Where are you from?
Born in Da Bronx, New York and moved to
Yorktown Heights, NY when I was 15.
What inspired you to
write your first book?
I’ve been a dreamer since I began to dream
and when I learned to first play guitar I began to write songs. As I progressed
through my 20’s I’d written nearly a hundred songs but then began to realize
that I wasn’t going to become a rock star I began to channel my creativity
towards story-telling. Starting a family curtailed my creativity a bit but when
I lost my job in 2008 I decided to write the story, Peter Cooper and the Pirate
King, that had become all too clear over the years.
Do you write full-time
or part-time? How do you balance your writing life with your family/work life?
I try to be a full time writer but until I
am earning a real living by writing I have to consider it part time.
Unfortunately, when things are stressful at home it’s hard to not only find the
time to write but being in the right mind-set to be able to write.
What jobs have you held
that influence your stories?
I’ve never held a job that influenced my
story-telling but the jobs I’ve held have inspired me to be a writer.
Do you have a specific writing style?
Do you have a specific writing style?
No. Not sure what you mean by “style” but
the way I write is my own. You will not read any other writing like mine…for
better or worse.
I actually like your style! It is quite gripping. How did you come up with the title?
I actually like your style! It is quite gripping. How did you come up with the title?
As a songwriter I’ve always been
interested in and adept at rhythmic word-play and musical sounding titles. The
title Peter Cooper and the Pirate King sounded rhythmic and musical to me and,
fortunately, fit the story too! lol
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I think the message I most like to impart
is that we may not always realize who we are and what our potential can be. If
we, like Peter, were asked if we’d want to be in the perilous situations he
found himself in we’d all say “of course not!” but, having found himself in
those situations the mild mannered boy persevered and survived. Another message
I’d like young readers to grasp is that it’s cool to be nice and humble…you
don’t have to be a smartass or bully to be admired.
How much of the book is realistic?
How much of the book is realistic?
Not much really. I mean, apart from the
magic it all is based on reality and could happen but the main part of the
story is supernatural…
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Not really but the “Christmas Story” that
Mr. Lankey tells, I did use the apartment building I grew up in as the model
for the building the story takes place in. But, the story is not one that
happened to me. (I also used the building layout for my short gothic-horror
story “The Endless Staircase which is on my blog). Although the story’s main
town, Harmon, is a fishing village I did think back to the clean and decent
Bronx neighborhood I grew up in as I wrote the chapter.
What books have most influenced your life most?
What books have most influenced your life most?
R is For Rocket. It was the first book I
brought that didn’t have pictures in it. I was 12 and it went with me on a
summer vacation that year. I read a short story every night from my top bunk in
the cabin we stayed in and it made me love reading.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Ray Bradbury
What book are you reading now?
What book are you reading now?
None right now but I just finished The
World Jones Made by Philip K. Dick. Great book. I’m a sci-fi/horror junky
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Honestly, now that I’m writing I don’t
have much time to read.
What are your current projects?
What are your current projects?
I’m putting together a collection of my short stories (many of
which can be found on my blog) and am on chapter 3 of the second Peter Cooper
book.
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
poverty
Do you see writing as a career?
Do you see writing as a career?
I hope so!
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
I think I could have tightened up chapter
3 a bit but otherwise I’m very happy and proud of my book.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
No specific moment but I’m one of those
annoying guys that are often lost in their own world. I have a bad tendency to
tune out the world and write music and stories in my head when I should be
doing laundry…
I can relate! Can you share a little of your current work with us?
I can relate! Can you share a little of your current work with us?
Sure. My blog is
jamesdeacutis.wordpress.com
There’s a bunch of stuff there. Would love to hear critiques of my short
stories and which should be part of my first book collection.
Is there anything you
find particularly challenging in your writing?
I’m not sure…do you mean by my writing or
what I expect the reader to interpret? From my perspective writing is hard…or,
should I say, good writing is hard. I hope my writing is good. I try… From a
readers perspective I put in a lot of pop-culture references as well as
actresses and musicians names and lyrics and double-entendres and puns and… I hope
there’s a lot there to entertain and confuse and I hope that readers will email
me at petercooper13@live.com
if they have any questions or figure out my bad jokes!
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
Ray Bradbury. He has a way of painting
beautiful pictures with words that both a thirteen year old and a thirty year
old can love and appreciate. He writes in a way that is simple but isn’t
simplistic yet is simply beautiful.
I will definitely have to look Mr. Bradbury up! Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
I will definitely have to look Mr. Bradbury up! Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
So far not yet but the more research I do
the more it occurs that I may have to travel to meet “fans”.
Who designed the covers?
Who designed the covers?
I published through CreateSpace and they
worked with me on the cover design.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Starting and then organizing my notes and
characters. Once I started the hardest part was getting through the first 4 – 5
chapters. Once I got that far I couldn’t stop!
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
When I wrote the first one I tried to put
in as much as I could in fear that it might be the only one. What I learned was
to edit as you write and save some for later. A tight, crisp story works best
and never forget to trust your readers to be able to fill in the blanks. I’ve
gotten more compliments from readers who lied that I didn’t get into ever bit
of minutia in every scene.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Do you have any advice for other writers?
See above… Don’t give up… Don’t forget to
start… Write the best story you can. Unless the height of the girl’s heel is
important don’t include it! Draw the picture and use only as much color as
necessary.
Excellent advice, James. Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Excellent advice, James. Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Love me and my book! And if you don’t please
tell me why so I can learn.
Great answer! We'll try to give some feedback! What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?
Great answer! We'll try to give some feedback! What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?
I did a lot of research into sailing ships
and pirating as I have little experience in either subject and of course reading
the story 5, 6, 7+ times and editing it became somewhat mundane but I hope I
did a good job.
What do you think about
e-publishing versus technical publishing?
Don’t have enough experience to answer.
Would love to be able to get into book stores though…
Good luck with your quest to get into book stores! Do you have an agent or
publisher? How did you go about finding one?
Not yet
If you could live
anywhere, where would it be?
In a nice, paid-for house with my own
office…
If you could have any
super power, what would it be?
A tickle-ray. Because if you can make evil
people laugh uncontrollably how evil can they be?
Excellent interview James! Thank you for participating. It was a pleasure!- K.N. Lee
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