We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rossana Fazzone a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Rossana, appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

The idea for the book was born from the desire to honor my father’s migratory history and give meaning to my own journey as a migrant. Writing was my way of healing, remembering, and supporting others who have also had to start over far from home. This work arose from the desire to have a life with purpose and dedicate myself to it in this phase of my retirement after retiring as a teacher.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am Rossana Fazzone, a migrant woman, mother, and author. I come from a family of Italian roots who grew up in Venezuela. Today, I live in Texas, United States, where I’ve had to reinvent myself for a long time. My current job is professional cleaning, both residential and commercial. I am the owner of Fazzoclean, a cleaning company that opened in 2022. But besides being passionate about order and cleanliness, my true passion is writing, telling stories that heal and connect, like the one I tell in my first book, My Inheritance: Being a Migrant, Memories That Cross the Sea. It is a book published in three editions: Spanish, English, and Italian.

I am proud of not having given up on my dreams, even in the midst of uncertainty. What sets me apart is that I write from lived experience, from the emotional truth of someone who has had to rebuild far from their homeland, with dignity and faith.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I arrived in this country with my daughter, I had nothing clear, except that I was coming on vacation after completing my 22-year career as a teacher. I didn’t speak the language, had no steady job, or a support network. I remember one particular night sitting on the floor of an empty apartment I rented six months after arriving, surrounded only by suitcases and a mattress. My daughter was sleeping, and I cried silently, wondering if I had done the right thing by leaving everything behind.

The next day, I got up early and went out to hand out flyers offering my cleaning services. I didn’t know if anyone would respond, but that decision marked the beginning of a new phase. Step by step, client by client, I built my livelihood, accompanied by a little delivery, which allowed me to reach more people. It wasn’t easy, but every door that opened was a response to my effort and my faith. That story reminds me that resilience isn’t always great; sometimes it’s just getting back up, even when your heart is broken and your fear is greater.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Yes, my creative journey has a very clear mission: to give voice to the migrant experience from the heart, to make visible what it feels like to leave a homeland and start over, and to honor the memory of those who came before us. I write to heal, to connect, and to remind us that our stories deserve to be told with dignity and truth.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGsVUV-fYI/4OAFanQMpex9nAyylR44hQ/edit?utm_content=DAGsVUV-fYI&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton
• Instagram: @rossanafazzoneautora
• Other: tik tok @rossanafazzoneautora

Image Credits

These images were taken by myself