Book Synopsis:
Author's Bio:
Donald R. Grippo, DDS practiced oral and maxillofacial surgery in northeastern Connecticut for more than thirty years. On a daily basis, he encountered patient's fear of undergoing oral surgery and associated anesthesia. To help allay such fear he wrote A Guide to the Guy or Gal Who Takes Your Teeth Out, a series of short stories dealing with the treatment of typical oral surgical problems. His resume includes working as a dentist at the Tennessee State Prison outside of Nashville and as a guard at the Hartford State Jail on Syms Street in Hartford.
Website: www.dongrippo.com
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Welcome to allthingsbookie
Can you tell us what prompted you to first start writing? What was the first thing you wrote?
In high school a literature teacher
suggested I had writing talent. Since that time I began several writing
projects only to discard them, often after several hundred pages were written.
In 2007 I published A Guide to the Guy or
Gal Who Takes Your Teeth Out. It was a book of short stories about treating
problems in oral surgery. It was meant to allay the fear associated with
undergoing oral surgical procedures. Its modest success and feedback from
readers spurred me on in my quest to become a writer.
Can you
summarize your latest work in just a few words?
It’s a sexy, psychological thriller
of deceit, betrayal, and murder. A love triangle gone awry.
What was the
inspiration for this book?
I had several reasons for writing To Sleep…Perchance to Die. I wanted to
introduce the reader to the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery, to
northeastern Connecticut, and to a famous Connecticut attorney. The latter was
a nonfictional character portrayed in a fictional manner. I also wanted to use poetic
references in an entertaining story the reader would enjoy.
Did you do any
research for the book?
I used the principle of writing
about what you know. I called upon my background in psychology, my love of
poetry, my experience in working as a jail guard and as a prison dentist, and
my years of practicing oral and maxillofacial surgery to develop the plot of To Sleep…Perchance to Die. Even with the
utilization of my life’s experiences, I found it necessary to carry out a great
deal of research. My greatest ally was the internet, but visiting libraries and
traveling to plot locations were also required.
What does a
typical writing day involve for you?
Unlike many writers, I don’t have a
set writing schedule. Some days I begin in the early morning, other days I
might begin to write late in the evening. I’ve found the expression to be true
that when a writer isn’t writing, he or she is thinking about writing. Before I
put words to page, I’ve done a great deal of thinking about what I want to say.
As it turns out, I write most days.
What are you
working on next? Do you have a WIP?
My sequel to To
Sleep…Perchance to Die, titled Revenge
Best Served Bloody, has been submitted to my publisher for editing. It is
scheduled to be released in June of 2014. I believe the reader will be
pleasantly surprised by a plot that is an unexpected departure from the first
book.
I’m also working on the outline for the third book of
my Bret Manley series. The outline begs for a fourth book to be written.
What has been
the best part of the writing process…and the worst?
The introduction to and learning about
what is, for me, a new profession. I’ve found it exciting.
I’m awed by the fact that strokes on a keyboard give
the writer the ability to create a world and populate it with people of his or
her choosing. If the writer deems, he or she can alter that world and its
people. What other profession allows such liberties?
To date, I can’t say I’ve experienced anything that
can be called a worst.
Tell us about
your travels.
The most fun trip this past year was
traveling to France to research scenes for my sequel, Revenge Best Served Bloody.
It’s a surreal experience to have the honor of seeing and doing things in Paris
and northern France and then inserting the essence of those experiences into a
novel.
Do you plot
novels or allow them to develop as you write?
In the three books I’ve written and
the fourth I’m preparing to write, I’ve made detailed outlines of the story I
want to tell. Yet, as I write the plot develops a life of its own causing me to
deviate from the outline. The outline ends up being a general guide, and the
plot flows of its own accord.
Have you taken
any creative writing courses and would you recommend them?
Yes, and yes. When I decided to
enter the profession of writing, I knew that as with all professions, one has
to learn new knowledge and gain new skills. As a result, I took several writing
courses, read How-To books on writing, and joined a writer’s association. The
latter has allowed me to take part in study groups and seminars.
I’m not being boastful when I say that I’ve learned a
great deal of the technical aspects of my new profession. I still have much to
learn and am continuing the learning process.
A caveat is that writing is also an art and mastering
that art is the difference between a technically proficient writer and a great one.
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