TUESDAY TALKS

SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW With Author:  
JAMES DE SALVO

Before we get started talking about your books, tell us a little about yourself.  Where are you from?  What is your occupation outside of writing?  I live in Fishkill, NY in the Hudson Valley. I’m a high school Special Education teacher. It’s fun and always challenging.

Would you describe yourself as an introvert or an extrovert?I’m definitely an extrovert. I always have been. I’m in front of a crowd every day in school. I was also an actor for several years.

Do you have any pets? I have seven cats, one dog, and a snake. I know I sound like a crazy cat person. My wife and I saved four feral kittens who were in danger of freezing to death. We tried to give them good homes, but I couldn’t bear to part with them. The names of all of the cats are: Freecie Dee, Shashoon, Kit, Noodle, Boomer, Vader (all black), and Chuck.

My dog is named Doozie. She is the sweetest spaniel in the world. The snake is Phoebe.

(Wow!  You have a house full!  I love the name Vader for an all black cat!  J )

What are your favorite books to read?Anything by Andrew Vachss. He is a great crime writer and an attorney who sole practice is protecting children. I am a huge comic book fan. David Sedaris is always great. He has such a great voice on the page and in his live readings.

 Where is the most unique place you have traveled?Japan.  It’s a beautiful country.  Very clean.  Tokyo is larger than NYC, but the streets are pristine.

How many books have you written and how many of those are published? I’ve written and published Connie Cobbler: Toy Detective. I’ve also published an e-book called Miss Mary Pennynickle’s Tales of Torment for Toddlers. It’s a collection of macabre stories and poems. Miss Mary Pennynickle’s Fairytales of Foreboding should be out by mid-January. A second Connie Cobbler mystery is also in the works.

Do you have one particular genre that all your books fall under (i.e. suspense, romance, etc.)  or do you write in many different genres?I like to write in many genres. I think that if a story strikes a writer it should be told.  Genre shouldn’t matter. 

How much character and plot detailing do you plan out before you begin writing a novel, or are you a “pantser” (fly by the seat of your pants) ?A lot of my writing is by the seat of my pants. I’ll get an idea and just start writing.  The characters seem to guide the story.  I go back and rework everything, but I’m not much of a planner.

Prior to becoming a published author, how many rejections did you receive?  How did you handle the rejections?I can’t even count the rejections.  I took them in stride.  I’ve auditioned for so many shows over the years that I can handle rejection.

How and when do you write? Do you keep yourself on a schedule or do you work while the muse is with you? I write whenever I can. I try to write when I get home from work.  I also write when the muse kicks me in the butt. I’ll pick up paper or a napkin or whatever is around and write it down.

If you have a new release coming out, tell us about it.Miss Mary Pennynickle’s Fairytales of Foreboding is the darker and more morbid side of fairytales. Think of Hansel and Gretel. Their parents left them in the woods to die. Then a witch enslaves Gretel and fattens up Hansel to eat them.  The kids commit murder.  It was hard to take it beyond the original, but I think I did.

If you could step into the world of anyone else’s novel or meet with any character, which/who would you choose?I’d be Batman. Hands down.  There is no grey area for him.

If you could give one piece of advice to writers trying to get published, what would that advice be?Keep writing and never take no for an answer, especially from yourself.  Independently publish if you can.  Buy a block of ISBNs and own your work.  Outsource your work to a good editor and if you can afford a cover artist, get one.  Check out POD.  Just be careful and do LOTS of research first. 

What's up next for you and your writing? To keep writing.  That’s all I have right now.

Anything else you'd like to share with my blog readers? BUY MY BOOKS!!!  And keep writing.

Where can we read more about you and your work?You can visit my website www.jamesdesalvoauthor.com and/or email me at jamesdesalvo@jamesdesalvoauthor.com if anyone wants samples or previews.  I’ll try to answer any questions about my experiences with writing so far if I can.