It Began in Brooklyn by Vito Altavilla

 

Today, author Vito Altavilla is going to share with us his journey to becoming a writer. He also shares with us an excerpt from his new book It Began in Brooklyn. Follow the tour for even more! And best of luck entering the great giveaway.

Joey has a fork stuck in his side! I'll never use that pail and shovel ever again. I didn't know an ashtray could hold so much... What do you mean she doesn't have a penis? The great meatball Controversy of 1952, courtesy of 'Fat Mama' An industrial research chemist who participated in several technological breakthroughs and has a number of national and international patents in concert with his business partner to his credit has a much lighter side to his life. During the course of his life time he was often the cause or in the middle of a number of humorous and unique events that he focused this book on. I am sure that the reader will often smile and sometimes laugh out loud at his very original and unique stories. When was the last time you read a book that made you laugh or at the very least smile? This book will definitely do that. Read and enjoy.

Read an excerpt:

All the children were gathered in the living room ready to celebrate Selma’s eleventh birthday party when her mom entered the room and told them all to follow her to their newly finished decorated basement. This was the time when neighbors were all trying to outdo each other. I believe the expression was keeping up with Joneses.

SONNY was at the end of the line holding the birthday gift his mom had bought. As he passed through the living room, he noticed a fruit bowl in the middle of the dining room table. He had never seen such beautiful ripe fruit like this. He didn’t know what possessed him, but he only knew he had to take a bite out of one of those apples. He figured if he took one bite only, he could the put it facedown and no one would notice.

He had to be quick, so he grabbed an apple and bit down hard. It was wax! It was stuck in his mouth up to his gums! He couldn’t dislodge it and his mouth was starting to hurt. He finally squeezed a finger on either side of the apple and with a yank dislodged it. There was still a big piece missing which was still in his mouth. He put the missing piece in his pocket returned the apple face down in the fruit bowl. The missing piece was invisible. However, SONNY had another problem. He could feel a waxy residue on his teeth and as he walked toward the basement he noticed a mirror, smiled then got very nervous. His teeth were red. The wax coating was now on his teeth. He tried to scrape it off but to no avail. His only solution was to eat birthday cake and ice cream with the slightest mouth opening he could muster. It seemed to work. No one said anything, although they did look at him strangely when he was singing happy birthday since he sang, “Abby birthday oo oo and Abby birdday oo oo, etc.” They just never thought that SONNY had a speech impediment.

The party was over and SONNY said goodbye with his lips only slightly open and his head down.

The following week Selma came up to SONNY and asked him if he saw anyone bite her mom’s wax apple. She was upset since it was expensive. SONNY said, “No, he hadn’t seen anyone bite her apple, but if he had he would have told her.

SONNY didn’t feel that he was lying. After all, for him to have seen someone he would have had to be looking in the mirror when he bit it.

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Tell us about your journey to becoming a writer.

IMy journeys as a writer actually started because of Friday breakfast meetings with friends. Every Friday morning, we older guys would get together and commiserate about the past week's events but more often sat highlights of our lives. One of my friends commented that since I always seem to have more stories than anyone else I should write a book. Since I was now somewhat retired from a normal schedule (i.e.9-5) I thought I’d give it a try.

I decided I would start at the beginning of my life since I still had some faint memories of. However, as I started to write about my early past, memories came flooding back. It was like someone had pushed a replay button. The memories have become more comprehensive as I’ve continued to write. I never thought that remembering events from my life would lead to writing a book. Sometimes it’s like watching an old favorite movie.

Vito Altavilla has extensive experience as an industrial researcher and has participated in many technological breakthroughs. He also has his own podcast called, "The Year Was: A Podcast About Life, Love, And The Pursuit Of A Good Time." Now retired, he lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. In addition to all of that he is currently finishing a screenplay based on the novel, as well.


Website: https://itbeganinbrooklyn.com/index.html

Vito Altavilla will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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