Who is Michael LaRocca? And why should you care?

Which photo is the real me? I'll let you decide.

A Portrait of the Author A Portrait of the Author A Portrait of the Author A Portrait of the Author
A Portrait of the Author A Portrait of the Author A Portrait of the Author
I teach English in Hangzhou China. I also telecommute to the US, Canada and Hong Kong as an editor and a transcriptionist. In my spare time (hah!) I write books and websites and newsletters and how-to articles, and review books for Inscriptions Magazine.

I was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA in 1963. Thirteen years later, I moved to Tampa, Florida. Thirteen years later, I moved back to NC. Ten years later, I moved to Hong Kong. Two years later, Hangzhou.

In 2000 I wrote 2-1/2 books, whipped 1-1/2 others into shape, and signed contracts to publish all 4 in 2001. In December 2000 I became an editor for one of my publishers, and in September 2001 I was promoted to Author Development Specialist. Later in 2001, both my publishers went away and I had to start over again.

I republished all four books and got new editing jobs with Books Unbound, Hard Shell Word Factory, and Zumaya Publications.

I've been listed in Writers Digest's The Best 101 Websites For Writers, and I've won Sime~Gen Readers Choice Awards for Favorite Nonfiction Book and Favorite Nonfiction Author.

Mad About Books (http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/michaellarocca) is my free biweekly email newsletter. It'll help you find free and low-cost high-quality reads, and to help you with your own writing. It'll also tell you about my experiences teaching English in China, and sometimes it's got some really goofy jokes.
 

An American Redneck In Hong Kong Can a "serious" author venture into humor without destroying his good name? I suppose we'll find out. Available in both ebook and paperback at Novel Books Inc. True dog stories, cat stories, horse stories, hog stories, redneck stories, and Hong Kong stories.

"Outrageous! Hilarious, great voice, fine structure. Well-written, well-done and I hooeyed out loud a couple of times. Thanks for the read!"                              --Jeff Rose, author

 

The Chronicles Of A Madman THE CHRONICLES OF A MADMAN has been published by Zumaya Publications in both paperback and ebook.

"Five stars out of five. Michael LaRocca is an author who knows how to use humor to make you laugh. He is an author who knows how to use thought-provoking material to entertain his readers, and he knows how to use poetry to make you think. He is one talented author. THE CHRONICLES OF A MADMAN is a book that will entertain you, make you think, and will have you yearning for more."               --A STORYWEAVER'S Book Reviews

 

RISING FROM THE ASHES is the story of how my mother managed to raise two sons alone. She overcame such adversity as rape, spouse abuse, child abuse, the death of the man she loved, alcoholism and suicide. I'm the one everyone thought would grow up dysfunctional. My brother's the one who killed himself. An inspiration to women everywhere. It will be published by Novel Books Inc. in both e-book and paperback formats on November 11, 2002.

 

VIGILANTE JUSTICE

Drugs are being stolen from the Police evidence locker and sold on the street. These same drugs are killing the users. When Internal Affairs detective Gary Drake's brother becomes one of the victims, Drake is even more determined to find the person responsible. Will his search for justice destroy the love he has finally found or will he administer his own brand of vigilante justice?
Vigilante Justice This was a 2002 EPPIE finalist in the Thriller category. Vigilante Justice is currently homeless because of what happened at CrossroadsPub, but the new and improved version is coming soon from Hard Shell Word Factory. Vigilante Justice

I launched my story-writing career when my first story, "The Bargain," won second prize at the National Honor Society's 1981 Florida State Convention and led to my inclusion in the 1982 Who's Who In American Writing.

Following a long hiatus from writing, I ran off to Hong Kong and resumed my career with a vengeance. The works collected in these books span twenty years and twenty publishing credits. The complete, rather lengthy set of publication credits for the short stories looks something like this:

I was Author Of The Month in June 2002 at A Storyweaver's Book Reviews. I was published in the December 2000 issue of Seeker Magazine. I was the Guest Short Story Writer Of The Month in the December 2000 issue of Writer's Review. I was published in the November 2000 issue of Seeker Magazine. I was published in the October 2000 issues of Bardo Burner, Dark Truths, Seeker Magazine, and Short Stories Magazine. I was published in the September 2000 issues of Dark Truths and Top Write Corner.

Okay, lemme pause for breath. I hate long paragraphs.

I was published in the August 2000 issues of Dark Truths Magazine and Top Write Corner. I was published in the July 2000 issues of Dark Truths Magazine, Seeker Magazine, Short Stories Magazine, and Vestal Review Magazine. I was published in the June 2000 issues of Progress, Purple Prose, and Seeker Magazine. I was published in the April/May 2000 issue of Eclectica Magazine, the May 2000 issue of Dark Truths Magazine, the April 2000 issue of Seeker Magazine, and the March 2000 issue of Dark Truths Magazine.

I was included in Imaginary Friends, a short story anthology published by Peak Output in 1989. That's a story in itself, actually. "The Shortest Play" was accepted by a magazine, but then the magazine went bankrupt. A few months later, they decided to put all the stuff they'd accepted but not published in an anthology. I got no money, but a free copy. I'm glad they put my story first, because it was the only good one in there.

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