Goodreads asked Brian Paone:

What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Brian Paone The best and most rewarding thing about being a writer is the vindication that I touched somebody; either somebody suffering from drug abuse or depression or somebody who just needed an escape. The five star reviews on Amazon are all good and dandy, but it’s the people who read any of my three novels, and feel like it touched them the way certain books have touched me in my life. For example, one of the most influential books I have ever read was The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I read it at a time where I needed to connect to a character like that. So whenever I get an email, or Facebook message, from someone who has read any of my books and tries to convey how much my writing meant to them personally, is way better than anything I could ever dream of with any success. I didn’t realize it until recently, but all 3 of my novels conclude with some kind of “redemption”. Maybe it’s because I am a die hard Star Wars fan, and at the core, Star Wars is really about Vader’s redemption and that shines through in my own writing, but nevertheless, there is some form of redemption. I think that’s why my books resonate with people so much. Sure, you can have a story that ends in retribution, or revenge, but redemption is a different monster. I think that’s that what we are really all after in the long run. The reader may not like the outcome of my stories, but they can’t argue that there isn’t a strong grasp of human decision and redeeming actions by the main characters to end the book. So when I get random emails and messages from readers who tell me that a part of my book really spoke to them on a personal level, THAT is above and beyond the most rewarding thing.

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