Blog Tour: Buffalo Soldiers by Nicholas Denmon

To celebrate the release of Buffalo Soldiers in the coming days, the second in the Upstate NY Mafia Tales, today I have author Nicholas Denmon over to answer a few of my questions. For Nothing (book one) was one of my favorite books of 2011 (okay I think we can say favorite books ever), and its sequel Buffalo Soldiers is nothing short of breathtaking. I am super excited for the release of the sequel and honored to have him over to share some of his insights about his novel.

 

Allie: The main focus of For Nothing (book one) was Alex Vaughn and Rafael Rontego, and the way the world is perceived on alternate sides of the law. Buffalo Soldiers branches out a bit, introducing your readers to a slew of new characters that offer points of view from every corner of the mafia lifestyle. And you transition so fluidly from one character to the next. Do you have a favorite that you were really able to connect with, or that is in any way based on anyone in your life?

Nicholas: I think each character has bits of me in them, just shades really though.  I am really drawn to the bad guys in my novels.  What made them who they are?   In this novel, the journey of Ivan Nivsky is really one that I enjoyed.  He has lived such a hard life and does some really horrible things.  But deep down you get a sense that he wasn’t always this way.  There is a real strong loyalty factor that this character has, especially to another ‘bad guy’ in Rafael Rontego.  The thing about these types of characters is that their bonds are forged in such terrible fire that it really is difficult for those of us with normal lives to understand how someone who does such bad things can have such honorable characteristics.  This dichotomy is really fun for me to explore as writer.

Add Buffalo Soldiers to your Goodreads shelves.

Allie: Your Buffalo, New York references are so intricate, it makes me want to visit, if only to bring me closer to the events in this intriguing series. Can you tell us about your time there?

Nicholas: For me, Buffalo is simply home.  In the first novel of the series, For Nothing, I showed the dark, cold, wintery side of the place.  In this one the novel takes place in the autumn and the city has a real splendor during that season.  For as harsh as the winters can be, the autumn has breath taking beauty.  My fondest memories are standing there looking at leaves in shades of purple and burnt orange and blood red.  It catches the eye and holds it.  I have never seen its equal anywhere else I have ever been.

Nicholas’ blog, Cat Get Off My Keyboard

Allie: Readers reacted to the complicated character Rafael Rontego (especially the females, if you get my drift) in an astounding way. Based on your reviews, everybody loves him. Do you think there is a particular character in Buffalo Soldiers that may have a similar effect on your readers? (Ivan. Say Ivan. Please, say Ivan!)

Nicholas: Haha! Yes, Ivan I think has that ability.  He has suffered tremendous heartbreak through his life. Throughout a long prison stint it was love that sustained him, an unrequited love, to be more specific.  If you have ever loved but not been loved in return, Ivan can be a sympathetic character.  At the same time, he is a grizzled mob veteran and the shell, the armor, around his heart is very thick.  I think those diverging characteristics bring a depth to the character and I think we start to hope he might one day realize that he can be loved in return.

Allie: You’ve mentioned that you have at least one love story in you. This being my blog and all (don’t think we haven’t noticed how many romance fans read your work, including me), can you elaborate on that, or any of your other stories? Can you share anything about what you’re working on now?

Nicholas: Yes I can.  I am working on the third and final novel in the An Upstate New York Mafia Tale series, but I am also working on a love story called The Hundred Heartbreaks of Harlan Halifax.  It is more of a slice of everyday Americana, but even our normal lives can produce the most tremendous of love stories.  I believe that Harlan Halifax’s story might be one of them.

 

Well then. I’ll be looking forward to that. It’s always a pleasure, Nick. Thanks for stopping by.

For those of you not caught up on the series, you can pick up a copy of For Nothing here. You can also visit Nicholas Denmon on Twitter @nicholasdenmon or on Facebook.

Look out for my review of Buffalo Soldiers very soon!!

Interview: Marni Mann, Author of Memoirs Aren’t Fairytales

When I was in fifth grade, a cop came into our classroom.  We were all wearing our black t-shirts with D.A.R.E across the front.  We stared at the cop while he paced in front of the chalkboard, showing us poster-sized pictures of different kinds of drugs.  When he got to heroin, he said it was like a terrorist.  I didn’t know what that meant, but I knew it was something bad.  During my sophomore year at UMaine, I watched on TV the attack on the twin towers.  How could that cop compare tragedy and murder to this harmless white powder?  Something that made me feel this incredible shouldn’t be categorized as a terrorist.

Coke gave me energy.  Ecstasy made me dance and want to be touched.  Shrooms made me hallucinate.  But heroin.  Shit.  Heroin was kind.  It didn’t trip me out like acid or bring me into a dark hole like PCP.  It showed me the quietness of the waves.

Memoirs Aren’t Fairytales by Marni Mann.

A dark, gritty story featuring Nicole, a… drug addict. This isn’t princesses or the Disney Channel or… the color pink. This is… addiction.

“Mrs. Mann’s book will capture your heart at the beginning, hold you riveted with the turning of each page, and choke the life from you as the story unfolds.”

A… disease.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been so moved by a book.”

Reality, for some. For more, than we, as a society, care or are willing to admit.

“Mrs. Mann writes from the depths of her soul and you can feel her love for this book on every page.”

This is life. Death. And someplace in between. This is… A Story of Addiction.

~~~

I feel honored to have the author of Memoirs Aren’t Fairytales over for a chat. I feel honored to… know her.

I met Marni Mann through a group of friends – writers – called the BNFF, or Best Nerd Friends Forever. I interacted with her on Twitter, Facebook, through her blog, and quickly realized that I… love her. She is a kind, lovable, beautiful person whom I adore, and I’m ecstatic for the chance to get to know her and her novel better, and to share her, with you.

Welcome to in the clouds, Marni.

Allie: If only for the sake of mandatory interview material, I gotta ask. Tell me something about yourself.

Marni: Music is a necessity and it can never be loud enough. I wish they made cinnamon toast and bagels without raisins. Raisins are just gross. I *might* use my fingers to count because I can’t wrap my head around an equation. In writing, there are no exact answers. Manicures make me happy. Without my iPhone, I would never survive on a deserted island.

Allie: Memoirs Aren’t Fairytales is no lighthearted… anything. It’s quite… dark, and… deep. What made you want to tell this story?

Marni: Someone really close to me overdosed. I felt like I’d been hit by a train. I know when it comes to addiction, overdosing is something you should expect, but nothing can prepare you for that phone call. Nothing. The other addicts in my life weren’t doing much better. Addiction was all over the news and appeared on several of the TV shows I watched. It was mentioned on the radio. There was a billboard in my town that advertised a rehab clinic and I drove past it twice a day. Everyone I talked to used the word addiction in some form or another. Were these signs? I had to believe it was more than a coincidence.

After that phone call, I was in pain. I cried. A lot. I shared my feelings with the people around me until I ran out of the things to say. But the pain was still there. Writing had always been a release, so I took a notebook and pen, and poured my soul onto the paper. A few hours later, I reread my words and it wasn’t in diary form or an account of the overdose. I’d created a character, Nicole, and she was the source of my hurt. Everything I was feeling, I took out on her. I had something here. I’d written the first chapter of a—novel? And so it began…

Allie: What was it like, taking on the life of Nicole… becoming her? Did you feel for her? Do you now?

Marni: In order to write for an addict, I had to become one. Before eyes start popping out of sockets, I didn’t become a heroin addict or try heroin, or live as a junkie. I mean I had to open my skin and allow Nicole to move in. Her story became my past. Her words swirled around in my head and my lips spoke them. Her life was messy, tumultuous, exhausting, and that’s exactly how I felt. Many nights I stared at the ceiling, too upset to close my eyes, because of the horrifying things she was experiencing. No one should have to go through what she did.

At first, I wanted to put my hands on her cheeks, stare into her eyes, and shout, “What the hell are you doing?” But as her story began to unfold, I realized she wasn’t intentionally hurting her readers. Just like the addicts in my life, they weren’t purposefully hurting me. Nicole had a disease. One that was making decisions for her, instigating her, persuading her to choose wrong instead of right. That’s the cycle of addiction. It’s devastating and painful to watch, and it was even harder to write.

I absolutely feel for her. I want to help and protect her. I want to hold her in my arms and tell her everything is going to be okay. That’s not realistic. You can’t help an addict until they’re ready to help themselves. Is Nicole ready? Does she get sober? You’ll have to read to find out.

Allie: What inspires you to write? Do you have a favorite book, author, a… dog?

Marni: When I watch the news, I can’t relate to the people holding that oversized check from the Florida lottery, showing some number with way too many zeros, or the guy who broke records by catching the biggest shark in the Gulf of Mexico. I’m inspired by the darkness that breathes along the edge of life, memoires too difficult to forget, experiences that have broken you, and how you overcome these tragedies.

When I read a book, I’m taken to a different place, introduced to characters I’ve never met, faces I’ve never seen, and stories I’ve never heard. Books maximize each of my senses, and when it becomes too much and I feel like I’m going to explode, it instantly becomes a favorite. At the same time, because each author has such a unique style, I can’t say I adore one over the other. I’m just in love with the written word.

I have two dogs and they’re sitting next to me as I type this. Bella, a yellow Lab, and Codi, a Maltese, and they’re pretty badass. I might be just a little biased.

Allie: What’s next for Marni Mann?

Marni: I’m writing the sequel, which I hope will be released by summer 2012. It’s untitled at the moment, but that’s because the book is only half written and I can’t give it a title until I know exactly where I’m taking the story.

Once the sequel is finished, it’s on to a fresh topic. I have another literary/mainstream novel that I’ve started outlining and it will also be dark and gritty. I don’t believe in fairytales and happy endings only happen during…

Thanks for hosting me, Allie. As always, it’s such a pleasure to be a part of your world.

 

The pleasure… is all mine.