Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Interview With Novelist Vincent L. Scarsella


What type of books do you write?  I write a wide variety of fiction, from speculative/sci fi, my love as a reader growing up, and more crime/mystery lately.  My debut novel, "The Anonymous Man," is a dark noir/crime story.

What is your newest book about?   The "hero" of the story, Jerry Shaw, together with his wife, Holly, and best friend, Jeff Flaherty, scheme to fake his death to collect a $4 million life insurance policy.  The plan succeeds, and after observing his own funeral, he soon learns that Holly and Jeff are having an affair and are plotting his actual death.  He then seeks revenge and along the way, he observes a trial in which he is the murder victim (after dramatically changing his appearance).  There are several twists and turns culminating in a suspenseful climax with an ending nobody suspects. 

What inspired you to write it?  Thirty years ago, I read a newspaper article about a guy who was arrested for doing exactly what Jerry did, and that his wife and best friend were in on it.  The truth became the kernel for a story that became pure fiction.

What is the writing process like for you?  I write every day and seem to work on multiple projects - novels, short stories, plays.  There is never enough time!  I never block because I long ago realize that all you should do is get the idea down on paper - because the real writing is in revision. 

What did you do before you became an author?  I have always been a writer first and done something else to make money.  The something else was being a lawyer licensed in New York.  Actually, I started my legal career in the Navy JAG, then worked as a prosecutor up in Buffalo doing mostly white collar crime and organized crime prosecutions, followed by 18+ years prosecuting bad lawyers for unethical conduct (I have a TV series treatment based on that), then prosecuting tax cheats.  Now, I am retired and loving being a full time writer - though still not making any money doing it!

How does it feel to be a published author? For an author, publication is never enough - I want to be a read published author.  Writers are essentially entertainers, or should be, and I aim to stimulate my audience to suspend disbelief and enter a new, and hopefully, exciting world.
Any advice for struggling writers?  Write!  Write! Write!

Where do you see book publishing heading?  It is picked up by Hollywood and I make a billion dollars on it and sequels, and action figures based on the book and movie.


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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2013

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