Can you tell us a bit about your background?
I’m a novelist, musician, and poet. I write full time, and I’m in the process of working on my third novel. I live in Massachusetts on a small lake where I spend my days with my family, and my two Newfoundlands, Ani and Shaman. I’ve been writing my whole life in one way or another, but only full time these last four years. When I was in college, my English professor offered to mentor me, but I was broke so I went into hi-tech instead so I could pay the bills. Four years ago, I decided to write full time which is what I plan to do for the rest of my life.
Your latest novel “The Big Wide Calm” is a rich journey of two unlikely musicians creating the perfect album, what was your inspiration?
About four years ago, I got an idea to write three different novels about different kinds of love. The first, The Color of Home, was published in 2013 by Langdon Street Press and is about romantic love. The third, The Beauty of the Fall, will be published in 2015/2016 is about love in the community or your sphere of influence. The Big Wide Calm was just published in July, and is about platonic love.
Do you have music in your background, or was this completely fictional?
I’ve written about fifty songs over the years and have been in bands and around recording studios my entire life, so that part of the story came easily for me. Given that I was writing about what it truly means for two very different people to deeply love each other, it was important that the backdrop of the story was authentic. That’s why Paige and John are musicians.
Your writing is eloquent, and seems to sooth the reader, do you have formal training in writing?
Thank you. In my novels, I like to use poetic, musical, and traditional storytelling techniques. Sometimes I’ll spend a couple of hours on a sentence just to make sure its poetic enough or musical sounding. So maybe some of what you describe comes from that. Also, at its most philosophical, The Big Wide Calm is about learning to enter a state of peacefulness regardless of what emotion takes you into it. Anger. Fear. Pain. Contempt. Joy. Happiness. They are all ways in. I believe that state, which is filled with pure energy, is the source of all creativity, and is by definition soothing.
You’ve received some great feedback, evident by your Amazon ratings, what’s been some of the best feedback you’ve gotten thus far?
I’ve appreciated all of the feedback –good and bad. For me, writing is about the relationship between the reader and the story. As long as The Big Wide Calm invokes an emotional reaction in the reader, then I feel like it’s doing its job. Let’s see, specific feedback. I had a professor tell me Paige Plant reminded him of a millennial version of Holden Caufield. He loved the book because of her unique voice. On the other hand, I had a blogger write about how much she hated the book because of Paige Plant’s unique voice, which reminded her of Holden Caufield. I like both pieces of feedback.
Do you plan on further views into the secret lives of musicians?
My first novel, The Color of Home, had a musician as one of the lead characters, but the novel I’m working on now doesn’t include any musicians. I have ideas for about ten novels that hopefully will come to fruition over the coming years, so I wouldn’t be surprised if a musician or two makes an appearance.
Where can we find out more about your work and book signings?
The best place is probably my website www.richmarcello.com
I’m also on twitter @marcellor. I publish a lot of my poetry on that site.
I’m also on Goodreads at: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7356640.Rich_Marcello
And you can find my books on all major book websites. Grab them here on Amazon.