Romance, a bit of suspense, the history of Italy, and numerous recipes combine to create a story about love, food, and life – Italian American style.
Con Amore
“I love your writing style. I love your use of describing words and the way that you use those words to produce a visual image in the reader's mind. In particular, the way you described the clouds, I thought was wonderful. But I also found that your descriptions of events [were] so full of imagery.” ~ Dolores S. ~
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Janice moved to Long Island at the age of five. Her   father’s   family   emigrated   from   Trapani   (region   of   Sicily)   to   Brooklyn   when   he   was   eight.   Janice’s   maternal   grandfather came to America from the Naples area, married and settled in Brooklyn. Janice’s   childhood   memories   include   frequent   visits   to   the   three-story   brownstone   in   Brooklyn,   where   most   of   her   father’s family   lived,   and   trips   in   the   summer   to   the   Mastic   home   of   her   maternal   grandparents.   Holidays   were   often   spent   at   the brownstone   –   filled   with   aunts,   uncles,   and   lots   of   cousins;   and   her   grandmother   always   at   the   stove.   In   contrast,   at   the peaceful   summer   home   in   Mastic,   Janice   enjoyed   her   grandmother’s      beautiful   flower   gardens   and   spent   time   with   her grandfather   as   he   worked   in   the   garden,   cultivating   tomatoes,   corn,   eggplant,   and   peppers.   She   often   walked   with   him along   the   canal   that   bordered   the   garden,   helping   him   check   the   crab   nets. The   bounty   was   brought   by   the   bucketful   to   her grandmother, who cooked one of Janice’s favorite meals – crabs in tomato sauce.
Janice   started   writing   Con   Amore    in   1999,   about   a   year   after   establishing   a   monthly   newsletter   for   a   local   Italian   women’s club.   During   that   year,   she   researched   online   and   wrote   brief   articles   about   Italian   heritage.   In   appreciation,   and   to   help with   her   research,   three   ladies   –   three   generations   of   one   family   –   presented   her   with   a   book   that   changed   her   direction   in life,   I talians   First:   An   A   to   Z   of   Everything   Achieved   First   by   Italians   written   by Arturo   Barone.   That   book   opened   her   world to her Italian heritage. The   history   of   Italy   fascinated   Janice,   and   as   her   research   for   Con   Amore   continued,   she   realized   that   she   had   too   much information   to   include   in   her   book.   In   2004,   she   began   writing   Tutto   Italiano ,   a   monthly   e-newsletter   about   everything Italian.   After   completing   Con   Amore   in   2006,   Janice   founded   Thirty-One   Days   of   Italians ,   a   program   to   promote   Italian American    Heritage    Month.   The    website    provides    resources    for    Italian    and    Italian   Americans    who    have    significantly contributed to America. In   2006,   Janice   also      began   writing   for   La   Gazzetta   Italiana ,   an   Italian   American   newspaper   based   in   Ohio,   but   with   a worldwide   audience.   In   2011,   she   became   the   owner   and   director   of   the   Italian American   Press,    a      website   that   promotes books   primarily   written   by   authors   of   Italian   heritage   who   write   about   Italian   American   and   Italian   culture,   heritage,   and history. Last   year,   Janice   founded   the   Italian   American   Heritage   Project ,   providing   educational   resources   about   Italian American history,    heritage,    and    culture    with    a    straightforward    view.    She    recently    developed    lesson    plans    about    Christopher Columbus’s   first   voyage   and   has   preliminary   outlines   for   several   other   lesson   plans   about   Italians   and   the   Italian American experience. Janice   has   taught   business,   floral   design,    and   cooking   courses   at   a   community   college,   several   universities,   cultural centers, and other venues. She is also a certified food safety instructor and proctor.
About Janice
About the Author 
All photographs ©2004-2006 JTM ©2023 Janice Therese Mancuso
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Con Amore Read an excerpt Buy the eBook with color photographs and linked table of contents