Russ Capasso - Author

HOST is now available as an audiobook! I'm very excited with how it came out, my friend Mark Dmitri Garkusha nailed it and gave it a life I wasn't expecting! (Thanks bud!) You can find it anywhere you get audiobooks.

HOST Audiobook Available Now! – RUSS CAPASSO It’s here! HOST is now available on all major audiobook platforms! Professionally narrated by my good friend, Mark Garkusha, and running about 8 hours, HOST comes alive in a way I didn’t imagine. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect at first, but Mark crushed it and nailed the tone of the sto...

March Madness Updates: Audiobook is coming in April, first draft of the next book is almost done, HOST lands on the shelf at a bookstore, AND in a library in MA, so much!

March 2025: Audiobook, Zero Trust, and more… – RUSS CAPASSO March madness! And I’m not even talking about basketball. The weather is changing here in New England, sorta, right now it’s overcast, cold, and windy but we can taste Spring. It’s in the air and I can’t wait for it. But it’s not the only thing I’m excited about right now. Because…drum...

Some photos from my first book event at Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore! I had a blast meeting new authors and readers, signing books and answering questions from the audience. Thanks Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore for having me!

Excited for my first book event of 2024! I'll be at Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore in Middletown, CT on Wednesday, March 6th for their Local and Independent Author Event. It starts at 5pm and includes a presentation/reading from each of the five authors on the panel, a Q&A, and signing. If you're in the area come out and support local authors and independent books!

https://www.wesleyanrjjulia.com/featured-local-authors.asp

Exciting news to share...an audiobook version of HOST is coming soon! Narrated by Mark Garkusha, you can listen to Chapter 1 now...

HOST Audiobook is Coming! Chapter 1 Preview… – RUSS CAPASSO I’ve got some exciting news to share for the new year. An audiobook version of HOST is coming soon! I’ve gotten a lot of feedback and requests to have an audiobook version, it was on my list early on but I wasn’t sure how to approach it. Before I finished a final draft I reached out to a frien...

Few episodes behind but I recently dove into story archetypes on the Writer Syndrome podcast. Covering the various types, a little bit of history, and how Tim and I used (or didn't use) them with our own stories.

Story Archetypes – Writer Syndrome Story archetypes are a great starting point for building your narrative. In this episode Russ and Tim discuss the seven core story archetypes that can be found in most fiction, how they can be used to create a engaging novels, and how they used (or didn’t use) them for their own projects. Categori...

Some early HOST cover art concepts and the (abridged) design process...

HOST Early Cover Art Concepts & Process – RUSS CAPASSO I know I’ve said this before, the old saying, don’t judge a book by it’s cover, but we still do. The cover is the first impression a reader gets. Does it convey the genre, what the story might be about, or provide some mystery? Not only should a cover do that, it also needs to be professional ...

Very behind on my goal of reading a book a week but got some done in September. A mix of sci-fi and crime fiction...

Reading List: September 2023 – RUSS CAPASSO Well, this year has disappeared before my very eyes. Catching up on my reading goals as best I can, as I fell off the bandwagon for a bit while I figured out how to promote my own book. I’m back on and looking to crush the rest of the year with reading (and writing book two). Here’s what I manag...

Wrapped up the story beats deep dive series with Act III on the latest Writer Syndrome episode. Check it out!

Story Beats Act III – Writer Syndrome It all comes down to this…Act III. Our heroes have been removed from their normal world, thrust into a chaotic Act II world, been through the ringer, hit the bottom of the barrel, now it’s time for them to shine (or maybe not?) and finish their journey. Join Russ and Tim as they wrap-up their de...

Thinking about story settings lately, and how they play a part in any narrative. Either reinforcing the theme and/or acting as an obstacle for the hero, they should be more than just a location for a plot to roll through. For HOST Green Bank Observatory was perfect for theme and plot (also a really cool / interesting place).

Setting as Character: Green Bank Observatory – RUSS CAPASSO Photo Credit: John Stoke, 2014, Green Bank Observatory Flickr Setting in any story is, or should be, just as important as any character. It may not have motivations and goals like a character (or maybe it can?), but it can help convey themes, act as an obstacle, or represent something to a character...

The chat continues about story beats. As we deep dive into Act II and all it's components on the latest Writer Syndrome episode!

Story Beats Act II – Writer Syndrome Doing their best to avoid strong act II vibes, Russ and Tim continue their deep dive into Save the Cat! Writes A Novel story beats with Act II. Categories: Episodes Recent Posts Story Beats Act II Story Beats Act I Writer’s Block Character Motivations Marketing & Social Media Apple PodcastsSpotify...

Revisiting and deep diving into the Act I story beats from Save the Cat! Writes a Novel in the latest Writer Syndrome podcast.

Story Beats Act I – Writer Syndrome Using Save the Cat! Writes A Novel as a jumping off point, Russ and Tim do a deep dive into the Act I story beats, and reference how this methodology was useful in crafting their own works. Categories: Episodes Recent Posts Story Beats Act II Story Beats Act I Writer’s Block Character Motivations ...