New Year Literary Interview With Storyteller Author, Joe Siccardi.

Intimate Author Interview Courtesy of Liz at MY BOOK PLACE Where Writers and Readers Meet …

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Tell us about yourself and your books.:
I am a prolific storyteller of inspirational wisdom-filled books about life. His latest offering is “My Name Is Sam … and Heaven Is Still Shining Through.” It is a novelization of my March 2018 debut release of the novella “Heaven Shining Through” which has been claiming rave reviews by book reviewers and book bloggers alike.
I released my second book in November 2018 titled “Wisdom From A Father: One dad’s thoughts about life,” a collection of essays about love, life, marriage and raising my children with a dash of wit and fatherly life lessons. I just released my first fictional memoir and follow-up to “Heaven Shining Through” titled; “My Name Is Sam …and Heaven Is Still Shining Through.” All the books are available on Amazon Books, Amazon Kindle, and many fine online bookstores.

I am a graduate of Dominican College of Blauvelt (NY) and hold a BA degree in Liberal Arts. I began my career with the Paterson (NJ) News and continued for the next 52 years in a variety of positions as an editorial writer, editor, and publisher. I now write and publish as a new Indie author. I also author a blog at wisdomfromafather.wordpress.com where I share posts about life and fatherhood.

The storyteller says it well. Joe states, “I’m the ordinary Joe walking along this journey called life and sharing it with you.” And he has the life experience to back this statement as a proud father of five children, 18 grandchildren, three great-granddaughters, and a fourth great-granddaughter expected in the fall.

He has gathered all his life and work experiences from living in many places on East Coast and Midwest like Paterson, Totowa, Newton and Ogdensburg, NJ; Belvidere, IL; Toledo, OH; Washington, DC; Laurel, MD; and Seneca Falls and Willard (Romulus), NY.

When not writing Joe enjoys travel, cooking, and spending time with all his grown children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He also enjoys pleasure reading some of his favorite authors and writers like James Patterson, Tom Clancy, and his literary wish is a meeting with icon author Mr. Stephen King … Joe Siccardi is currently traveling and visiting all his children in many states.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to procrastinate, then write at longer periods of time. I also need to have background noise to be effective (music, outside noise, water flowing over the dam).

What authors have influenced you?
Charles Dickens, although I also like James Patterson and Tom Clancy.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t expect to get rich, but recognize everyone has a story to tell – why not you?

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Image may contain: 8 people *** “Some of my memoir inspiration for my book “Wisdom From a Father”***

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What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be true to yourself. Write about what you know. If you don’t understand your subject, your readers never will.

What are you reading now?
The Secret in the Cliffs by Kristin Tucker

What’s your biggest weakness?
I don’t read enough.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Nicholas Nickleby

What has inspired you and your writing style?
I’ve always enjoyed writing. I preferred essays to multiple-choice or one-word answers because they gave me an opportunity to expand my thoughts. Since I spent so many years in the newspaper industry, I learned how to be concise. After retiring I’ve had the pleasure of writing for fun, which has been freeing. My style tends to be down to earth and often blends genres.

What are you working on now?
I just published “My Name Is Sam … and Heaven Is Still Shining Through” so I’ve been heavily promoting that. I am thinking about a volume 2 for my nonfiction “Wisdom From a Father … one dad’s thoughts on life.”

What is your method for promoting your work?
I work closely with a marketing expert. Generally, promotion is through social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), although I have participated in book launches, book signings, and presentations. I welcome them. Especially now that I’ve been traveling. I have had a couple of book events along the way.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would like to pay it forward by highlighting new authors through a podcast interview process. I would like to schedule more speaking appearances and would love to do a book tour/podcast along Route 1/Atlantic Coast. And of course, I will continue to scribble down thoughts for my blog and who knows … another book or two.

How well do you work under pressure?
I think I work well under pressure. I had to deal with deadlines all my professional life.

How do you decide what tone to use with a particular piece of writing?
It depends on the piece and content. I went with a first-person account for “My Name Is Sam,” as it is my newest book release and may be purchased from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, my website and many online book sites.