Interviews, Book Launches & Zombies! Oh My!

                                                               

I’ve interviewed and have been sharing the interviews I’ve done on the authors featured in Reading Glasses from Hypothetical Press. Most of the authors included in the anthology are from our group, South Jersey Writers’ Group and some were from outside our group.

                                                                   

Today’s interview is with Gregg Feistman, a member of our group. After the interview, read about the book launch that was held at Victorian Savories Bakery in the Voorhees Township’s Town Center, next to the Echelon Mall

Steampunk Granny's Interview with Gregg Feistman

I’m very happy to introduce this writer to our Reading Glasses Fans. Gregg is a part of our writers’ group and he’s a published author.  Gregg Feistman’s first political thriller, The War Merchants, was published in 2009 by Strategic Book Publishing. He has since completed his second novel in the series, Unholy Alliance, currently under consideration. A former freelance journalist and New York City-produced playwright, he is currently an Associate Professor of Public Relations at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA

Marie Gilbert: Let’s start with you telling the readers a little bit about yourself and what you do when not writing.

Greg Feistman: I’ve been a writer for as far back as I can remember, from short stories to poetry (I actually had a poetry reading when I was in college).  I’m also a former NYC-produced playwright, having had two plays produced Off-Off-Broadway.  When I’m not writing, I have two other lives.  First, I’m a professor of Public Relations at Temple University, teaching undergraduate and graduate students.  That pays the mortgage.  I’m also a professional sports photographer, covering motorsports.

                                                                  

                                                                        

Marie Gilbert: Your last book, The War Merchants and the upcoming sequel Unholy Alliance are political thrillers. Can you tell us a bit about the two books?

Greg Feistman: The War Merchants takes a look at the ultimate business model: corporations manipulating governments and world events to cause regional wars, all in the name of profit.  It’s based on real life incidents.  In Unholy Alliance, my main characters from The War Merchants return to investigate the possibility the Vatican sanctioned the Holocaust.  Like my previous book, a lot of it is based on historical facts.

Marie Gilbert: With your new story, Starstruck, which is one of the stories in Reading Glasses, you’ve chosen to go with science fiction. Can you tell us what the inspiration was for this story?

Greg Feistman: To tell you the truth, I’m not really sure!  The idea just popped into my head.  I’ll credit the muses for that one, as I do for all my creative work.

Marie Gilbert: What was the inspiration for Dr. Ava Green?

Greg Feistman: Well, there’s a French actress named Eva Green, so maybe it was her!  Seriously, I needed a catalyst for the main character and as I wrote the story, her character started to take on a more defined shape.  I wanted a woman who was bold but also mysterious and intriguing.  She had to intrigue the character, so I knew she also had to intrigue the reader.  Hopefully I’ve accomplished both.

Marie Gilbert: Would you consider writing more science fiction stories?

Greg Feistman: Yes, definitely.

Marie Gilbert: You are a fellow member of the South Jersey Writers’ Group and you are an Associate Professor of Public Relations at Temple University in Pa. How does the knowledge gained from your day job help with your writing career and promoting your book and what advice do you have for new writers to help promote themselves?

Greg Feistman: One of the fundamental skills any communicator must develop is strong writing.  Before I began teaching I had a long career in PR, so I honed my writing ability there.  Even though that wasn’t fiction writing, it sharpened my skills enough so when I sat down to write fiction, I had “upped my game.”  It also gave me a default career for the two main characters in my books, so I knew their backstory very well. 

In terms of self-promotion, writers (especially new ones) need to learn that writing the book and having it published is only step one.  You must make people aware of your work and give them a reason to want to read it.  And it needs to be a combination of old school PR techniques such as news releases, media interviews, etc., and social media efforts.  I do both, from traditional media interviews to having my own author’s Facebook page that links to my website, to being on Goodreads, LibraryThing, Author Marketing Club, etc.

Marie Gilbert: Thank you Greg for taking this time to do the interview and I know our fans will want to read not only this story, but also The War Merchants and Unholy Alliance when that’s released.

 Now to the Book Launch

While our group partied inside Victorian Savories, the town center was offering a family night of movies, zombie face painting, music and as the big finale; everyone could dance to Michael Jackson's Thriller. So here are a few shots of editors Amy Holiday and Jessica A. Walsh and our South Jersey Writers' Group and a few of the featured authors in Reading Glasses. I'm guessing you're wondering if Steampunk Granny participated in the Thriller dance. Hell, yeah!

                         Editor Amy Holiday with a fan of the book launch

                                                                     

                            Jessica A. Walsh in front of an impressive banner

                                                                   

                      Dawn Byrne and Mieke Samora-Mackay handling the sale table

                                                                 

                                                 Book Launch Party

                                                               

Believe it or not, my friend Rita and I actually knew most of the steps. All in all, it was the perfect night for a Book Launch.

Steampunk Granny's Interview of Bruce Capoferri

                                                             

 

                                 

As you all know, I've recently published my first book, Roof Oasis. It's the first of a series and it's a love story that takes place during the apocalypse. As one of my friends from the South Jersey Writers' Group, James Knipp explained during a book signings for our group's first anthology, "Marie's story is Romeo and Juliet meets "The Walking Dead" done by Jules Vern." 

 

                                                                             

 

But I'm not the only one with good news! Hypothetical Press which was edited my Amy Holiday and Jessica A. Walsh has published their first anthology, Reading Glasses. Hypothetical Press is the publishing arm of The South Jersey Writers' Group and I'll be interviewing all the authors featured in Reading Glasses here on my blog.

 

My first guest is Bruce Capoferri. Bruce Capoferri sells automobiles, but enjoys writing stories and songs in his spare time and is currently working on a novel. He has four autobiographical stories published in Primo Magazine and one in Buona Salute. He lives with his wife, Barbara, and cat, Krikat.

                                                             

Marie Gilbert: Thank you, Bruce, for taking the time to do this interview. I’m happy to meet you and we have a few questions for the people out there. What got you started in writing? What was your inspiration to take pen to paper? What authors inspire you?

 

Bruce Capoferri: I have always been a story teller.  But I have to thank Miss Shepherd, my eighth grade English teacher, for recognizing it and encouraging me.  I wrote a short story entitled The Paradise Lost Affair that she edited and submitted to a teacher’s magazine and got published.  I wish I had gotten a copy of it, because it was the first time I was recognized for having some talent.  I must also blame - I mean, thank - my fantastic coach and brother-in-law, Glenn Walker, for coaxing me into putting my stories down on paper and submitting them to magazines. I have to thank my wonderful wife, Barbara, for introducing me to HP Lovecraft, Phillip K Dick and a host of other fantasy and science fiction writers. Barbara is a children’s librarian and constantly supplies me with a wide variety of fodder for my imagination.

Marie Gilbert: What type of stories do you enjoy writing about?

Bruce Capoferri: The first few stories I got published were autobiographical.  I truly enjoy documenting my slightly askew memories of growing up next to my Italian grandparents in Elm, NJ.  But fantasy and science fiction is right up there as well.  I guess it’s because I can make my characters say and do whatever my devious mind dreams up.  I am in the process of finishing the last few chapters of my first novel and I’m enjoying wreaking mayhem and chaos so much I’m having difficulty reaching the conclusion.

Marie Gilbert: Where did you get the inspiration for this story?

Bruce Capoferri: The inspiration for ‘The Malocchio’ sprang from the Italian belief that someone can impart bad luck upon a rival or enemy with a malevolent glance. Over the years I have also heard this curse referred to as ‘The Maloiks’ or ‘The Maloikies’.  But, no matter how you may pronounce it, my story takes this old world superstition to a more deadly level.

Marie Gilbert: Amy mentioned that you are working on a novel. Could you tell us a little about that?

Bruce Capoferri: “The Children of God and Men” sprang from a conversation I had with my cousin, Sandy Core, at a family reunion.  She mentioned that a short story I had written and shared with her titled “Hitching a Ride on Borrowed Time” reminded her of an excerpt from the book of Genesis in the Bible. It portends that Angels (known as The Watchers) were sent to Earth by God to supervise the development of man-kind.  But finding the women of men attractive, the Angels took as many of the women as they wanted for wives resulting in the births of giants and men of renown (also known as Nephilim). In my research I discovered the banned ‘Book of Enoch’ and then really became intrigued. The book allows me the opportunity to explore comparative religions and how world-wide myths and legends have shaped multi-cultural beliefs. If you enjoy reading stories about conspiracy theories, ancient alien influences and Native American prophecy mixed with apocalyptic action, you will love my book.  By the way, did I mention it is also a dark comedy?

Marie Gilbert: Do you belong to a writers’ group? If so, why and if not, why?

Bruce Capoferri: I'd like to consider myself a member of the South Jersey Writer’s Group because it is the only one who has recognized me. It will also be the first entity to publish one of my stories in a hardback book. The difficulty I have is time to attend meetings.  This is because I am a full time automobile salesman and work most evenings.  I do my best to keep in touch with what is going on, however, and read Writer’s Digest and similar publications. 

Marie Gilbert: Was this the first kickstarter that you ever participated in? What was it about our kickstarter that made you want to help out?

Bruce Capoferri: Although I have submitted my manuscripts to various contests, this was the first one of this type.

Marie Gilbert: Thank you Bruce for doing this interview

Bruce Capoferri: I want to thank everyone at South Jersey Writer’s Group and the Hypothetical Press for making my dream a reality.

 

I hope you enjoyed learning about Bruce Capoferri and in a few days, I'll be posting another interview with J. Keller Ford, another author featured in Reading Glasses.

                                                                        

 

You can find Roof Oasis  on Amazon. com and on kindle.

You can find Reading Glasses on Smashwords, for Kindle, Nook, iBook downloads and more.

Our group will be doing many book signings over the next few months. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by and say hello. We'll have plenty of books to choose from: Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey (our group's first anthology) What to Expect When You're Dead by John Farquhar, Reading Glasses (A collection of speculative short fiction by Hypothetical Press), and Roof Oasis by Marie Gilbert.

 

                                                                          

Steampunk Granny's Big Hug and Thank You

                                                                 

                   

On Sunday, June 29, 2014 I did a book launch for my apocalyptic tale with a twist, Roof Oasis, at the Treehouse Coffee Shop in Audubon. There is my banner outside of the Treehouse. Joining me that day at the tables was Dawn Byrnes, better known as Super D to all our friends in the South Jersey Writers’ Group. Dawn and I are responsible for selling our group’s anthologies.

                                                                        

                                                      ReRe and me setting up.                              

My daughter, ReRe, her husband Jim of Reid’s Auto Repairs in South Philly, and my two grandsons, Joshua and Nathan were there to sell her jewelry and to handle the children’s craft corner. Marybeth, a friend of Josh, was kidnapped into playing photographer and what a great job she did. Thank you Marybeth!

                   

                                       

My editor Pattie O’Brien was there to celebrate in my big day and to introduce me when it was time for my reading from the book. She was also selling her ‘Bottles of Inspirations’ which proved to be very popular.
                                                                    

                                                    

My granddaughter, Allie, the fashion designer in the family was selling her Steampunk and Cosplay jewelry and she made the pin that I word on my dress. It represented my writing. Thank you, Allie.

                                                                         

                                                   Me with my husband, Dan.

My husband Dan was put to work collecting money and giving out tickets for our guests to win a door prize. I drove the poor man crazy.

                                                            

                                                              

 

The Treehouse was packed with family and friends from all paths of my life starting with our writers’ group, friends from the Academy of Natural Sciences, St. Agnes Hospital, friends from my Zumba class, friends from my old neighborhood in South Philly, and even my ghost hunting friends were there.