PRISONERS FAMILIES VOICES UK: Author Glenn Langohr Supporting Prison Widow

PRISONERS FAMILIES VOICES UK: Author Glenn Langohr Supporting Prison Widow: My friend Glenn from California has written a piece for Prisoners Families Voices: Glenn Langohr Spent 10 Years in Prison, With 4 Yea...

Check out the U.K Prizon Widow who gives a voice to the voiceless. If you share her site I will gift out a kindle copy of one of my books! Give her some love!

An Interview With Best Selling Prison Author Glenn Langohr

An Interview With Best Selling Prison Author Glenn Langohr

Posted on March 28, 2013by lockdownpublishing

How much of yourself is hidden in the characters in your books? A lot. I lived a life as a drug criminal for many years. It started as a runaway at the age of 12. It continued for 20 more years. Through writing, I found a spiritual way to deal with it in a positive way.

How much of a story do you have in mind before you start writing? I usually have the story already done before I start. Of course a few new twists and turns can happen but for the most part, I see the story as if it is a movie.

How do you develop and differentiate your characters? I paint with the true colors of life, with real characters, so they are divided by different drug gangs, different races, different sides of the law and different motivations.

Do you have specific techniques you use to develop the plot and stay on track? At times, my writing turns to fiction to transition the story from point A to point B and that Is when it gets hard to stay on track. Sometimes I have to throw away sections and start over.

How (or when) do you decide that you are finished writing a story? In the beginning that was hard because I wanted the perfect ending. My first novel, Roll Call: A True Crime Prison Story of Corruption and Redemption is 700 pages but I got the perfect ending! Kirkus Discoveries from NY Nielson Media reviewed it and called me a “Master Director” and said, “A Harrowing-Down-and-Dirty Depiction of the U.S. War on Drugs” they also related it to my favorite drug war movie “Traffic”.

Now all my books are way shorter. I figured out how to end them a little easier.

Is there a message in your writing you want readers to grasp? I have nine drug war and prison books that are meant to do two things. I strive to shine a light on how “tough on crime” political platforms are hurting us as a society because they aren’t “smart on crime” and we need more compassion in relation to the drug laws. My books show human beings being sent to prison who are addicted to drugs and fighting poverty the only way they know how. While in prison, the readers can see for themselves that the addiction is bred into an affliction much harder to escape, where gangs, tattoos and violence are the solution to the pressure. What do you think that does for the community when those petty drug criminals are released without any new skills or way to live, starting over from scratch, without a job, or a place to live?

What are you working on right now? The TV show “Lock Up Abroad” interviewed me for the upcoming season that is going to focus on U.S. Prisons. They want me to write a story without any fiction at all about my time in prison toward the end of my sentence when some crazy stuff happened.

Have you always wanted to be a writer? No, I never imagined it until I was in prison for 10 years and stuck in a cell in solitary confinement.

At what age did you discover your love of writing? I was 32 years old at the time.

What was the first story that you wrote? Roll Call: A True Crime Prison Story of Corruption and Redemption.

When were you first published? How were you discovered? I published in 2009 after sending my manuscript to a bunch of publishers.

What is the most difficult part of the whole writing process? Going over it again and again to make it perfect. The rewriting can be overwhelming and it takes other professional readers and authors to add their thoughts.

What do you like to read? I love suspense thrillers, romance, young adult, crime anything, mystery and Westerns.

What writer influences you the most? There are so many it is hard to name one. Lee Childs is fantastic. James Patterson writes short chapters the way I do. James Clavelle writes culture the way I do.

If your book was made into a TV series or Movie, which actors would you like to see playing your characters? I envision making stars out of real prisoners who are in my books. Why have someone pretend to be a Mexican Mobster or Hell’s Angel when the real thing is available?

Where can people learn more about you and your books?

rollcallthebook@gmail.com

To purchase Glenn’s books in print, kindle or audio in the UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00571NY5A

In the US http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00571NY5A

To contact Glenn on facebook~https://www.facebook.com/glennlangohrcalifornia

To contact Glenn on Linkedin ~ http://linkd.in/ZH8lc7 Glenn’s audio books for a free sample on Amazon~ http://amzn.to/Yi9Uxo 

http://www.lockdownpubishing.com

http://www.audiobookprisonstories.com

Glenn Langohr's Prison Book Underdog Got Another Great Review From One of Amazon's Top 500 Reviewers!

 

Ionia Martin "Ionia" - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: UNDERDOG, A True Crime Thriller of Prison Life (Prison Killers- Book 4) (Kindle Edition)

I find this a difficult book to review--at least for me personally--let me preface this with the reasons why. I want this review to be fair and honest so I would like everyone who reads this to understand my position.

This is not my genre, nor is it my standard reading material. I tend to review literary fiction, genre fiction, non-fiction historical, and classics. I teach English Literature. I am not familiar with the writing style of this author or the subject matter at hand, and I lived in Crescent City, California so I may have a bit of a preexisting opinion of the City and Pelican Bay from that. I will do my best to offer an impartial review regardless.

Glenn Langohr has written a gritty book filled with truth about the side of prison life that we don't see from the outside. He writes from a position of authority, having lived what he writes about first hand. This makes his writing very honest, but also difficult for me to judge by my usual standards. I can't say that this was the most refined writing I have ever read, but the honest truth is--it didn't matter.

The tale this author weaves begins in a way I hadn't expected, and I wasn't sure what to think. The first chapter fumbled a little in my opinion, as though he was trying to find his legs beneath him. After that, the book really took off and it was impossible to put down after that. The story he tells of how inmates are treated at Pelican Bay was difficult for me to reconcile as I do know what a boost to the economy the prison brought to one of Northern California's most desperate cities. I do believe his story, and I feel for those who have had to live through the things he spoke of, but sometimes it is hard to accept reality--especially when you are used to seeing the other side of the coin.

What I liked about this book the most, and what I felt earned this book the four stars I gave it, was Glenn's ability to retain the reader's interest. He may not have attended a fancy university to hone his craft of writing, but there is such a human element to his words and his ability to connect with you as you read his story on a personal level made this the kind of book you want to keep reading and tell your friends about. His message at the end of the story is both compassionate and detailed, which added a lot to this book in my opinion.

The one negative I will mention, and it is just my opinion of course, is that I don't get the cover. It somehow reminds me of 'Joker' from batman, and I don't really get what it has to do with the story. It looks cool, but I also think it might make this book seem a little more fantasy than reality and might frighten off some of the more mature people who would ordinarily pick this book up and give it a try.

** Update: I have just discovered that the cover I am looking at is only one of the covers. So, disregard this last part if you have the orange and black cover, which is perfectly appropriate for the story.
Overall, this was short, unexpected and something that I think has a lot of value, both as entertainment and a dose of reality.

This review is based on a digital copy from the author. My opinions are my own.

PRISONERS FAMILIES VOICES UK: Author Glenn Langohr

PRISONERS FAMILIES VOICES UK: Author Glenn Langohr:                          THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER LIFE  Over the past few months, Author Glenn Langohr and I have corresponded and b... Whoo hoo! My friend Alison in the UK who writes for Prizon Widow hooked me up on her page! She is a great writer and friend. Check out her site and look for more of her stories when I post them. I can't wait to sell enough books and audio books to visit the UK and meet her!