The RV Book Fair – Frank DiMaio

Welcome to The RV Book Fair! Frank, tell us about your latest book and what inspired you to write it?

My latest project is a non-fiction book. It is based on my research from 2013 to the present
regarding negative words and their connection to health. My quandary started after my wife
died from breast cancer. The emotional disquiet nudged me over the edge into the hopeless
abyss. Along with all the other emotional levels of grief. A current working title, which has
changed 3 times, is ‘The Psychology of Healing, The Subconscious Connection.’
So, this new book touches upon the impact of negative and positive words as the baseline of
discussion and the physical, mental, spiritual, and material components of striving for balance
under the umbrella of Emotional Prosperity.
My previous book is ‘A Promise Made, A Promise Kept, A Husband’s Journey Through
Journaling To Heal The Loss Of His Spouse.’ This provides the back story of my and my wife’s
journey through her treatment process, her passing, and my attempts to keep the promises I
made to fulfill her end-of-life wishes.

Many authors have a favorite place or environment where they like to write. Where do you find your most creative place and why?

The library. The smell of books inspires me.

How do you choose the title for your books, and how important do you think book titles are in attracting readers?

For me, it is important. I write my back cover first, which is also part of my ending. Then, the
title can reveal itself. It tells the reader what to expect, and the book provides the compass
heading to navigate the ocean of emotion and life to get there.

Can you share some insights into your creative process.  Do you outline your stories or let them unfold organically?

My fiction stories follow an organic process. The characters develop as the story progresses.
My non-fiction works have a set outcome and a specific purpose.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing? Any hobbies or interests that influence your writing?

I sculpt or dig dirt. Both require focus, are relaxing, and provide moments of spiritual
peace. This is an important mind space for me, then off to the library, if possible, to smell the
paper…LOL. Photography offers a similar respite as the moments of mental quiet become
ethereal—those tap on the mind with childlike innocence and creativity as little gifts from the
ethers.

Do you have a favorite character from your own books and if so, why?

I have a couple of characters I have an affinity for. A’llard is a stout, jolly, and agile sailor
from a French mother and a Portuguese Father. He loves his women, rum, and opium. Slim
Jack is another from the same fiction novel ‘The Pearls.’ He is high English gentry born, tall and
slender, hence his name, and quick with his fists. Had an opportunity to join the Queen’s Guard
but refused as he felt more at home in the streets than a cigar parlor and became a
Metropolitan Police Inspector. Rather, he is a rogue, the black sheep of a starched-shirt family.

How do you handle writers block or periods of low motivation?

Writer’s block doesn’t present itself in my mindset of creative freedom. If my writing flow
gets congested, like a chest cold and sinus block, I step away and do something unrelated to
writing. Allow myself to meditate, hum, or sing in my head. That is when the ethereal innocence
of creativity comes rapping in my mind like childlike play.

Are there any books or authors that you revisit on re-read for inspiration or comfort?

James Joyce; Portrait of An Artist As A Young Man. Isolation plays a large role in my
writing. The protagonists’ process of discovery and desire to be an artist is a humanly
embracing theme relevant to many levels of life and emotional turmoil to reach the depth of the
creative self.
F. Scott Fitzgerald; This Side Of Paradise. It’s more of a reflective read for me. I have to be in a
mood to journey into the struggles of a personal psychological drama play Fitzgerald creates
for his character. It is on my list to read this year in the month of my birthday to provide some
grounding to write the synopsis for a fictional trilogy I have been putting off. I think this will
bridge the gap for me to descend into the abyss of social and familial tragedy surrounding WWI.

What role do you believe literature plays in shaping society and culture? How do you see your own work contributing to this?

Our literature becomes a reflective anecdote of our changing surroundings. The influence of
learned negative behavior has become synonymous with humanity’s identity of force. The

opportunities for social sarcasm in Literature are growing. At the same time, personal self-
discovery has become more relevant because of the heightened maliciousness of forces

worldwide. For myself, a niche of service in this turbulent time shows the need for oscillating
through our emotions of negative and positive value to embrace the emotional prosperity we
deserve. Those books help me immerse the creative in me and experience my characters’
emotions. And for my readers looking for something with vulnerability and faith to say as they
read, “I feel like that too, or He knows what I am struggling with.”

In your opinion what is the most challenging aspect of writing, and how do you overcome it?

The most challenging aspect of my writing is not to force the words if I sense that, I need to
step back and get off the soapbox. Being an educator brings out the Socratic approach, but
the do as I say, not as I do, style of presentation can be disruptive to the creative process for
me in both genres of Fiction and Nonfiction. More so in the nonfiction realm. So, stepping back
and meditating/praying provides an opportunity to take a breath—the pause I need to have
forethought and allow the ethereal gifts to come to me.

Find out more about Frank at: https://www.fjdwriter.com/

For additional information about the RV Book Fair and our featured guests, please visit:www.relatable-media.com