Chuck Miceli is an award-winning author, editor, playwright and poet. His writings include two textbooks, two plays, two novels and dozens of training courses, short stories and poems. His co-authored text, Fire Behind Bars, was the first book in the country to deal with deadly fires in secure institutions and put him on the national stage as a speaker and consultant. His articles, short stories and poems have appeared in professional and literary journals and magazines and his poem, “Miner’s Lament,” took third place in the worldwide Writer’s Digest competition. He is past editorial committee chair for the arts and literary journal, Voices and Visions. Chuck based his current novel, Wounded Angels, on the real-life experiences of people who lost a significant other after many years in a close, loving relationship. The story takes place in Brooklyn and upstate New York and in Bristol and Southington, Connecticut, where he spent three years researching and writing the novel at the Bristol Senior Center and four years co-facilitating a poetry group at a rehabilitation center. A former Marine and seminary graduate in philosophy, Chuck was born the son of a Pennsylvania coal miner, grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and lives with his wife, Judy, in rural Connecticut.
BOOKS:
Amanda’s Room (2012)
Amanda’s Room Traveler’s Edition (2016)
Wounded Angels (2020)
Your biggest literary influences:
At least four authors remain my biggest literary influences. Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, encouraged me to become a writer. Ernest Hemingway’s straightforward writing style appeals to me and I have adopted it in much of my own writing. Mario Puzzo’s Godfather novel taught me the value of the “hook.” And Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth gave me a model for a “masterpiece,” which I hope to emulate in Black Hell Drowning, my next novel.
Last book read:
I have several books on my nightstand that I have started and perhaps one or two that I have finished, but the most memorable book I have read recently was The Crate by Deborah Vadas Levison. She has written a compelling true story that reads much like a mystery novel and her skillful ability to slip between the present and the past throughout the book is very impressive.
The book that changed your life:
To Kill A Mockingbird had a significant impact on me and was the book that prompted me to become a writer. Harper Lee’s ability to capture the character of a young girl so completely and authentically mesmerized me. She immersed me in the story and its characters and I thought that someday I would like to create that same experience for others. The story, too, with its humanity and the goodness of Atticus Finch encouraged me to write stories of worth that would do more than simply entertain, but would also add meaning and purpose to the lives of the readers. Finally, Harper Lee was not a literary giant with years of writing experience and training, but an average person with an idea for a magnificent story and the will to make it a reality. I thought that if she could write such a masterpiece, perhaps someday so could I.
Your favorite literary character:
My favorite literary character is Jean Valjean in Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel Les Misérables. That story also remains my favorite piece of literature. Valjean’s character is selfless, committed and caring, and he reminds us of what we can aspire to be if we have the faith and the courage in our convictions. Like St. Francis’s “Instrument of Peace,” right up to his dying breath, Valjean puts his love for others above himself and aspires to be the man he feels he was redeemed to be. To me, he challenges me to strive for those same ideals in my own life and he stands as a model for his age and for every age.
Currently working on:
My current project is Black Hell Drowning, a multi-generation historical novel about life and death in the anthracite coal mines of northeastern Pennsylvania. My father was a coal miner in Pittston, PA, and died of the black lung. I started writing this novel twenty years ago and I am only now feeling that I am ready to finish it.
Words to live by:
Be the change you want to see in the world.
Advice for aspiring authors:
Every author writes the story that he or she loves to read. Great authors write the stories others love to read.
Articles/reviews:
https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/wounded-angels
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/chuck-miceli/wounded-angels/
https://www.killarneytraynor.com/the-blog/arc-review-wounded-angels-by-charles-miceli
https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=127039