208 ratings | 11 reviews | avg rating:4.27

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Paul Acampora

Goodreads author profile

url

http://www.goodreads.com/PaulAcampora

born

in Bristol, Connecticut , The United States

gender

male

website

http://www.paulacampora.com/

member since

January 2010

About this author

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I was born in Bristol, Connecticut and grew up surrounded by an extended mob of parents, sister, grandparents, cousins, neighborhood kids, rabbits, dogs, nurses, engineers and others that, at various times, included musicians, Italians, Canadians, cancer survivors, gardeners, chicken killers, hair dressers, poker players, checker cheaters, pony riders, shopkeepers, factory workers, elementary school teachers, auto mechanics, rock and roll fanatics, massage therapists, several people who may or may not be dead, and a crowd of other miscellaneous wheeler-dealers. I went to school at St. Joseph Elementary School and St. Paul Catholic High School. I was a voracious reader as a kid. I still am. I attended the University of Notre Dame (GO IRISH!...more I was born in Bristol, Connecticut and grew up surrounded by an extended mob of parents, sister, grandparents, cousins, neighborhood kids, rabbits, dogs, nurses, engineers and others that, at various times, included musicians, Italians, Canadians, cancer survivors, gardeners, chicken killers, hair dressers, poker players, checker cheaters, pony riders, shopkeepers, factory workers, elementary school teachers, auto mechanics, rock and roll fanatics, massage therapists, several people who may or may not be dead, and a crowd of other miscellaneous wheeler-dealers. I went to school at St. Joseph Elementary School and St. Paul Catholic High School. I was a voracious reader as a kid. I still am. I attended the University of Notre Dame (GO IRISH!) where, thanks to my friend John Costello and his father, Dr. Donald Costello, I earned a degree in American Studies despite the fact that the only American places I’d ever visited were summer vacations on a beach at Rhode Island and occasional day trips around New England to watch jai alia, greyhound racing or the trotters with my grandfather who, with my Uncle Joe, taught me how to ride and drive a sulky behind my very own pony named Misty (that's me and Misty at left). After college, I wandered around the country for a few years. Despite what my mother might say, I did not steal her 1973 Buick Electra. Despite what my friends might say, the car was the color of summer gold. Not piss yellow. I've lived in every state that begins with the letter U or a C. I was a Student Conservation Association volunteer for awhile giving tours at the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry in southeast Utah. I spent a winter schlepping very expensive bags around the Rocky Mountains for guests of the Snowmass Lodging Company. As a Holy Cross Associate volunteer, I lived with a half-dozen friends in a tiny house in the San Francisco Bay area where we tried to be good people. I stayed in California to teach kindergarten at St. Patrick Elementary school in West Oakland. I got married (yahoo!), and my wife and I lived in “the heart of the bay,” Hayward, California for nearly ten years. When we decided to move, we put names of favorite places in a paper bag and pulled out a slip that said PENNSYLVANIA. So that’s where we live now. These days, I remain married to my best friend. I have a son and a daughter who keep me on my toes. I’ve got a day job and a kayak and tons of books that I love to read. I write early in the morning and late at night. My favorite place in the world is wherever my wife and kids are. I am especially happy when that place is next to a lake or in France. My favorite word in the dictionary is Naugahyde. I’ve been a vegetarian for about 20 years. My favorite non-home-cooked meal is cinnamon-raisin French toast plus black coffee at the Karlton Café in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. For the future, I hope my family and friends are safe, healthy and happy and that I will write dozens and dozens of new stories and novels, each one better than the last.(less)

45 posts
Paul Acampora's Blog

A plot is a foot

So here are a few things that novel writing has taught me (so far) about plot…

From novel #1: Action and motion are not the same as plot. But you can’t have plot without them.

From novel #2: Characters and relationships are not the same as plot. But you can’t have plot without them.

From novel #3: Problems and motivation are not the same as plot. But you can’t have plot without them.

Obviously, th...

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Paul Acampora's Books

Average rating: 3.48 · 422 ratings · 94 reviews · 3 distinct works · Similar authors

	Defining Dulcie 3.41 of 5 stars 3.41 avg rating — 336 ratings — published 2006 — 11 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Rachel Spinelli Punched Me in the Face 3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 avg rating — 79 ratings — published 2011 — 3 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Every Man for Himself: Ten Original Stories About Being a Guy: Stories About Being a Guy by Walter Dean Myers, Walter Dean Myers (Contribution by), René Saldaña Jr. 3.49 of 5 stars 3.49 avg rating — 85 ratings — published 2005 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

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Paul is Currently Reading

Paul Acampora is currently reading

Jepp, Who Defied the Stars

by Katherine Marsh (Goodreads Author)

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May 10, 2013 04:30am

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Paul Acampora wants to read An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943 by Rick Atkinson	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 15, 2013 07:59pm
Paul Acampora wants to read The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 by Rick Atkinson	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 15, 2013 07:58pm
Paul Acampora wants to read The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945 by Rick Atkinson	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 15, 2013 07:58pm
Paul Acampora wants to read The Last Battle: When U.S. and German Soldiers Joined Forces in the Waning Hours of World War II in Europe by Stephen Harding	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 12, 2013 07:28am
Paul Acampora wants to read Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrick	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 10, 2013 08:10pm
Paul Acampora wants to read 10,000 Days of Thunder: A History of the Vietnam War by Philip Caputo (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 10, 2013 08:08pm
Paul Acampora wants to read On Tycho's Island: Tycho Brahe and His Assistants, 1570 1601 by John Robert Christianson	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 10, 2013 04:35am
Paul Acampora is currently reading Jepp, Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 10, 2013 04:30am

More of Paul's books…

Quotes by Paul Acampora

“Never use hope to hurt someone.”
― Paul Acampora, Defining Dulcie

6 people liked it

“You always leave something behind when you start something new.”
― Paul Acampora, Defining Dulcie

5 people liked it

“It's not running away when you're going back home.”
― Paul Acampora, Defining Dulcie

3 people liked it

See all Paul Acampora's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Seasonal Read...: Fall Challenge 2011 Completed Tasks - DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC!	2299	549	Nov 30, 2011 09:05pm
The Seasonal Read...: Winter Challenge 2011: Completed Tasks -DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC	2912	548	Feb 29, 2012 09:03pm