Secrets of a Handbag, on #LisaBurtonRadio

Don’t touch that dial! You’ve landed on Lisa Burton Radio, the only show that brings you interviews with the characters you love. I’m your host, Lisa the robot girl, and my special guest today is Elisa’s handbag. Wait. Is that right? Are you on the line?

“Yes, here I am. Thank you for hosting me on your show. It’s not every day that an object has the chance to speak her mind.”

“Welcome to the show. Are you, in fact, a handbag?”

“As strange as it may seem, I am a handbag. Elisa’s handbag. I’ve been with her for many years now since her grandmother gave me to her for her birthday. I think very highly of my owner. She treats me very well, and in exchange I strive to protect her belongings. At least, she used to treat me very well, until she forgot me on the bus.”

“I’m so sorry. Are you alright?”

“Yes, thank you. Now, I’m fine. But it’s been an awful adventure for me, tossed around on the bus by one of those careless drivers. I thought all was lost for me. I already saw myself forgotten on a shelf of some lost-and-found forever. Or in some criminal’s den emptied of my content.”

“That’s terrible. A woman has to be pretty distracted to lose a handbag.”

“Oh, Elisa can be a very organized sort of person when she puts her mind at it. When it comes to her job at Palmieri’s Bookstore, for instance, she is very efficient. She makes list of tasks and is perfectly able of performing several tasks at once. In the rest of her life however…

“Well, her studies are a muddled mess of abandoned lecture notes. I’m not sure she will ever go back to University and get her degree, and that’s a pity. She was such a promising student when I met her.

“But what worries me the most is her private life. Her relationship with her boyfriend is taking a turn I don’t like. Especially since the day she left me on the bus.”

“But, you got rescued, not robbed, so that’s a good thing.”

“That’s definitely a good thing. Now I’m in a safe place and, even if I was scared at first, the guy who found me seems a really good guy. His name his Diego and, from what I gathered, he does some kind of job at the Chemistry Department. At first, I was scared. You know the stories they told about mad scientists and all that. But he didn’t do anything untoward. For now.

“I still have to spend some time with him, because it seems Elisa didn’t write her number anywhere. I hope he finds the time to bring me back to her home, but between his experiments, his supervisor’s demands and his ex-girlfriend I don’t know when it will be.”

“They both sound kind of distracted to me.”

“They both have many things on their minds, that’s for sure. But from what I saw, Diego is different from Elisa. He is so rational and calm, always trying to find the best solution for every situation. Elisa instead is more a… go-with-your-gut sort of girl and this puts her in awkward situations. In a way, I think they could complement each other quite well, If you get my meaning.”

“Oh! You little matchmaker you. That’s so cute. What do you have planned?”

“In truth, I can do very little but watch. And that’s a pity because if I could do something more they’ll get a piece of my mind. Anyway, I fear they’ll have to get by by themselves. And it’s not going to be easy. There are a few people who won’t look kindly upon their friendship.”

“Who could object to such a good guy?”

“Well, Elisa’s boyfriend, for one thing. Marco wants to keep Elisa all for himself and doesn’t take interferences well. And Elisa’s friends from University. They’d probably think Diego is not at their level.”

“So, you have team Elisa, with a possible angry boyfriend. If they’re really on her side, wouldn’t they eventually figure out that Diego is good for her?”

“Hope so…even if I’m not sure which side they are on. Then there’s Diego’s ex. I haven’t met her, but she seems pretty determined to have Diego back.”

“Adults seem to have baggage, no offense intended. You might not be able to do much about her.”

“Honestly, now my main concern is getting back to Elisa. I can’t wait to be with her again. I don’t know how she is coping without me. I contain most of her life, and she absolutely needs me. I’m not sure you can understand. Do you know what it means to be the constant companion of someone’s life and then be torn away from her? Probably Elisa needs me more than she knows.”

“We all wish you the best of luck, both in getting home, and helping Elisa find the right focus in her life.

“You can read all about Elisa, her handbag, and Diego in the book “Secrets of a Handbag,” by Irene Aprile. I’ll share all the details on the blog later.

“Don’t forget to use those sharing buttons today. I’m sure Irene and the handbag would do it for you when you’re character appears on the next Lisa Burton Radio.”

***

Blurb

What if your handbag could talk?

What kind of secrets would she reveal?

What shameful truths would surface from its recesses?

What if a stranger found it; how would they look at it?

And if the handbag is very opinionated, things may become even more complicated.

When Elisa—student and bookseller—leaves her handbag on the bus, her life takes a dramatic turn. The handbag holds every aspect of her life, and without it, she can barely manage even the simplest of tasks.

Diego, a pragmatic, no-nonsense chemist who dislikes complications, finds Elisa’s handbag. He couldn’t be more different from Elisa and can’t wait to return the handbag to its owner so he can go back to his life.

When Elisa and Diego meet, however, things don’t go as planned. And while Diego tries to keep his distance, everyone (the handbag included) seems determined to put Elisa on his path again and again.

The only ones who don’t seem to agree are Lorena—Diego’s ex-girlfriend—and Marco—aspiring journalist and Elisa’s boyfriend…

Buy links: https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Handbag-Amazing-Objects-Book-ebook/dp/B07XFQM3CV/

Author Bio

Irene Aprile is a chemist at day and a writer at night (or early in the morning). She is 31, but her brain refuses to accept she is more than 25.

She has been writing since she was a child, but she started to get real with it recently. When she doesn’t work and doesn’t write, she reads novels, translates novels, thinks about novels. She loves spending time with her family and binge-watching TV series with her husband; she likes to travel (but nothing too adventurous), she adores Christmas and chocolate in every form.

Info

Website: https://www.ireneaprile.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/IreneAprile

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ireneaprilewriter/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14678164.Irene_Aprile

Newsletter Sign-up: http://eepurl.com/QiPGz

Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B075R3XJMJ

Buy links: https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Handbag-Amazing-Objects-Book-ebook/dp/B07XFQM3CV/