Hello readers, today I have a lovely interview with the author Rich Marcello and his book ‘The Big Wide Calm.’ Here is an overview of the book to give you a taster….
Paige is a rock star. The world just doesn’t know it yet. She’s got the charisma, the drive, and, of course, the mega-musical skills. All she needs is to make her debut album, one that will change the world, inspire revolutions–and make her galactically famous along the way.When John Bustin, a former semi-famous singer/songwriter offers to record Paige’s album for free, it feels like destiny, like the next step on her way to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Guitar in hand, Paige sets off to John’s recording compound, ready to unfold her future.But the ever-elusive John, with his mysterious history, and Paige, a big dreamer but naive about her footing in life, clash as much as they coalesce. Before they can change the world through Paige’s music, the improbable duo must learn to work together. A coming of age story and retrospective, The Big Wide Calm focuses on human nature and the complexities of love through the eyes of young and old on the journey of creating the perfect album.
I interviewed Rich about his book and his work as an author; hope you enjoy!
1) My first question is, where does the title for the book ‘The Big Wide Calm’ actually come from? I believe there’s this place underneath all emotions that is the source of creativity, of true and deep love, of almost everything we do to fully live our lives. That’s what I call The Big Wide Calm. There are many ways into TBWC, but one of most difficult is to learn to go into your pain, your fears, your sadness, and use those things as a doorways. So the book is really Paige’s journey into The Big Wide Calm at one level, and at another the name of the album she’s working on in the year she spends with her mentor, John Bustin.
2) So, what was your inspiration for the book is it from personal experience or was it another source of inspiration?I’m a big believer in writing in the early morning. I like the feeling of going from one dream state ( sleeping) to another ( writing fiction). So, most of my inspiration comes from dreaming about characters and stories. Every now and then I’ll run across something from real life that I use in a story. For example, I recently ran into a woman with the most creative hair style I’d ever seen. I asked her if I could take a picture of it and she agreed. Then I used it to describe the hair of one of the main characters in the book I’m working on now, The Beauty of the Fall.
3) Describe your main character in three words? Was this the overall feel you were going for when you first created Paige? Artistic. Strong. Sexual. Yes, that’s what I was going for.
4) Is there anything you would change about the book if you were to write it again? No. I’m really happy with the way it turned out.
5) Did you always know you wanted to be a writer? If not, what inspired you to become an author? I’ve been writing since I was around twenty in one way or another. Poetry. Songs. Novels. About four years ago I got the idea to write three novels about different kinds of love. The first, The Color of Home, which is about romantic love, was published in 2013 by Langdon Street Press. The Big Wide Calm, about platonic love, just came out and was also published by Langdon Street Press. The Beauty of the Fall, about love on a wider scale, will be out in 2016.
7) What are you currently writing and when can we expect to see it on the shelves! As I mentioned above, The Beauty of the Fall will be out in 2016.
6) Finally, sell your book to my readers in one line! Go with Paige Plant as she searches for The Big Wide Calm, for what it means to truly and deeply love.
If Rich Marcello could choose only one creative mentor, he’d give the role to Jonathan Richmond and the Modern Lovers. This is not only because he currently resides in New England, where Jonathan started, but because of his life as a contemporary fiction author, poet and songwriter, whose literary inspiration often stems from songs he’s written. Rich grew up in New Jersey surrounded by song and word.
For a while it seemed right to travel the musician’s path, especially during his stint in his college folk group, at The University of Notre Dame, where he wrote and recorded his first original songs. But, as is true for many musicians, graduation led him down a different road, one on which he found his love for high technology. There, he enjoyed a successful career as a technology executive, managing several multi-billion dollar businesses for Fortune 500 companies.
During his time in technology he never stopped creating art, and eventually his love for song and the written word grew to the point where he walked away from his first career to pursue poetry, song, and fiction with the same enthusiasm and discipline he demonstrated in business. In The Color Of Home, his literary voice melds all three together with honest generative dialogue, poetic sensory detail, and “unforgettable characters who seem to know the complete song catalog of Lennon or Cohen.”
He’s currently working on his third novel, The Beauty of the Fall.
You can buy a copy of the book here or alternatively see more on the authors website here! Or alternatively connect with Rich on social media with the links below!
mylittlebookblog 