Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m the author of the novel The Revolving Heart, published by Black Rose Writing in 2020, which was selected by Kirkus Reviews for its Best 100 Books list. I’ve also published a story collection, The Inexplicable Grey Space We Call Love. My second novel, Exit 23, will be published in November 2021.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
For many years I walked my dog every morning through an old Quaker Cemetery. My novel The Revolving Heart was inspired by the gravestone of a four-year-old girl. I began to wonder how she might have died, and soon I had a first sentence: When Sarah Carpenter disappeared in the summer of 1995, I was 17 and waiting for my chance to disappear, too. That sentence is not part of the published novel, but it was the spark that got me started.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a morning writer, and almost never write anything good past the hour of 11:00 AM. A cup of green tea is generally required, and it helps to have a dog sitting at my feet or a cat (or two) on my lap.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
The book that has meant the most to me is The World According to Garp by John Irving. Irving’s novels have been with me for all of my adult life. Other favored writers include Kurt Vonnegut, T.C. Boyle, Haruki Murakami, Tom Perrotta, Richard Russo, Hiromi Kawakami, and the great Russians of the 19th century: Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Dostoyevsky.
What are you working on now?
My next novel, Exit 23, is about a struggling indie filmmaker and his estranged actor father, set against the backdrop of the animal rights movement of the late 1990’s.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The Revolving Heart was featured on BookBub, LitNuts, and Amazon ads.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing, and make sure you enjoy the process. There’s likely to be a lot of rejection so don’t rely on external validation. If you like what you’re writing and are having fun doing it, that’s what matters the most.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To paraphrase Kurt Vonnegut: Treat the reader so that he or she will not feel that his or her time has been wasted. .
What are you reading now?
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson and A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m finishing my novel Exit 23 for November publication. After that, I plan to write a few short stories while I recharge for the next marathon of writing a novel.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The World According to Garp by John Irving.
Deadeye Dick by Kurt Vonnegut
The Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
Author Websites and Profiles
Chuck Augello Website
Chuck Augello Amazon Profile
Chuck Augello’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile