Alicia DeFonzo

Alicia DeFonzo is an author of "The Time Left Between Us," her nonfiction narrative which Library Journal calls “a deeply personal venture but also one of significant importance now and for all future generations to learn from." She is currently adapting her book to a limited television series and is seeking representation. Across landscapes and lifetimes, Alicia retraces her dying grandfather’s tour through WWII Europe knowing little about the war (in the present) as a 19-year-old Del, an Army combat engineer, survives Normandy, the Bulge, Remagen, and liberates concentration camps (in the past). Their braided storylines merge when Del must undergo open-heart surgery and Alicia must be the one to safeguard the past.

Her debut teleplay pilot "Which Way From Here" was recently awarded Longlist Selection at the UK Film Awards (2024), Quarter-Finalist at Vail Film Festival (2023), Finalist at the Rome Independent Film Awards (2023), and Quarter-Finalist at the Orlando Film Festival (2023). "Which Way From Here" (romantic dramedy) follows Alice, a 40-year-old divorcee who falls down the rabbit hole and moments of madness on her journey to self-fulfillment.

DeFonzo is also a frequent literary guest on local and national NPR programs.

I love an unpredictable ending -- especially for romantic comedies, but I also love the ride. Based on my own experience as an author, I've written dual protagonists with dual plotlines mounting towards one intertwined climax. I attempt to do the same with this series -- instead, having two endings: "happy" and "realistic." Is love real or is it a fantasy? I want the audience to wait until the last moments to know, will they or won't they, and let the audience decide, see both sides of this wonderland and question themselves. I know that the dual protagonist, dual plotlines weaving through time can challenge or exhaust an audience. My hopes are to revise the piece structurally to feel seamless but also edgy to avoid the pitfalls of romantic predictability. I also want to keep the fast-pace but also slow down the "good parts." When I'm ready (soon), I hope to find an agent.