ISBN: 978-1-4611-4706-0

Today, Norm Goldman Publisher and Editor of Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest Sam Moffie author of five novels the most recent being to kill the Duke.

Good day Sam and thanks once again for participating in our interview.

Norm:

You have authored five novels, what is your creative process like? What happens before sitting down to write?

Sam:

First and foremost I have to clear my head of all the other items that are in it. Family, friends, my business, the world as it is, etc.  Once my mind is blank, my etch-a-sketch starts to kick in and I outline on a legal pad with pen.  That outline then goes to the WORD and i start my writing.  Before I start my legal pad process I already have a title in mind. Book Six will be called Requiem for a Casanova.  Distractions cost me a lot of time, but have to be dealt with.  I don't get mad, just concentrate harder. It is extremely helpful to have a wife who understands what being a writer's widow is.

Norm:

What drew you to satire?

Sam:

My father had a keen sense of humor. He turned me onto Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.(I think I have listened to the audio book version over 50 times)!  It was love at first read.  I also have been blessed with great teachers over the years who for some reason brought out the satirist in me.

Norm:

Do you share drafts of your writings with someone whose opinion you trust?

Sam:

My wife and my publicist/editor look at everything. I not only trust them, I respect their opinions. My publicist is a woman and having two very strong willed and independent women fighting with me over every detail helps me a lot. they are also very liberal in their political thinking and i am a devote libertarian, so we clash a lot, too.  The clashes leads to excellent ideas and prose.

Norm:

Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

Sam:

I hear from the readers who either really like me or really loathe me. I find that there is no middle ground with my audience. A lot of people who hated the book of eli were offended that I put atheists in heaven.  That's why I told them that I did that - to offend, to create some deep thinking. I usually have someone who hates me for one of my sex scenes that they don't believe ever happens in real life.  Those that like my books want to know what is autobiographical in the story.

Norm:

How did you decide you were ready to write to kill the Duke?

Sam:

I always wanted to tell this story about John Wayne being on Joseph Stalin's hit list.  Now, was the time.

Norm:

What kind of research did you do before writing to kill the Duke?

Sam:

I poured over thousands of declassified documents from the old USSR. I talked to my mother who forgets more about Hollywood than most people remember the Hollywood of the 50's).  Wikipedia, Google and all that is available on the Internet helped. Interviewing Sylvia Lewis was a big scoop Sylvia was a dancer in the movie the conqueror that serves as a big part of the story.

Norm:

What did you enjoy most about writing to kill the Duke?

Sam:

Making real people literary characters. That was a lot of fun and I think I got all them down pat.

Norm:

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Sam:

It is a tie between Kurt Vonnegut, Jr and John Irving.  Vonnegut is so observant about the history of  human culture and tells it in a science fiction way. It's almost as if he is an alien observing mankind.  Irving is like a family member telling you the many stories of the rich characters he has met, the wrestling, prep schools, bears, Europe- and it works every time.

Norm:

What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?

Sam:

Time, patience, luck and a knack to know when the story is finished and it is time to polish it.

Norm:

Where can our readers find out more about you and your books?

Sam:

Follow To Kill the Duke

and

Amazon's Author Page

or

Email Me

 

Norm:

What is next for Sam Moffie and is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered?

Sam:

Thank you for your interview and reviews. I can tell that you read it.  As stated earlier, I'm working on Requiem for a Casanova. A modern tail of a man who makes the real Casanova seem tame.... that is when I'm not marketing to kill the duke.  Thank you for this opportunity.

Norm:

Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.

Follow Here To Read Norm's Review of To Kill the Duke

Follow Here To Purchase To Kill the Duke