NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, September 3, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Novels are a quest for meaning, an exploration of what William Faulkner referred to as “the human heart in conflict with itself.” The act of writing implies taking a risk.

As a student, author Joseph Roccasalvo studied the classics, philosophy, literature and theology. He even received a PhD in Comparative Religion from Harvard with a specialty in Buddhism. But something was missing.

“All this knowledge certainly allowed me to be a good academic,” recalls Roccasalvo, “but I said to myself: ‘Joseph, it's time for you to stop using other people's ideas and research and draw on your own experience.’ That’s when I began to explore my imagination.”

What followed was a creative tsunami. Stories poured out of him, one after another.

Today, Roccasalvo has published five novels: Fire in a Windless Place, Chartreuse, Portrait of a Woman, The Odor of Sanctity and The Devil’s Interval; four novellas: The Powers That Be, Beyond the Pale, Island of the Assassin, and Alina in Ecstasy; a collection of poetry: Poems for Two Violins; and a collection of stories entitled Twists of Faith.

“I'm very keen on doing what the classical writers always insisted on: you must entertain,” says Roccasalvo. “You have to give your reader a reason for turning the page.”

Great writers must be great listeners to what is happening in their imagination. Roccasalvo considers his novels to be “spiritual thrillers.”

“As a writer, I’m an agent of transformation,” says Roccasalvo. “I find my characters in some sense are very much like myself: filled with surprises. The audience does not know what is going to happen. I myself frequently don't know what's going to happen. I'm learning the story as I write it. I become both reader and writer at the same time.”

Close Up Radio will feature Joseph Roccasalvo in an interview with Jim Masters on September 4th at 12pm EDT.

Listen to the show on BlogTalkRadio.

If you have any questions for our guest, please call (347) 996-3389.

For more information, visit www.josephroccasalvo.com

Lou Ceparano
Close Up Television & Radio
+1 631-850-3314
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