BooksChatter: ℚ♫ Errors of Evaluation

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Paola Pica to talk about Errors of Evaluation (26 July 2016, Clink Street Publishing, 104 pages), a Literary Women's Fiction.

Her husband, her cousin and her shrink; three people profoundly affected by the spoiled and enigmatic Francesca reveal their stories in this enthralling new book about life, love and the Italian upper class.

“A thing of beauty is joy forever.”
- John Keats

If you prefer strong and weak minds to an adventurous plot, this is your book.

Author Q&A | Synopsis | Teaser | About the Author | Tour Stops

A very warm welcome to my fellow Italian, Paola Pica; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

Here at BooksChatter we love music; do you have a music playlist that you used in Errors of Evaluation, or which inspired you whilst you were writing it?

"I don’t have any special songs I like to listen to while I am writing. But your request reminded me that at the time I was writing ERRORS OF EVALUATION and hadn’t decided about the name I would give the main female character, Francesca, I used to listen to “Non è Francesca” (It isn’t Fr.), by our great and beloved Lucio Battisti.

You also reminded me that my choice about the name was due to the fact that I made an association of ideas between the fact that “it isn’t Francesca” and the fact that my Francesca, who is the main character in the book, hasn’t been assigned a chapter by me and only exists in other people’s minds. It’s a kind of “non-existence”, isn’t it? I hope you can understand what I mean…and try to say in a language which is not my mother tongue."

Absolutely! - and it has nothing to do with us both sharing Italian as our first language ;-)

What was the inspiration for Errors of Evaluation?

"It was my taking part in a therapy group with a psychiatrist I had met some days before at some friends’. In fact, he is the only character in ERRORS OF EVALUATION which “comes” straight from real life. All the others were created by me, to give HIM the opportunity for interacting with them and showing the great malignity of his nature."

Ouch!
How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"I think that all Authors in any of their works convey great part of their personalities. As for ERROR, Elena is the traveler and foreign countries’ lover that I’ve always been."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for Errors of Evaluation - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"Let me say that you got my point, the importance of the cover in a book.

I chose that photo, which I bought in London long ago and didn’t have any author’s name on it, because it is one of my favourite in my collection. Even if it has recently been defined as “decadent” by someone who was interviewing me about my book, I want to say that I find it very artistic in its colors and light and sensual without being pornographic. That was the reason for my choice, Francesca is attractive and classy at the same time."

I think that image reflects precisely what you have described of Francesca.

Why should we read Errors of Evaluation and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your book unique?

"Read it and any of the others I wrote only if you are interested in feelings and in introspection, even if there is also some action, of course. In fact, my main interest is in analyzing the way in which feelings always result in actions, even when no intention seems to have started the whole process.

I wouldn’t say that there is something which makes me special, otherwise I wouldn’t have anything to read, written by the Authors I love, who deal with the same things."

Can you tell us something quirky about Errors of Evaluation, its story and characters?

"The oddest circumstance I can think of is that, thanks to my decision of writing ERRORS, I found myself more and more involved in making enquiries about the doctors I’ve been involved with because of my health.

I used to trust all of them before and to take their reliability for granted.

My “shrink” made me a wiser person."

Ah... I think I can empathise with where you are coming from on this one...

Who would you recommend Errors of Evaluation to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"Once again, don’t read my book if you are an action-book seeker. It doesn’t mean that you are not going to find a plot; but the inner part of human beings is what most matters to me."

If you could / wished to turn Errors of Evaluation into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"My mythical actress for my Francesca would be Grace Kelly, an apparently detached and ice-cold woman but a very sensual one, too.

As for the rest of the team, Jeremy Irons could be perfect for the husband role, especially when he wakes up in hospital, after attempting to commit suicide; and, of course, Hopkins would make the perfect shrink (not a very original idea, actually).

As for the locations, Rome outskirts, with its horse riding centers and fabulous villas would be perfect too."

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"Even if I must sound monotonous and boring, I want to repeat that I love writing and reading about what people think and feel, but I have set my six books in different surroundings and have written about different situations.

One of them, “The Bird of Prey” [L'Uccello Rapace], tells a story which goes on against a World Championship background and is partly set in the hotel where the Italian “Azzurri Team” is staying. When the book came out, I remember receiving calls from my readers who corrected me about the times of matches, because they didn’t know that I had completely invented the whole story. Apparently, it was a realistic one. I have a synopsis from that book ready, in the case I should find a film producer/director interested in it."

What is your writing process?

"First of all I comfortably seat in front of my PC, with the blank page ready open, and start writing down what I have in my mind.

After few minutes I have a look at my notes or listen to my dictaphone, by which I have recorded my observations or ideas I got wherever I happened to be.

There are notebooks scattered all over my place, one in my car and several in my handbags, together with the dictaphone mentioned above."

What is in store next?

"I can only say that I have the translations of the other five books in store and that one of them is almost ready. This last one is about the “normal” life of someone, a wealthy professional in Rome, who has a fixed idea about himself not being “normal” at all…and all this arises from the actual attitude to some conditions which still are taboos in Italy.

I’m also writing a book which deals with my work environment, the international diplomatic world."

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"I used to live with dogs but at the moment I only have a stray cat, Mao-Mao, which has been abandoned by someone from my neighbourhood and keeps coming into my garden and spending her time here, where I have put a little house for her and have tried to give her a sense of belonging. She seems to appreciate all this but is scared to death by my camera or mobile phone."

Aww, poor little one - people are so horrible - hopefully she will learn to trust you...

Paola, it was a pleasure having you with us; we wish you all the best with your latest release and hope to see you back with us soon.