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The oldest of four children, Manhattan-born author Lendy Demetrius was introduced as a teenager to the escape that would become his life’s passion – writing. The introduction was made by a high school teacher who took the initiative to not only provide Lendy with guidance, but also to encourage and nurture his talent. “Mr. Bailey showed me that writing was a way to process and express what was going on in my life,” he recalls. “He showed me how to be still and take time for myself; writing was what made me still in moments of chaos.” Lendy quickly discovered that writing was something he could do and do well. While in college, though he had not yet decided to pursue writing professionally, Lendy drew inspiration from everything including creative writing courses and the works of his favorite authors that helped to develop his written voice. That voice captures and relates themes of contemporary romance and drama, wrought in the African American and Hispanic experience.

Lendy also infuses his writing with tales of overcoming life’s trials, as he has had to do. “I feel every action we play in our lives leaves an etching, like a drawing,” he says of his writing style. “Writing novels for me is like connecting to a framework composed of our lives, culture, history, our pains, and our indulgences. I want to be able to tell a story that draws the reader in and open their conceptions.” In 2002, at the age of 21, Lendy became a published author, releasing There Could Be Joy and Pain in the Long Run. Currently working as an accountant for a corporate real estate firm, Lendy Demetrius has finished his second novel, I Live, You Move On. He is also working on a transition or expansion into screenwriting.

For author Lendy Demetrius, writing is a representation of life. His art truly imitates life, taking readers on a ride through the imagination without ever leaving the realm of possibility. And perhaps that explains why his novels so easily finds an audience: Lendy Demetrius writes life.

Short stories, though, didn't seem to carry through Lendy Demetrius' visionary thirsts. In addition to studying the works of his favorite authors and taking countless creative writing courses, he studied the world around him. “To look at it - it's just a novel but that depends on who is doing the writing. Sometimes life just doesn’t seem to make sense. Writing is a canvas like a painting, and it is made to inspire individuals.” Lendy recalls. “So to this day, I do my best work on the subway. Not only does the chaos bring me an immense amount of focus, the people are the best source of inspiration.”

Over the years, Lendy explored the themes manifested in the lives of others like him: young minorities evolving in the unique urban landscape that is New York City. Ultimately, he learned how to create lives, on paper, that mirrored their realities; how to make them full, explore their unique conflicts and bring resolution, albeit imperfect, to the lives he wrote.

“A couple of years after college, I decided to take a chance and present myself to the world as a professional author. In life, you have to take chances. I also want to see how audiences respond to the stories I tell.” His first novel, There Could Be Joy and Pain in the Long Run, was released in 2002 by Dorrance Publishing Company, Inc. developing the multi-layered tale of aspiring R&B Diva Maxine, whose quest for success and stardom was threatened by an obsessive, violent ex-husband.

Lendy is making his return to the literary scene with the vivid tale of two dynamic women, one Latina and one African- American, seeking to find balance between their personal and professional lives without having to sacrifice one for the other. “As minorities, our lives are so diverse,” Lendy says of his style of writing. “I love to bring to light the challenge in not

only revealing that diversity, but also synergizing the layers that take us beyond the collective African-American or Hispanic experience, to the unique individuality of each character.”