Novel a 40-year labor of love for Upper Freehold man

Township resident Rudy Girandola writes novel, "The Jade Chalice."

By: Lauren Burgoon
   UPPER FREEHOLD — As Rudy Girandola puts it, "words are a part of my soul." The 78-year-old is a lifelong writer, preferring to put his thoughts down on paper even when he wants to tell his wife something. But most of Mr. Girandola’s thoughts and musings on the world were kept private — until now.
   Mr. Girandola’s decades-long labor of love became reality last year when he published his first novel, "The Jade Chalice." The novel gained some popularity locally and now Mr. Girandola is ready to take on a larger audience with his first book signing at Barnes & Noble at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Hamilton Marketplace.
   "I’ve always been a writer but this is so different, having a published book. I don’t think I get the full extent of it even now," Mr. Girandola said, while sitting in his Route 539 home, where he spends a good deal of time putting his thoughts onto paper.
   The book signing, like "The Jade Chalice," is a long time in the making. Both were difficult to accomplish — the book signing because Barnes & Noble doesn’t just allow anyone to walk in off the street to hold a signing and the actual book because it represents a large chunk of Mr. Girandola’s life.
   It all started more than 40 years ago when Mr. Girandola began writing "The Jade Chalice." When he typed the novel’s first words, Mr. Girandola and his wife, Valeria, had three young children and lived in Connecticut. The book kept progressing throughout the years, as the family moved to New Jersey and had three more children. Those children eventually gave the Girandolas 12 grandchildren and the book kept progressing. Mr. Girandola found time to write between working as a reporter, serving on Upper Freehold regional school board and staying active in the community.
   Ideas and chapters developed until Mr. Girandola realized he wanted to put everything together to create one cohesive novel. But even though he had hundreds of pages of writing, creating the finished book wasn’t a snap.
   "It was a very difficult thing to do, I must say. I had been writing for so long and needed to make sure that the chapters all related to the dramatic climax. That was a hard thing to do," Mr. Girandola said.
   "The Jade Chalice" is a two-pronged novel set between 1936 and World War II that brings together two protagonists from very different backgrounds. One is an American raised in the Christian tradition, the other a Chinese woman living in her Communist-dominated country. Mr. Girandola says both of them are heroic and able to face challenges life presents, but in different ways. The characters eventually meet and clash because of their opposite backgrounds.
   Much of the book takes place in China and Mr. Girandola provides vivid descriptions even though, he confesses, he has never been to the country. Instead Mr. Girandola relied on a stack of articles and reference material about China and its history.
   The backdrop for the story is the Catholic Church, its inner workings and influence on people’s lives. It’s a world that Mr. Girandola knows well. He is a lifelong Catholic and went from serving as an altar boy in parochial school to sitting on an executive board for the Bishop’s Pastoral Council under the direction of Bishop George Ahr. Mr. Girandola also spent two years at Saint Bonaventure’s Christ the King Seminary in Connecticut when he considered entering the priesthood.
   Catholicism’s impact is felt throughout the book and Mr. Girandola knows some people will think he is taking shots at the church. The book explores why the church faces things like pedophilia scandals from the viewpoint of how priests and nuns are trained and kept separate from the world around them.
   "I’ve been in a seminary and seen things that take place. I’m not attacking the church or religious people," Mr. Girandola explained. "This book is about how people react when faced with matters that seem impossible. The truth is they don’t act like saints, they act like human beings."
   The real message of the book, as the forward says, is that the human spirit can emerge victorious after facing seemingly impossible obstacles.
   "My point is not to tear down an institution. I want people to read the book and reflect on their own lives and relationship with God. Once they finish the book I think people do think about their lives," Mr. Girandola said.
   Mr. Girandola’s own journey writing "The Jade Chalice" became a family affair. His children, like daughter Christine, can remember their dad plugging away on the book throughout their childhood — the family even has a picture from the 1960s that shows Mr. Girandola in a corner writing while four of his children, some still in diapers, write their own books in the family’s living room.
   "These characters really are like my family. They’ve been with me for so long," Mr. Girandola notes.
   The characters are so much a part of the family that the Girandola’s fifth child, Neal, is named after the book’s American protagonist. Another son, Robert, designed the book’s cover art. So it was no surprise when the entire extended family dropped everything they were doing and threw an impromptu party the day the book was published by Publish America.
   "We’re just so proud of him, we can’t believe it. Everyone was ready to celebrate with him," daughter Christine said. "It’s been over 40 years in the making. In some ways I’m not ready to see him as a novelist yet. He’s still just dad."
   Ms. Girandola said she is especially proud that her father arranged Saturday’s book signing at Barnes & Noble at the Hamilton Marketplace without help or many connections in the literary world. The Girandolas are expected to turn out in force at the signing to celebrate again.
   But Mr. Girandola isn’t content to rest after this one book. He has two others in the pipeline now. One is a novel about an attempt to restore Communism through robotics. The other is nonfiction and deals with accepting challenges.