THE PIZZA CHRONICLES SERIES TOUR
and BOOK 4 NEW RELEASE
SERIES BLURB
The books in the Pizza Chronicles series follow the main character, RV, through his high school years, as he tries to answer his many questions about life, God, prayer, sexuality, being the son of immigrants, and staying loyal to his heritage while carving out his own life and relationships.
The stories should be read in order.
Book #1: Why Can’t Life Be Like Pizza?
Book #2: Why Can’t Freshman Summer Be Like Pizza?
Book #3: Why Can’t Relationships Be Like Pizza?
Book #4: Why Can’t Sophomore Summer Be Like Pizza?
What’s My Heritage?
There is a lot of talk about heritage in THE PIZZA CHRONICLES. RV, the main character, keeps getting pressure to honor his heritage. In one of the books, he’s even told that the Dalai Lama made a speech saying if you neglect your traditions, you are neglecting part of yourself.
“What is my heritage?” RV keeps asking himself. It’s not the traditions of his immigrant parents. He understands why they still cherish them, but they’re not fully his. While he feels a certain responsibility toward the life his parents have given him and the sacrifices they’ve made, he’s trying to make his own life in the U.S. and create his own heritage. But often he has no clue what that heritage will be.
I think a lot of first-generation Americans feel this conflict. I know I did. Growing up, I was fully immersed in the Old World Lithuanian traditions of my parents: church, holidays, festivals, foods, a special Lithuanian school on Saturdays, no talking English at home. These traditions, this heritage, gave me comfort and grounded me. And they were wrapped up in the love from and for my family.
And yet there was something else very important going on, too. A need to fit into the American society I was growing up in. I was so immersed in my heritage, I didn’t learn English until my mother took me to my first kindergarten class when I was five years old. I still remember that day, and I remember her talking to the teacher. Later she told me she informed the teacher to go easy on me because I didn’t know any English. Talk about being thrown into the pool and learning how to sink or swim!
Luckily, a five-year-old’s brain picks up language pretty easily. Mine certainly did. I don’t remember any particular hardship making drawings and listening to instructions, except for one day a year later in first grade. The teacher asked us to name bugs. When my turn came, I said, “Lady,” forgetting the second part of the word. The teacher made me stand up and pointing to herself said, “You mean I’m a bug?” I still remember the embarrassment I felt as I stood there in class, upset at myself that I somehow mildly insulted her and didn’t get the word right. Luckily those moments were rare. And I certainly learned the importance of words!
As I think about it, there were many other occasions as I was growing up when I wrestled with that concept of heritage, even if I didn’t consciously know I was doing it. I just knew I wanted to fit into American society. And yet breaking away from those old traditions and finding my own path was sometimes difficult, if not impossible. When you’re a teenager, of course, those conflicts become even more intense. And that’s why I’m writing this series, I think. Reliving the various issues RV is wrestling with, I am reliving some of my own and seeing them more clearly. And that makes me better appreciate both my heritage and the life I have carved out for myself.
NEW RELEASE
BOOK 4
Book Title: Why Can’t Sophomore Summer Be Like Pizza?
Author: Andy V. Roamer
Publisher: Nine Star Press
Length: 52 000 words
Release Date: August 2, 2021
Genre: Young Adult LGBT
Tropes: Summer vacation between freshman & sophomore years of high school
Themes: Teenage steps toward maturity: ups & downs of romance, driving lessons, coming out to family
It is a standalone story, with the same characters from books 1-3.
The books have frequent references to previous titles in the series, so better if they are read in order.
Buy Links
Amazon US Author Page | Amazon UK Author Page
RV’s summer after sophomore year of high school isn’t all fun and games as he navigates a budding new relationship, struggles with driving lessons, copes with the ups and downs of his summer job in a movie theatre, and tries to be patient with his traditional family that doesn’t want to deal with his sexuality.
Blurb
It’s the summer after sophomore year and RV enjoys new adventures and faces new challenges having finished two years of high school. Since he loves movies, he’s happy to get a job as an usher at a movie multiplex, but learns the realities of dealing with job stresses and unruly customers. It’s time for him to start learning how to drive, and his father is eager to give him lessons. But he’s not the most patient of teachers and RV is not the most capable of drivers. Bobby is still around, but he’s doing the hard job of recovering from his injury so doesn’t have time for much else. RV tries to open himself up to a new relationship and is happy when he meets Matteo, who works at the multiplex also. It looks like the start of a budding romance – until it isn’t. And then there is RV’s family, loving but traditional, not ready or willing to discuss issues of sexuality. Luckily, as always, there is Mr. Aniso, RV’s freshmen-year teacher, who has become a friend and is always there to talk over anything that might be bothering RV. But he’s away for the summer, helping his partner’s family, so there’s only so much time and attention he can give RV.
CHECK OUT THE FIRST THREE BOOKS IN
THE PIZZA CHRONICLES SERIES
BOOK 1
Book Title: Why Can’t Life Be Like Pizza?
Author: Andy V. Roamer
Publisher: Nine Star Press
Cover Artist: Natasha Snow
Length: 55 100 words/ 208 pages
Release Date: March 30, 2020
Genre: YA Contemporary
Trope: Son of immigrants
Themes: Coming Out
It is a standalone story.
Buy Links
NineStar Press | Amazon US | Amazon UK
In Why Can’t Life Be Like Pizza? RV begins freshman year at demanding Boston Latin School, doing his best to keep up and fit in while wrestling with his immigrant heritage and his sexuality.
Blurb
Wrestling with his sexuality, along with a lot of other things, RV thinks all is okay when he starts going out with Carole. But things get more complicated when RV develops a crush on Bobby, a football player in his class, who admits he may have gay feelings, too. Bobby is African American and facing his own pressures. Luckily, RV develops a friendship with Mr. Aniso, his Latin teacher, who is gay and always there to talk to when the pressure becomes overwhelming.
BOOK 2
Book Title: Why Can’t Freshman Summer Be Like Pizza?
Author: Andy V. Roamer
Publisher: Nine Star Press
Cover Artist: Natasha Snow
Length: 50 200 words/196 pages
Release Date: June 1, 2020
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Trope: Summer Vacation
Themes: Obstacles to exploring sexuality and enjoying summer
This story is a continuation of Book #1 with the same characters
Buy Links
Nine Star Press | Amazon US | Amazon UK
Tagline In Why Can’t Freshman Summer Be Like Pizza? RV and Bobby have survived freshman year and are looking forward to spending a wonderful summer together. But life has other plans.
Blurb
RV and Bobby’s summer is not what they wish for. They hardly have time to spend with each other. Bobby is busy at football camp and working at a job his father has pressured him into taking. RV is busy with a summer job, too, and also has to help his parents pass their U.S. citizenship test. His friend Carole jumps at the chance to spend her summer in Paris. As always, Mr. Aniso, RV’s Latin teacher is there to talk to when RV gets too lonely. He’s also there when RV inadvertently spills one of Bobby’s secrets, and Bobby is so angry at him RV is afraid he’s ready to cut off the friendship.
BOOK 3
Book Title: Why Can’t Relationships Be Like Pizza?
Author: Andy V. Roamer
Publisher: Nine Star Press
Length: 58 000 words/ 272 pages
Release Date: March 15, 2021
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Trope: Forming relationships
Themes: Maintaining relationships through difficulties/helping friend through tragedy
This is a continuation of Book #2 of The Pizza Chronicles
Buy Links
Nine Star Press | Amazon US | Amazon UK
In Why Can’t Relationships Be Like Pizza?, Book #3, RV begins sophomore year in high school, though his relationships create more questions than answers.
Blurb
RV is trying to maintain his newfound friendship with Bobby, but it’s becoming harder and harder. Bobby seems a different, more distant, person. RV’s friend Carole is distracted with the ups and downs in her relationships with the French boyfriends she met during her summer in Paris. RV’s new friend Mark is focused on his family’s troubles. School is a mixed bag. But Mr. Aniso, RV’s former teacher and mentor, is there to lean on, especially when near tragedy strikes and RV needs Mr. Aniso’s counsel to stay strong and provide help where it’s needed most.
Andy V. Roamer grew up in the Boston area and moved to New York City after college. He worked in book publishing for many years, starting out in the children’s and YA books division and then wearing many other hats. This is his first novel about RV, the teenage son of immigrants from Lithuania in Eastern Europe, as RV tries to negotiate his demanding high school, his budding sexuality, and new relationships. He has written an adult novel, Confessions of a Gay Curmudgeon, under the pen name Andy V. Ambrose. To relax, Andy loves to ride his bike, read, watch foreign and independent movies, and travel.
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