An interview with Anthony S. Policastro, Author of: Absence of Faith

Hey Everyone, I'd like to introduce my cyber friend, Anthony Policastro.

Author: Absence of Faith

After the interview see ‘About the Author’ for details on where to read online and purchase.

Hey Anthony.

Carl "not ready for prime time" Lee , Apr 26, 2009, 12:00pm EDT

Hi Carl.

Anthony Samuel P., Apr 26, 2009, 12:01pm EDT

So Anthony, where do you get your ideas for a book?

Carl "not ready for prime time" Lee , Apr 26, 2009, 12:03pm EDT

Many places. I may be watching a TV show, reading a magazine or just listening to music and I'll get an idea. Then I ask myself the "What if..." question. If I can't research the what if question right away I'll write it down and keep it for another time. I think everyone who wants to be an author has to be open to all kinds of information to feed their ideas.

Anthony Samuel P., Apr 26, 2009, 12:08pm EDT

Very true, so what inspired the idea for Absence of Faith?

Carl "not ready for prime time" Lee , Apr 26, 2009, 12:10pm EDT

I had just finished my first novel and my wife and I were discussing ideas for another book when we came up with this question: "What if you took away a person's faith, their belief and hope for the future and what if you could convince them that God had abandoned them what would they do?"

It's a universal question, but when I started to think about it, faith and religion are what holds us together as a civilization. Without it there would be chaos.

We were also discussing the near-death experience her father had after being hit by a car. His was a positive one, but after I researched near-death experiences, I found there were negative ones also. So the negative near-death experiences served as the vehicle to take away people's faith and beliefs in Absence of Faith. And I used the setting of a highly religious small town in New Jersey to make the plot more plausible. The town really exists and its residents are highly religious.

Anthony Samuel P., Apr 26, 2009, 12:18pm EDT

That would leave the playing field wide-open. How did you nail down a direction for the plot?

Carl "not ready for prime time" Lee , Apr 26, 2009, 12:20pm EDT

The characters. I created sets of characters - a doctor and his wife and just the opposite, a young girl and her new boyfriend who are laid back, go with the flow types. The doctor has doubts about his confidence and what he really believes in; the young girl is strong-willed and searching for herself. Her boyfriend is pure evil and serves as the antagonist that fuels the plot.

I had some idea of how the plot should go, but then I would ask if the characters would do such and such a thing in a given situation. The characters and how they would react in a given situation formed the plot.

Anthony Samuel P., Apr 26, 2009, 12:29pm EDT

So, you’re saying the characters create the plot for you. How does that work?

Carl "not ready for prime time" Lee , Apr 26, 2009, 12:32pm EDT

Each character has unique qualities and traits and when you put that character into a specific situation, he or she will react in a certain way. If you have a character that is very stubborn and you put him in a situation where he is faced with a multiple of decisions, he will most likely pick the decision that he knows works rather than the right decision. His actions then drive the plot forward. For every action there is a reaction.

Anthony Samuel P., Apr 26, 2009, 12:33pm EDT

Staying in character creates the plot… Interesting concept. So why did you write this book?

Carl "not ready for prime time" Lee , Apr 26, 2009, 12:37pm EDT

I thought it was an interesting question, the what if question and in writing the book I discovered that faith and religion are very important elements of the human experience.

Bestselling author and psychic Sylvia Browne writes in her book, Prophecy, that, "...our beliefs are the driving force behind our behavior, our opinions, our actions. Without faith, without our beliefs, we're lost."

That being said, I wrote the book in the hopes that all the religious denominations and sects in the world would tolerate each other and work together to improve the human condition.

Anthony Samuel P., Apr 26, 2009, 12:43pm EDT

Wow! Changing the world, one person at a time, through your book. Do you think you have a bestseller?

Carl "not ready for prime time" Lee , Apr 26, 2009, 12:48pm EDT

I hope so, but it's not up to me. The market will decide and of course I hope they like it.
Every author believes they have a bestseller, but the truth will be known when people read it and recommend it to others.

In light of all the interest in spirituality and religion that was spawned by The DaVinci Code and other books, my book may be of interest. It is about the affirmation of faith; it doesn’t matter what religion you practice or what you believe in as long as you have faith in something. This is the message I hope people will come away with after reading Absence of Faith.

Anthony Samuel P., Apr 26, 2009, 12:51pm EDT

Have you written other novels?

Carl "not ready for prime time" Lee , Apr 26, 2009, 12:53pm EDT

Yes. Dark End of the Spectrum, which will be out in mid May, is high-tech thriller about hackers who take over the US power grid and cell phone network and hold the US hostage. It's based on actual events and years of research into the hacker culture and their activities. I am also writing two other novels.

Anthony Samuel P., Apr 26, 2009, 12:55pm EDT

That sounds loaded with suspense. What are your goals as a novelist?

Carl "not ready for prime time" Lee , Apr 26, 2009, 12:57pm EDT

I hope to be accepted as a novelist and that people will come away with a new outlook on life, be inspired, entertained, enlightened in their lives and be able to live better lives.

Anthony Samuel P., Apr 26, 2009, 1:01pm EDT

Those goals are noteworthy and inspiring in themselves. What advice would you give to upcoming writers?

Carl "not ready for prime time" Lee , Apr 26, 2009, 1:04pm EDT

Never give up if you truly want to be an author. It’s a tough road, but every published author I know goes down the same road and has a bag full of disappointment, self-doubt, and loss of purpose. Just keep writing.

Anthony Samuel P., Apr 26, 2009, 1:05pm EDT

Anthony, thanks for taking the time… Not only was this fun, but very informative. I wish you nothing but success in your writing career.

Carl "not ready for prime time" Lee , Apr 26, 2009, 1:07pm EDT

Thanks, Carl! This has been great.

Anthony Samuel P., Apr 26, 2009, 1:09pm EDT

About the Author

Anthony S. Policastro has been writing all his life.
The publication of his first novel, Absence of Faith, is the pinnacle of his work having previously published articles in The New York Times, American Photographer and other national, regional, and local publications.

Policastro was the former editor-in-chief of Carolina Style magazine, a regional lifestyle publication similar to Southern Living magazine. He was a former journalist, photographer, and web master.
The author’s background is in technology, business intelligence, and communications.

He has two BA degrees - one in Creative Writing, and another in American Studies from Penn State University, both of which have greatly enhanced his writing career.

His short essay on “What does it mean to be an American family” won in the Borders Books Gather.com contest to promote the movie and book, Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri.

He currently writes a blog with Michael Neff, creator and editor of the Webdelsol and Algonkian websites, about writers’ issues called The Writer’s Edge. Policastro and Neff have been referred to as the Ebert and Roeper of the literary scene with their point/counterpoint posts.

Born in New Jersey, he now lives in North Carolina with his wife. He has two sons and a daughter.

His website is http://stores.lulu.com/aspnovelist

The Writer’s Edge blog is http://writersedgeinfo.blogspot.com

Absence of Faith is available through Lulu.com at http://www.lulu.com/content/368044

or on Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Absence-Faith-Anthony-Samuel-Policastro/dp/1442109556/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238703382&sr=8-1