An Empty Nest Chat With Fellow Author John Infortunio E156

<p>John Infortunio writes about his father&#39;s Alzheimer&#39;s, and he chose fiction over memoir to do it. On this episode, he tells us why a character can hold what a memoir can&#39;t.</p><p>John is a lifelong educator, a native Brooklynite, and the author of two novels drawn from his own life. We get into how he balances that authenticity with fiction, what actually happens in his editing process, and how growing up in a tight-knit Brooklyn neighborhood shaped the way he writes.</p><p>He also talks about caretaking for his aging parents while raising his son, and what it took to stop comparing his son&#39;s twenties to his own.</p><p>What&#39;s in this episode:</p><ul><li>Why John chose fiction over memoir for his father&#39;s Alzheimer&#39;s</li><li>How he balances personal authenticity with writing fiction</li><li>His editing process, what gets cut and what gets built up</li><li>Growing up in a community-rich Brooklyn neighborhood</li><li>Caretaking for his parents while raising his son and building a career</li><li>Letting go of comparing his son&#39;s twenties to his own</li><li>Watching his son grow into his own political and social views</li></ul><p><br></p><p>You can find John&#39;s books, Destroyed by the Events of the Day and Today Was Tomorrow, on Amazon https://link.amazon/B0dthUWCe (Amazon affiliate link), barnesandnoble.com, and Walmart.com. </p><p>Follow him on Instagram @johninfortunio.</p><p><br></p><p>📖 Our book is here! The Loud Quiet – Love, Laughter and Life in the Empty Nest https://www.theloudquiet.com</p><p><br></p><p>Distance, protection, and letting go show up in different ways in this one. Join the conversation in our Facebook group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/theloudquiet</p><p><br></p><p>🎧 Find all episodes, podcast apps, and YouTube links here: https://www.theloudquiet.com</p><p><br></p><p>CHAPTERS</p><p>00:00 Why fiction, not memoir, for his father&#39;s Alzheimer&#39;s</p><p>02:58 Hiding behind characters for emotional protection</p><p>04:02 Balancing authenticity while still writing fiction</p><p>04:21 Editing as the real filter for truth</p><p>06:12 Trusting instinct instead of staying guarded</p><p>08:23 How teaching shaped his approach to writing</p><p>10:44 Growing up in a tight-knit Brooklyn community</p><p>14:57 Caretaking for aging parents while raising his son</p><p>22:06 Letting go of comparing his son&#39;s twenties to his own</p><p>25:19 Watching his son grow into social and political awareness</p><p>28