Win an Autographged Book: A Reservoir Man by L.J. Ambrosio

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. L.J. Ambrosio will be awarding a signed copy of the book to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

I DID IT!

All I knew until the age of sixteen was the New York Yankees. I was a little below average student in high school, but I could rattle off all the Yankee stats from Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris (my hero), and Bobby Richardson. But then college awaited me and all the guys from the Bronx had to take the back seat.

Going into college I had a major handicap; I did not read books! My reading library extended only to the sport pages of the Daily News. I had my first English class and had this great teacher, a little light in the loafers. He was the best. But the day of reckoning came: I had to read a book, J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. I read it in one night!!

Holden Caufield, the main character, was competing with Roger Maris. Sunday at macaroni dinner I explained Catcher in the Rye to my very Catholic family. My dad asked if I went to the right college. J.D. opened the gates; I never stopped reading. I knew all these old masters that I was reading had the answer to those thoughts in my mind that were not clear in my rite of passage. I read the French, English, Spaniards, the Germans who were the best - Hesse had the insight so did Goethe. My desire was to one day author a novel. But as the years passed those thoughts were written on disappearing ink. At a point, I stopped reading. Gave my books away. I felt empty and guilty.

About twenty years ago I started to buy books to read again, the first was Thomas Mann’s “Magic Mountain” Each week I bought another book and joyfully read and read.

I had a lot to tell so I decided to author a novel. The years passed; time was running out. So, I subscribed to Microsoft 365 (great editing program) and wrote. I turned to gummy bears to make the nighttime smooth and clear while writing. I wrote for 2 hours a night but not on Sunday. I completed the novel in two months. Oh boy! This Italian boy from Brooklyn authored a novel. I gave it to a friend to read, a literate gentlemen who told me it was brilliant. I liked his adjective, but it was little too much. We both read and reread the book. He helped a lot. Then I gave it to another friend who told me it was great, but I needed to keep editing. We must have read the novel one hundred times and still were finding errors.

Finally, I hired this young girl who was just starting out as an editor. She finished and I started to format the novel. This was when I realized I changed 100 names but did not keep track of the character's name and the real person. Bad mistake. This was a real task. While the novel was being printed, I was reading an article on Catcher in the Rye and noticed a detailed graph that Salinger kept on real name vs character name.

Hey, I did it and somehow in my fantasy I stood shoulder to shoulder with Salinger and Hesse.

I am starting the second novel. What did I learn about writing? Do it from memory with all the passion you can master and stand by your truth.

A Reservoir Man, critics have hailed this explosive and timely work as “a must-read coming-of-age story of 2022.” Twists and turns further pull the reader in to Michael’s action-packed tale, with powerful themes, from betrayal and family to secrets and identity. “Be sure not to blink because you just might miss a pivotal moment in Michael’s rousing, larger-than-life story.” -- R.C. Gibson, Indiestoday.com. “This book is a dream, a gamble, a utopia, even.” -- Kalyan Panja, Bookmarkks.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Nick and Michael talked a lot about the draft and how soon they would be drafted after graduation. Nick said he was going to Europe for six months right after graduation, spending some time with his family in Cyprus.

He asked Michael to go with him, telling him that, “You can get a student deferment for seven to eight months while independently studying in a foreign country.”

Michael got excited, not because of the deferment, he realized that this was what the British Victorians gave their male children. When they graduated, they sent them to the continent for an extended time. The deferment was more attractive to Andy than having a Victorian son. Frances was very uneasy about this venture.

Michael told Andy, “Do not buy me a car for graduation. Send me to Europe.”

Andy agreed but the deal was that Michael had to use his graduation money as well. Michael got his deferment and bought his ticket to Amsterdam on Lufthansa Airlines. Nick’s brother worked for TransCaribbean Airlines, he gave Nick free plane trips through Europe and Cyprus. Michael bought a Frist Class Eurail pass for three months. This permitted him to go first-class from city to city in Europe with no reservations, nor restrictions, for as many trips as he wanted. They both were skipping graduation.

Though Andy and Frances felt bad not seeing their son graduate, they knew this adventure was important. His parents went to the airport with him, watched him go through customs, and stood looking down at him entering his gate. He promised to write every day and to light candles in every church he visited for the family. Michael was just twenty years old but felt as if he had already lived a lifetime.

About the Author: Louis J. Ambrosio ran one of the most nurturing bi-coastal talent agencies in Los Angeles and New York. He started his career as a theatrical producer, running two major regional theaters for eight seasons. Ambrosio also distinguished himself as an award-winning film producer and novelist over the course of his impressive career. He taught at 7 universities in the United States.

Buy the book at Amazon.

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