For the Love of Spumoni authors, Mary Lou Piland and Jenna Barrett Bernstein have crafted a multi-layered confection that rivals the sweetness of that Italian treat. Based on a true story, this comedic and heartwarming tale proves the search for love is the longest journey of all. Mary Lou is full of hopes, dreams and the innocence of young love. In walks Anthony. He's funny, gorgeous and whip-smart, but doesn't even know she's alive. But Mary Lou is no shrinking violet. She's bold, sassy and determined to get her way. She has her eye on the prize, and that prize is Anthony. Caught between love and a family that will stop at nothing to protect its own, she's bound to disappoint one while pleasing the other. When a long-lost truth arises in a journal from her family's past, it shines a new light on her predicament. The past follows one path, while the present offers another. Both are marked by conflict, but two things are for sure: the heart knows no color and everything is at stake when love and prejudice go to war. When Mary Lou Piland stepped onto the Moth stage in Boston to share a simple story from her past, she had no way of knowing she was about to become an overnight, viral sensation. She stood before the crowd and spoke of a fiercely protective Italian family, her Nonna Maria and a young woman with an iron will and a forbidden love that would not be controlled or contained. The response was nothing short of cataclysmic. Mary Lou's message of acceptance, forgiveness and freedom would connect her with 12 million fans from Bali to Bulgaria and Kentucky to Kenya. She was left sorting through thousands of messages, emails and speaking invitations. This is only the beginning. For the Love of Spumoni is Mary Lou's debut novel, inspired by real events and brought to life with humor, candor, and a good dose of Italian drama.