Ask the Author: Michael Finocchiaro
Answered Questions (43)
Michael Finocchiaro
I would look at folks that comment the most often on your reviews and the friends you interact with the most and ask them. I think it is rather straight-forward. Just be realistic, asking folks for a review implies that they have to invest a certain amount of time in reading / listening to your book, so if you get even a handful of reviews out of it, that would already be great!
Michael Finocchiaro
Erh, that would basically mean that authors can't write any reviews, right? I think that is a ridiculous view. Writers have often written about other writers. Some make a career of it (biographers for example). So, I simply disagree with that advice.
Michael Finocchiaro
Well, the Gators were pretty disappointing and a lot of us think that if Napier can't turn it around to at least a 7-5 season next year, he should get the heavy-ho. I think that the college playoff thing was all about the big bucks of the SEC. They wanted an exciting, close playoff game for an SEC team versus Michigan and admittedly they got it. It was absolutely not fair and I - despite my vehement dislike of garnet and gold - was disgusted with how you guys were eliminated despite your record.
Yeah, the 5000 friend limit is sooooo annoying. and with this many friends on GR, how do I find the lame ones and drop them for good ones? Ouch.
Yeah, the 5000 friend limit is sooooo annoying. and with this many friends on GR, how do I find the lame ones and drop them for good ones? Ouch.
Michael Finocchiaro
@Gallowa I can't find the review you are referring to. Can you send me a link? This stupid 5000 friend limit means I can't add you :-(
Michael Finocchiaro
Done! We have been in contact since...
Michael Finocchiaro
Have not read that one Tom. Thanks for the suggestion.
Michael Finocchiaro
Not sure Karen, but I am an author so maybe you liked my book? :-)
Michael Finocchiaro
Unfamiliar with that one, I'll check it out, thanks!
Michael Finocchiaro
You are right, I forgot to add Toni Morrison, Zora Neal Hurston, and Flannery O'Connor to my influences. Thanks for catching that! My bad!
Michael Finocchiaro
Once upon a time, a bloated orange racist ran for president. He won in November 2016 and it has been downhill from there. The end.
Michael Finocchiaro
I wrote a review for this book and you didn't provide an email. Just read my review :)
Michael Finocchiaro
Thank you Kathy.
Michael Finocchiaro
I'd say that A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn definitely opened my eyes to how US history was written from a white nationalist perspective when I was in school. I can't really say other political books have done anything but re-enforce my convictions.
Michael Finocchiaro
Sure, of course!
Michael Finocchiaro
Sure, of course!
Michael Finocchiaro
Don't be intimidated and keep looking for your voice. I read that one of the pulp fiction writers, maybe it was John Grisham or the reprehensible Dan Brown, said that writers need to have the end in mind before they start. I totally disagree with that advice. Maybe it is due to my inclination towards character-drive writing vs plot-driven writing, but I would be more focused on finding a character or several characters that are comfortable in your mind space and then channeling them as you weave your web of words and phrases into a wonderful tapestry.
Does that make sense?
Does that make sense?
Michael Finocchiaro
Hi Aly and thanks for the question. Writer's block is a tough one since I am plagued with it at the moment. I think the most important thing is discipline. If you are serious about writing a book or a short story, it is hard work and needs to be considered like a job in a sense. The way I plowed through my first book was primarily by working on it relentlessly for 3 hours a day without interruptions. If I got stuck on one thing, I would check email or otherwise distract myself and come back and try to resolve the issue. It is tempting to walk away from difficulties in your story, but I am presently in a situation where I walked away months ago due to various external factors and I am having a tough time rechanneling.
There is no magic formula unfortunately. I'd say that you need to be disciplined and to try to resolve stumbling blocks before ending a work session so that the next one has a little bit of an idea of where to start. Ending on a problem, as I mentioned above, leads to more writer's block (at least it does for me).
I hope that helps...
There is no magic formula unfortunately. I'd say that you need to be disciplined and to try to resolve stumbling blocks before ending a work session so that the next one has a little bit of an idea of where to start. Ending on a problem, as I mentioned above, leads to more writer's block (at least it does for me).
I hope that helps...
Michael Finocchiaro
Dosto is one of my favorite authors ever! I'd say that the Big 6: The Idiot, Crime and Punishment, The Possessed, The Adolescent, The Gambler and The Brothers Karamazov were all incredibly influential on my sensibilities and how I look at psychological development of my characters. I was also blown away by Joseph Frank's excellent biography of Dosto. Check here on GR as I have reviewed everything I have read by or about Dosto!
Michael Finocchiaro
Very, very shortly, it will be republished with new cover art and a few corrections and enhancements by Solstice Publishing as both an ebook Ivia their website as well as Amazon) and printed book. Stay tuned!
Michael Finocchiaro
Hi Jaymish,
Again, my apologies for the late reply, I just say your question a few minutes ago. Anyway, I wrote a pretty comprehensive review on GR for OTR ( https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...). For me, it is a classic of Beat literature. I actually saw the entire first draft at the Pompidou Museum here in Paris last year. Impressive. Is it a perfect novel? No. Do I condone all the behaviors and sexist attitudes of the men described? No. Do I think it is an epic poetic and literary tribute to a formative period in American history starting to react to the conservative, anti-communist obsessed post-war 50s towards the cultural upheaval of the 60s? You betcha.
Again, my apologies for the late reply, I just say your question a few minutes ago. Anyway, I wrote a pretty comprehensive review on GR for OTR ( https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...). For me, it is a classic of Beat literature. I actually saw the entire first draft at the Pompidou Museum here in Paris last year. Impressive. Is it a perfect novel? No. Do I condone all the behaviors and sexist attitudes of the men described? No. Do I think it is an epic poetic and literary tribute to a formative period in American history starting to react to the conservative, anti-communist obsessed post-war 50s towards the cultural upheaval of the 60s? You betcha.
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