Ken was born into an Italian-American family, so, as you might expect, his first introduction to anything Italian was food. As a youngster, food was the only tangible connection to his Italian heritage. Many years later Ken and his wife Liz made their first trip to Italy as part of a tour. Standing in the Roman Forum and seeing the magnificent sculptures and art in Florence triggered his interest in Italian history and culture. They returned to Italy many times over the next two decades visiting all regions of the country from the Alps to the southern coast of Sicily. They studied Italian culture and language in Rome and Perugia. Those travels and study led to the writing of his first novel, 'The Laureate.' In its starred review of 'The Laureate', Publishers Weekly said, "Tentarelli makes the setting accessible to neophytes in the service of a page-turning and suspenseful plot. Readers will eagerly await the sequel." Readers loved not only the sequel, but all the books in the Nico Argenti series. There are now six books in the series. The newest is "Deadly Rivalries." Subscribe to Ken's newsletter at www.KenTentarelli.com/NLsignup and download "Nico's Story," where Nico tells in his own words what life was like at a university in the Renaissance. Connect with Ken at www.KenTentarelli.com He'd love to hear from you.