Interview With Author Mary Bruno Friedman

 

         

1.      What inspired you to write this book?

I befriended my night custodian, Mr. Danyk Szaftranski where I taught at Woodland Middle School in East Meadow NY.  He trusted me with a box of artifacts which revealed his incredible history of being an American child, stranded and separated from his parents in the Soviet Union after WWII, due to boundary changes.  Moved by the challenges he faced and realizing the historical significance of his story of being a rare American to retain his American citizenship, I became passionate to have it known and have his heroism recognized.

 

2.      What exactly is it about — and who is it written for?

Of HEROIC PROPORTION An American Story is a narrative non-fiction based on the life of Mr. Danyk Szafranski. He became an American hero at the age of fourteen when he was stranded by post-World War II boundary changes and Stalin's determination to disregard anything western. Separated from his father in New York and his mother in Siberia, the lone boy must make a harrowing journey to the United States Embassy in Moscow to claim his American citizenship. Embraced and then housed by the arms of the embassy for ten months, the United States Foreign Service officials desperately fought to protect him from the KGB and send the American child home.

Supported by letters, photographs, and documents, Danyk's story is weaved over continents, time, and complex historical events to reveal not only a very human experience of patriotism and enduring love but also the intricacies of war, mysteries of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, and devotion of US Foreign Service officials in the Soviet Union at this time.

The author, Mary Bruno Friedman, had a personal connection to the protagonist as he was a custodian where she taught in East Meadow, New York. She believed him to be a Soviet immigrant until he presented a puzzling box of artifacts exposing a past that he couldn't otherwise share due to his limited English. This evidence and their friendship helped uncover this inspiring American story.

Of HEROIC PROPORTION targets a sophisticated adult audience intrigued by unprecedented events brought to life within a historical context. Readers will have depth of history and characters to explore, as well as the question...

"What does it mean to be an American?”

 

3.      What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book?

 

1). Greater understanding of American and World history, particularly at this time, and how it relates to our involvement in Ukraine and understanding the point of view point of the Ukrainian people.

 

2). Americans’ greater appreciation of holding on to our American values and freedoms.

 

3). Recognize a great American hero who never gave up on America at great cost.

 

4.      How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design?

 

I wanted to convey young Danyk’s vulnerability standing up to a powerful force (PROPORTION), as well as his heroism (HEROIC) and devotion to America, no matter what it cost him. I chose the cover to display the photos he first showed me of him as a child surrounded by a US Foreign Service Officer and a Soviet soldier on the day he arrived at the US Embassy in Moscow in 1947. That photo and another of him in his room in the basement of the US Embassy are what first captured my heart, spoke to me and sustained my passion to have his story told. 

 

5.      What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!?

Believe in your story and surround yourself with others who feel your passion and believe in it, too.  At times, they may be the arms that carry you.

 

6.      What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? 

When I began writing my book everything was about getting a literary agent interested in you… self-publishing was frowned upon.  I spent many years (decades even) trying to get one and never got a response to my queries. My tech savvy was limited, and I owe it to my son, Adam, who believed in me as a storyteller and Danny’s incredible story to introduce me to the world of self-publishing. Who knew… now I’m researching and learning so much.  The opportunity is now there… finally, and I think authors will sink or swim depending on how they respond.

 

7.      Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? 

As a special educator, I find purpose in rooting for the underdog and valuing every individual. My tendency is to give people a chance and take time to hear their stories before judging them.  Children who had difficult lives needed to trust me to move forward.  Danny seemed to pick up on that. He needed to trust me and know I would have the patience to hear his story.  I knew it was cathartic for him to confide things in me that even his own children had not heard before.  He needed to share his story… and validating stories was sort of my purpose.

 

8.      How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?

This may not make sense to a lot of people as the author of a book explaining history, wars or American polices but I loved LaVyrle Spenser’s books.  Morning Glory is my favorite because Ms. Spencer not only brought a time period alive and taught me things I’d never known but gave her characters such depth and warmth.  I wanted my readers to fall in love with the characters, root for them and care about how their life’s journey ended as much as I did.

 

9.      What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book?

Keeping track and developing a time line to coordinate dates of world history and the individual stories of Danyk (Danny), his father in NY, his mother and uncle in Siberia, his uncle in France, his uncle in a Germany POW Camp, and the US Foreign Services officers at the US Embassy. It was a lot of information and required a lot of research.  I literally had a six-foot piece of paper charting everything out to organize my chapters and what was happening in each person’s life at a particular point in time.

 

Using Danny’s son to translate.  At times, he was hearing info for the first time about his father’s life.  It wasn’t always pretty and I didn’t like witnessing his pain.

 

I was still teaching when I decided to write the book (at Danny’s request).  I also had school-age children so I was limited in the time I could devote to it. It seemed to pour out of me and at times I was frustrated because I had to stop…lessons still needed to be planned and dinner still needed to be put on the table!

 

Dealing with changes in computers and formats.  My original manuscript was first recorded in a format no longer acceptable for PDF. 

 

Learning about formats each publisher wanted.  Start keeping track early and I suggest keeping a notebook with numbered pages and a table of contents (take it from a retired teacher, it helps).

 

10.  If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?

It will give them greater understanding of what is happening in Ukraine right now and why the Ukrainians have such determination.  It will also inspire them, give them a hero to believe in and a yardstick to measure their own degree of American patriotism. 

Biography of the Author:  Mary Bruno Friedman is a retired Special Education Teacher from Long Island, New York with a specialization in Neurological Impairment/ Emotional Disturbance and certification in Wilson Language Systems. She received an Everyday Hero Award in January 2007 which was presented to her by the students of Woodland Middle School for her dedication to the community. In retirement, she enjoyed completing her book, Of HEROIC PROPORTION An American Story, and being a docent for Bethpage Village Restoration.  She now enjoys spending time with her husband, Steve, children and grandchildren. Please see: www.of-heroic-proportion.com.

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About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over four million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

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