Ask Me if Im Happy

"A wonderful debut novel by a talented writer. A lovely literary read with a strong romantic core." -- Nell Dixon, author of "Animal Instincts"

"I read the last 75 pages holding my breath. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel." -- Christopher Allen, award-winning author and editor of the literary e-zine Metazen

"This is an absolutely beautiful book, a seamless blending of romance and literary fiction." -- Cameron Chapman, author of "Hold My Hand"

Sometimes the simplest questions are the hardest ones to ask.

Emily Miller is forced to spend a day in Bologna when she'd rather be catching her flight to the US. Determined to put ten years in Italy and her marriage behind her, she wants to have nothing to do with anything - or anyone - Italian ever again.

For Davide Magnani, chivalry isn't yet dead. He accompanies Emily to Milan, if only to reassure himself of her safe arrival. The following morning, he's stunned to realize he's fallen in love with someone he's only known for twenty-four hours - and it seems that she feels the same way.

One year later, Emily and Davide reunite. As their relationship strengthens, unforeseen events reveal deeper, troubling connections all around, which drive Emily away from the first man she's ever really trusted. Can she forgive the lies she's been told, or the truths which have been hidden from her? And how can Davide prove to her, once and for all, that Italy is precisely where she needs to be?

An aspiring writer from the age of eight, Kimberly Menozzi began writing her first stories instead of paying attention in school. While her grades might have suffered, her imagination seldom did. She managed to keep most of her stories together for years, then lost them after a move when she left a trunk full of papers behind. (She meant to go back and get them, but circumstances prevented her from doing so.) So, she started over again. And lost those, too. After a trip to England in 2002, she began work on A Marginal Life (Well-Lived), inspired by the music of Jarvis Cocker and Pulp. In 2003, she met and fell in love with an Italian accountant named Alessandro. They married in 2004. She has lived in Italy ever since. After several months of working for language schools and writing blog entries for her family in the US to read, new story ideas began to develop. Finally, in 2007, she began work on a new project, inspired by her love/hate relationship with her new home. The novel Ask Me if I’m Happy was completed in 2009 and was first released on November 15th, 2010. Kimberly is presently at work on her next project, 27 Stages. In 2011 Kimberly also released a prequel to Ask Me if I’m Happy, a novella titled ＂Alternate Rialto＂.