NICKY PELLEGRINO ‘MY READERS OFTEN SAVE ME!’

The popular author’s latest novel P.S. Come To Italy is out now

Where did the inspiration for your new book come from?

The first spark of inspiration came from an email a stranger sent me during the lockdowns. She and her partner were stranded in different countries and were spending time reading one of my novels together over Zoom. I was interested in the way we can make deep and meaningful connections online nowadays.

Writing can be an isolating job. How do you stay motivated?

When it’s going well, storytelling can be magical. Obviously, it doesn’t always go well, but then readers often save me. I’ll just be at the point where I’m thinking it’s all too hard and I’m not clever enough, so I’ll give up, when I’ll get an email from someone who says one of my novels has helped them through a tough and stressful time, and that motivates me to push through whatever the problem was.

Why did you decide to feature dementia in the story?

I heard a radio item where people who had partners with dementia were talking about how difficult it was. They had effectively lost their companion in life and were very lonely, but that person was still physically there so they couldn’t move on.

I know several people who have suffered from it, including my mother-inlaw. Although our family is fortunate because while she does experience confusion, at the age of 92, she has managed to hang on to a lot of herself – her sense of humour, naughtiness, stylishness and her ability to have fun.

What are the three places you think should be on everyone’s Italian bucket list?

Definitely Puglia – this is where P.S. Come To Italy is set. It’s a sun-scorched region with white hilltop towns and sweet little houses with conical roofs called trulli. Just over the border is the town of Matera, which is extraordinary. Until the 1950s, people here still lived in cave dwellings – known as sassi – but they are now upmarket hotels and restaurants, and it’s very cool. I also love Venice. It’s an extraordinary place, even if it is packed with tourists. But you can’t miss Rome or Florence... and Siena or Naples!