LET'S WELCOME: THE LONGSHOREMAN AUTHOR – Marc Zappulla

WELCOME MARC ZAPPULLA
AUTHOR OF:


Rad-Reader:  First off great book!  The uncle Dom character was he based on one person or several people?

Marc:  He was one of my favorites, and was based on several characters; real people as well as fictional characters I've come across in movies and TV shows.

Rad-Reader:  Was there a reason that you chose that area of Boston for the story to take place as opposed to somewhere else?  Not that I know Boston of course. J

Marc:  Boston is my hometown, so it was added joy for me to write about a city I love so much. It also has a rich history of organized crime and corruption on the waterfront.

Rad-Reader:  How did you come up with Butchie’s character?

Marc:  The only thing I knew was that I needed a stone-cold killer who had a dream. His background and personality was on the fly. I never modeled him after anyone.


Rad-Reader:  Did you change the story at all from what you first thought about writing?  Through editing?

Marc:  I did. I went through several rewrites, even added additional co-conspirators for the heist, brought some people back to life who I had deceased, and added a sibling to the main character.  

Rad-Reader:  I liked the way you came up with following Tony’s life.  How did you come to this system of writing to tell the story?

Marc:  I really wanted readers get up close and personal with Costa. I wanted people to feel what he felt, see what he saw, and experience his emotions. Based on the reviews, I feel like I had success there.

Rad-Reader:  Was there any character that you added to the story that originally you did not have?

Marc:  Tony's brother, as well as Connor and Sammy, the other two involved in the heist

Rad-Reader:  I was in the roofer’s union in the early eighties it was the same way, show up at the hall wait for a job.  Is it still like that for the longshoremen?

Marc:  Yes. People still work out of the hall and face for jobs.

Rad-Reader:  Did you have the idea for Tony’s character end up where he did from the start or did it come as you were writing the story?

Marc:  Yes. I knew how his life would be shaped in his twilight years, but was not sure who would be with him at the end of his story.

Rad-Reader: How did you decide which character or characters would have more of their lives revealed?  Like Mikey?

Marc:  I think I made sure to expose everyone's background, but not too much, aside from Tony Costa. But it really depended how close the character was to Tony.

Rad-Reader:  What was it like going from being a ghost writer in your last book, to actually putting your name on the title page?

Marc:  I think I made sure to expose everyone's background, but not too much, aside from Tony Costa. But it really depended how close the character was to Tony.

Rad-Reader:  Is your next book going to be about sports or more along this last book?

Marc:  It'll be a crime novel set in Boston again.

Rad-Reader:  Did you decide to have a heist take place when you first came up with the idea for the book?

Marc:  Yes. In fact, I was inspired by a real heist: the brinks job in the North End of Boston back in the 50s

Rad-Reader:  What type of potato did Maria throw at Tony? Russet?  Golden?  Red?  Why not a rolling pin? J

Marc:  Russet. There were a few which added extra ammunition. Plus, the rolling pin was not within reach at the point of her snapping.

Rad-Reader:  I would have thought there would have been more scenes of big family dinners since being Italian at Sunday dinner that was the way for me growing up?  Why not in the story?

Marc:  I could have done that. But I wanted to take the deepest and most profound experiences that shaped Tony's life. The family dinners got mentioned a few times, but they remained as such for that reason.

Rad-Reader:  Was it difficult to get this book published or did it help that you had written a book before as a ghost writer?

Marc:  This particular book I self-published. I wanted the control, full ownership as this story is a special one to me.

Rad-Reader:  How many drafts did you come up with before you decided to just stick with what you had?

Marc:  Probably a dozen or so.

Rad-Reader:  Since you wrote the book for you father, did your family like it?  Besides being family kind of liking it?

Marc:  My family loves the book, and my father put his stamp on it, that was a stipulation. If he didn't like it, I would have changed it.

Rad-Reader:  How did you come up with the dialogue or the inspiration behind the dialogue between Tony and Jimmy in the room?  I thought that part of the story was excellent.

Marc:  Thank you. It was on the fly, but that said, it took several rewrites. The trick was to place myself in both characters. Wasn't so easy but it worked out in the end.

Rad-Reader:  Your story of Catholic school made me feel like I was back in school.  Did you go to parochial school or just heard stories?

Marc:   A mix of both. I attended a catholic school, but I did hear stories of the past which helped in my research.

Rad-Reader:  Did you use a storyboard for this book?

Marc:   I did not. Desktop folders and USB outlets for backups.

Rad-Reader:  What song out today best describes your characters or your story?

"Livin' On A Prayer" - Bon Jovi

Marc:   You nailed it. Livin' On A Prayer tells a good story of a struggling dock worker. 

Rad-Reader:  what is your next project and when is it coming out?

Marc:  Right now, it's about a serial killer who rocks Boston neighborhoods. I expect it to be out in Oct/Nov or 2017.

Rad-Reader:  What three words best describes your favorite dessert?

Marc:   Chocolate, brownie, ice cream. That's 4, sorry  : )

Rad-Reader:  What are your three-favorite place to vacation?









Marc:                      Vegas, Naples, FL, Italy

Rad-Reader:  What books did you read when you were a kid?
Marc:  Mostly history books and autobiographies. But one of my favorites is fiction- The Count of Monte Cristo. 

Rad-Reader:  Where can our readers buy your books?

Marc:  Amazon, Amazon Kindle, BarnesandNoble.com, and a number of less prolific sites.

Rad-Reader:  Where can our reader find you on the Web?


Marc:   www.marczappulla.com

There, people will find a free chapter to get a glimpse of the book.

I would like to thank Marc for agreeing to the this interview.  And for writing an extremely fabulous book. For taking the time out of his day to answer all of my questions and I would like to wish him all the best in his future writing endeavors.  Also, to remind him to duck you never know when those potatoes will fly.  
Pat.

P.S. Wanted to add since Hubby didn't you too my little Instagram pal are now a 1 Rad-Reader Misfit too :)  
Char

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