Author Visit - Marissa McFarland

Come spend an evening in conversation with Dover, PA native Marissa McFarland as she shares about her novel, When Goodbyes Begin—a heartfelt, multigenerational story about identity, sacrifice, and coming home. Look for our copy here!

For years, Anna Capozzi followed the rules. She put family and career before love and dreams and never missed a Sunday dinner with her demanding Italian parents and her brother, Frank. When she shocks herself by walking off the job and away from her nursing career, Anna's life falls apart...which sets the real Anna free to come together, as she starts her own business and meets the man of her dreams. But before she can celebrate her new life, her father's growing forgetfulness leads to a devastating diagnosis. Once again, Anna's dreams are put on hold to put the family first, while Frank faces a turning point in a serious relationship complicated by a hidden past. When a long-buried family secret comes to light, Anna and Frank begin to question everything they thought they knew about their parents, their roots, and themselves. Bound by love, burdened by secrets, and shaped by tradition, Anna must find the strength to let go of the life she thought she wanted and embrace the one she's meant to live.

Marissa McFarland (neé Campanella) is the author of When Goodbyes Begin, her debut novel. Her short story, "New in Town," was featured in the online magazine, Pawners Papers. Born and raised in Eastern Pennsylvania in an Italian American household, she now resides in Clemson, South Carolina with her husband and two boys.