Writer Wednesday: Mike Capuzzo

     Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Mike Capuzzo, one of my Goucher classmates and author of two New York Times best selling books, Close to Shore and The Murder Room.

Close to Shore is about a series of shark attacks on the New Jersey shore in 1916.  And I don't know about you, but I think death by shark is probably the worst way to go.  I blame this irrational fear on my Mom for taking me and my brother Robby to the drive in movie to see Jaws when I was five.  FIVE!  I'll just say that I had a fear of swimming pools that year because, you know, the plausibility of a Great White Shark squeezing itself through the tiny drain in a chlorinated pool is very real when you're that age.

     His latest book, The Murder Room: The Heirs of Sherlock Holmes Gather to Solve the World's Most Perplexing Cold Cases is a really fascinating read about several members of the Vidocq Society.  I have a lot of books and whenever my Dad comes to visit, he'll grab a book down from the shelf and read it while at my house.  He didn't finish it since we took him on the grand tour of Texas, so he stole my copy and I'm waiting for its swift return. Any day now Bob!

Mike and I talk for about twenty minutes while he enjoys a Boilermaker and I don't.  We could have chatted longer, but I know in the world of blogging some of you peeps have short attention spans.  But, that's okay.  We all lead busy, hectic lives.  So that's why I'm so grateful to Mike for taking the time to grace my blog with his presence.  He's a peach!

I've got some cool things coming soon!

Okay, so this has been an interesting week.  I am attending the DFW writer's conference next week and so I'm mentally preparing for the pitching of my book, which isn't an easy task when you've got social anxiety.  One on one conversations are fine, but plop me in a room with a hundred people and I'm a nervous wreck.  But I'm gonna do it people because I'm ready to let this baby graduate into adulthood so that I can move on to my next project about religion. Not that I'd be totally neglecting the baby, I just want it in college and maybe working at a minimum wage job.

So, if you've read my blog, you probably realize that I'm a bit quirky and maybe a wee bit insecure and you would be correct.  But, I faced a fear this week and contacted Mary Roach to ask if she'd let me interview her on this here blog.  After I completed the A to Z challenge, I realize that I really like to blog.  It's fun.  I like the interaction with people and one of the things that publishers look for in a non-fiction writer is a platform.  What is that?  It means, who the heck are you and why are you the person to write this book?  Well, I'm a nobody with a hard to pronounce name.  I'm not dying and I'm not an expert.  But, get to know me!

So, I emailed Mary Roach and she emailed me back within the day and said YES!!!  She is a super smart, witty writer and to top it all off, she has two books about death, "Stiff" and "Spook."  I practically had a coronary when I got her email.  So, then I felt a bit emboldened with my good fortune, so I sent an email to Thomas Lynch.  No word yet.  Then I contacted my classmate Mike Capuzzo who wrote the best selling books "Close to Shore" and "The Murder Room" and he said YES too!!!  So, I'm gonna have some big names here on my little blog.  I can't believe it.  I am oh so grateful.  And Eleanor Roosevelt was right.  Do one thing a day that scares you.  Well, I did and I lived to tell about it.

Also, staring this Monday on the 14th of May, I have a new regular feature appearing on this here bloggity blog.  It's called "Monday Mournings."  And it's posted on Monday morning.  Wow.  How cool is that?  I will be talking to real people about their experience with death.  It could be a parent, a spouse, a child, a sibling, a friend, a pet. You'll just have to pop in and see what's going on.

So, tell your friends.  Have your friends tell their friends.  And so on, and so on...