I’m John
Calicchia and I write stories of fantasy, action and adventure. In the fall of
2015 my book Mirror World was released! It's a story of two powerful young
sisters and their epic battle against evil. But, this book has something in it
most do not: hidden secrets. It's a teen and young adult fiction book with a
self-help book hidden inside. You see… after publishing in psychology books and
journals for decades I felt my writing was not helping the young people I love
to work with. So, I took famous psychology studies and put it in the characters
and plot in Mirror
World. As you become part of the story you can learn about psychology
or you can just enjoy the story! You can also get a free copy of the users
guide to help you understand the psychology behind the book by joining my
website www.johncalicchia.com
John Calicchia Ph.D. is a professor
of psychology who also works with children and young adults as a licensed
psychologist. He lives near Boston
with his lovely wife and two amazing daughters. You can usually find him in the
pool swimming with his two big dogs.
For
More Information
- Visit John Calicchia’s website.
- Connect with John on Facebook and Twitter.
- Find out more about John at Goodreads.
Can
you tell us what your book is about?
It’s a
story of two brave sisters who fight against a dark Angel who has the ability
to corrupt humans self-perceptions...When Cailyssa Larkin looks in a mirror she
has an ominous feeling that someone is watching her. Stranger still, she has
visions that foretell the future. While visiting her Uncle Spencer,
Why did
you write your book?
The
inspiration for this book came from the things that I love in life. I have
always loved reading and writing young adult fiction and fantasy, I am also
passionate about my work as a psychologist with young people, and since I have
two daughters that I love dearly, I have always been disappointed with the lack
of strong female heroines in literature and movies. Although this has changed a
bit recently, not long ago it was difficult to find a female lead character
especially in strong action roles. So I wrote a YA book with strong
female characters, and elements of psychology are embedded within!
Can you
tell us a little about your main and supporting characters?
Cailyssa
Larkin is a 17-year-old strong female heroine, but she has always had problems
fitting in. She possesses extraordinary martial arts fighting abilities and the
ability to influence people. Despite her amazing abilities to understand others
and see the future, she cannot understand herself. Her family secret is obvious
to everyone but herself. She is also cursed to fall in love with a young man, sworn
to always protect her, that she will never be with. Everyone’s favorite
character seems to be her sister Terry. She’s Cailyssa’s sister and a ton of
crazy fun, with wings like an angel and 12 inch razor-sharp blades that come
out of her knuckles she takes on any evil foe! But like all superheroes,
she has hidden weaknesses.
Do you
tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your
imagination?
Of course, as an author I would say that they come
from my imagination, but a psychologist I know that’s not quite true – I
think I might know a couple of those characters in my book.
Are you
consciously aware of the plot before you begin a novel or do you discover it as
you write?
I always knew where I wanted to go, but some days I just
wasn’t sure how I would get there.
Open the
book to page 69. What is happening?
It is the
last page of chapter 7 – one of my favorite endings. A Dragon and a Dwarf
just became united after narrowly escaping death. They now share an unbreakable
bond. “The Dragon and the dwarf, now one, flew on toward Castle Larkin. For the
first time in a long while, they both felt something they had not in a very
long time: love and hope.”
What
would you do with an extra hour today if you could do anything you wanted?
Spend more time with my family and of course read or write.
If we
were to meet for lunch to talk books, where would we go?
Addicted
to Chipolte.
Can you
tell us about your family?
I know I am a lucky man. I have a wonderful
wife, two amazing daughters, and two very cool dogs!
What do
you like the most about being an author?
I love
the escapism, and the ability to live inside an imaginary world.
What is
the most pivotal point of a writer’s life?
I believe
everyone has a book inside of them waiting to come out. Write what you love and
you will love what you write – other people will too. You will become
passionately addicted to the process!
What kind
of advice would you give other fiction authors?
My
publishing experience is probably different from many authors who write
fiction. I came from an academic background and have been traditionally
published in the psychology field since the early 90s. However, I didn't feel
that my academic books and journal articles were helping the young people I
love to work with. So, I decided to write a teen and young adult fiction book
that had famous concepts in psychology embedded in the characters and the plot;
almost like a self-help book hidden within a fiction book! Since I have
been reading young adult and teen literature for my entire life – this book was
the most enjoyable publication experience of my life! Also, using Create
Space and KDP from Amazon was a wonderful experience. The
editorial staff was top-notch and the platform is easy to use