“An empathetic, immersive journey… Amman’s humor and sensitivity enliven the universal experiences of adolescence, giving them fresh sparkle.” — Kirkus Reviews

DIGITAL PRESS KIT: Gaia B. Amman

Featuring: Forget Nico (The Italian Saga, Vol. 1)

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Forget Nico Series: The Italian Saga, Volume 3 (can be read as a standalone)

Release Date: July 7, 2026

Genre: Literary Fiction / LGBTQ+ Historical / Own Voices

Logline: Nonbinary I’ll Give You the Sun meets The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.

Lee doesn’t know it yet, but they’re nonbinary. Their male soul would feel perfectly at home in their body if not for the crushing expectations of 1990s Italy, where strict gender roles rule supreme.

Puberty has abruptly ended the days of tree climbing, gaming, and carefree fun. Suddenly, friends only see Lee as dating material—when they bother to see them at all. But Lee craves deep emotional connection far more than shallow kissing games, throwing themselves into competitive volleyball with the impossible dream of making it to nationals.

The only person who understands even a sliver of Lee's inner darkness is Nico, their childhood frenemy. Ever since moving north from Sicily, Nico’s favorite pastime has been tormenting Lee. But Lee is no victim. Over years of fierce sparring, their antagonism twisted into an unlikely friendship—the one stable anchor in two otherwise turbulent lives.

Now, Nico doesn’t know what to make of post-puberty Lee. Popular, brooding, and fiercely protective, he struggles to reconcile old loyalties with confusing new feelings. As Lee’s growing alienation turns to anger, the two hurt each other time and again, yet find themselves utterly unable to stay apart. Then Alex enters the picture. Handsome, determined, and intent on winning Lee’s heart, his arrival threatens to shatter the fragile bond Lee and Nico have spent a lifetime building...

Witty, heartfelt, and beautifully raw, Forget Nico is a gripping coming-of-age novel exploring identity, friendship, and the messy path to self-discovery.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Short Bio: Gaia B. Amman, Ph.D., is an author and scientist whose work explores the pursuit of happiness, resilience, and nonbinary identity. A global traveler born in Italy, Gaia’s debut saga is a fictionalized "Own Voices" account of growing up beyond the binary in the gendered world of 1980s Italy.

Long Bio: Gaia B. Amman (they/them) was born and raised in Italy. They moved to the United States in their twenties to pursue their PhD in molecular oncology. Now a full-time author, they have been a cancer researcher, a tenured professor of Biology, the chair of the science department at D’Youville University, and a senior editor at McGraw-Hill. Their research and commentaries have been published in prestigious, international journals, including Nature. 

A bookworm from birth, they wrote throughout childhood and won two short story competitions in Italy in their teens. Fluent in four languages, Gaia is an avid traveler, and many of their adventures inspire their fiction. Mostly, they are passionate about people and the struggles they face to embrace life. They authored several sci-fi romances, romantasy novels, and young adult books, all of which were well-received by critics and readers alike. The books, while ostensibly light-hearted, funny, and at times spicy, ultimately strive to empower readers to be their best selves.

Among Amman's favorite authors are Jandy Nelson, Frances Hardinge, AnneMarie McLemore, Chuck Palahniuk, Kurt Vonnegut, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, and many others.

SAMPLE INTERVIEW TOPICS

 • The Power of Own Voices: Why a nonbinary story set in the specific cultural landscape of 1980s Italy is vital right now.

 • The 8-Volume Journey: The discipline and vision required to write an entire saga before publishing Volume 1.

 • Scientific Precision in Fiction: How a background in science informs the structure and character development of the series.

 • Resilience and "Found Family": How Lee and Nico’s friendship serves as a roadmap for survival in a rigid society (and breaking tropes).

 • The Search for Happiness: Moving beyond "trauma tropes" to find joy in queer historical narratives.

BOOK QUOTES

“Yet, I existed in a liminal space, where my male soul and female body coexisted, far from Mom’s ideal princess and the boy Dad had hoped for. "

“Shame warmed my face. Fitting in and being liked would hopefully be worth the humiliation of dressing up as a girl. “

“Invisible, for real. If I wasn’t the version of me people wanted and could make sense of, then I didn’t exist to them.”

“I didn’t know what was wrong with me, but something was definitely not right as everyone around me constantly reminded me, and I had no idea how to fix it.”

“No matter how hard I tried, I pushed everyone I cared about away, unable to bridge the gap between who I was and who they wanted me to be.”

“When my soul died, it did so in silence. The hum that had always been there suddenly stopped, revealing the loss by a newfound, deafening silence.”

“Yet, I’d seen the sadness underneath. ‘Okay, but are you happy?’ Maybe my blunt question came out a bit too earnest because he balked, but I really cared about the answer. Was it worth acting out the cliché, becoming a trope, so that others would know what to make of you and finally like you?”

“As always, nature soothed and centered me. My pothead friends, Nico, and my lonely heart did not matter anymore. In Cinque Terre, I belonged, my longing fused with that of the waves, breaking ashore to come back whole again, stronger and mesmerizing in the resilient beauty of their stubborn failure.

Butterflies worried about the clover, and clotheslines crossed meadows sheltered between rocks and terraces. Tiny colored homes perched on the hillside like seagulls’ nests.”

“At least, writing my thoughts out helped me gain some clarity and find closure. In my constant friendlessness, the written word had yet to fail me, ink working like a transient exorcism against my unwanted emotions.”

“The price of being a good listener is often that friends’ gushing words leave no room for reciprocation.”

“Ironically, the cheer squad had shown up because we’d been winning, confirming that getting yourself out of the pits is up to you alone. People only show up to celebrate when the job is done, really. At this point, I’d learned to expect no help from anyone, which didn’t mean I’d stopped hoping, though. “

“Love sucked.

Liking me made Alex pathetic in my eyes. Why would he?

It never dawned on me that until I learned to love myself, I would never be able to accept anybody else’s affection. Everything in time…”

ADVANCE PRAISE

 • “An empathetic, immersive journey… Amman’s humor and sensitivity enliven the universal experiences of adolescence, giving them fresh sparkle.” — Kirkus Reviews

 • “The unforgettable first love…This book gives you all sorts of feelings!” The Book Club

 • “Unexpected twists will make you reluctant to put it down…” Nancy DiStasio, Librarian

ASSETS & MEDIA DOWNLOADS

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hw3I1HK-ebdgeoc6iF6XV5ekwXQCj1JW?usp=sharing

Inside this folder, you will find:

 • Book Covers: High-resolution 2D and 3D mockups.

 • Author Photos: Professional headshots and "on-the-road" lifestyle images.

 • Excerpts: A downloadable PDF of the first chapter for review purposes.

CONNECT WITH GAIA

Website & Socials: https://linktr.ee/gaiabamman Email: gaia@gaiabamman.net