Author Guest Post with L.J. Ambrosio: Reflections on the Boulevard

A teacher and his protege take a haphazard journey of joy, friendship and discovery.

Welcome to the August 24th stop on the blog tour for Reflections on the Boulevard by L.J. Ambrosio with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, more guest posts, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.

Author Guest Post

I want to thank this site for giving me free time to write whatever I want. I come from a different place to that of film and theatre. When I wrote my first book, I truly do not remember how I got there. When I did figure out what to do, I went on my first tour and loved every minute of the tour and kept on going on more tours. The tour hosts were all terrific. Bloggers and hosts, in a polite way, alluded to my book as gay. I gathered there were not too many LGBTQ books going on tours. But I want to compliment Dorothy at Pump up your Novel, Jamie at Rockstar, Cami at RABT, Silver Dagger, NN Light, and finally the two women who put up with my compulsive nature, Judy and Marianne at Goddess Fish. These guys are great people. They want to help the writer and promote their work for a small fee

There is some diversity missing here. Wouldn’t it great to have African American tours? There are some terrific books written by African American writers. There are very few gay bloggers available. But if you go across the street to Tumblr there is a whole colony of gay bloggers. They should be invited to come over if the men put some clothes on. Which leads to the heart of what I want to say.

I am very offended as a male at the half-clothed men on some of the romance jackets. You know 50 years ago so many books, as well as magazines, had half naked women on their covers, but the law made them take those books and put them behind the counter (that did not last long). Could you imagine one of those jackets standing next to Virginia Woolf’s “The Waves” or the Bible in some bookstore? Or DH Lawrence putting naked ladies on his novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover or Gore Vidal putting a half-naked trans on the cover of Myra Breckenridge? No, no matter what the language or subject matter was in the book it should not be cheapened with sensationalism.

You are writers, you author novels that are literature. Those jackets do not represent the words that tell the story. I have no issue with the writers – I read two of them, and they were good romance writers. That is great. Do let us dress the men.

One more thing. A few people commented that I change my point of view often in my writings. I learnt how to write by JD Salinger (I read Catcher in the Rye about 100 times). He wrote in stream of consciousness, the purpose of which is to get into your character’s mind, but you also need to do it to your second lead to fully understand what is happening in the novel. You also write with little construction, just the flow of your mind. Salinger did it brilliantly. With the remarks on my second book, I came close. When a critic says it was easy to read that is it. James Joyce, my other hero, had a different approach and reaction except in Portrait of an Artist which I think every young writer should read.

If anyone has any free space, I would love to discuss why I wrote the second book and am now writing the third, which is half done.

About the Book

Reflections on the Boulevard
by L.J. Ambrosio

Published 7 June 2023
Film Valor

Genre: Coming of Age
Page Count: 237
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

Michael’s story continues from “A Reservoir Man” (2022) where we find him teaching at a university ready to retire. He unexpectedly meets a young man named Ron who becomes his protégé and journeys with him in a haphazard adventure throughout America and Europe. In Michael’s final journey in life, each twist and turn of the road brings unexpected adventures. The journey taken is one of joy, friendship, and discovery.

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Excerpt

On one particularly bumpy part of the trail, Michael assured Ron.

“You look great and natural on that mule! Like Gene Autry!” Ron was falling over now, off the mule. Ron had some choice language for Michael. After a minute he also asked, “Who is Gene Autry?”

“He was the cowboy who sang ‘Don’t Fence Me In’!”

The mule train proved to be extraordinary. The views were spectacular; being inside the canyon was the best. The formation of the rocks was either tilted, straight, or flat. The horizontal layers of rocks produced the colors yellow, red, and blue. The mule and Ron were no problem; he was a natural mule rider. Thank heavens he told the mule about his relationship with Rhonda – that was the key to their bonding. Ron had a wonderful time, even if his butt was in pain. He felt the saddle was still attached to his bottom even after they left.

They found a bench looking at their incredible view of the North Rim. Michael turned to Ron telling him how nice and cool their friendship was. Michael agreed.

“I had so many friends and partners, but I was never able to have as much fun and conversations as I have had with you, Ron.”

“Partners like Gail, your former business partner?” Ron asked. Michael playfully responded, “No, like loving, and those other things.”

About the Author

Louis J. Ambrosio ran one of the most nurturing bi-coastal talent agencies in Los Angeles and New York. He started his career as a theatrical producer, running two major regional theaters for eight seasons. Ambrosio taught at seven universities. Ambrosio also distinguished himself as an award-winning film producer and novelist over the course of his impressive career.

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Giveaway Alert!

The author will award a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner and an autographed copy of the book to a second randomly drawn winner.

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