Joe Perrone Jr.
Hendersonville,
Western North Carolina
Good morning, Joe, and welcome to Vision and Verse, the place for art and authors.Can you tell us what you've written?
I have authored 6 novels and 2 non-fiction books
1.
As the Twig is Bent: A Matt Davis
Mystery
2.
Opening Day: A Matt Davis Mystery
3.
Twice Bitten: A Matt Davis
Mystery
4.
Broken Promises: A Matt Davis
Mystery
5.
Deadly Ransom: A Matt Davis
Mystery
6.
Escaping Innocence: A Story of
Awakening
7.
A “Real” Man’s Guide to Divorce
(First, you bend over and ...)
8.
Gone Fishin’ with Kids (How to
Take Your Kid Fishing and Still be Friends) co-authored with Manny Luftglass
What is your favorite genre to write?
Mystery, followed by humorous
essays
Favorite food.
Italian
Tea or coffee?
Hot Chocolate (it’s also the favorite drink of Matt Davis,
the main character in the Matt Davis Mystery Series.
Pizza or ice cream?
Do I really have to choose? Okay, pizza!
Wine or beer?
Summer: beer, Winter: wine.
Where would you like to visit?
Montana. Second choice, Montana.
Favorite musical artist.
I have
several: Jesse Winchester, John Denver, my son, Matt Perrone. Composers: Bach,
Beethoven, Mozart, Rimsky Korsakoff, Hans Zimmer, John Williams.
Do you listen to music when you write?
Generally not, but if I do, it has to be classical, played at a very low
volume.
What makes you laugh?
Comedian Lewis Black, The Big Lebowski, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
Favorite work of art or sculpture.
Winslow Homer’s The Gulf Stream.
How old were you when you started writing?
Probably around 10.
Describe your perfect evening
A great dinner with my wife, Becky, followed
by a top notch movie, preferably a heavy drama.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Hard to say. I am a great observer of
life in general. Often, I find
inspiration in the news, or watching a documentary. Sometimes, it just comes to
me while I’m sleeping.
What do you do when you get a writer's block?
I don’t usually fight
it. I just accept it and find other
things to do until it passes. If it’s a
particularly bad case, I might eventually force myself to sit down and try to
overcome it. One thing I have found
helpful is to read what I’ve written last, and in the process of editing it, I
often find that I am able to write anew again.
Who is your favorite author?
Hard to limit it to one, but probably Truman
Capote. If I can name a few more, I
would add Jon Krakauer, Norman Mailer, and William Goldman to the list.
Best book you ever read.
In Cold
Blood by Truman Capote
Last book you read.
Crooked Letter,
Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin.
What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer?
Well, at my age (72), it’s hard to say. However, prior to launching my writing career
in earnest, I was a handyman, and that’s probably the job I enjoyed most (other
than being a fly fishing guide, which I did on the weekends for 10 years).
Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and
why?
My wife, Becky. Without her love
and support, I doubt that I would have written a single book. She is my muse. (She’s also the one who realized I was
afflicted with ADHD, and insisted I go on Ritalin. The Ritalin allows me to focus. Best thing I
ever did.)
If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or
dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?
Probably Mark Twain. Second choice, Truman Capote. Both were
incredibly intense, complex human beings.
Thomas Edison would be another choice.
It’s the
oldest advice in the world: write what you know. I’m at my best when I am writing about things
and places I know the most about. If you
can do that, you’ll never run out of material.
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