How To Find Inner Peace - Award Winning Author Grace Mattioli Offers Insight

WILMINGTON, N.C. - July 15, 2015 - PRLog -- To achieve the state of inner peace is the capstone of the human self actualization pyramid. Inner peace is what we seek, regardless of the myriad forms that search may take. All of our other goals  - love, status, satisfaction, achievements are, at the very core, nothing more than the quest for inner peace masquerading as something else. Inner peace is of utmost importance as, without it, nothing else we achieve will mean much at all.

Achieving the state of peace on a personal level is the key to living a rewarding and fulfilled life. The number of paths to that state peace are endless - as varied as the number of souls on the planet. But how can we define inner peace? And how do we achieve it?

Award-winning author Grace Mattioli's 'Olive Branches Don’t Grow On Trees' is a wildly entertaining story about finding the path to peace. Imagine you are asked to plan a gathering for a feuding family of six that has not been gathered together in over six years. Add to this the fact that the parents of this family are newly separated and that your own life is falling apart. This is the challenge that befalls 23 year old Silvia Greco when she is drafted into helping her mother plan a party for her younger brother’s high school graduation. She takes it on, and in doing so, must negotiate with each member of her family, appealing to their individual needs and interests, in order to get them to go. Through this process, she learns that peace is not something that is easily achieved or freely existing. It is something that needs to be created, cultivated and nurtured. In other words, she learns that “olive branches don’t grow on trees.”

The father, Frank, works as a judge in a local courthouse, and spends his spare time drinking, cooking food that no one eats and maintaining the most perfectly manicured yard in town. The mother, Donna, is a college professor, and is giving single life a go after spending almost all of her adult life with Frank. Angie, the eldest child, married rich and devastated her father by moving from South Jersey to North Jersey, which as far as Frank is concerned, might as well be another planet. Silvia’s older brother, Cosmo, is brilliant and great at everything he does, but is also a classic underachiever. Her younger brother, Vince, is bursting with energy and is on his way to save the world. And then there is Silvia: Energetic, idealistic, and young, striving to bring her family together, while also struggling to settle down and find a career in which she may utilize her artistic talents. She is extremely independent as she can drive across the country and move from place to place alone. She is highly adaptable and does whatever she has to do to get by, whether that be working as a nude model for art schools or a candy store manager at a mall. Last but not least is Grandma Tucci, whom Silvia loves fiercely. She has passed away years ago, but remains with Silvia in spirit, almost as if guiding her through her adventures in the lessons of life, love, and peace.

"I really wanted to write a story about peace as I’m very passionate about this subject," Mattioli stated. "I believe that peace begins at home, so a family story was the perfect genre. I created a dysfunctional, contentious family that had not been together in several years so that the protagonist would have an especially difficult time of achieving her goal of reuniting them.”

While this book addresses such serious issues as alcoholism and offers insight on such topics as forgiveness, it is very humorous and entertaining. As one reviewer wrote:  "The author weaves a tale that is a moving and realistic portrayal of a dysfunctional family with enough drama and humorous family situations that will keep the reader engaged and entertained, while providing a witty sense of humor and subtle messages of life lessons to extend the olive branch and learn to live, love and forgive."

In her realistic fiction books, Mattioli paints pictures with words. Her works are filled with vivid descriptions and her characters are extremely dimensional and unforgettable. While her books center around serious issues such as family relations, death and addiction, they are very humorous and fun; readers will be entertained as they gain valuable insights that they can take with them long after they have finished the last page.

Grace Mattioli has won numerous awards. She was chosen as one of '50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading' in 2015. 'Olive Branches Don't Grow On Trees' was named as one of the 'Best Of 2012' by Suspense Magazine.

Grace Mattioli is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below, or by email at grace@gracemattioli.com. Her contemporary fiction books are available at Powell’s, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and iTunes. More information on all of her work is available at her website at http://www.gracemattioli.com.

About Grace Mattioli:

Grace Mattioli is the author of Olive Branches Don’t Grow On Trees (2012) and Discovery of an Eagle (2014). She has worked as a librarian for over 19 years and has been writing creatively since she was a child.