An Interview With Author Seth Ferranti About Gorilla Convict

It is my pleasure to introduce Seth Ferranti. His story is one of resilience and the power of the human spirit. Like me, the drug war interrupted him with a prison sentence. Like me, he became a well known writer and started his own publishing company. Here's some of his story and how to get his books.

What was your life like before being penned an LSD kingpin by the government?

I sold drugs, I partied, I went to different colleges to check out the scenes and followed the Grateful Dead a little bit. I was just a regular suburban youth who got caught up in the drug scene. I never carried a gun and I wasn't prone to violence. I didn't even consider myself a criminal really. I wasn't out to hurt anyone or take anything from anybody or rough anybody off or anything like that. I came from a good home with good parents who installed good morals and ideals in me I just got caught up in the drug scene and fancied myself a sort of stoner outlaw. But I didn't have any kind of Scarface mentality. I was just supplying LSD and marijuana to my friends from high school who went off to a bunch of colleges on the East Coast. I was originally from California and grew up a military brat and when my dad retired we settled in Northern Virginia where he got a job with a defense contractor. It was a real lily white and affluent area and I was the new guy and I found that when I proved I could get a hold of drugs I became real popular real quick. So that is how it went. I started selling drugs at a young age and it just progressed and by the age of 19 I was supplying about 15 colleges in 5 states with marijuana and LSD. But still in the big scheme of things I was a small time drug dealer maybe making $20 grand or so a month.

2. Were you overcharged?

I would say so. I was a first-time, non-violent offender and I got slammed with 304 months or a 25 year sentence with no possibility of parole. It was right when the feds had just started their War on Drugs in the early 90s and plus being right outside of DC they made it like my case was this big thing, it was like a witch-hunt really. But in all actuality it was just some kids partying and doing drugs at colleges just like they are still doing today. It was no organization, really it was unorganized and chaotic. I was just the dude with the best contacts and when I refused to snitch they threw the book at me but I realize now I made matters worse by taking off and becoming a fugitive for 2 years. But I was barely 20 years old and I had some money and I wasn't trying to snitch anyone out or go to prison so at that time it seemed taking off was my only choice. But now I have been in prison 19 years for crimes largely committed while I was a teenager that didn't involve any type of violence.

3. I found a great review of one of your books from a well known magazine that said you glamorized the gangster lifestyle to show the reader's why the drug problems are so alluring to the youth, but that in the end that life is a one way ticket to hell. How do you balance it out?

I do glorify and romanticize the stuff I write about. It is kind of glamorous in a way and people are interested in it. So I perpetuate the myths and legends but I do it in a way that it all comes from my perspective and it comes through my eyes and experiences. I am not doing anything new. They have been glamorizing this type of stuff since Billy the Kid and the Wild, Wild West. I am just doing it in my style and putting a more modern flavor to it. How outlaws and gangsters live and the things they do are amazing and people are very interested in reading about it all and watching the Hollywood version of the stories in movies and stuff like that. So I go with it. I am not fighting what is already there. People have been enamored with outlaw heroes since Robin Hood. I am myself. This is my passion. This is why I write about this stuff and bring these stories to life. When I first came to prison I read every prison and gangster book I could and then when I exhausted what I wanted to read I started writing my own stories from my own experiences and from the people I met and was doing time with. Everything I have done, book wise has been done before, I am just putting my twist on it. Reality is reality and I lay it all out but I still glorify it because even though I am older and in hindsight I know it is the wrong road it is still romantic in its own way, that is why gangster and prison stuff is such a big sell in popular culture.

4. can you give me a timeline on how your prison stretch started, to when you started writings and publishing to how   it grew to when you finally get out of prison?

I got caught in 1993 and have remained incarcerated since then. So I have 19 years in now. I had always wrote songs and poems and stuff and dabbled in creating little stories and fantasy worlds (check out felons rage on myspace it has some of my songs I recorded in prison), but when I came to prison I got a job in the recreation department and I started helping to run the intramural sports leagues and that included writing a little sports newsletter on what was going on with the leagues and the standings and statistics and stuff like that and I started writing commentary  and dudes in here really liked it and I made my name writing about prison basketball games for Slam, Don Diva and other magazines and websites like hoopshype.come and that led to writing about prison issues for magazines like Vice and then to writing my first novel Prison Stories and then doing the gangster interviews for Don Diva and F.E.D.S. and the Street Legends book series and now I am writing about the Drug War and drug addiction and recovery for thefix.com and continuing to do pieces for my blog/column on gorillaconvict.com. This all happened gradually throughout the 90s and into the early 2000s and then I got more serious about my writing in 2005 and got the website built and started the publishing house also to put out my own books. So we have been online and selling  books since 2005 and we have developed our name and reputation and web presence. I couldn't have done it without the assistance of my beautiful and talented wife Diane who has enabled me to do all of this from her. Without her I wouldn't have accomplished any of what I have, so really it is all down to her. When I come home I want to continue doing what I am doing but I want to get into the visual aspect of it and start doing documentaries and films also. Plus more merchandise like we have on the gorillaconvict.com website now with the t-shirts, stickers and posters. But I have a lot of plans and ideas to implement and get going once I get home.

5. I see that you have some powerful reviews from a bunch of magazines and well known sources. How have you managed to make those connections while locked in prison?

I am relentless I just write and write and write and I send out a tremendous amount of mail. I mail out 100 of letters at  a time sometimes every week and in it I am constantly promoting and showing what I am doing that is new. I send the stuff out to magazine editors and websites and anyone who I think might be interested in my stuff and now since we have email I contact and email as many people as I can to market and promote my stuff. So I have done it basically through email and the mail and being relentless and never giving up. I have created and built something from nothing and now I have an audience and people who like my work and who buy my books and check out my website. But also another main reason is content. I keep creating new content. I write, write and write some more. I promote, promote and promote some more and I make connections and I cultivate them and I find out how I can help them and how they can help me and I make it work and I keep my word and do what I say I am going to do.

6. What is your vision for the next five years?

I get out in 21 months and then I have to go through the halfway house probation routine so I have to be on point for that and not violate because I am not trying to come back to prison but when I can move and work for my own company gorillaconvict.com I will work and network and do the same thing I have been doing from in here but I will have much more access and I will be able to do all types of radio interviews and pod casts and make little commercials and youtube promos. I am really looking forward to it. I have a tremendous drive and ambition and I am relentless in pursuit of my goals and most importantly I am not afraid to put in the hard work that is necessary for success. So in five years I plan to be making movies and have my own production company.

7. Do you believe prisoners can be redeemed?

Yes, I do but they have to want it because if they want to stay in the same criminal lifestyle they will only be going back to prison. In our country right now there is no emphasis on rehabilitation and a lot of men are going home ill prepared and with no tools to deal with society plus when you just throw them back into the same environments they came out of with no tools what do you expect? Why do you think recidivism is so high? But I have taken the time and effort to do what I need to do to prepare for my future and eventual release back into society and I am ready for the challenge and I am confident that I can redeem myself and be successful and become a productive member of society and bring my unique vision to the world.

8. How would you change the system to make redemption more common?

Education is mandatory. Prisoners need to learn and open and expand their minds. Those capable should be allowed to enroll and take college courses and function in an environment which cultivates that. Others should be allowed to learn and practice a trade so that they have skills when they come home so that don't have to revert to the only thing that they knew prior to coming to prison- crime. But basically we have to give prisoners some hope and show them that yes you can turn your life around and change. I did and I am the better man for it.

Please check out my books which are available in print or ebook formats at gorillaconvict.comand amazon.com and read my blog at gorillaconvict.com which posts a new story every week and gives the 411 on street legends, prison gangs, hip-hop and hustling, the mafia and life in the belly of the beast. Also check out my weekly news blogs and columns at thefix.com

Glenn Langohr's New Book, Lock Up Diaries, Expores Drug Debts Inside Prison

Glenn Langohr's New Book, Lock Up Diaries, Expores Drug Debts Inside Prison. Lock Up Diaries is available in print, kindle and audio book. Here's the link for print-  http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00571NY5A 

Here's the synopsis. The author spent 10 years inside the most violent prisons in California on drug charges. Lock Up Diaries is a depiction of life inside prison and a look at the political landscape between races and gangs. The Mexican Mafia, drug cartels, Aryan Brotherhood, and the black gangs all collide. The amazing details of prison life - code words that prisoners use, explanations of how they communicate from cell to cell - really make you feel you have entered a different world, or like you are watching a movie about prison life. The story shows how race riots that can kill prisoners can be started for very small and seemingly unimportant reasons, and how violence permeates every aspect of prison life.

In Lock Up Diaries, a drug debt is on the verge of sparking a gang war. 

For a complete list on kindle.  http://amzn.to/YKx8eu 

For a complete list of audio books.  http://amzn.to/UkERAb

An Excerpt from My First Prison Thriller, Race Riot

Race Riot

The Mexican from Tijuana acted normal in his greeting as he led the way and gave the Mexican

from LA a shadow to hide in. The Mexican from Tijuana clapped hands in a handshake with Danger,

who had his arm sticking out the steel bars enclosing the showers.

His black arm got slammed at an angle against the steel bar at his elbow and the Mexican kept

pushing it that way. I heard the bone fracture and Danger screaming in pain. He tried to resist by arm

wrestling his arm back into the safety of the shower but it was useless. His fractured arm wouldn’t

respond it was uselessly folded at the elbow.

The other Mexican came out from behind and thrust a thin steel ice pick at an angle through the

shower bars into Danger’s face as he leaned away to use the steel bars for protection, while at the same

time still trying to get his fractured arm back through the bars. After getting hit in the cheek just below

his eye he backed hard enough to free himself.

The other Black Crip, T-Rock fired punches at the second Mexican attacker. The steel bars

enclosing the shower were blocking any further action and the outraged T-Rock yanked the door open,

yelled, and slipped in shower shoes. The second Mexican took advantage of his slip and used his left

arm to hold the shower door open and with his right hand jabbed the steel into T-Rocks shoulder. TRock

gathered himself with even more rage. The warrior took the ice pick poking as if it were only bee

stings and fired so many punches that the Mexican backed out of the shower, but closed the door on the

forward charging T-Rock. He made it through the narrow closing door but took the impact on his

shoulder and head and was made even more furious. His anger alone separated him from the two

attacking Mexicans. Incited by his partners rage, Danger came running out of the shower with his

fractured arm hanging at an unnatural angle.

The sound of the block gun was next, “Boom!”

I slid down Popeye’s cell with my back against it to sit on my haunches and realized inmates in

cells were yelling and kicking their cell doors. I looked at the tower and saw the smoke from the tip of

the rifle and at the same time heard the alarm send a siren of decibels in screeches that rose and fell.

Another tower guard at the control booth yelled into the microphone, “Get down! Get down!”, then

ran to the opening in the tower window with another rifle.

The two Black Crips were engaging the Mexicans with punches, kicks and grapple throws with

arms going everywhere. All four inmates were bouncing off cell doors with the fight going further

away from the tower, down the tier. Prison guards poured through the vestibule and got as close as they

could and fired block guns, then pointed canisters of pepper spray at them from four feet away, a

stream of painted orange followed the combatants still fighting and bouncing off cell doors.

The gun tower yelled into the microphone, “Get the fuck down! Live rounds coming!” I saw the

four inmates fighting hesitate for a millisecond, like they knew what they’d heard from the tower

changed this melee into deadly consequences or life sentences but they kept fighting for honor waiting

for the other side to back down first.

“Boom!” The block gun spoke, then “Ping”, a live round ricocheted, and it was enough. All four

inmates sprawled out on the floor just as another army of prison deputies with gas masks came pouring

through the vestibule with plastic shields thrust in front of them.

Popeye said, “That was weak.”

Twenty minutes later the four inmates were led out of the building in handcuffs. The building’s

occupants inside cells emanated energy that blew rage, frustration and confusion through the air like

wind. I walked up the stairs wondering if any Mexicans or Blacks heard Popeye say in disgust, “That

was weak.” I agreed with him, it was weak.

Not the battle, the reason for it and the position it would put every single one of the inmates in,

along with the deputies, along with the families of both, along with the communities outside the prison

walls.

My cell door popped open and I took a last look with my shirt over my mouth. The tear gas fog

floated slowly in a cloud and I could see the canisters it came out of under the tower still whispering

gas. Almost every inmate and guard coughed and felt the sting burning their eyes.

Down the tier from the canisters, the floor was painted orange in a path the pepper spray

extinguishers’ sent, followed by a line that went up and on a few of the cell doors the combatants had

bounced off. Blood stains soaked some of the floor and stained a few of the cells. Almost every cell

still had a bald head with a pair of eyes at their cell doors, studying the building the way I was, with

shirts bunched up covering their mouths.

My Newest Prison Thriller, Prison Riot, is on Sale on Amazon Kindle

Prison Riot, A True Story of Surviving a Gang War in Prison is available on Amazon Kindle. Here's an excerpt...
Yard business
For yard we were only allowed to wear our boxer shorts, a white shirt and flip flops. We went through the strip search and backed up to get handcuffed. We walked to a door that opened to a narrow concrete path that went for 30 feet to the yards. The sunlight blinded me after not being out of our cell for a month and I had to walk slower to let my eyes adjust.
We walked the path that led to two mini yards. Each yard was about the size of a half court for basketball. There was a 10 foot high fence around it and razor wire in swirls at the top. In place of a tower, above the yard, was a steel catwalk with two prison guards holding guns. The escort guards led us into our yard. It started with a separate boxed in fenced area about the size of a bathroom. We got our handcuffs released through the tray slot and one of the guards asked, “Do you want to use some clippers to cut your hair or trim your beard?”
We needed some man grooming in a desperate way and used the clippers to make us as close to bald headed as possible. My facial hair had turned into an out of control goatee and I removed as much as I could. While we played barber on each other the southern Mexican inmates started to arrive.
Pericho and Sureno walked with their backs straight and their chests sticking out as far as possible. I almost laughed out loud but instead thought about how sad it was. They were a couple of 18 year olds who desperately didn't want to look weak. The guards unlocked the first cage in the mini yard next to ours and they walked in. Pericho was the crazier one with wild eyes and a bald head with scars in multiple places. As soon as he got his handcuffs off he took his shirt off.
After we finished grooming ourselves we entered our mini yard. There was a basketball hoop on one end that faced the other mini yard 6 feet away. On the other end of the yard there was a shower head and a toilet. I noticed a basketball in the corner and got it. Giant and I took turns shooting free throws and watched all the southern Mexicans walk in handcuffs to the yard cages.
One by one they got their handcuffs off and entered the yard. The inmates from the bottom floor were put in our yard and the inmates from the top floor went into the other one. The younger inmates all took their shirts off as soon as the handcuffs were removed and I realized it was in defiance. They weren't going to let anyone tell them they had to wear a shirt to cover neighborhood tattoos. I saw Johny get his handcuffs removed and he walked toward us with his shirt on. He looked different, like his outlook on life wasn't as positive. Maybe it was that all hope of ever getting a chance to parole on a life sentence was gone.
He stopped in front of us and forced a smile. Giant was so happy to see him he gave him an immediate hug. I followed up with one next and asked, “Are you alright?”
The love from both Giant and I brought back a little spark to Johny's smile and he nodded his head. He said, “Thank you for helping us out.”
It hit me that maybe he was also depressed that he'd killed another person. Even though it was self defense, it probably had him thinking about how he'd committed himself to being in that position his whole life. I encouraged him, “Johny you protected your people and couldn't avoid it.”
I looked him right in the eyes and his were brown pools of sorrow. He broke the eye lock and looked at the ground and nodded his head. Our attention was broken by a distraction on the other mini yard.
“Hey Johny!”
There were over 20 inmates on each of the mini yards and almost everyone stopped what they were doing to watch. The man who called Johny was Topo. He was staring at us from the other mini yard with his hands holding the fence. He looked like a Mexican Joe Pesci. He took off his white shirt and from his waist to his neck there was a collection of tattoo art. His usually bald head had a little hair on it and it made his widow's peak more prominent. We watched Johny walk to the fence. He grabbed it with his hands like Topo was doing and stood almost a foot taller looking down.
I looked at Giant. He noticed the difference in Johny also. He said, “He's changed. Even his voice is deeper.”
I nodded my head and noticed all the southern Mexicans on both of the mini yards beginning to establish positions. They were all somewhat watching Johny and Topo like they were waiting for orders. They constantly looked over at the two elders and then went back to whatever they were doing.
Johny nodded his head to Topo and turned and walked to us. His expression was even harder and I realized what it was. While I knew him on the mainline prison yard before the riot, he was himself due to the lack of heavy politics. Now in Administrative Segregation heavy politics were being forced on him.
The pep in his step was gone. He looked up at us while deep in thought and forced a smile and asked, “You guys want to work out with us?”
I felt my expression harden on my face over the stress of our situation. I nodded my head and said, “Sure… We need to see if you can help us figure something out after...”
Johny nodded his head and it was obvious he already knew it was over us being labeled and housed as southern Mexicans. I realized in that instant that every southern Mexican on both yards was aware. None of them had even greeted us. There were a handful of southerners that had looked up to us and loved talking to us on the mainline. Now they were avoiding us.
I heard Topo get everyone's attention in Spanish slang and understood him. He yelled out, “Excuse me! Attention brothers! It's time for our workout. Everyone line up!”
Johny nodded his head to us and said, “We'll help you figure it out after we exercise.”
He quickly got into his role as leader on our mini yard and shuffled all of the southern Mexicans into a line. Giant and I maintained our positions and backed up to melt into the line forming around us. Our backs were to the fence and we were facing the gun tower catwalk above us. I looked up for the first time on the yard and noticed that both guards were studying the dynamics of how all the inmates were congregating. It was easy to see and understand that Topo was running one yard and Johny was running the other one. Both Topo and Johny had their backs to the tower guards while we were all facing them. It had to look like we were a part of the southern Mexican army.
Topo called out the cadence in Spanish and I understood it
“One hundred jumping jacks…Ready Begin!”
We did the jumping jacks.
Topo yelled, “Fifty squats…Ready Begin!”
We did the squats.
Topo yelled, “Fifty pushups…Ready begin!”
We did the pushups.
Topo yelled, “Southern Mexicans!! How do you feel?”
Everyone, including Giant and I, yelled, “One hundred percent!”
Our exercises continued for 45 more minutes. When we finished Topo came back to the fence and called Johny to talk to him. Giant and I watched the two communicate and waited for them to call us over. We both looked at the two tower guards.
Giant said, “This doesn’t look good.”
I looked my friend right in the eyes. His were confused pools of blue ocean water. I joked, “Where’s your Mexican pride?”

Batty For Books: Underdog: The Pelican Bay Hunger Strike Review

Batty For Books: Underdog: The Pelican Bay Hunger Strike Review: Underdog: The Pelican Bay Hunger Strike Glenn Langohr Publisher: Lockdown Publishing Publishing Date: March 1, 2012 Genre: Non...

I got another great review for my novella Underdog! Chastity has a great site. Check her out! Check out my drug war and prison thrillers with kindle, in print or audio. Full of true life action and redemption. You can't find prison culture like this anywhere else. http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00571NY5A

I Got Another Great Review for my novella Underdog!

I was blown away by both the grittiness and compassion in the story. Prison is a society within a society, and Glenn takes us on a journey in the "belly of the beast". It's not wonder inmates at Pelican Bay underwent a hunger strike. The conditions are harsh, prisoners against prisoners and guards against prisoners. These stories need to continue to be told. Thank you Glenn for your courage, and honesty.

This makes 34 reviews on Amazon! Thanks readers!

California prisoners make historic call for peace between racial groups in California prisons and jails

California prisoners make historic call for peace between racial groups in California prisons and jails

It is awesome to see the prisoners respond this way. Not all prisoners are murderers. 70% of California's prison inmates are there for drug crimes and poverty crimes. They are rehabilitating themselves by forming together and fighting for a common cause.

Report

Niki's book Corner: Roll Call by Glenn Langohr

Niki's book Corner: Roll Call by Glenn Langohr: Book Description Publication Date:   July 26, 2012 "Whacks you aside the head with the force of a baseball bat. Langohr's inc...

Interview With Author Seth Ferranti, the Owner of Gorilla Convict

1.What was your life like before being penned an LSD kingpin by the government?

I sold drugs, I partied, I went to different colleges to check out the scenes and followed the Grateful Dead a little bit. I was just a regular suburban youth who got caught up in the drug scene. I never carried a gun and I wasn't prone to violence. I didn't even consider myself a criminal really. I wasn't out to hurt anyone or take anything from anybody or rough anybody off or anything like that. I came from a good home with good parents who installed good morals and ideals in me I just got caught up in the drug scene and fancied myself a sort of stoner outlaw. But I didn't have any kind of Scarface mentality. I was just supplying LSD and marijuana to my friends from high school who went off to a bunch of colleges on the East Coast. I was originally from California and grew up a military brat and when my dad retired we settled in Northern Virginia where he got a job with a defense contractor. It was a real lily white and affluent area and I was the new guy and I found that when I proved I could get a hold of drugs I became real popular real quick. So that is how it went. I started selling drugs at a young age and it just progressed and by the age of 19 I was supplying about 15 colleges in 5 states with marijuana and LSD. But still in the big scheme of things I was a small time drug dealer maybe making $20 grand or so a month.

2. Were you overcharged?

I would say so. I was a first-time, non-violent offender and I got slammed with 304 months or a 25 year sentence with no possibility of parole. It was right when the feds had just started their War on Drugs in the early 90s and plus being right outside of DC they made it like my case was this big thing, it was like a witch-hunt really. But in all actuality it was just some kids partying and doing drugs at colleges just like they are still doing today. It was no organization, really it was unorganized and chaotic. I was just the dude with the best contacts and when I refused to snitch they threw the book at me but I realize now I made matters worse by taking off and becoming a fugitive for 2 years. But I was barely 20 years old and I had some money and I wasn't trying to snitch anyone out or go to prison so at that time it seemed taking off was my only choice. But now I have been in prison 19 years for crimes largely committed while I was a teenager that didn't involve any type of violence.

3. How do you deal with the same problem?

I do glorify and romanticize the stuff I write about. It is kind of glamorous in a way and people are interested in it. So I perpetuate the myths and legends but I do it in a way that it all comes from my perspective and it comes through my eyes and experiences. I am not doing anything new. They have been glamorizing this type of stuff since Billy the Kid and the Wild, Wild West. I am just doing it in my style and putting a more modern flavor to it. How outlaws and gangsters live and the things they do are amazing and people are very interested in reading about it all and watching the Hollywood version of the stories in movies and stuff like that. So I go with it. I am not fighting what is already there. People have been enamored with outlaw heroes since Robin Hood. I am myself. This is my passion. This is why I write about this stuff and bring these stories to life. When I first came to prison I read every prison and gangster book I could and then when I exhausted what I wanted to read I started writing my own stories from my own experiences and from the people I met and was doing time with. Everything I have done, book wise has been done before, I am just putting my twist on it. Reality is reality and I lay it all out but I still glorify it because even though I am older and in hindsight I know it is the wrong road it is still romantic in its own way, that is why gangster and prison stuff is such a big sell in popular culture.

4. Can you give me a timeline on how your prison stretch started, to when you started writings and publishing to how   it grew to when you finally get out of prison?

I got caught in 1993 and have remained incarcerated since then. So I have 19 years in now. I had always wrote songs and poems and stuff and dabbled in creating little stories and fantasy worlds (check out felons rage on myspace it has some of my songs I recorded in prison), but when I came to prison I got a job in the recreation department and I started helping to run the intramural sports leagues and that included writing a little sports newsletter on what was going on with the leagues and the standings and statistics and stuff like that and I started writing commentary  and dudes in here really liked it and I made my name writing about prison basketball games for Slam, Don Diva and other magazines and websites like hoopshype.come and that led to writing about prison issues for magazines like Vice and then to writing my first novel Prison Stories and then doing the gangster interviews for Don Diva and F.E.D.S. and the Street Legends book series and now I am writing about the Drug War and drug addiction and recovery for thefix.com and continuing to do pieces for my blog/column on http://www.gorillaconvict.com. This all happened gradually throughout the 90s and into the early 2000s and then I got more serious about my writing in 2005 and got the website built and started the publishing house also to put out my own books. So we have been online and selling  books since 2005 and we have developed our name and reputation and web presence. I couldn't have done it without the assistance of my beautiful and talented wife Diane who has enabled me to do all of this from her. Without her I wouldn't have accomplished any of what I have, so really it is all down to her. When I come home I want to continue doing what I am doing but I want to get into the visual aspect of it and start doing documentaries and films also. Plus more merchandise like we have on the gorillaconvict.com website now with the t-shirts, stickers and posters. But I have a lot of plans and ideas to implement and get going once I get home.

5. I see that you have some powerful reviews from a bunch of magazines and well known sources. How have you managed to make those connections while locked in prison?

I am relentless I just write and write and write and I send out a tremendous amount of mail. I mail out 100 of letters at  a time sometimes every week and in it I am constantly promoting and showing what I am doing that is new. I send the stuff out to magazine editors and websites and anyone who I think might be interested in my stuff and now since we have email I contact and email as many people as I can to market and promote my stuff. So I have done it basically through email and the mail and being relentless and never giving up. I have created and built something from nothing and now I have an audience and people who like my work and who buy my books and check out my website. But also another main reason is content. I keep creating new content. I write, write and write some more. I promote, promote and promote some more and I make connections and I cultivate them and I find out how I can help them and how they can help me and I make it work and I keep my word and do what I say I am going to do.

6. What is your vision for the next five years?

I get out in 21 months and then I have to go through the halfway house probation routine so I have to be on point for that and not violate because I am not trying to come back to prison but when I can move and work for my own company gorillaconvict.com I will work and network and do the same thing I have been doing from in here but I will have much more access and I will be able to do all types of radio interviews and pod casts and make little commercials and youtube promos. I am really looking forward to it. I have a tremendous drive and ambition and I am relentless in pursuit of my goals and most importantly I am not afraid to put in the hard work that is necessary for success. So in five years I plan to be making movies and have my own production company.

7. Do you believe prisoners can be redeemed?

Yes, I do but they have to want it because if they want to stay in the same criminal lifestyle they will only be going back to prison. In our country right now there is no emphasis on rehabilitation and a lot of men are going home ill prepared and with no tools to deal with society plus when you just throw them back into the same environments they came out of with no tools what do you expect? Why do you think recidivism is so high? But I have taken the time and effort to do what I need to do to prepare for my future and eventual release back into society and I am ready for the challenge and I am confident that I can redeem myself and be successful and become a productive member of society and bring my unique vision to the world.

8. How would you change the system to make redemption more common?

Education is mandatory. Prisoners need to learn and open and expand their minds. Those capable should be allowed to enroll and take college courses and function in an environment which cultivates that. Others should be allowed to learn and practice a trade so that they have skills when they come home so that don't have to revert to the only thing that they knew prior to coming to prison- crime. But basically we have to give prisoners some hope and show them that yes you can turn your life around and change. I did and I am the better man for it.

Please check out my books which are available in print or ebook formats at gorillaconvict.comand amazon.com and read my blog at gorillaconvict.com which posts a new story every week and gives the 411 on street legends, prison gangs, hip-hop and hustling, the mafia and life in the belly of the beast. Also check out my weekly news blogs and columns at thefix.com

My book Race Riot is featured on a humungous website! Can you please leave a comment for me?

If any of my followers have read my book Race Riot, can you leave a comment on this huge site to show support. http://ereadernewstoday.com/bargain-kindle-books-4-great-books-for-8-10-12/6716866/

God is calling us to the Bible

Doesn't it seem these days that words hold so little meaning? When all around us is a whirlwind of chaos and trying to find the meaning of things gets more and more clouded. At times I can sense the desperation. I can see the good in people trying to make sense of it. Fighting against what they are seeing, what they are knowing, that something is very wrong and getting worse.

I spent over 10 years in prison on drug charges and started writing novels. Before I became a run-away 13 year old, I was brought up a Christian and learned enough about God through the Bible to know with all my heart, mind and soul there are no more powerful words then those in the Bible.

As a run-away kid I rebelled against the lack of control and pain of feeling abandoned. I know that my life in the drug war couldn't be stopped without a community, a church, or the love from any other kind of flock to intervene. That leads me to what gives the power to words.

I believe it's the spirit. In Ephesians 6-12 Paul writes about the power behind everything. "For We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Knowing the story of how Paul was an elite Jew who persecuted Christians before his conversion by God, at just the right time to shape the future, I find a little peace and comfort.

Another Bible scripture that brings home my point is in Matthew 17-20. "With a little faith, we can move mountains." This is where the Spirit comes in. No matter how much I believe in something, or how hard I try, I can't change things in a big way like moving a mountain any time soon. But God can and will if He is sought. So if I can get my spirit to line up closer to His, than maybe I don't have to try so hard.

With all of this said, I am going through a difficult time in my marriage and am separated from a lot I know I needed as that 13 year old run-away. My mind tries to make sense of it and I don't even trust my thoughts. In the news everywhere I see examples of how Democracy is hypocrisy and perception is reality. I see the truth divided into so many pieces that nothing seems unified any more. So I seek God and ask, Father bless my thoughts with what you want me to write about in my next book and in all other things so I know your Spirit is guiding me and I'm in your hand.

Pick Up My Prison Thriller Race Riot while it's .99 cents so I can climb the Amazon rankings!

Here's the intro- "A raw, breathless descent through the inner circle of the California Penal Hell. Fraught with detail that only someone who's been there could know." Phillip Doran, TV Producer and author
B.J, a drug dealer serving time, takes the reader on a never before seen, inside look at a California maximum security prison. The inner dynamics between prison guards, gang investigators and the Warden are on display along with the political climate between races with a war brewing between the Mexicans and Blacks. A piercing account of the process for gang validation into solitary confinement at Pelican Bay's SHU through the eyes of inmates struggling to survive gang wars, in prison drug debts, prison politics, rules and regulations, and ultimately power and control, while desperately trying to find a path for redemption along the way. THIS BOOK IS FREE FOR Amazon PRIME MEMBERS. But also found at in audio book and other retailers. 

Race Riot is number 1 in the UK!

Race Riot ( Prison Killers ) is ranked number 1 in the UK in the crime category! http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00571NY5A This has never happened before! To check out all my crime thrillers in the US go here- http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00571NY5A You can listen to Race Riots or Underdog in audio! Crime thrillers from the inside of the Criminal Justice system out! "A raw, breathless descent through the inner circle of the California Penal Hell. Fraught with detail that only someone who's been there could know." Phillip Doran, TV Producer and author
B.J, a drug dealer serving time, takes the reader on a never before seen, inside look at a California maximum security prison. The inner dynamics between prison guards, gang investigators and the Warden are on display along with the political climate between races with a war brewing between the Mexicans and Blacks. A piercing account of the process for gang validation into solitary confinement at Pelican Bay's SHU through the eyes of inmates struggling to survive gang wars, in prison drug debts, prison politics, rules and regulations, and ultimately power and control, while desperately trying to find a path for redemption along the way.

An excerpt of Roll Call is in Front Row Magazine

Front Row Magazine put an excerpt from novel Roll Call in it. Check it out in a Front Row seat here http://frontrowlit.com/?p=2491 Here it is...

Roll Call, by Glenn Langohr

Adam on Tuesday, July 10, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Roll Call is a true prison story with a cast of characters that include Mexican drug cartels, Southern California street gangs and Hell’s Angels all fighting for their piece of the drug culture. In the middle of it all, B.J. is hell bent for destruction until he realizes his destiny in the nick of time.
Add a good detective squeezed out of the loop by an overzealous narcotic detective; a robust prison union trying to call the shots; a handful of drug criminals trying to find their conscience and you have the perfect recipe for a revolutionary uprising, bound by blood, all leaving the reader wondering, who are the real criminals?

Excerpt

Vince wrapped his body around Candy’s in a spoon position. She was facing the other way and he breathed in the fragrance of her shampoo and thought about things. I’ve been out of prison for almost three years; I’m off parole and back in Orange County. Why did I feel so drawn back to this county? Why didn’t’ I just stay in Bakersfield with my Mom where parole and life was so easy? I know why, life is boring out there and I missed this area.
Feeling Candy’s heart beating too fast and her foot kicking, Vince thought about being released from Pelican Bay and then High Desert. He remembered paroling with Damon and the pact he made not to do any more speed no matter what! He remembered telling Damon how he could see that speed the biker slammed into his vein clearly, how it sent him off on a path that went in so many directions, but guaranteed that it would end in prison. Now here he is, discharged from parole and back in Orange County with this gorgeous girl, Candy for the past two months. Her heart is beating too fast.
Vince thought, Candy got out of rehab two months ago and seemed to fall in love with me instantly. Now I know I’m in love with her. Vince looked at the alarm clock he’d set up with the small mirror angled just right until he could see Candy’s face. Her eyes were open and her eye lids were flashing open like a butterfly’s wings.
Vince thought about what he’d heard about Candy. There were rumors she had been an escort, a high priced one. It was said she used to have a route through the most expensive gated communities in south Orange County where she stopped and did what she did to get her bills paid and clothes and other presents bought for her. Supposedly she didn’t have sex with any of them, rather she was more like a mobile stripper who teased and flaunted her way through wallets and credit cards.
Vince laughed, I should have known, with her name, Candy.
Vince looked at the alarm clock right as it went off at six am… He watched her pretend to just wake up, yawn and get up. He watched her sexy voluptuous angular body walk to the bathroom in a G-string and thought, she is a candy bar, though. As soon as the door closed Vince reached over to the table and looked in the handbag she seemed so protective of. Her paper work for the lawyer she worked for was in there, so were two pairs of stiletto heels, a mini skirt, lingerie, and a video camera. Vince pulled out the small video camera and slid it under the bed. A half an hour later Candy walked out.
She walked out dressed in a tan business suit looking like a model receptionist and sat on the bed. Vince looked into her brown eyes and kissed her pouting lips possessively for a couple of minutes. Then he stared at her curly brown hair and angel shaped face as she said, “Vince I want a family life with you honey. That’s my dream, so don’t forget it. I have to go to work; I’ll be home for dinner. Love ya.”
Vince pulled out the video camera. The little blue hand held camera had the name Candy 007 on it in glittered stickers. He hit play and watched Candy in her other life. The video showed the footage was from two days ago. Vince thought, right when I felt her feet kicking and her heart beating too fast. The video played. Vince watched Candy video herself driving in her Range Rover to the Smut Peddlers playing on the stereo. Candy was wearing strappy stiletto heels, a mini skirt, a top that showed off her uplifted breast and tan skin, her hair in pony tails, sucking on a sucker while dancing to the music. Vince saw her pulling up to a gated community. A gate guard came to the window and Candy said, “I’m Candy for Vladimir. He should have called me in already.”
Vince stared at the gate guard and knew the community. It was the most expensive gated community in Santa Margarita. He watched the gate guard hand over a pass and Candy drive in. The video stopped and started again. This time, someone Candy called Vladimir was holding it and following her around. Candy walked into an extravagant kitchen right to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of Stolichnaya Vodka like she knew the place well. Candy asked, “Don’t you have any Grey Goose Vodka? You know that’s my favorite.”
Vince heard the man holding the video’s deep voice say, “I’m Russian, what do you expect… Are you back on your mobile escort tour now that you’re out of rehab? And what’s up with your job working as a receptionist for that lawyer, is it just a front?”
Candy smiled for the camera while she poured half a glass over a couple pieces of ice. “You ask a lot of questions. Yes, I’m back in business. It’s hard to let go of the kind of money I’m worth. The lawyer I started working for uses speed and heard of my infamous reputation. He hired me because of it, so you can assume what kind of work I do for him. Now back to business. Do you have any more speed for me and can you pay my Range Rover payment Vladimir?”
“It depends. Take off your G-string and throw it to me. You’re going to have to go up to my room and dance for me for a couple hours. Are you going to let me taste you yet?”
Candy lifted a leg and climbed out of her G-string and lifted the other one and did the same thing. She threw it toward the voice and said, “Eventually, if you’re really good to me, I might let you taste my candy.”
Vince felt a pain foreign to him as he heard the deep voice laughing, following Candy up the stairs with her ass swishing back and forth underneath the skirt. Vince realized what that foreign pain was, his heart breaking. He took a deep breath that got caught in his throat thinking about how long he’d been lonely, locked in a cell. His saw his hand holding the video camera shaking and set it down right as the phone rang.
“Vince… Did I… Leave my video camera?”
“What camera Candy?”
Vince detected in the tone of his voice the knowledge of the camera and gritted his teeth.
Vince heard Candy’s tone of voice signify she knew he knew. “I’m sorry Vince…”
“It’s okay! We’ll deal with it!”
Vince detected the desperate tone of his voice and hated it.
Vince heard Candy’s voice crying, “No it’s not okay. I can’t be trusted, I’m too dysfunctional.”
Vince said, “The story of my life,” to the dial tone.
Vince paced Candy’s apartment back and forth just like he did in his cell for all of those years. He thought, I should call Damon at Crossroads sober living in San Clemente. I’ll call after I call Candy again. Candy still didn’t answer and Vince found himself remembering the hundreds of cell searches he lived through in the many different cells he’d lived in with Damon. Instead of calling Damon he found himself going through Candy’s closet. He searched every inch of every hand bag and purse, checked every pocket in jeans, jackets, and sweaters, went through the seams of every hat and then remembered something. Candy was wearing one of her favorite dresses three days ago when she first started acting wired. A Gucci dress, a Valentino dress and there it was, the Oscar De Larenta. It was a black sexy dress that had tassels that could be tied around the dress or left to hang. Inside one of the tassels there was an opening and a small bag of crystal speed wedged inside.
Vince pulled it out and dumped it on a table. He remembered Candy saying, “I want to have a family life with you honey.”
Vince thought, “I’ll find you and make that family life happen” as he snorted every granule like a vacuum. He felt the pain burn a trail up the nasal membranes that triggered all of the insane memories just under the surface. He thought of those six years in prison with Damon, the hundreds of cell searches, bus rides, court trips, politics and survival strategies, and realized something. I can’t call Damon, I’m high, and I’d be a bad influence.
Pacing around in circles Vince found himself stopping at Candy’s nightstand drawer, opened it and found her cell phone bill. There were two numbers she called with the most frequency, and the times developed the first part of a mental map. He brought every trash can in the apartment and filtered through everything and found notes containing more pieces to an investigative puzzle. Vladimir’s name, phone number and address were there. The search intensified into a meticulous dissection of Candy’s apartment; and, Vince thought, her own personality. There was a drawer full of legal briefs from the lawyer’s office where she worked. Upon closer inspection, Vince realized, Candy is filtering through his most high profile clients. Good girl. Vince pulled the drawer all the way out and off the hinges and found a flash drive hidden on the frame of the drawer with a piece of tape. Really good girl, let’s see what’s on it.

About the Author

Glenn Langohr resides in southern California where he spends his time doing what he loves best, reading and writing. He started writing from prison on drug charges and hasn’t stopped since. He is an usher at his church and loves to reach out to other prisoners to help them turn their lives around. Glenn is married to his dream girl, Sanette, who plays Annette in one of his novels.

Truth-out.org has a great post.

Truth-out.org has a great post about solitary confinement. I love finding humanitarian groups and support groups like these where like minded individuals love each other through the dark times into the light. I spent over 10 years in California's prison wharehouses on drug re...lated charges with a couple of those years in the SHU and most of the rest of it on level 3 and 4 yards where more then half the year was on lockdown anyway. I'm blessed to have turned it into something positive by writing novels about the drug war and prison conditions to shine a light on some of the corruption and the need for more compassion and common sense. I gift out kindle copies of any of my books to these groups to help get the word out, email me at rollcallthebook@gmail.com . I wrote Underdog to show the public that you can go into prison and be falsely validated into the SHU over just surviving a riot. Underdog and Race Riot are now available in audio to listen to like a movie and you can listen to part of it for free.

Pelican Bay: The Hunger Strike and The Government's Response ( Article from my associate )

On July 1st 2011, Californian prison inmates commenced a three week long hunger strike. The prisoners, who were predominantly, but not exclusively, incarcerated within Pelican Bay State Prison, struck in protest of the torturous and inhumane conditions that those incarcerated within California's Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (CDCR) prison isolation units were forced to endure.

The Prisoner’s Demands The strikers developed five core demands. First, the prisoners requested that group punishments be eliminated and individual accountability be practiced. This, they asserted, would prevent prison officers from unfairly punishing groups of rule abiding prisoners for misdemeanours committed by an individual prisoner.

Second, prisoners demanded the abolition of debriefing policies and the modification of gang status criteria. They claimed that the system, as it stood, allowed for the classification (and consequent isolation), of prisoners as active gang members. Further, they asserted that, as prisoners were only able to downgrade their gang member status by becoming informants, prisoners were required to risk their safety in order to leave isolation.

Third, prisoners demanded that CDCR policies be made compliant with the recommendations of the US Commission on Safety and Abuse in Prisons (2006) in relation to the ending of an individual's long term solitary confinement. They highlighted that this bipartisan commission had recommended that segregation of prisoners be made a ‘last resort’ and suggested that this recommendation was not being implemented within the state of California. In support of their assertion, it was highlighted that, as of May 18, 2011, California kept 3,259 prisoners in Secure Housing Units (SHUs) as well as hundreds more in administrative segregation awaiting SHU cells.
Fourth, prisoners requested the provision of adequate and nutritious food. Prisoners reported that they were provided with food which was inadequate both in terms of quality and quantity. They raised concerns that there were no procedures in place to check that their food provision complied with prison stands.

Finally, prisoners demanded that the provision of constructive programs and privileges be expanded for indefinite SHU inmates. Prisoners claimed that they were routinely denied chances to gain access to educational opportunities. They asserted that this was the case even when they were willing to fund their own distance learning programs. Further, they claimed that they were regularly denied access to warm clothing, telephones and watch caps.

End of the Strike
On 21st July 2011, prisoners agreed to end their hunger strike. It was reported that this agreement was reached following a number of small concessions by the CDCR which related to prisoners’ possessions and educational opportunities. In addition, the CDCR promised a comprehensive review relating to ‘gang management and secure housing’. The CDCR press release stated:
‘We will now seek to stabilize operations for all inmates and continue our work to improve the safety and security of our prison system state wide’.
Though many concluded that the concessions achieved by the prisoners were small, the level of press coverage and international support that strikers achieved is noteworthy. During the course of the strike, demonstration and solidarity messages emerged from the US, Canada, Australia and Turkey. As per Molly Porzig, spokesperson for Critical Resistance:
‘ What is really significant about this is that people are risking their own lives in joining this action’
‘What the challenge is for supporters outside the prison is that we need to by tirelessly working at, in a very urgent way, taking the risks that we can to match the courage of these hunger strikers’.

The Subsequent CDCR Report
In March 2012, the CDCR released its plan pertaining to the methodology to be applied moving forward when placing or withdrawing prisoners from isolation in SHUs. The report, which focuses on gang management within California’s prisons, states that improved provisions within secure housing units will be achieved by adopting uniform certification of criminal gangs by the Operation Community Shield (OCS) into Security Threat Groups (STGs), identifying and validating criminal gang affiliates, providing a Step Down Program (SDP) for prisoners placed in isolation and providing a comprehensive evaluation of prisoner behaviour.
Further, the report states a commitment to make use of the step down process and use privileges to promote good behaviour, in particular when that good behaviour constitutes a disengagement in gang related activities. The CDCR will also conduct debriefing for offenders who choose to disassociate themselves from criminal gangs.

Criticisms of the Report
Two key criticisms have been levied at the report. First, Attorney Charles Carbone believes that the changes may, conversely, result in increased numbers of prisoners being housed in isolation. This, he argues, is because the new plan serves to widen the definition of ‘gang’ to include street gangs or any groups of more than two inmates who are believed to pose a risk to security within the prison. Such inmates, he points out, could then be eligible for isolation within SHUs.
Another criticism, which transcends this report, is the concern that the inhumane conditions which have been inherent within California’s prisons have, historically, been justified amongst prison staff, who consider inmates as ‘the lowest of the low’. In many instances, however, SHU inmates have been incarcerated for non-violent, often drug related crimes. Those supplying illegal drugs, or those operating illegal unlicensed pharmacies which allow individuals to buy dangerous prescription only drugs without medical authorization, could be incarcerated in an SHU, should they be identified as a gang member'.
Rose Wilkinson is a freelance human rights and politics writer from London, England. She travelled extensively in Asia in her twenties and was lucky enough to meet several dedicated campaigners during her travels. Many of these meetings inspire her today.

Lock Up Diaries in number 2 in the category on Amazon!

I'm so excited! Pass this along to see if we can get it to number 1! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005KLT532  "The Lock Up Diaries is a harrowing account of what it is like in California's most hellacious prison. The vivid characters, the pace, the look at how drug debts affect the political landscape, are entertaining to say the least." Jeniffer flowers, UCLA

The author spent 10 years inside the most violent prisons in California on drug charges. Lock Up Diaries is a depiction of life inside prison and a look at the political landscape between races who are segregated by cell. The amazing details of prison life - code words that prisoners use, explanations of how they communicate from cell to cell - really make you feel you have entered a different world, or like you are watching a movie about prison life. The story shows how race riots that can kill prisoners can be started for very small and seemingly unimportant reasons, and how violence permeates every aspect of prison life. In Lock Up Diaries, a drug debt is on the verge of sparking a gang war.

Joey Pinkney is a pro at interviewing authors!

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Author Glenn Langohr, author of Roll Call (Volume 1)

by Joey Pinkney on June 23, 2012

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Author Glenn Langohr, author of Roll Call (Volume 1)
(Lock Down Publishing)

Roll Call is a true prison story with a cast of characters that include Mexican drug cartels, Southern California street gangs and Hell’s Angels all fighting for their piece of the drug culture. In the middle of it all, B.J. is hell bent for destruction until he realizes his destiny in the nick of time.
Add a good detective squeezed out of the loop by an overzealous narcotic detective, a robust prison union trying to call the shots, a handful of drug criminals trying to find their conscience, and you have the perfect recipe for a revolutionary uprising, bound by blood, all leaving the reader wondering, who are the real criminals?

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write Roll Call?
Author Glenn Langohr: The Lord. Who else could bless me with the ability to turn 10 years of prison time for drug charges into modern pulp thrillers about the drug war?
JP: What sets Roll Call apart from other books in the same genre?
GL: The perspective. I write from the inside of the Criminal Justice system out. Almost all of the other crime writers study drug related crimes, I lived it.
JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that led to Roll Call getting out to the public?
GL: First you have to write stories that grab the reader’s emotions and move them. That will bring the word of mouth and great reviews. From there, it’s networking with established names like Joey Pinkney.
JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take you to start and finish Roll Call?
GL: Once I get the introduction to another book in motion, I wake up at 4 am to write. I write until the flow stops and start pacing until it comes back. Eventually, as the story moves forward and the characters and what motivates them comes to life, I see how it will end in my sleep.
My first novel, Roll Call, is such a deep and political look into the drug war that it took seven years. The sequel, Upon Release took one year. My prison thrillers take a couple of months.
JP: What’s next for Author Glenn Langohr?
GL: Besides writing, I’m becoming an activist for prison reform. My vision is to have a foundation that sends instructional writing guides to prisoners.

http://www.lockdownpublishing.com
http://facebook.com/glennlangohrcalifornia
http://twitter.com/rollcallthebook
http://www.facebook.com/lockdownpublishingdotcom
http://www.facebook.com/KindlePrisonStories
That which doens’t kill you makes you stronger. But if you’re going in the wrong direction you’re just getting more lost.

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