Just last year, author Attilio Guardo published two books under the self-publishing house ReadersMagnet: “The Other Side of Love” and “The Miracle of Wendy Whimple.” The former has been described as a “dramatic revenge fantasy” while the latter is a middle-grade storybook.
Attilio Guardo manifested his love for writing at an early age. When he was 9 years old, he wrote a 55-page novel titled “Three Ways”. Two years later, he wrote a play which was performed in his backyard. Graduating from the University of Hartford with a BS Degree in General Business Management, he then enlisted in the United States Army. Upon leaving the military and becoming employed in the accounting and management profession, he did a brave thing: he married a divorced woman who had six children. He was married for forty-one years before his wife passed away in 2016.
“The Other Side of Love” tells of Conrad Arlington Hill, a self-centered man who seeks revenge upon Abigail McCloud, who dumped him due to his drinking and self-serving attitude. He convinces Ed McDowell, an old army buddy and aspiring actor, to date Abigail in jest and then dump her once she’s fallen in love. However, Ed falls in love with her, and this enrages Conrad who eventually turns on them both.
When Conrad Arlington Hill is suddenly dumped by his girlfriend, Abigail McCloud, he suffers irreparable hurt. So much that he conspires with his friend Ed to seek revenge on Abigail. His plan fails however, when Ed and Abigail manifest a love for each other. Conrad, whose body is now ravaged and consumed with hatred, goes on a mission of relentless revenge. He employs an underworld figure to force Ed to abandon Abigail and never see her again. Abigail is so distraught with Ed’s departure she needs a two-month stay in a mental institution to recover.
He becomes energized to take on his new victim, Erica Hollis, who is an old high school friend. However, before he gets too involved, Penney Hennessey causes some light damage to Conrad’s car. He immediately sees her as the perfect candidate to take out his revenge.
Penney is frail, homely and vulnerable. Conrad showers her with gifts, dinning out in class and literally placing her on a pedestal. When she is convinced he truly loves her, he tells her he cannot see her anymore. She is so heartbroken and being a tragic victim of betrayal, she takes her own life.
Conrad is now ready to continue his friendship with Erica Hollis. In so doing, he starts having feelings for her that quickly become all too real. After having a history of being involved with beauty pageantry, Erica’s trip back home from one consumes her life in a car accident.
Remorseful and regretful for all the grief and pain he caused people, he calls Debbie Hollis, Erica’s sister. They decide to start a friendship, making Conrad decide one thing for certain – he wants to return from the other side of love and the emotional roller coaster he was on and find love again.
Schingler of Foreword Reviews takes note on the development of Guardo’s characters in The Other Side of Love, labeling Conrad “a melodramatic lead, prone to tempestuous fits of feeling,” Abigail as “silly and pliable,” and Ed as “an affable dupe.” Her book review of the novel also revolves around Conrad’s behavior around women, which she finds “off-putting,” and the romantic subplots.
BlueInk Review’s analysis of the book focuses more on the plot, noting that “the mix of characters and action keep readers engaged.”
“The Miracle of Wendy Whimple” tells the tale of Wendy, a 9-year-old girl with a physical disability, plus the power to heal sickly animals and even bring them back to life. Wendy was born with a twisted, shorter left leg. Unloved by her mother, she is taken in by her aunt and uncle.
Wendy receives the gift of healing after encountering a mysterious ball of light that calls itself the Guardian of affliction. She tries to hide her gift but the Pullo brothers, who delight in shooting and killing songbirds, find out about it. When one of the brothers loses the sight in one eye during a hunting accident, he begs Wendy to heal him, only to find out that she can’t heal humans. Enraged, he plans to exact revenge on her.
Kirkus Reviews finds the character of Wendy to be “immensely likable” and “generally upbeat throughout” and the prose “simple and concise.” The book review publication also notices a symptom of mental illness in Wendy’s mother and somewhat highlights what one’s flawed concept of perfection can do to people like Wendy.
Despite a few imperfections, Kirkus Reviews finds the book to be “a winsome story” and the ending “pleasant.”
A few of Attilio Guardo’s grandchildren inspired him to write children books. They loved his short stories. Engulfed in earning a living, he completed two rough manuscripts. They sat in his file cabinet for some years until he decided it was time to submit one for publication. It was in 2004 that he finally published his first novel, A Special Time in Clear Creek. A year later, he published a sequel to his first book Halloween at Clear Creek. He eventually focused on a children’s book which title, The Bald Eagle Who Wanted to Fly the American Flag, came to him one morning out of the air while he was taking a shower. Though he considers it to be a children’s book, several adults love it and have enjoyed it immensely.
If he had the chance to start his life over, he would pursue vigorously a career in the field of writing. He would also spend a great deal of his time in the world of art, painting with oil and watercolor.
The Damsel’s Files 