All Student Success Letters

Jeffrey Onorato

Dear Gotham,

I wanted to send you a note and let you know that I just published my first book, The SIN of Addison Hall (Block Island Books).

I took both group and private classes at Gotham and I can honestly say that I could not have written The SIN of Addison Hall without Gotham's help. In the group classes I workshopped my story for consistency and credibility, and in my private instruction I worked on craft to develop my characters and tell my story in a compelling way.

I have taken several different writing classes over the seven years it took me to write The SIN of Addison Hall (yes I said seven years!) and the instruction I received at Gotham was unsurpassed. Rather than try and "shoehorn" me into their preferred writing styles, my teachers allowed me to develop my own unique voice, which one described as a "blend of Vonnegut, Orwell and Atwood." I am humbled by the comparison.

I hope The SIN of Addison Hall resonates with readers. I am proud of my accomplishment and grateful to Gotham for helping me realize a dream I had since completing a book report on Orwell's Animal Farm (complete with a shoebox diorama) as a high school sophomore. Now if they could just help me achieve some of my other goals-play the entire soundtrack to Disney's High School Musical on the glockenspiel, juggle a chain saw, a raisin and a feather and win the annual hot dog eating contest in Coney Island. Do I ask too much?

All the Best,
Jeffrey Onorato