News

Back when we were emerging from the pandemic lockdown, my friend Brenda Horrigan and I started the Washashores Writers Collective on Martha’s Vineyard. It’s blossomed into a divers sisterhood of like-minded writers who support each other in countless ways. Read more about our journey here.

For people interested in a “behind-the-scenes” look at The Italian Prisoner and the writing process, here’s a great interview with The Indie View.

I’m so grateful for support from fellow writers. Here’s a great podcast from New Orleans author Vincent “Chip” Lococo, who happens to be Sicilian American. Check out his wonderful books too! More info on his blog.

Here’s an interview posted on the blog The Wickeds, courtesy of my friend Barbara Ross, who’s a fabulous mystery writer.





Podcast Art with the words Louisiana eats! On a cream background.
Islanders Write logo with an illustration of a woman and a man looking at a laptop screen.

What a thrill it was to be included on a Historical Fiction panel with Pulitzer Prize-winner Geraldine Brooks and accomplished authors Nicole Galland, Katherine Sherbrooke, and moderator Misan Sagay at the prestigious Islanders Write conference on Martha’s Vineyard August 1, 2022. Read more about this fabulous event here.



Ron Capps with a black shirt on and author Elisa Speranza with a blue shirt on sitting down with microphones titled towards them.

A great article in the New Orleans paper, thanks to New Orleans Writers Workshop’s Allison Alsup.

Click here to listen to Poppy Tooker’s interview about the fascinating backstory to The Italian Prisoner.


Very nice review from the Vineyard Gazette in advance of my book signing June 26, 2022. “The Italian Prisoner does a smoothly confident job drawing readers into the world of wartime New Orleans. The dynamics of foreign prisoners of war spending years quartered in American cities and towns will be unfamiliar to many readers, and those dynamics are well-drawn in these pages. The novel belongs entirely to Rose, but nevertheless, the large cast of secondary characters are well fleshed-out and often represent different life-paths or choices than the ones Rose herself makes.”


I’m a big supporter of local journalism. As a former columnist for the Dorchester Reporter, it made my heart happy to be featured there. Michaela Brant’s feature is on page 15, here.


Click here to listen to Susan Larson’s interview on The Reading Life podcast.


Great questions from Ron Capps, and a lively audience at The Peace Gallery in Damariscotta, Maine. May 29, 2022.


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La Gazzetta Italiana, the paper of record for Northeast Ohio’s Italian American community, published a nice article.

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A great write-up from Abby Remer in the Times! (OK, so it’s the Martha’s Vineyard Times, but still…).

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Read all about The Italian Prisoner’s fascinating backstory in the Spring 2022 issue of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities’ 64 Parishes magazine here.

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The newspaper where I interned in college did a very nice article on me and the novel.

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The Italian Prisoner made a list of books to read “in trying times.” Pretty cool sharing a shelf with the likes of Louise Erdrich and Richard Powers!

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“All’s Fair in Love and War” NOLA.com coverage, April 19, 2019

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