Tell us about yourself.:
I grew up in Revere, Massachusetts—a working class city just north of Boston. I live in Georgetown, MA now—a much more rural area. Well it was much more so when we moved here 30 years ago (smile). I dropped out of Salem State University and finished my undergraduate studies at Harvard University Extension. Later I enrolled in graduate courses at Boston University before earning my Master's Degree at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. I taught literature and memoir courses at UMass.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
The fact that I grew up in a lower working class city just outside of Boston has influenced my writing both generally and specifically. In the case of my most recent work, the novel "Visions of Johanna", the chip on Matt's shoulder (one of the main characters) as well as the themes of denial and masculinity—as well as the concept of faith—have all been mined from this background.
What authors have influenced you?
The fact that I grew up in a lower working class city just outside of Boston has influenced my writing both generally and specifically. In the case of my most recent work, the novel "Visions of Johanna", the chip on Matt's shoulder (one of the main characters) as well as the themes of denial and masculinity—as well as the concept of faith—have all been mined from this background.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Find and hire a good and trustworthy editor. Ask for references, a sample of his or her editing process, and a free consultation. This is probably one of the most important decisions you can make as a new author. I think the "writing every day" advice that you hear very often is not practical for most of us who work or have child care responsibilities etc. And, that type of counsel can really set up an aspiring writer for failure, because he or she ends up feeling guilty if not at the writing desk every day and this leads to discouragement and lack of confidence. I'm not sure how successful an author can be without participating in a decent amount of reading in their chosen genre. (My definition of "success" is finding and being able to entertain readers—not necessarily garnering large sales numbers.)
[Read more…] about Featured Author Interview: Peter Sarno
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