Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Talking Books with John Calicchia, author of 'Mirror World'



I’m John Calicchia and I write stories of fantasy, action and adventure. In the fall of 2015 my book Mirror World was released! It's a story of two powerful young sisters and their epic battle against evil. But, this book has something in it most do not: hidden secrets. It's a teen and young adult fiction book with a self-help book hidden inside. You see… after publishing in psychology books and journals for decades I felt my writing was not helping the young people I love to work with. So, I took famous psychology studies and put it in the characters and plot in Mirror World. As you become part of the story you can learn about psychology or you can just enjoy the story! You can also get a free copy of the users guide to help you understand the psychology behind the book by joining my website www.johncalicchia.com

John Calicchia Ph.D. is a professor of psychology who also works with children and young adults as a licensed psychologist. He lives near Boston with his lovely wife and two amazing daughters. You can usually find him in the pool swimming with his two big dogs.
For More Information


Title: Mirror World
Author: John Calicchia
Publisher: Psychangel Books
Pages: 404
Genre: YA Fantasy

What would you do if you saw the future apocalypse of the world in a mirror? Would you try to save the world and those you love, or die trying?

Welcome to my life, this is the vision of the future I've been cursed to see.    – Cailyssa Larkin

When Cailyssa Larkin looks in a mirror she has an ominous feeling that someone is watching her. Stranger still, she has visions that foretell the future. While visiting her Uncle Spencer, Cailyssa gazes into a mirror and sees a dark future that only she can change. With the future of her own world hanging in the balance, Cailyssa bravely enters the portal to the Mirror World. Here, the Dark Lord controls all the mirrors and bends reflections so all creatures see evil within themselves. With her sister Terry, her mysterious best friend Daemon, and a host of weird and wonderful creatures, Cailyssa embarks on an epic quest to overcome the evil forces trying to destroy her world. She can only defeat the Dark Lord by finding her true self and discovering the family secret that has led her to Mirror World.

This book, written by a psychology professor, integrates famous psychological studies in the story. Readers will enjoy learning important life lessons through the psychological concepts illustrated in the book.

For More Information

  • Mirror World is available at Amazon.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Thank you for this interview!  I’d like to know more about you as a person first.  What do you do when you’re not writing?

I’m John Calicchia and I write stories of fantasy, action and adventure. In the fall of 2015 my book Mirror World was released! I am also a professor of psychology who works with children and young adults as a licensed psychologist. I live near Boston with my lovely wife and two amazing daughters. You can usually find me in the pool swimming with my two big dogs. I also love food, sports and have been reading young adult, fantasy, and science fiction books for 40 years!

When did you start writing?
I wrote my first story in sixth grade, and the class loved it and laughed so hard, I was asked to be the first one to read my stories for the rest of the year – motivation for an aspiring writer?

As a published author, what would you say was the most pivotal point of your writing life?

The day I decided to stop traditional publishing in academic literature!  I decided to turn to what I truly love to do – write exciting young adult fiction stories.

If you could go anywhere in the world to start writing your next book, where would that be and why?

I own an apartment in the Dominican Republic and my family loves to spend time at the beach there, this idyllic paradise frees the mind  and makes me very productive!

If you had 4 hours of extra time today, what would you do?
Spend it with my family first,  then do some writing and reading.

Where would you like to set a story that you haven’t done yet?
This may sound a little ambitious, but I want to integrate two genres that are very popular. I plan to integrate contemporary realism with a bit of a dystopian theme. I have plans for a psychological thriller PSYOPS which is this world in which the government and the military control dreams through neuroscience and psychology.

Back to your present book, Mirror World, how did you publish it?
My publishing experience with Mirror World is probably different from many authors who write fiction.  I came from an academic background and have been traditionally published in the psychology field since the early 90s.  So I decided to self-publish using Create Space and KDP from Amazon and it was a wonderful experience.  The editorial staff was top-notch and the platform is easy to use.

In writing your book, did you travel anywhere for research?

Only to the deep recesses of my mind.

Why was writing Mirror World so important to you?

I wrote Mirror World  because the world needs more strong female heroines! I was always disappointed in science fiction and fantasy books because of a lack of strong female lead characters. Before Katniss Everdean and Trish Prior, few books or movies ever featured a strong female in the lead role.  I love the fact that the my book is told from the first-person perspective and has two exceptionally strong female lead characters, who of course also have their vulnerabilities

Any final words?

I didn't feel that my published academic books and journal articles were helping the young people I love to work with. So, I decided to write a teen and young adult fiction book that had famous concepts in psychology embedded in the characters and the plot; almost like a self-help book hidden within a fiction book! This book, written by a psychology professor, integrates famous psychological studies in the story. Readers will enjoy learning important life lessons through the psychological concepts illustrated in the book.

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