By Duncan Crary
Special to TheSpot518
TROY — A lifelong, blue-collared Trojan has published his first novel at age 44.
Erik Carucci, author of “Sempre Amore,” is a native to Troy and has lived here his entire life. A 1990 graduate of Troy High, Carucci recalls a 12th grade English teacher who encouraged his writing in high school. Her support back then continues to motivate his writing today.
Carucci originally pursued a career in welding and attended a welding school directly after high school. He has worked several jobs in his life, including building maintenance at Troy Schools, and part-time security work for local watering hole, Ryan’s Wake Public House.
“When I started telling people that I’d written a novel, they’d act really surprised,” said Carucci, who at first thought people just couldn’t imagine a blue collar worker had written a book. “I learned to stop being offended when I realized that the prospect of writing a novel is really daunting for a lot of people.”
Writing and publishing his novel was one of the most stressful things Carucci has ever done. Managing a 60-hour work week, Carucci would write in his spare time. He says the book took about three years to write and about eight months of editing.
Novel Characters
In “Sempre Amore,” Carucci presents a world where cosmic forces interact with life on earth. Two of the main characters, Ivan and Deth, both immortals, act as the main source of tension between good and evil as they learn in different ways to quench their thirst for blood. Careful to distinguish these characters from vampires, Carucci refers to them as “cosmic beings,” who feed off of the life of others.
Ivan, who never wanted to be immortal and lives only for chaos and hate, has figured out a way to end his existence, along with the rest of the multiverse. Despite his near omnipotence, Deth cannot stop Ivan alone, so he enlists the help of another immortal, Tiberius, who lives among the mortals of planet Earth in Troy. Deth’s time as protector of the multiverse is drawing to an end soon, and he must find a replacement to carry on his work.
A Troy Story
Most of the story takes place in a fictionalized Troy, where Tiberius works at a bar owned by Beth, a mortal he is in love with. Tiberius lives on Washington Park in the home where Deth originally lived before “the change” made him a cosmic being and protector of the multiverse. Like the author’s own Italian grandfather, Tiberius is an immigrant who previously worked as a carpenter in Italy. (The title of the book is Italian for “Forever Love.”)
Among the themes that Sempre Amore explores are the issues of being a “transplant,” or new resident, in Troy and trying to fit in with the population that has lived here longer. Beth is new to the city and is coming to love the place. Tiberius is a native of Troy, but he too must deal with being different from the others as a transformed cosmic being.
“I covered what it means to be a native of Troy and a transplant, which is a topic that comes up now with more people moving here,” Carucci said. “I learned a long time ago from Stephen King that you should ‘write about what you know.’ Troy is only place on this planet, that I feel connected to or grounded in.”
He also hopes that in writing a novel set in Troy, more people will learn about his little city and come to experience it and love it like he does.
Where To Buy?
As a self-published author, Carucci received most of his help from a website called Create Space, which is a company under Amazon intended to help self-publishing authors. The website offers resources for every aspect of the publishing journey, and Carucci says it’s one of the best tools out there. His books are printed through Create Space as well, but are available in for purchase in paperback edition on Amazon, goodreads, and Barnes and Noble ($12.99), and as a Kindle ebook ($3.99).
Publication Party
There will be a publication party and book signing event for “Sempre Amore,” on Wednesday, Dec. 14, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Ryan’s Wake Pub. Paperback books will be available for purchase from the author for a special $10 discounted price.
The evening will feature live music (blues, rock, soul) by Doz Guys, a trio comprised of three out of four members of Right Coast Soul.
