Thank you, Authors’ Lounge! .I appreciate this opportunity to speak directly to your loyal audience.
Hi! My name is Nick Campanella. I’m a first-time author from Duluth, Minnesota. I’m excited to tell all of you about my first book. Path of Affliction is a hard-hitting fictional crime story about the consequences of stealing a bag full of money from a drug cartel. This fast-paced book takes you down a similar path as True Romance and No Country for Old Men.
A little bit about me. I like transforming a foggy dream into a complete story. I attribute my passion for writing to the only dream I ever remembered: Path of Affliction.
My foundation of hard work, respect, and teamwork was built on the hockey rink as a kid. My claim to glory is the fact I got a slashing penalty in the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament in 1996. After graduating high school, I enrolled full time at Lake Superior Community College for Sociology. After two years of college—like many 21-year-old kids—I went down the wrong path. Alcohol and an underworld party life consumed my life and my grades slipped. And then I got robbed at gunpoint by masked intruders.
Surviving the robbery with an empty wallet, I re-evaluated my life and what I wanted. In order to carve out a new path, I eventually dropped out of college, quit drinking, and got a full-time job. Drifting from construction to a retail business in my late twenties, I discovered my true passion of writing at the age of 32.
Today, I am a father who likes to take long hikes in the woods with my daughter. My old legs need the exercise. Six years ago, I had surgery on my knee. Since then, I watch more hockey than I play, but once or twice a year, I like to lace up the skates and put a lil’ lumber in someone’s side, just so they know I’m there. (A line from my favorite movie, Slap Shot.)
The inspiration that motivated me to write this book was a dream. Rather, a nightmare. I’m the type of person who never remembers my dreams. However, this one was so vivid, so terrifying, so complete, I had no choice but to type it up on my computer. After a few years I realized I had something special. Not my writing, but the story itself. The writing needed coaching from editors. What a learning experience this process has been. If I had to list the three greatest secrets I learned from my editors, they would be: how to show not tell, how to understand the key elements of a story, and how to dramatically shorten the narrator while increasing the character dialog.
This super fun book can appeal to many different people. The reviews on Amazon.com come from people of all walks of life. Quentin Tarantino fans seem to be most excited to read Path of Affliction, but woman over 40 have been leaving the most generous reviews. This book has violence and explicit language, but the redemption and transformation of Frankie Buccetti seems to draw woman in. One person told me it was the first book he has ever read. And he loved it! Man or woman, it is my opinion…that this book will touch your heart.
I hope the reader comes to the conclusion that crime doesn’t pay after reading this novel.
Over the ten years it took to write this book, I took periotic breaks to clear my mind. During these breaks, I would chip away at the sequel. Order From Chaos will pick up where Frankie leaves off, only the world soon erupts into World War Three. Frankie only wants to survive the new world, but circumstances take him up a steeper and more thorny path. The first draft is done, but needs a year of editing.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope you gained something from it. Please consider reading this awesome book.
More information at www.nickcampanella.com
Feel free to read the generous five star reviews for Path of Affliction at www.amazon.com
Friend me on Facebook if you have any questions. Thank you!
Definitely worth reading if your looking for an entertaining book. A real page turner with diverse and amusing characters. An easy read that didn’t disappoint.