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Brooklyn
Author Brings "Criminal Background" to First Novel
The Brooklyn Heights Courier, VOLUME 25, NO. 12 , March
24, 2003, by Christy Goodman
One of the newest editions to the Brooklyn Heights Public
Library is the novel 'The Carrot and the Mule" by the
Heights' own Joseph Foti.
Foti,
is an attorney for the Kings County District Attorney's Office
in the Sex Crimes and Domestic Violence bureaus, used his
knowledge of abuse and neglect to lay the groundwork for his
first novel.
During
his time at Brooklyn Law School Foti was first introduced
to the world of domestic violence and abuse. Always questioning
the 'circle of abuse/ he decided on the premise of his novel.
"It
is from these experiences that I wrote my novel in the hopes
that it would teach people that all child abuse victims do
not grow up to be criminals," said Foti, "And that
through much soul searching one can lead a happy life and
break the cycle of abuse."
While
it has a moral, there is still room for murder, mystery, drugs,
romance and intense power struggles to please
any young adult to adult reader.
"The
protagonist and main characters are all chasing happiness,
but seeking it in different ways—in their relationships and
through manipulation," explained Foti.
Each character
represents a horrible face of abuse, be it mental or physical.
What is interesting is finding out how, as adults, these characters
deal with the ramifications of their personal histories.
"The
topic is strong and hard-hitting, but so is "The Catcher
in the Rye,'" he said. "The Carrot and the Mule"
took four years to complete. A published poet in various national
magazines and anthologies, Foti has also published several
short stories in the Montage Literary Magazine of St. Francis
College.
"I
have always been a writer," he said. "It is the
only profession I have found where I can take a walk on the
promenade, then sit down to write the book at 9 a.m. and when
I stop I see it is 9 p.m. "Telling the story—that is
why I love doing it," said Foti, who is on his sixth
revision on his second novel. The lengthy "Sunnyside"
is the story of a brother and sister who grow up in a corrupt
society and their attempt to survive and escape.
On March
27 at 2:20 p.m., Foti will be reading from "The Carrot
and the Mule," as well as teaching a mini-seminar on
how to get a book published for free at St. Francis College,
located at 180 Remsen Street. For more information, call (718)522-2300.
Foti will
discuss his inspirational novel on WNYE 91.5 FM at 6 p.m.
on April 14 on the radio program "Everything Goes."
He will
conduct readings on April 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes &
Noble (212-674-8780), located at 396 Avenue of the Americas
in Manhattan, and on May 6 at 7 p.m. at Bookcourt Bookstore
(718-875-3677), located at 163 Court Street.
"The
Carrot and the Mule," published by Publish America, is
currently available at all major online book distributors
and in all major book stores...
...Joseph
Foti, a 12-year Brooklyn Heights resident, will be reading
from his novel "The Carrot and the Mule" on March
27 at St. Francis College.
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