“The ‘Hole’ Story” I was stranded in the “Hole,” slang for solitary confinement, in a dingy federal prison in Jesup, Ga., with literally nothing to do but ponder the past. I had nothing to read, nothing to do, nothing to look forward to until the next bowl of gruel was tossed into the cell through…
I have transcribed and recorded the thirty-six masterpieces that comprise J. S. Bach’s Cello Suites on acoustic guitar—almost three hours of music. I have also written a four-volume, highly interactive e-book: Bach, Casals and The Six Suites for ‘Cello Solo — biographies of Bach and of Pablo Casals, the man who rescued the Suites from…
The Steps of Power series really started its formation when I was a child. I remember when I was seven years old, creating the beginnings of the man who would eventually become a primary protagonist in The Warriors series of Steps of Power. And since that time, ideas continued to rush to me. By the…
Why do people kill in the name of God? I began to ask this question after a life-altering event 30 years ago, when I got caught in a religious riot, and was nearly killed. I witnessed first-hand violent acts committed by people in the name of their faith. In 1984, following the assassination of India’s…
Just before finishing my last year as an English major at Rhode Island College in Providence, the idea for Illusion of an Ending was born on one fateful summer day when my car crashed into another car. It was only a minor accident, the first one in my life, but I will never forget the…
The inspiration I have derived for having had the journey of my books come to fruition is a very simple and yet a very profound one. At the heart and soul of everything I do, of every decision I make, of everything I am passionate and excited about in life, is the love I have…
For years I had begged my father to go with me to his hometown in Sicily where he was born and raised until the age of 15. Most of the time Dad would say he didn’t want to pucker up for all of the kisses his cousins would expect. One day Dad said, “We could…
Writing is something I always knew I could do. When I was at school, some of my friends could sing, some could draw… I could write. I was the editor in chief of the school paper so I edited and wrote news articles, I wrote many of the school plays I performed in, I entered…
It started with a dream. That sounds so trite but it’s true. Six years ago, I dreamed of a red haired girl trudging through the snow. She walked with a group of friends while a boy only she could see and hear made snarky comments to her. I don’t know why it resonated with me,…
The Story Behind the Book 