I’m still not all that secure, doing these interviews for WHEN I GOT OUT. But I’m proud of my book and will do (almost) anything to promote it.

There are so many books out there: how can I compete with Demi Moore, Ronan Farrow, Elton John, etc. … much less Tolstoy, Austen, Dickens, Eliot, Dostoevsky, etc.? The only way is to ignore all those other books and just do my best to get my work out there. What happens, happens.

But so far, people seem to like my book. Just yesterday, I got another 5-star review on all-important Amazon:

"When I Got Out" is even deeper and more exciting than "What It Was Like." Highly recommended.

It might take a while to build up a following, but I have time.

ON THE AIR

The other day, I did an interview that made me feel good. It was with a writer named Paul Vandyke who hosts a radio show WRITE ON! that is heard on KFAI in Minneapolis and other stations in the Twin Cities area.

Not only is Paul a fine writer and “book person,” but he also works with the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop. So when he was complimentary to WHEN I GOT OUT, it really meant something to me.

During our interview (almost a half-hour), he said that WHEN I GOT OUT was --

“A really great book…. Larry is a really likeable character, despite his past. … It’s really true to the experience a lot of guys have coming out. … This definitely passes the smell test.”

Passes the smell test?? Coming from a guy who knows the world of prison and convicts, that comment thrilled me. In fact, Paul said that he was going to recommend my book to an associate who teaches a writing workshop at Rikers Island, New York City’s infamous lock-up.

Besides all the other worries an author has about his book, I’m concerned about being true to the ex-convict’s experience. My book is by no means a documentary; it is fiction. But I want to honor and respect the very difficult lives of ex-convicts. I want my book to feel honest and accurate to the Real World: nothing to take the reader out of the story, thinking, “Wait a second! This isn’t real.”

Even though I write fiction, I owe something to reality. I want my books to feel real, from the inside. So the reader has a deep, emotional experience.

You can listen to the whole interview on the WRITE ON! archives.

https://www.kfai.org/episode/10-15-2019-write-on-radio/

THE REAL WORLD

The real life of an ex-convict is more difficult than one can imagine. Real life in America is hard enough these days: can you imagine being an ex-convict, coming out into this harsh world?

Ex-convicts are TEN TIMES as likely to be homeless as the general public. They experience much higher rates of housing and food insecurity than the rest of Americans. Landlords are hesitant to give leases to ex-cons, so many wind up living in hotels and motels, if they have shelter at all.

Likewise, the unemployment rate for ex-cons is sky-high. One year after release, 60-75% of ex-cons are unemployed, and most who are employed make less than 10K a year.

Rehabilitation? Preparation for the outside world? Parole planning? These things take a far-back seat in prison. It’s all about punishment.

Prison isn’t a pretty world. That’s why WHEN I GOT OUT takes place after prison. I didn’t want to spend years writing about – which means being submerged in – the prison system. The outside world is tough enough for Larry, and that’s really what I was interested in writing about: surviving in America today.

MORE BOOK PROMOTION

I have a few more interviews on the horizon:

October 23 at 9:45 AM(ET) – with Warren Lawrence on Radio Kingston in upstate New York -- https://radiokingston.org/en/hosts/warren-lawrence

October 24 at 1:00 PM(ET) – Ryan J. Pelton interviews me for THE PROLIFIC WRITER -- https://theprolificwriter.net

(No joke.)

Onward and upward.

I’m not ashamed to say it: I need more 5-star Amazon and goodreads.com reviews.

#WHENIGOTOUT

#adultromanticsuspensethriller