In the suffocating bosom of August, Dionysus arrives in New Orleans. For too long, the Greek God of Revelry and Wine has endured the incessant bickering atop Mt. Olympus, and so he descends to be with the mortals and indulge himself in the city’s reputed decadence and vice.
When Dionysus is parched and aching for even a drop of the vine, he mistakenly stumbles into a bookstore and begs an employee who reminds him of the last pharaoh of Egypt—Cleopatra—to point him in the direction of wine. Zibby Dufossat, on the cusp of her first year of law school and desperate for a distraction, sets aside her anxieties to peel back the layers of the esoteric, anachronistic, and often offensive beautiful stranger, only to find heartache and pain. But before she can decipher this enigma, he disappears into the French Quarter fray of sweaty, gyrating lovers.
With grapevines sprouting from the path he walks and an unexplainable, addictive libido placing the city under his spell, the god deflects his retinue of Olympians and fantastical creatures attempting to deliver him back home. But it soon becomes clear that Dionysus alone can determine his fate, and the fates of Zibby and New Orleans with it.
Hello book lovers! Today is a day where I will be writing another author spotlight for a well-accomplished author whose work I have loved. As you know book lovers I love learning about authors and the inspiration behind their work, it fascinates me and adds to the depth of the book because the reader will be able to better understand it. That is how the author spotlights were created because I soon discovered that you lovely readers ALSO love learning about author’s, so I am excited to tell you a little bit more about author Ben D’Alessio whose book The Neon God thrilled me from beginning to end. I personally would recommend this book to all of those that love fantasy but really the book can be read by anybody as it is flawlessly written and highly enjoyable. With today’s author spotlight, a biography of the author and an interview between me and Ben D’Alessio will be shared, and I hope that you book lovers enjoy reading it! To kick this off here is an author bio about the wonderful Ben D’Alessio!
Ben D’Alessio is an attorney in Linwood, New Jersey. He’s the author of the novels: Binge Until Tragedy, Lunchmeat, and The Neon God. And the short stories: FREEDOMWORLD, Pigmalion, All BENNYs Must Die, and Hallucinogenic Jimmy. His work has appeared in ExtraNewsfeed and RanttNews. All of his writing appears on his Medium page: https://medium.com/@bendalessio17
Follow him on facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BenDAlessioWriting/), twitter: https://twitter.com/El__Ben, and instagram: @bendalessio
Now, how wonderful does Ben D’Alessio sound?! Ben D’Alessio is a truly exceptional writer and I hope that you lovely readers have a read of the author’s work because you will not regret it! Please see below an interview between me and the author and I hope that you enjoy Ben D’Alessio’s answers to my questions, they are incredible and provide some great advice too!
Thank you for joining us today at Red Headed Book Lover! Please tell us more about yourself
I am a lawyer and writer originally from North Jersey, but now putting down roots in South Jersey–yes, there is a difference.
Could you please tell us readers about your book and what inspired you to write your book?
The Neon God is my 3rd novel. I went to law school in New Orleans and love the city. I knew I wanted to write a book that took place in NOLA, as my first takes place in the northeast, Europe, and North Africa and my second is strictly New Jersey, but wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted it to be about. Then I stumbled about Edith Hamilton’s seminal work “Mythology” in one of those little free libraries and came up with the idea to have Dionysus appear in New Orleans.
What would your advice be for aspiring writers?
My advice for aspiring writers is to (1) not call yourself an “aspiring” writer and just say “writer”. If you write, you’re a writer. (2) would be to write every day (or as much as possible) and write about whatever you want. Don’t think you have to write about something because you live somewhere or come from a certain background. That being said, your reader will decide whether the writing is any good and worth consuming.
What is your writing process like?
My writing process is methodical, as I believe habit is far more important than inspiration. Every time I sit to write I must write at least 300 words (usually end up around 450) and I sit to write as much as possible, probably 4-6 times per week. I notes of the increasing word count, which in itself inspires me to write more. For example, January 10th–> 5,452 words. January 11th–> 5,812 words, etc. etc. This process has helped me write 3 novels, 4 short stories, and many other types of publications. However, this is a process for literally writing the book, not writing it well–that comes in the editing phase.
Do you read much and if so who are your favorite authors?
I read pretty much every day. I usually spend an hour before going to bed reading whatever book I’m on at the time. Usually novels, but I enjoy non-fiction, biographies, and other types of books, too. Some of my favorite authors are Philip Roth, Octavia Butler, James A. Michener, Elif Shafak, George R.R. Martin, Geraldine Brooks, James McBride, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Kazuo Ishiguro, Kurt Vonnegut, and too many others to count.
Lastly, when can we readers expect to read more wonderful books from you?
Readers can check out my other two novels, Binge Until Tragedy and Lunchmeat. I’m about 54,000 words in to a 4th novel as I write this. Who knows how long it will be and how long it will take to edit it and get it up for sale. Hopefully sooner rather than later!
Its official book lovers, I am obsessed with Ben D’Alessio! If you have liked what you have read about the author and are interested in learning more, then please do have a browse of the links below and be sure to have a read of the preview too! You will not regret it.
Goodbye for now book lovers,
