Critical Mick

Reviews Free of Rules.

Reviews by the Clown that All Other Critics Want to Strangle with a Black Turtleneck

Focused on Writing a Good Story

Gerard F. Bianco on Reading, Writing, Redheads, and Deals with the Devil

Critical Mick: Straight off: you don't actually have a serial killer fixation for redheads, do you?

Gerard F. Bianco: Who me? No way, I love redheads; in fact, I love blondes, brunettes and black-haired women as well. I can't say the same about the killer in my book, however.

CM: No? OK, then (whew).

CM: Potted biography time! In 130 words or less tell me who you are and why you do what you do. Here's the deal, though: 3 of those 130 words must be chubby, onion, and incremental. BONUS WORD! Ouzo.

GFB: I'm a Brooklyn kid who grew up in Bay Ridge/Bensonhurst—a primarily Italian/Irish, neighborhood. My father owned a jewelry store. In my family, you either went to school or to work, and at Christmas time, you did both. I've been selling, designing, and creating jewelry since I was a young boy. Jewelry design is an art, as is writing. Five years ago my wife and I lived in NYC. A chubby neighbor, who drank a lot of ouzo, burped a lot and our apartment began to smell like bad onions. We decided we needed out. Rather than taking incremental baby steps, we took the plunge and moved to Maine where the air is clean and life is the way it should be.

Ed. Note: Top Marks!! Both for creativity and for putting up with Critical Mick's oddball antics.

CM: You mention Irish bars on your website. I'd bet my badge there's a story there.

GFB: (You really did read the book.) You get to keep your badge. In fact, there are a lot of strange, wonderful stories that took place there—some of which I will deny. However, they make great material for short stories.

CM: Devising crimes and designing jewelry and … there's a strange combination!

GFB: I never believed in the concept of ‘singleness of profession' and I have been able to move from one medium to the next quite easily. For me, jewelry design, portrait painting, illustration and writing all fall under one heading—creativity.

CM: I've just finished The Deal Master. The short chapters and multiple perspectives kept the pages turning. I finished the book in less than forty-eight hours.

GFB: Don't you just hate a book with long, drawn-out chapters? I know I do. I have trouble finishing long chapters when I read in bed. I usually fall asleep long before I can finish the chapter and then I have to start all over again the next night. When I began writing, I decided to keep the chapters short, the action moving, and the pages turning.

CM: Where did the idea come from?

GFB: Concept is the most important element in writing a good mystery story. No one wants to read the same old thing that's been written a hundred times before. Before I put pen to paper, I asked myself what were the elements in a good story that made my juices flow. I made a list and then I incorporated them into my novel. I actually wrote the kind of story I enjoy reading. Makes sense—doesn't it?

CM: Do you outline extensively beforehand (like George C. Chesbro) or sail into it without a chart, like Michael Connelly and Elmore Leonard?

GFB: I had to know how this story was going to end before I began writing it. I've seen too many good books and movies sail off the ‘cliff of bad endings' because the writer got a good running start, sailed into the middle story, and then fell on his face because he didn't know how to end it. It all goes back to realizing a strong concept before you begin writing.

CM: How long did it take you to write The Deal Master?

GFB: The Deal Master was originally published as Dying for Deception. It took 5 years to write that book. It sold very well, so well, in fact, that the publisher came to me and said they wanted to publish a new version of the story if only I'd tweak certain elements. I worked another 10 months on The Deal Master—almost 6 years total.

CM: What major changes separate Dying for Deception from The Deal Master?

GFB: Books are like plays. They produce a play, see how it does out of town, and if it does well, they tweak it, put money into it and then bring it to the big city. I was able to rework and improve the story, without changing the concept. My greatest challenge was to add more foreshadowing throughout the story, without giving anything away. The Deal Master is now bigger, bolder, and ready for prime time. I also changed the title, focusing on one of the main characters and the heart of the story. The book cover was also changed.

CM: What research did you do for The Deal Master? How was it done? (interviews/Internet/IHOP?)

GFB: I didn't want to get bogged down with the technical side of police procedure or forensics and so the research that went into The Deal Master was minimal. More than anything else, I focused on writing a good story. You will not have to Google your way through this book.

CM: SPOILER ALERT! There is an organization and a website mentioned in the denouement of The Deal Master. Is that for real or just part of the tale? What elements are grounded in New York City earth, and what's springing off into fantasy?

GFB: The domain name is real, the website and the organization will follow soon.

GFB: All of the landmarks, hotels, and buildings mentioned in The Deal Master are real. Even the fax number for Precinct 10 is real. (Now don't go bothering them by sending silly faxes.) I enjoy a book that names real streets I've been down and real buildings I've been in. It makes the sensory perception of reading the story much more exciting. People from New York, where my story takes place, have told me how much fun it is to read this novel, knowing the surroundings so well.

CM: Time for a quick raid on imdb.com: what actor would you see in the role of [main character] Gillette? Of Jonathan Hamlin? Of Julie Neumann?

GFB: I started writing this book over 7 years ago, and so the original actors I had in mind are now a bit too old to play the parts (sorry guys.) Right now I see Leonardo DiCaprio for the role of Gillette, Liam Nissan would make the perfect Hamlin, and I see Keira Knightley in the role of Julie Neumann.

CM: My missus sez the redzer on the cover looks like Julianne Moore.

GFB: It sure does look like her—but it's not. However, Julianne Moore is the person I imagined to create my character Julie. What's interesting is that the publisher never knew this when they came up with the design for the cover. I guess great minds think alike—or great minds think a lot about Julianne Moore, whichever.

Ed. Note: Julianne Moore- yowza!!!

CM: One more rip-off from imdb.com: where was the manuscript written? (That's kind of a "filming location") Any other trivia you'd like to share?

GFB: I wrote the entire manuscript in a small apartment in Bay Ridge; not far from where one of the crimes takes place. I used to travel to the crime scenes and some of the landmarks for added imagery and inspiration. The rewrites were written on a tiny desk in Portland, Maine. The desk sat next to a window with a bad draft and my right hand would go numb during the long Maine winter months. I had to have an occasional nip in order to keep from freezing and to be able to continue typing.

CM: I understand that your book signings don't follow the bog-standard approach. What's this power point presentation that I hear about, you telling people how to commit the perfect murder-?

GFB: The original topic for my presentation was: How to Commit the Perfect Murder. But during my first few lectures I noticed my wife in the back of the room taking notes. So I changed the topic to: How to Commit (to Writing) the Perfect Murder (Mystery). It's very tongue-in-cheek. I've been to a lot of signings and many of them are what I call, head jerkers. You know the type: an author stands in the front of the room, reading lines from his book, and as people feel their chins hitting their chests, they jerk them towards the ceiling, frantically blinking their eyes, trying to stay awake. I swore I would never give a signing like that. I figured if people bought the book they could read it to themselves. So I created a power point presentation, complete with sound effects that keeps people spellbound.

CM: How well are these presentations received? How well is The Deal Master being received?

GFB: You can always tell how much people enjoyed your presentation by the number of books sold after the talk – and I've sold a lot of books. I've given this presentation to audiences as large as 70 people with much applause and congratulations. The Deal Master is doing great! It has just been placed in Borders Books in South Portland, where I live. The manager there told me that local authors normally sell 4 or 5 copies of their book in an entire year. The Deal Master has tripled that in a week and a half.

CM: Go on! Plug your blog!

GFB: How fun is it to go to a murder mystery blog where you can discuss murders and murderers, unsolved crimes and murder in the headlines? We also talk about paranormal activity in the world of murder and we put our detective hats on and try to solve crimes. Sometimes we chat about the mystery writing process and what it takes to write a suspenseful thriller. The address is: www.gerardfbianco.com

CM: That blog invites an exploration of "paranormal activity in the murder world." Do you believe that actual crimes- real world, not in fiction- have supernatural origin?

GFB: I don't think anyone would argue that there are events that have taken place in all corners of life that are inexplicable – especially where crime is involved. Truth is almost always stranger than fiction.

CM: There's a danger to what you're doing with The Deal Master. “This is a horror thriller, a psychological thriller, a whodunit, and a wonderful mystical thriller all rolled into one…” When bookstore owners can't find a category to stock a title in, they tend not to stock the book at all. Any comment?

GFB: I have to tell you that the argument against genre jumping surprised me almost more than anything else. I always thought, “Wouldn't it be great to come up with a story that starts out as a mystery and then morphs into a thriller?” Little did I know there are some people who want everything presented in its own little box – labeled correctly. I never lived my life that way and my novel is an extension of my life and my thoughts, and therefore, I have created an exciting mystery/thriller. I find that life is so much more exhilarating with surprise and variety.

CM: I'm much more unruly than those bookstore owners. Genre jumping doesn't bother me at all. Sports that collide dodgeballs with softball bats should be permitted on every schoolground throughout the world. Thank God Elvis Presley thought of putting Rock together with Roll. Thank God some forgotten innovator thought of combining the waffle with the cone.

GFB: I agree.

CM: OK, end of tirade. Do you write every day?

GFB: No, but I create everyday. Before I was married, my wife would ask, "So, what is it you actually do for a living?" I would say, "I wake up in the morning and if I feel like making jewelry, I make jewelry; if I feel like painting, I paint; or if I feel like writing, I write." A long while back, one of my greatest fears was the thought of not being able to paint. It's taken maturity and life experience to teach me that self expression and creativity can be achieved in everything we do.

CM: Do you carry a notebook for ideas?

GFB: I don't carry one. But I do have one at home where I jot down great ideas for upcoming stories and novels.

CM: Music while you're writing or no?

GFB: Music is a must. Headphones are a must, too. I find that music lifts me up to places that I can't get to by myself.

CM: What are you working on now?

GFB: I am working on a series of short stories that have the same atmosphere as The Deal Master. I also have 3 novels already written in my head that need to come out, soon. Yes, one is a sequel to The Deal Master. They will have to wait a while, however, since promoting The Deal Master has practically become a full time job.

CM: What's your opinion on the new technologies like Internet communities, webzines, Printing on Demand?

GFB: Internet communities, webzines, the Internet, itself are fantastic places to go. You can learn so much, travel where no man or woman has gone before, but, you can also get lost out in cyber space, and there comes a time when you need to go inside yourself in order to grow as a person.

GFB: Print on Demand is an exciting alternative to traditional publishing – especially when the publisher has a great editorial staff. This is true, especially today, since it's so hard to get published by a large publishing firm. I know of one author who has two books and NY Times accolades under his belt and he can't get anyone to even read his latest manuscript. If all we had was the traditional publishing firms his voice would be silenced forever.

CM: The Deal Master is the fourth POD title featured on criticalmick.com. It seems to me that production quality has improved steadily and dramatically from An Unfortunate Assemblage of Villains through Confederate Nation: Special Appearance by Elvis Presley to this one. Care to share any information (recommendation or advise) about POD and iUniverse?

GFB: POD is a wonderful way to see your book in print as long as you do your homework and choose a publisher who cares about, and for their writers. Make certain the publisher has a good editorial service. And know this: you will have to do practically all of your own marketing. Make certain you have the time, energy and money you'll need to promote your book, otherwise your book will not sell more than a few copies to friends and relatives. I can't say enough good things about iUniverse. I know first-hand that they treat their authors like people and want to see the best for them and from them. They are the vehicle to make dreams come true.

CM: Fave authors? Anyone I've read? (If so, did I miss their point completely?)

GFB: I love the pulps from the 30's, the 40's & 50's. I'm a big fan of Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Erle Stanley Gardner and Mickey Spillane. Growing up I read every Sherlock Holmes story. Did you miss the point? As Mike Hammer might say, "The only point here is the one at the end of this knife."

CM: What's on your nightstand at the moment?

GFB: Right now, I have 2 books on my nightstand. 1) A book with 4 great Raymond Chandler novels and 2) The O. Henry Prize Stories 2005, dedicated to the great Russian writer Anton Chekhov.

CM: Anything I've not brought up that you'd like to chat about?

GFB: Yes, I would like to mention that The Deal Master is a Publisher's Choice award winner. Less then 1/10th of 1% of all the iUniverse books published carries the Publisher's Choice insignia. I thought you might like to know that.

CM: Many thanks, sir!

GFB: Thank you, Mick.

Gerard F. Bianco, an accomplished artist, jewelry designer, and author, was born in New York and now resides in Maine.

Yo! This interview transcript and all content on the DFA Guide site are copyright 2006 Mick Halpin. All links to other sites and documents are copyright to whatever source wrote something cool enough for Mick to give it a referral. Try to claim them as your own work and bad karma will catch up with you, baby. Believe it.

Irate, huh? Managed to piss off another one? Direct your hatemail to mick @ mickhalpin dot com.

This Page Was Last Updated On 13 July, 2006.