on social issues we don't often hear from. My aim is to travel around the world and connect with people and situations to help others to get a better education about what really goes on in the world. In 2014 I've set up my own charity to support teenagers with cancer, which I still run.

When and why did you start writing books?

I have always loved writing. I remember I started writing my first short stories when I was about 6 or 7 years old. In 2014 I have self-published (as a choice) my first novel, in Italian. There are some stories I write I feel they need to be shared because they can help other people or they can teach them to see the world in a different way. I have published 3 novels in Italian, all about social issues, and my first YA novel in English, "Letters from Afghanistan", has been released on September 2021.

What made you decide to tackle writing as a career?

It took a while to finally become a writer but I guess when you asked me what I wanted to do as a grown up, I was the little girl who always replied: "Write!". When I was in middle school I wanted to become a war reporter. I think I didn't know much about the real risks of such a profession, but I still have that desire to travel to non-touristy places and to genuinely connect with people facing hardships.

Which one of your books or characters is your favourite?

I love them all equally, I am like a proud mama :) All my novels have two main characters, one who is facing a struggle linked to a social cause and the other, usually the one whose p.o.v. we get to know better, who lives a "better life". They all are very strong young women. They all are teenagers, and they struggle with regular teenagers stuff, yet they end up growing up and becoming better persons and better citizens of the world because of their friendship and of the facts that happen during the novel.

Which one of your books was the hardest to write and stretched you the most as a writer?

"Letters from Afghanistan", being the first one in English. I wrote the novel about five years ago (so yes, I didn't have a clue that it would be released after the horrible facts that have happened this summer in Afghanistan) and it was in Italian. I then felt the story, which sees 14 years old Olivia from California as the main character who learns a lot during her summer holiday from school as one of her teachers sets her up for a summer assignment to write emails to 14 years old Basya, who studies in a school in a small Afghan village, is very compelling and pretty original, so I wanted more and more people to be able to read it. I translated the whole novel and then I got the help of a British native speaker friend, who is also a professional editor, but I was very proud when she told me there were minor mistakes. I do my best to constantly improve my English, and since the book is getting very good reviews from people all around the world, and most of them have told me they now feel more compelled to act and to help others, I think it's a success.

Who is your favourite author and book?

I don't have a favorite author or book. I love classics, but I guess I just love a book which has a soul, great characters (which doesn't mean perfect) and a compelling story.

What book are you reading right now?

I just finished reading "A thousands splendid suns" by Khaled Huìosseini, and it has become one of my favorite books.

Where do you get your inspiration for your books?

I get the inspiration from the world around me. I love educating myself, especially on social issues, and I do my best to be informed about what really goes on in the world. I think the only way to really start to understand a social issue, or a problem, is to travel there but it's not always possible. Technology can help us connect with people facing abuse and human rights violation so we can get in touch with them, help them and connect.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I live in a village by the sea, so I love going to the beach in spring and summer. My biggest passion is travelling and, now that the world is slowly re-opening, I feel I will spend all my money on travel!

Do you have any new books in the works?

I currently am not writing anything but I already know what my next book will be about. I have a few trips scheduled and one I particularly look forward to is the one in a refugee camp in Turkey with an Italian NGO. I will go there to talk with the people, mostly kids from Syria who lost their parents and are in the camp with just the siblings, or alone, and write about them. I feel I will find the next main character of my novel among those kids.