Official Review
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1. What got you started writing?
More or less a childhood dream. My father was a United Press journalist, so he might have rubbed off a bit, but the dream was probably caused by my mother reading to me. In other words, it was her fault. She also taught me how to read and caused me to find first grade’s “Run, Spot, Run” a complete drag.
2. Who had been the biggest influence in your writing career?
Besides my wife, I can’t pinpoint one person, but I know that my English teacher in twelfth grade and my creative writing professor and my Shakespeare Rapid Reading professor at the University of Kansas certainly kept my confidence going. At that time certain authors bored me, and in fact, many still do. But I was fascinated with Albert Camus, several playwrights such as Samuel Beckett, Arthur Miller, Henrik Ibsen, Eugene O’Neill, and authors of short stories like Somerset Maugham. That is not to say that, for entertainment, I don’t enjoy present-day authors, such as Ian McEwan, Colson Whitehead, James McBride, and Jodi Picoult. Surprisingly the one who got me going on “Entanglement-Quantum and Otherwise” was Donna Tartt, not because of her plots, but because of her writing style. And I have read several books on particle physics and astronomy out of pure interest. So the heavy- influences on my writing content have been from the “more serious” literature of yore and some science.
3. Let's discuss your book Entanglement — Quantum And Otherwise. How would you classify this book?
Entanglement – Quantum And Otherwise is a dark and guilt-ridden comment on the human condition disguised as a literary crime fiction novel, suggestive of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, but more concise and less boring.
4. Where does the title come from?
The title came directly from one of my professional editors; it rang true like a clock-tower bell at noon.
5. The reviewer mentions that this is a character-driven story. Are these characters based on real people? How did you make them so flawed and realistic?
Every decent fiction author gets the same question. When people I know have asked me that question, I always answer “maybe.” Why wouldn’t the characters be based on real people that I have met throughout my life? But I think that very few of those people would recognize themselves since these people have been mixed with other people to become a story character. If characters are to feel real, they must come from real people. Then even putting them in unreal or fanciful situations works.
6. What was the hardest part of the book for you to write? What was the most rewarding?
I don’t think I can answer those questions since I found nothing difficult, but it did take over five years to write since the saga is long and complicated. AND I had to make it possible for the reader to follow the generational story without repeating anything. It is also a trick to not over-dramatize any part of the story. Readers who don’t like the book find the understatement too difficult since it requires careful reading or even re-reading to not miss important details.
7. What was your purpose in writing the book? Purely entertainment? Or is there a particular message you wanted to convey?
A book of this genre (literary crime fiction) always has underlying themes. One single event instigated this book. I was standing in front of a wall of family photo portraits, which time-wise covered from my parents to great-great grandparents when cameras were a novelty. At that moment I realized that I knew next to nothing about anyone on that wall. Sure, I had incomplete stories, but how true were those stories? For the most part, I knew nothing of these people. I realized that I, if I was lucky enough not to end up in a drawer, would become a flat picture on somebody’s wall. All of those people had had a life, loves, dreams, accomplishments, heartaches, and sadness, and all of their lives had become part of me. For me, it was time to put something down on paper that would express how those hidden stories influence following generations.
8. Who is your reader?
From an international survey conducted by OnlineBookClub.org, I discovered that almost the exact half (49%) of the English-reading population would buy the book if they discovered the book and were able to read a few pages and the reviews. Because it is serious literary fiction, it is easier to define who would NOT buy it, i.e. those who like religious lit and those who want simple easy reads. I wish I could define the buyers better for marketing purposes to know how to reach them in the massive jungle of books available to them.
9. What's in the works for you now?
I will admit that Entanglement-Quantum And Otherwise took a lot out of me, both mentally and physically (i.e. the hours of sitting pretty close to killing me). It has taken me many months to recover and to consider writing another novel. I am, however, putting pieces together for another novel, but, in that I am eighty, I may become senile or die before it happens.
10. What is your favorite way of taking a break after writing?
Spending time with my brilliant and loving wife, who understands my need to write and who is my best critic.
11. What is your writing must-have?
My notebook and computer. Oh, and solitude.
12. What makes you laugh?
Humor changes for each individual as they age, but the consistent circumstances that make me laugh are, sorrowfully, my own jokes, for which I seem to be the only fan.
13. If you had to pick, which house chore would you do?
You mean, if I GOT to pick? Cooking. But then, my Italian spouse is a gourmet cook.
