REFLECTIONS OF MICHAEL by L.J. Ambrosio
GENRE: Literary Fiction/ Coming of Age
I am easily swayed by covers, so I am always curious of how they are chosen. L J Ambrosio is here to talk about his covers for the Reflections Of Michael series. Take it away L J.
Please tell us about the three covers and how they relate to the books.
RESERVOIR MAN
The title is a metaphor. The “reservoir man” is the darkness of corruption. He will tempt us with a banquet of debauched temptation. That temptation could be greed, hating your neighbor, violence, sexual abuse, all the seven deadly sins plus more.
This metaphor will remain in Michael’s life. In his childhood, he would go to a reservoir near his home, waiting for the next person to sit down at his bench to talk to. Michael wanted to hear about their adventures in life but some who sat were men looking to take advantage, sexually, of any young boy. One man who walked around the reservoir took a special interest in Michael and would not leave him alone; he followed him home and attempted to get into Michael’s house. Michael ran to his sister’s house, but his pursuer followed him there as well, then attempted to break in. Michael gained the strength to push him away.
Michael carried this all his life. He had to admit he did get fooled at times, where some reservoir men came masked towards him and he did not see them for what they were. This metaphor remains consistent in three novels. In “Exiles,” the police officer beating Louie up, in “Reflections on the Boulevard,” the gang that beats up Ron and violently hurts Rhonda are examples.
REFLECTIONS ON THE BOULVARD
This a complicated metaphor as well. I am quoting the book in the concluding chapter:
“They crossed the street to the other side, he felt the parallel lives of two men meeting, only for a moment. A car passed. In the reflections of the street, one may see the image of a young man and an older man, who had come together one more time, in this place. He felt him, it was a relief, he and Michael were one. He stood now on the Boulevard Saint-Michel.”
By reflecting Michael’s image, Ron found his truth as he became one with Michael’s memory. It was a relief to know that Michael would always be with him; we all see reflections that give us the ability know what to do in our lives and what we are about. In “Exiles,” when Louie and Lily imitate the old couple in the music room of the bookstore, they are reflecting the idea of a perfect love. Louie is growing, taking another step to understanding true love. It is a part of his rite of passage. Those trials confront all the characters in these stories. Louie’s pain is in finding who he is, the ability to become a partisan. In our journey, we all pass through these challenges, using reflections from our lives, avoiding the “Reservoir Man” around each corner.
The images on the book are our two journeymen sitting on the edge of le Sien with Notre Dame in front of them. They are celebrating the incredible structure. The back cover is an image of Ron and Michel driving towards their next magnificent vista. This visual pairing of the two characters in friendship also represents the buddy story line.
EXILE
James Joyce was very clear in his beliefs that when the artist is oppressed and creatively cripple, they must leave to exile themselves. Joyce went to Paris and the continent for over 30 years before he went back to Dublin. He was not the only artist to leave, an entire generation of American artists left. They were called the Lost Generation, they found harbor in France.
Louie and Ron both find safe harbor at the bookstore, that is where they exile. I imagine the bookstore represents all the words they need to understand, they have the comfort of all those great writers.
They leave to go across America to finally find peace at Walden Pond. The native Americans believed that the dragonfly would take your soul to a resting place. Our characters do change; they are changing at the end of this novel and beyond it. Louie believes in this at the end, as he mourns Lily’s death.
To “Exile” is not to run away, but to find a new environment to grow and flourish as an artist and human being. The cover of the book “Exiles” represents this safe harbor for these individuals, the dim lights of safety and warmth, growth, and adventure as represented by the books by the many authors of the world. What better place to find a new life than at a bookstore, where many lives and stories and pathways are converging at once. The bookstore is a place with which these characters can all find a pathway to the life they individually need to live, with their own purpose.
Thanks so much for visiting us today and good luck with the tour.
A Reservoir Man
A Reservoir Man, critics have hailed this explosive and timely work as “a must-read coming-of-age story of 2022.” Twists and turns further pull the reader in to Michael’s action-packed tale, with powerful themes, from betrayal and family to secrets and identity. “Be sure not to blink because you just might miss a pivotal moment in Michael’s rousing, larger-than-life story.” —
R.C. Gibson, Indiestoday.com. “This book is a dream, a gamble, a utopia, even.” — Kalyan Panja, Bookmarkks.
Reflections on the Boulevard
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 protege and journeys in a haphazard adventure with him throughout America and Europe, each twist and turn of the road bringing unexpected adventures. The journey taken is one of joy, friendship and discovery.
Exiles
In this final chapter, Ron’s story concludes from Reflections on the Boulevard (2023). Michael’s wish was for Ron to exile himself in the heart of Paris with its beautiful culture and citizens as they protest and fight for the soul of the city. Ron’s journey is met with life-affirming friendships and lessons along the way. The final book in the Reflections of Michael Trilogy, which started with A Reservoir Man (2022).
AUTHOR Bio and Links
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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- Buy the series on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C79G6BB3
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