Author name: Kathryn Occhipinti, M.D.
Genre: Adult Italian Language (for travel)
Books: Conversational Italian for Travelers series: Textbook and…pocket book “Just the Important Phrases (with Restaurant Vocabulary and Idiomatic Expressions)…reference books, “Just the Verbs” and “Just the Grammar”
Bio: Dr. Kathryn Occhipinti is a radiologist of Italian-American descent who has been leading Italian language groups in the Peoria and Chicago areas for about 10 years.
Using her experiences as a teacher and frequent traveler to Italy, she wrote the Conversational Italian for Travelers series of books, designed to make learning a second language easy and enjoyable for the adult audience. These books have a unique approach, as they tell a story; we follow the character Caterina on her travels through Italy, while at the same time learning the fundamentals of the Italian language.
Favorite thing about being a writer: Writing has opened up a whole new world for me, as I’ve been able to meet many people who love the same things that I do (outside of medicine) – my Italian heritage, the Italian culture, travel, and of course language.
Biggest challenge as an indie author: Getting my message out that people will really find these books enjoyable as well as helpful: my books are friendly and combine travel tips and humorous anecdotes that truly make learning the Italian language come alive! My Conversational Italian for Travelers “textbook” is truly different from other Italian language books because the focus is on Conversational Italian – all the Italian you really need to know to feel comfortable in Italy. This textbook includes my unique travel and culture insights gained from real-life experiences visiting Italy. Also, I developed my materials while teaching, so they are very practical and include material not found in other books.
(Most importantly) Favorite book: Italian mystery novels by Andrea Camilleri, mystery writer: “Il campo del Vasaio” The Potter’s Field is one of his best. These books were made into the “Detective Montalbano” series by the BBC, which I watch almost every day. The writer lived in and the series was filmed in the Occhipinti home town of Ragusa and surrounding area. Amazing insights into human nature and the culture of Sicily through a lead detective who bridges the worlds of common people and those in power – in politics, the media and mafia in order to solve very “true to life” cases.
Contact Information: The website associated with the books is: learntravelitalian.com: FREE interactive dialogues recorded by native Italian speakers, cultural notes, and Italian recipes to make learning the language really come alive.
Kathryn Occhipinti Amazon Author Page
WordPress Blog: Conversational Italian!
Blog: Learn Italian!: blog.learntravelitalian.com
Facebook: Stella Lucente Italian
Twitter: @travelitalian1
Pinterest: Stella Lucente Italian
YouTube: Stella Lucente Italian
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Book Club Mom 
Thank you so much for the post!
What a great sounding book and perfect for travellers! Having tried linguafone Italian a few years ago and giving up as that was so dry this is something that captures my attention. Best of luck with the book and congratulations!!😀
Thank you, Annika! I really tried to make this book easy and interesting to read. It really is a different approach.