Red Silk Carpet #95 Barry Ricoma Digital cover by Shelly Jernigan Pekala

RSC#95March2024

On The Cover

Barry Ricoma

Best-Selling Author "Two Wheeled Freedom, Riding Towards Adventure"

Tyla Rihanna Maye Musk Natalia Dyer

Kat Satava Cristobal Toral

LESLY KAHN Kristy Mickelsen Meghanne Storey

Marilyn Green Anzhelika Steen Olsen

THE MET

Photographer: Taryn Lenon (tarynlenonphotography.com)

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Barry S. Ricoma Two-time Best-Selling Author By Jules Lavallee Photographer : Taryn Lenon (tarynlenonphotography.com)

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Barry S. Ricoma is a native of Brooklyn, New York, a Father to one son (Ryan), and a 21-year Veteran of the Military Armed Forces (U.S. Army). Currently, residing in Hawthorne, Nevada Barry continues his service to the Armed forces, working as a Quality Assurance Specialist Ammunition Surveillance Inspector at Hawthorne Army Ammunition Depot. His profession affords him the opportunity to travel the world supporting soldiers from all the armed services {Army, Navy, Air Force & Marine Corps) ensuring that they have the best equipment at their disposal.

When not working Barry can be found engaging in his passion for the great outdoors. Whether it be cruising the highways on his motorcycle (2018 HarleyDavidson Fat Bob) or enjoying nature to its fullest beauty when camping in the nearby National Forests located in California. It is his thirst for adventure and the desire to experience what life has to offer on his personal journey that has brought this uniquely fun opportunity to explore a new creative outlet as an aspiring writer which has gained him recognition as a two-time BestSelling Author. My personal mission and vision are to simply share my love for Travel and the outdoors and hopefully inspire others through examples of both my failures and achievements.

What is the best way to refresh

yourself from daily routines and have fun with loved ones? Well, currently I am working at my dream job. I am working as a Quality Assurance Specialist involving the inspection of Ammunition and Explosives for the Department of the Army. As a retired Army Veteran, it affords me the opportunity to continue serving my county and supporting the men and women that are currently serving in the Armed Forces. It is an occupation that provides me with the ability to travel the world and I do go where the soldiers go in support of their missions as well. To further answer your question, the way I refresh myself from daily routines is to get LOST! And by that, I mean getting out into nature whether it be camping, hiking, or riding my motorcycle on the open highway. I recently had a conversation on this very topic and aside from my current job I had said, if I could do anything else it would be traveling around the country in my adventure van with my motorcycles, and my cat Bella (Yes, I’m a Cat dad ) exploring all that the world has to offer then writing about my adventures. There is nothing more peaceful than sitting outdoors, letting the sounds of nature envelope you. You are inspiring others through your love of travel and outdoors. Can you share a few of your favorite places and your mission to inspire others? Well, to date. I recently traveled to Bishop, CA with my friend and hiking partner Jolene

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Burkholder to visit the Manzanar War Relocation Center (WRC). That trip was particularly emotional for J (Jolene), as she is of Japanese descent, and she had distant relatives that were interned there during World War II. A few other favorite places from past adventures include Ft Churchill State Park & Trailhead, Winter hiking at Sand Harbor Beach in South Lake Tahoe, and my first hike of 2024 at Wilson Canyon Trail in Yerington, NV. What has surprised you the most when traveling on your motorcycle to different locations? Since living in Nevada, the most surprising thing about traveling on my motorcycle is the number of hidden locations I’ve discovered. From ghost towns to small towns, quiet lakes to cozy hot springs, long roads to winding roads (twisties). Nevada has so many hidden gems to explore! Also, there’s the added experience of riding through the open desert (day or night) like the Pony Express Riders of the old west. I swear I feel like I’m a cowboy from that era every time I get on my Iron Horse. You are a co-author for the Joy 365 Devotion Book. What intrigued you about this project? Initially, a longtime friend Dr. Theresa Smith referred me to Dr. Vernessa Blackwell (Dr. V). Dr. Smith and I both served in the military (US Army) together but eventually took different paths within the same career circles.

We reconnected in 2020 and that is when she presented me with an opportunity to be part of Dr. V’s devotional project. During that time, I was recovering from some difficult life struggles. Divorce, starting a new career, moving to a new location. At first, I was hesitant and honestly, I did not see myself as an author.

Additionally, this is something that I rarely share but I am being vulnerable right now in saying I was having self-doubts. Not just about being a part of this exciting project but more about where my life was heading. I was just now starting to recover from a period of feeling unappreciated, unloved, and undervalued as a husband, father, and a son. I thought to myself, “I barely know who I am as it is, let alone who I want to become. I thought to myself, “I do not have time to write a page for a book!” However, after speaking with Dr V. and taking time to consider her proposal I decided to take a leap of faith and join the devotional group. Even though I had a lot on my plate, I told myself that the future I am creating now is going to be about embracing new challenges and adventures as I was now stepping forward on a journey of self-love, growth and renewing my selfworth as a man. This has been my mindset ever since.

Can you share a bit about your chapter? My chapter is about self-

reflection. When I decided to accept Dr. V’s invitation, it was like I had a spark of inspiration the moment the word yes sounded from my lips. I wanted to draw from personal experience, and I had plenty to choose from, but I wanted to keep it short in length. I tend to add words when I speak and that transfers to my writing as well. So, for my chapter I opted to draft a short poem. It is me talking to the man in the mirror and him (spirit/angels) answering back with comforting and encouraging words.

What was it like to work with Dr. Vernessa Blackwell? Working with Dr. V on this project has been a blessing, for real. Her mentorship has been invaluable to my navigating the subtleties associated with promoting books. Her enthusiasm and motivation for the project just made me want to be the best that I could be. She is truly inspiring. You are also the co-author of the King Conversions: An Anthology of Men. What do you want people to know? As I stated earlier, being an author has been an amazing new opportunity for me. Since joining the JOY365 group I have been introduced to some phenomenal writers and business entrepreneurs. One such person is Marissia Bloedoorn, CEO & Editor-in-Chief of OWN It! Magazine & Publishing for which

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I am a contributing writer for the LIFEStyles & Leisure Living Magazine. She offered me that opportunity after a podcast (My first ever) interview that was highlighting the co-authors of Joy365 in which I mention my passion for riding motorcycles and newfound passion for hiking & camping. Everything that had to do with being outdoors and exploring. After about 4 months writing for the magazine, she came to me with a proposal for another book project, King Conversations: An Anthology of Men. She presented it as a book/Guide for young men to gain knowledge and inspiration from elder successful men in their respective career fields in which they (WE) shared life experiences and lessons learned as we worked towards our own success in life. I laughed to myself about this because she had already submitted my name for the project before she informed me! It is a testament to the potential she saw within my writing, ergo me, that I did not see within myself at the time. As it turns out, that book became a #1 Best-Seller on Amazon last year. Then we just completed Joy365’s Campaign on Amazon in January of this year as well. It also became a #1 Best-Seller as well as an international best-seller for its category. 2 months apart I find myself being recognized as a 2-time Best-selling author with international bestseller credentials! How amazing is that?!!

What’s next for you? As fun and exciting as being an author is, I don’t believe I will be quitting my day job any time soon! HAHA!! Seriously, writing is a new creative outlet that I look forward to continuing exploring further as it keeps me active and outdoors so I can share my adventures through my Blog posts and videos. So, to answer, YES, I am eager to be part of another book project. Ironically, this experience has also brought to my attention that I am quite photogenic. Being a content creator, I take lots of photos/videos of locations scenery, so it is only natural that I have a few pictures of myself. A certain hiking partner has mentioned that I have a bit of a selfie addiction. I personally, do not see it (wink, wink). I just like to capture the moment with me in it! Anyway, while embarking on this path the need to have professional photos done for both my book promoting as well as my website (www.twowheeledfreedom.com) has been essential. I can honestly say that I love the photos that have been done for me, some of which I chose to be included for this magazine by an exceptionally talented photographer, Taryn Lenon (tarynlenonphotography.com). She really captures my authentic self and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank and acknowledge her work. Whew!!, all of these words to say, if I could choose what’s next for me then I would be receptive to opportunities that would open doors to becoming a professional/published model. Yeah, that’s something I just might quit my day job for! Photographer : Taryn Lenon (tarynlenonphotography.com) ©Red Silk Carpet

my website (www.twowheeledfreedom.com )

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LET’S WORK TOGETHER! Summary of magazine Digital copy 20.00. The print is also available at a print-ondemand pricing.

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