A Strange Collision: A Guest Post by Sarah Penner
Former Monthly Pick author Sarah Penner (The Lost Apothecary) returns with a nautical novel of buried treasure, romance and the occult. Read on for an exclusive essay from Sarah on writing The Amalfi Curse.
Hardcover
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The Amalfi Curse (B&N Exclusive Edition)
The Amalfi Curse (B&N Exclusive Edition)
By Sarah Penner
In Stock Online
Hardcover
$27.00
$30.00
A nautical archaeologist searching for sunken treasure unearths a centuries-old curse, powerful witchcraft and perilous love on the high seas in this spellbinding new novel from the author of The Lost Apothecary
A nautical archaeologist searching for sunken treasure unearths a centuries-old curse, powerful witchcraft and perilous love on the high seas in this spellbinding new novel from the author of The Lost Apothecary
In the summer of 2022, my husband and I visited the Amalfi coast. Admittedly, I didn’t have an idea for my third novel, so I was hoping our trip would inspire something—and indeed it did! We spent several days in Positano, the gem of the Amalfi coast, and I was particularly struck by an abandoned hilltop villa on the west side of the village.
For those of you who have been to Positano, you’ve likely seen the villa or even captured it in your photographs. Given its hilltop position, it must have extraordinary views of the Tyrrhenian Sea and Le Sirenuse—the three Li Galli islets which play a pivotal role in the story. I distinctly remember telling my husband, “That villa will feature in my next book…” A few days later, I suggested we try to hike our way to it so I could have a better look. Alas, the road leading to the villa was gated off and, not wanting to be arrested for trespassing, I begrudgingly let it go. Still, my initial statement held: in The Amalfi Curse, the villa is where both the historical and present-day witches—or streghe—reside.
Soon after my initial trip to Positano in 2022, I decided that the streghe in my story would have power over one thing: the sea. As a scuba diver and a resident of Florida, I’ve always wanted to write a story that takes place by the ocean. Given the murky history around stregheria, I had ample creative liberty regarding the worldbuilding aspect of The Amalfi Curse. The seven incantations are entirely my invention, as are the sea-spell tools, or attrezzo, used by the women—my playful attempt at imagining what the sea-witches of Positano might have found symbolic or useful in their witchcraft.
My husband and I returned to the Amalfi coast in 2023 so I could wrap up a few research items in Naples. I also hired a private boat driver to take us to the Li Galli islets, which have a colorful history of ship sinkings, due to turbulent cross-currents in the area and storms running vessels aground.
It was sunny and clear on the day we took our boat tour. I photographed the islets extensively, imagining the many scenes in the book. As an author, this made for a strange collision of the imaginary and the real: in my mind’s eye, I could “overlay” the fictional story I’d created with the very real islets I now gazed upon.
Even stranger was looking back toward land, and spotting the villa—yes, that villa—in clear view. I remembered my failed attempt at hiking to the villa and how badly I’d wanted to see it up close. In truth, I’m glad I never got the chance: there’s something terribly alluring about the villa’s mystery. Even now, I don’t know its history, its prior residents, its walled-up secrets. My imagination had to fill in the gaps, and I hope you enjoy the story I pulled together along the way.
