About the author

Federica Lastretti

I&nbsp;am&nbsp;Federica, the&nbsp;author&nbsp;of 'Willed&nbsp;by the Divine,' a&nbsp;captivating&nbsp;journey&nbsp;through&nbsp;intricate family dynamics, love, power, and the&nbsp;struggle&nbsp;for&nbsp;independence.&nbsp;<br>​​​​​​​<br>My story&nbsp;begins&nbsp;in Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia,&nbsp;where&nbsp;I&nbsp;was&nbsp;born,&nbsp;but&nbsp;it&nbsp;was&nbsp;Asia&nbsp;that&nbsp;deeply&nbsp;shaped&nbsp;my&nbsp;worldview. For&nbsp;seven&nbsp;years, I&nbsp;embraced&nbsp;that&nbsp;fascinating&nbsp;land&nbsp;with&nbsp;fervor,&nbsp;discovering&nbsp;new&nbsp;perspectives&nbsp;on life and&nbsp;finding&nbsp;inspiration&nbsp;in readings&nbsp;that&nbsp;touched&nbsp;the&nbsp;deepest&nbsp;chords&nbsp;of&nbsp;my&nbsp;being.&nbsp;Terzani's&nbsp;words, like a lighthouse,&nbsp;illuminated&nbsp;my&nbsp;path,&nbsp;urging&nbsp;me to alter&nbsp;my&nbsp;perception&nbsp;of the world.&nbsp;<br>My&nbsp;heart&nbsp;was&nbsp;captivated&nbsp;by the&nbsp;enchanting&nbsp;magic&nbsp;of Thailand, a country&nbsp;that&nbsp;profoundly&nbsp;transformed&nbsp;my&nbsp;existence.&nbsp;During&nbsp;my&nbsp;stay, I&nbsp;explored&nbsp;healing&nbsp;practices and&nbsp;had&nbsp;the&nbsp;privilege&nbsp;of meeting&nbsp;extraordinary&nbsp;individuals,&nbsp;whose&nbsp;influences&nbsp;were&nbsp;pivotal&nbsp;to&nbsp;my&nbsp;inner&nbsp;growth.&nbsp;Since&nbsp;then, I&nbsp;have&nbsp;sought&nbsp;to share&nbsp;what&nbsp;I've&nbsp;learned,&nbsp;supporting&nbsp;others&nbsp;on&nbsp;their&nbsp;journey&nbsp;to&nbsp;well-being&nbsp;and balance.&nbsp;<br>​​​​​​​<br>In 2018,&nbsp;my&nbsp;path&nbsp;led me to the&nbsp;enchanting&nbsp;Canary&nbsp;Islands.&nbsp;This&nbsp;place, so&nbsp;different&nbsp;from&nbsp;my&nbsp;Sardinia and Thailand,&nbsp;immediately&nbsp;captured&nbsp;my&nbsp;attention&nbsp;and&nbsp;touched&nbsp;my&nbsp;heart&nbsp;deeply.&nbsp;Its&nbsp;authentic&nbsp;beauty&nbsp;further&nbsp;broadened&nbsp;my&nbsp;perspective,&nbsp;enriching&nbsp;my&nbsp;story and&nbsp;stimulating&nbsp;my&nbsp;creativity.&nbsp;<br>The&nbsp;volcanic&nbsp;energy&nbsp;certainly&nbsp;played&nbsp;a&nbsp;significant&nbsp;role&nbsp;in&nbsp;bringing&nbsp;out some of&nbsp;my&nbsp;passions&nbsp;prominently&nbsp;and&nbsp;enriched&nbsp;my&nbsp;creativity. The&nbsp;imposing&nbsp;presence&nbsp;of Mount Teide and the&nbsp;unique&nbsp;environment&nbsp;of Tenerife&nbsp;contributed&nbsp;to&nbsp;creating&nbsp;a&nbsp;stimulating&nbsp;and evocative&nbsp;context&nbsp;that&nbsp;inspired&nbsp;many&nbsp;of&nbsp;my&nbsp;reflections,&nbsp;providing&nbsp;valuable&nbsp;insights for&nbsp;my&nbsp;writing.&nbsp;<br>Writing&nbsp;is&nbsp;a&nbsp;fire&nbsp;that&nbsp;has&nbsp;accompanied&nbsp;me from a&nbsp;young&nbsp;age,&nbsp;fueled&nbsp;by an&nbsp;insatiable&nbsp;thirst&nbsp;for knowledge and a&nbsp;constant&nbsp;desire to&nbsp;discover&nbsp;meanings&nbsp;beyond&nbsp;the&nbsp;oceans.&nbsp;<br>​​​​​​​<br>From&nbsp;this&nbsp;flame,&nbsp;my&nbsp;first&nbsp;novel, "Willed&nbsp;by the Divine,"&nbsp;was&nbsp;born. Set&nbsp;precisely&nbsp;in Tenerife and the&nbsp;enchanting&nbsp;Canary&nbsp;Islands&nbsp;of the 2000s,&nbsp;this&nbsp;novel&nbsp;features&nbsp;Fayna, a&nbsp;young&nbsp;woman with a&nbsp;heart&nbsp;full of passion and&nbsp;determination.&nbsp;Despite&nbsp;the&nbsp;wealth&nbsp;and&nbsp;influence&nbsp;of&nbsp;her&nbsp;parents,&nbsp;she&nbsp;is&nbsp;trapped&nbsp;in an&nbsp;ancient&nbsp;family bond&nbsp;that&nbsp;threatens&nbsp;to&nbsp;suffocate&nbsp;her&nbsp;dreams.<br>​​​​​​​​​​The plot follows&nbsp;her&nbsp;courageous&nbsp;journey&nbsp;as&nbsp;she&nbsp;battles&nbsp;against&nbsp;oppression&nbsp;and&nbsp;manipulation,&nbsp;seeking&nbsp;to&nbsp;assert&nbsp;her&nbsp;individuality&nbsp;and the desire to love.&nbsp;<br>​​​​​​​Fayna&nbsp;represents&nbsp;the&nbsp;universal&nbsp;challenges and&nbsp;hopes&nbsp;that&nbsp;each&nbsp;of&nbsp;us&nbsp;faces&nbsp;in&nbsp;seeking&nbsp;to&nbsp;assert&nbsp;our&nbsp;individuality. In a world&nbsp;where&nbsp;love&nbsp;is&nbsp;often&nbsp;subject&nbsp;to power and&nbsp;economic&nbsp;interests,&nbsp;her&nbsp;struggle&nbsp;resonates&nbsp;as&nbsp;an anthem to&nbsp;inner&nbsp;freedom.&nbsp;Through&nbsp;engaging&nbsp;situations and&nbsp;exceptional&nbsp;characters, the&nbsp;novel&nbsp;explores&nbsp;the&nbsp;conflict&nbsp;between&nbsp;tradition&nbsp;and&nbsp;individuality,&nbsp;offering&nbsp;a&nbsp;profound&nbsp;reflection&nbsp;on human nature.&nbsp;<br>Writing "Willed&nbsp;by the Divine," I&nbsp;drew&nbsp;inspiration&nbsp;from some of&nbsp;my&nbsp;personal&nbsp;experiences&nbsp;and a passion for&nbsp;individual&nbsp;growth.&nbsp;<br>​​​​​​​<br>Writing&nbsp;is, for me, a conduit&nbsp;through&nbsp;which&nbsp;I can express&nbsp;what&nbsp;common words&nbsp;often&nbsp;fail&nbsp;to&nbsp;communicate. <br>​​​​​​​"Willed&nbsp; by the Divine"&nbsp;is&nbsp;the&nbsp;manifestation&nbsp;of&nbsp;this&nbsp;desire to&nbsp;convey&nbsp;deep&nbsp;emotions&nbsp;and share stories&nbsp;that&nbsp;resonate&nbsp;with&nbsp;universal&nbsp;human&nbsp;experiences.&nbsp;<br>​​​​​​​<br>I&nbsp;am&nbsp;grateful&nbsp;for the&nbsp;opportunity&nbsp;to share&nbsp;my&nbsp;story and passion&nbsp;through&nbsp;writing. I&nbsp;hope&nbsp;that&nbsp;my&nbsp;novel&nbsp;can touch the&nbsp;hearts&nbsp;of readers,&nbsp;inspiring&nbsp;them&nbsp;to&nbsp;embark&nbsp;on a&nbsp;journey&nbsp;towards&nbsp;their&nbsp;inner&nbsp;freedom, just&nbsp;as&nbsp;I&nbsp;have&nbsp;done.&nbsp;<br>​​​​​​​<br>With&nbsp;gratitude,<br>​​​​​​​Federica"&nbsp;<br><br>