Today we’d like to introduce you to Charles Guarria.
Hi Charles, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – To start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I was a faculty librarian at Long Island University (Brooklyn, NY) and had to write for tenure. The funny thing is, I did not know that was a part of the job when I interviewed! I decided to write like I did in college, and it worked! I won an award with my first journal article! A couple more articles and one book later, I left the university, moved to Florida to live with my girlfriend, and started freelance writing.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
It has been a smooth road. The writing community is excellent. There is room for all of us to grow and succeed. Whether in-person or online, people in this industry support each other. There have been no significant struggles. Occasionally, a job falls through. But that has been rare and only costs me a day of research and writing. It is not a big deal; everything is a process.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My first year as a freelancer was spent writing my second book. It is experimental fiction; the story is about a musician. I am contacting agents and publishers to gauge interest, see the offers, and weigh them against self-publishing. I also write for a newspaper and have a blog. The most recent newspaper articles and all my blogs can be found at chucklongisland.com. (I used to live on Long Island, NY, and decided to keep my social media the same when I moved to Florida.) For the newspaper, I like to tie in the past with the present. A bit of history adds context as to why something is happening now. Why does the editor want me to write about this? Because in the past, ABC happened, so today, XYZ is happening, which is why this is a relevant story for the community. My blog is mostly about concert and book reviews. I have a few things I am most proud of becoming an entrepreneur and challenging myself to write a novel after writing strictly academic pieces. And that my first book, “Proposition 13: America’s Second Great Tax Revolt,” reached number 30 on an Amazon sales chart.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I am a mellow guy. I love rock and roll, but my all-time favorite song is Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin. At a concert, I jump up and down, yell, and scream with the best of them. But at home, I drink tea, listen to crooners and old-time singers like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald as much as metal, and go to bed very early. I enjoy the rock star image but don’t need to be out partying all night every night. I want to be productive. In bed at a reasonable hour, up early, and make progress every day.
Pricing:
- Writing starts at $100 up to 500 words.
- Beta reading starts at $75 up to 10,000 words.
- Researching starts at $75.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chucklongisland.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chucklongisland
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChuckLongIsland
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleslongisland
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChuckLongIsland
- Other: https://tinyurl.com/3997kekf
Image Credits
All the photos were taken by Daytona Beach Photographer, Jay Anthony.
