Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a recovering journalist. I worked in the newspaper industry for more than 30 years doing just about everything, a reporter, feature writer, entertainment editor, film review, design editor, online editor, and multimedia web projects coordinator. I currently teach writing and film studies at Reading Area Community College.
My previous book, “The Secret World of Jon and Kate: The Stupidest Story in the History of the Universe,” is an account of that cockamamie summer of 2009 when Jon and Kate Gosselin inexplicably became the most famous celebrities on the planet and Paparazzi from all over the globe swarmed down on a little town in Pennsylvania.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My new book, “Jerry Quarry Died for Our Sins,” is my first novel.
My inspiration was twofold. One, what if in the near future, genetic engineering would allow a boxing promoter to bring back the 16 greatest heavyweights of all time to fight each other in an elimination tournament on the best nights of their career.
My second inspiration was to build a scene around one June night in 1970 at Madison Square Garden when fans celebrate Jack Dempsey’s 75th birthday and witnessed Jerry Quarry score the biggest technical victory of his career. I happened to be there that night as a teenager.
The novel is a real post-modern genre-blender. It’s a tale of boxing, time travel, multiverses, quantum physics, love, loss, pain, redemption, and how you may think you are through with the past, but the past is never through with you.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Because my book spans 65 years in non-chronological order, I was able to dive into any scene at any time and ultimately ended up rearranging many of them.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I think the influence of Kurt Vonnegut is evident. I also admire John Updike, who grew up less than 10 miles from where I live in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
What are you working on now?
I am working on a short humor book that compiles funny writing passages from students applying to enter college. I am writing that one under a pseudonym. I also I’m on the second draft of a one-act play, “The Eclipse CafĂ©” that involves an encounter between a husband, his girlfriend, and his wife.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I did really well across multiple platforms with my Gosselin book. Perhaps that’s because there are famous people mentioned in the title. I am working now on developing a more thorough Facebook strategy.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
It’s what every writer would suggest. Write! If you don’t write, but just talk about it, you are not a writer. Writers need discipline. They need to set up a schedule and stick to it diligently.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never worry about things you have no control over. And never feel sorry for yourself. There are always, always people facing worse circumstances than you.
What are you reading now?
Everything! I usually have several books going at once, all on my iPad. Surprisingly, even though I just finished a novel, I rarely read full-length fiction.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Probably a collection of short fiction. I don’t really have another novel formed in my mind yet. I was thinking about one that focuses on growing up while attending Catholic school in the 1960s. I can draw from my own experiences. Nuns can be brutal.
What is your favorite book of all time?
“Breakfast of Champions” by Kurt Vonnegut.
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