About Paul Lonardo:
I have authored both fiction and nonfiction books in a variety of genres, from true crime to romance. As a freelance writer, I often collaborate with people to help them write and publish their biographies, memoirs, or to tell a particularly compelling personal experience.
I studied filmmaking / screenwriting at Columbia College – Hollywood. I earned an A.S. (Mortuary Science) from Mount Ida College and a B.A. (English) from the University of Rhode Island.
I live in Lincoln, RI with my wife and son.
What inspires you to write?
There is no telling where an idea will come from, but it doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It could come from something you read, see in a movie or on television, or something you hear someone say that sparks an idea for a storyline, a character, some dialogue or just a cool sounding title. Once that little seed gets in my brain, it starts to germinate. If this nascent idea is not acknowledged and cultivated in some way, it will wither and die. Whether you call it a muse, an inner voice, or some other extraneous force whispering in a writer's ear, wherever inspiration comes from, it cannot be denied. Maybe all people hear these whisperings, but a writer cannot simply dismiss them.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
I read a ton growing up. Being the late 1970’s and early 80’s, horror was king, and Stephen King was Overlord. So, one of his books was never far from me. I liked the horror masters as well, Poe and H.P. Lovecraft, but I also read many other contemporary authors of fright and the macabre, such as Clive Barker, Dean Koontz, Joe R. Lonsdale, Ramsey Campbell and Robert McCammon, to name a few. I still read a lot today, perhaps not as much, but certainly from a much more diversified array of writers, because of my penchant for writing across genres.
Tell us about your writing process.
I feel I am at my most creative in the evening, and late at night. When everything is quiet and the day is done, I can focus better on a creative project. The daytime hours I usually spend doing promotional work and research, as well as reading.
With book-length fiction, I prefer to devise a basic outline to follow, just so I know I know that I am on course with the story line and not straying too far. I give myself some leeway to allow for creative impulses, but I usually know my ending, and that is always a big help. What's in between is always an adventure, and that's where the magic lies. That's what makes it fun for me. And the reader.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
With fiction, often a story will “write itself.” That does happen, but it only works if you have a character that is fully developed, one you completely understand. That character will take you on journey that you as the writer may not know, at least not consciously. Go with these characters, trust them. If your story is getting pulled in some inexplicable direction, then you have to pull back and find out more about the character. I believe that is the key.
What advice would you give other writers?
If writing is something you really enjoy, don’t let anything stop you, no matter how little time you have to devote to it. Always write for you first, write what interests you, and the readers who find your work will be lucky they did.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I don't always write a book with the intent of taking the time and energy to try to find a traditional publisher. Sometimes you write a story that may not be very "commercial" but it is still something you want to write and bring to market. When you self publish a book like this, all you really want is some feedback, which may help you with your next project. And the process of writing is always helpful. So, viability in the marketplace is a major indicator about whether to query publishers or self publish. The tricky part is determining what is "commercial" and what is not. It is very subjective, and in the end there is no way to predict how a book will sell. But first and foremost, the author has to believe in it.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I believe publishing will continue to adapt to the changing technology. How soon, or if ever, books will go completely virtual, is hard to say, but that appears to be the direction publishing is headed. As long as there is access to books, the format is less essential.
What genres do you write?: Fiction (children/middle grade); Non-fiction (true crime, sports, memoirs/biographies)
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Paul Lonardo Home Page Link
Link To Paul Lonardo Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on Authors Den
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
LinkedIn
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
