“I resisted, but she drew me back. I stayed away, but she beckoned me. I distanced myself, but she haunted me. I even rejected her but she did not abandon me...” This work of nonfiction is divided into chapters in which the reader experiences aspects of art, culture, history and the present through the eyes of the writer and of the inhabitants of Rome, past and present. She Seduced Me is that rare book in which the reader becomes part of a magical world in which places, monuments and artists come alive through their stories. In this case, however, that world is Rome and the reader becomes a participant in the ebb and flow of the city and gains insight into why so many have fallen in love with Rome despite its faults. The journey commences with the reader accompanying the author who, standing in front of Michelangelo’s Moses statue, mouth agape, almost hears the artist scream at his creation: “Speak!” From this an odyssey of wonder begins: what is the story behind the Trevi fountain, behind that rock in the middle of the Roman Forum, behind all those priests and nuns everywhere, behind everything one stumbles upon, wonders about and takes selfies in front of? The quest is to uncover those stories. Author and reader continue to explore the life in the piazzas, experience camaraderie with street performers, see history through all the senses, get lost in Rome, observe Americans and foreigners, discover unique places to eat, speak with Romans, explore the houses of Nero, Augustus and Livia, encounter Caravaggio and chats with expats. This work is a virtual tour through a magical city that educates and enthralls.

This fascinating memoir begins with the author leaving his home in California at the age of nineteen to enter a seminary on the outskirts of Rome. The seminary has a resident "saint" who is later discovered to be far more human than spiritual. The author struggled to be faithful to his commitment by suppressing his emotional needs, and thought about changing his life, but eventually ended up at the North American College, the premier American seminary at the Vatican. Sexual identity became an issue for him and many other within the seminary walls. This identity crisis reflected a greater conflict between the spiritual and the human: could he be a truly spiritual person while he was at war with himself? Mark Tedesco entered the seminary in 1978, was ordained in 1988 and served in the priesthood until 1994. But he slowly began to realize that in order to be a complete person, he would have to leave the priesthood and find his own way. He finally understood what it meant to embrace all of his past, all of his experiences, both good and bad. He came to accept that the flesh and the spirit do not have to be at war. This is the engrossing story of the one man's struggle with himself and the church, resulting in a redemptive happiness and peace. It deals with such questions as the search for meaning, spirituality versus humanity, faith in God and being gay.

“I am John, I am Paul” is a work of historical fiction by Mark Tedesco. The book transports the reader to 4th century Rome and follows the real lives of soldiers John and Paul, who lived in the eras of emperors Constantine and Julian. Well-grounded in research, the story is written in the first person, told first through the eyes of John and then through his sister Fulvia. The bond between the two men grows through their challenges and convictions, leading to an unexpected culmination. Tedesco’s writing is visual, enabling the reader to experience life in Ancient Rome, Alexandria, and Germania.

“The Dog on the Acropolis” is a work of historical fiction that revolves around a dog, Daria, who lived near the Acropolis in the second half of the 5th century BC, and another dog, Drago, who lives in present-day Athens. The well-researched novel draws the reader into contemporary Athens and into the lives of a family who runs a shop in the Plaka, at the base of the Acropolis. When Draco bounds down the hill and into their shop one day, a series of events and relationships become transformative. Every evening Draco climbs the Acropolis and falls asleep on the steps of the Parthenon; the reader is transported back, through Draco’s dreams, to the time that the Parthenon was being built. The reader then experiences life in the ancient world through Draco’s ancestor, a female dog named Daria. The parallel stories progress through the book and, towards the end, eventually merge in a clever and almost mystical way.

"Two Californians colliding with the culture of the extreme south of Italy can be amusing and intriguing. We came to understand that the stories surrounding each town, building, field, and person animate the stones as much as the people in Puglia. An olive tree is not only a plant, a cathedral is not just a building, and an expat is not just a foreigner." Stories from Puglia: Two Californians in Southern Italy captures some of the spirit of a region that is becoming more known as its history, beauty, and culture casts its spell on visitors and locals. This work of nonfiction is divided into chapters in which the reader experiences stories of culture and history both through the eyes of the writer and the inhabitants of Puglia. The adventure commences with a drive south, from Rome and continuing through the olive groves of Puglia. "Olives everywhere," the Californians complain until a local Pugliese, Bruno, begins to unveil the stories that give meaning to the groves. From biblical anointings to Greek immigration 3,000 years ago, the story of the olive tree in Puglia is the first step into a land that begins to reveal its secrets. The reader is a fellow traveler and adventure seeker as the Californians explore St. Nicholas in Bari, the mysterious symbols in Alberobello, what expats seek and find, a revolutionary in Otranto, dancing in Nardo' and sex, the cathedral, and the homeless man in Trani. The reader is along for the ride through a magical region that breaks one's stereotypes, enchants one's senses, and captures one's heart.