Antonio Pagliarulo

Born and raised in New York City, I started writing at an early age, thanks to a very cool teacher who eventually found out that the notebook I carried around contained lots of weird stories and virtually no homework. The pattern continued straight on through till high school and, come to think of it, hasn't stopped.

When people ask me to describe myself, I almost always respond with the same line: I'm a nice Italian- American kid from the Bronx. I sold chocolate door-to-door in my grammar school years and volunteered a lot as a teenager. Then it was off to college, where things got a little crazy...(just kidding!)

Working as a tutor for inner city teens, I was both moved and inspired by the stories I heard, the struggles I witnessed, and the triumphant spirit so many of these young people found within themselves. A DIFFERENT KIND OF HEAT is a gritty book; it's about the inner city because it was born in the inner city -- a place people too often forget, or just don't want to remember. But the stories and truths of our inner cities aren't ones we can afford to forget.

I still live in the Big Apple and I'll probably be here for the rest of my life. There are so many stories to write!