Follow the story of best friends Johnny Romano, Ralphie Molinaro and Giulia Stringer as they try to solve the greatest mystery of them all: growing up
NEW YORK, July 6, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Michael F. DeConzo announces his return to the publishing scene with the release of "Welcome to the Arcade" (published by Archway Publishing), the prequel to his previous novel published in 2021 titled "Two Nickels," which is the endearing story of a man figuring out what really matters in his life.
Living in South Beach, Staten Island, "the forgotten borough" of New York City, best friends Johnny Romano, Ralphie Molinaro and Giulia Stringer struggle to understand a world that does not make a whole lot of sense to them. They are searching for answers to questions that seem impossible to figure out. Why are their parents so crazy? How do they live with the hole left in their hearts when someone dies? Why is the gravitational pull of their neighborhood, a beach town next to the Verrazano Bridge, so powerful? What peculiar shapes can love take? And why has a rundown arcade two blocks from the beach become the center of their universe?
But the people these best friends meet--from Joey C., the local mob enforcer, to Luke, a transfer student at Tompkins High School, to Dinino, the mysterious owner of the arcade, all have their own secrets to hide. Covering a decade of their lives, from 10 to 20 years of age, this novel follows Johnny, Ralphie and Giulia as they move through the kaleidoscope of childhood to the brink of adulthood, always keeping one burning question in their minds: "How do we figure out the greatest mystery of them all: growing up?"
"This book deals with issues of identity, race, relationships, loss, bullying, divorce, sexuality, drugs, belonging, friendship and love. The story is set on Staten Island, where the characters navigate familiar touchstones—the boardwalk and the arcade in South Beach, the Verrazzano Bridge, schoolyards, high school dances, and the ferry. The characters experience their own personal epiphanies, but they are also a part of the larger canvas of the 1970s-1980s, a time when the borough's population exploded, and Staten Island changed forever," DeConzo says. When asked what he wants readers to take away from the book, he answered, "That the hardest thing about being young is staying young. It doesn't matter what age you are." For more details about the book, please visit https://www.archwaypublishing.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/847240-welcome-to-the-arcade
"Welcome to the Arcade"
By Michael F. DeConzo
Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 338 pages | ISBN 9781665736824
Softcover | 6 x 9in | 338 pages | ISBN 9781665736848
E-Book | 338 pages | ISBN 9781665736831
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the Author
Michael F. DeConzo has had the exceptionally good fortune to teach in the same schools that he attended as a student: IS 49, Curtis High School, and the College of Staten Island. Before he became an educator, he owned a candy store, a video store, drove a truck for a bar and restaurant supply, and kept uneven tempos in a few rock and roll bands. He has had an original screenplay optioned and a play produced on Staten Island. In 2022, he was awarded a grant from Staten Island Arts. "Two Nickels," his first novel, was published in 2021. Always the optimist, he still lives on Staten Island, where he enjoys spending time with his wife and children and walking Gatsby, his Labrador rescue.
Simon & Schuster, a company with nearly ninety years of publishing experience, has teamed up with Author Solutions, LLC, the worldwide leader in self-publishing, to create Archway Publishing. With unique resources to support books of all kind, Archway Publishing offers a specialized approach to help every author reach his or her desired audience. For more information, visit archwaypublishing.com or call 844-669-3957.
Media Contact
Marketing Services, ArchwayPublishing, 844-669-3957, pressreleases@archwaypublishing.com
SOURCE ArchwayPublishing
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