The Seventh Level by Joe Heffron Blog Tour Interview

INTERVIEW:
~If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would you choose?

John McCain, Cormac Mccarthy, Joan Didion, Simon Cowell, George Clooney

~If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?

Food, water, Diane Lane

~What is one book everyone should read?

The Crossing - Cormac McCarthy

~If you could meet one person who has died who would you choose?

Leonardo da Vinci

~What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?

Hash and eggs over easy w/ rye toast and lots of coffee

~Skittles or M&Ms?

M&m's and I sort them and eat the orange ones last (if you must know)

~Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.

Because it's possible to live an extraordinary life.

~Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?

I am writing a novel that takes place in LA in roughly 1965. It's heavy on the Bogey-Bacall snappy dialogue.

~What inspired you to want to become a writer?

Music - I used to say poetry, but really it was the lyrics of songs like Gentle on My Mind and Crazy that got me reading poetry which led me to literature.

~Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.

Meeting Karen Tse. She is the bravest woman I've ever met, and she's five-feet tall.

~If you could jump in to a book, and live in that world...which would it be?

Aleph - by Paulo Coelho

~What was your favorite book when you were a child/teen?

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

~Is there a song you could list as the theme song for your book or any of your characters?

For the current one - the theme from Rocky
For the work in progress - "A Taste of Honey" Herb Albert & The Tijuana Brass

~What's one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?

Write - write - write. Be hard on yourself. Set high expectations, then exceed them. Don't be in love with everything you write. Be a professional. Learn proper grammar, syntax and word usage, so you can take liberties, but know why you're taking them. Read as often as possible.

~If you could choose only one time period and place to live, when and where would you live and why?

Florence - The Renaissance

~If you could be one of the Greek Gods, which would it be and why?

Dionysus - in vino veritas

~If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

Please don't make me pick. Chicago, no Aruba, no wait Paris, nah too French. Texas? San Diego is nice. I haven't been to enough places yet to pick.

~What is your favorite Quote?

"The great tragedy in life is not that we die, but what dies within us while we live." Norman Cousins

~If a movie was made about your life, who would you want to play the lead role and why?

George Clooney - so I could walk up to strangers and say, "You'll never guess who's playing me in a movie." The last great movie star.

~Who are your favorite authors of all time?

Cormac McCarthy, Joan Didion, Paulo Coelho and did I mention Cormac McCarthy? I also like Pete Hamill.

~Hidden talent?

I win all staring contests

~Favorite Food?

The Scarpiello wings at Carmine's at the Trop in Atlantic City.

~Favorite Candy?

Whoppers

~What movie and/or book are you looking forward to this year?

Watching Rudolph with my son in December.

~What was your favorite children's book?

I liked Dr Seuss as a kid, but most children's books are awful. I always pushed my kids to read beyond their grade level. I think one of the best children's book authors is Jamie Leigh Curtis. Her books are more thoughtful than most of the simplistic drivel that's available. My 9 year old is currently reading "The Alchemist."

I'm all for spoiling kids with love, but when we baby them intellectually, we do them a disservice. (don't get me started, please)

~How do you react to a bad review?

My old boss used to say, "You gotta take the bad with the lousy."

~If you were a super hero what would your kryptonite be?

Diane Lane

~If you could have a signed copy of any novel what would it be and why?

"The Crossing" by Saint Cormac McCarthy. It's my favorite of the border trilogy.

~Which authors have influenced you most and how?

William Zinsser has taught me to be cognizant of being concise, so has Jefferson Bates ("Writing With Precision"). Poets have taught me to love rhythm and McCarthy has taught me to take chances. I love great writing. It's not just those that stir emotion, sometimes it's just that a writer's style makes the content accessible. In that regard I like the way Steven Johnson and Malcolm Gladwell write. It depends on my mood. When I want to laugh, I read Dave Barry.

~If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?

"You're Not Gonna Believe This But..."

~Give us a glimpse into a typical day in your day starting when you wake up till you lie down again.

I make coffee, eat and check emails. Then I work on whatever is pressing, such as a guest blog post or a profile from some spectacular woman I've interviewed. Then I consider going to the gym but successfully stall it until I've snacked and had more coffee. Eventually I go.

When I come back I'm feeling energized and I plan (consider) future writing ideas, blog posts, etc. Then I pop in my Fluenz Spanish language program and challenge my brain for an hour. The best time to learn something new is just after exercise so you can take advantage of neurogenesis. I truly believe, in all seriousness, that you can stave off much of the degenerative effects of aging by engaging your brain and forcing it to think, to challenge yourself. A better functioning brain will serve me in my research and writing.

In the afternoon I check back in with e-mails and plan my evening's work.

I do most of my 'heartfelt' writing later at night, but before I get to that state I usually run through my social media sites to stay current and help friends by passing on and re-tweeting their work. I also use that time to solicit interviews.

I am often up until 2-230 AM. Mornings are for farmers.

~What's your favorite season/weather?

Fall - no doubt. Living in the northeast, the fall is a cooling off from the summer heat, the weather is crisp, the leaves are turning, the coffee tastes better, people finally put clothes back on, ugh. I love the fall, and Irish coffee at a roadside restaurant with a hot apple pie and vanilla ice cream.

~Who or what inspired you to become an author?

Words have always touched me. Poets, such as Edgar Allan Poe, Trumbull Stickney, Langston Hughes, and Sydney Lanier among many others have always resonated with me. I was fascinated by how they could capture so much emotion with so few words.

~How did you celebrate the sale of your first book?

Called my mother - who died last week, btw, not to make you feel bad or anything. But I called her and then cracked open a bottle of Paul Hobbs cabernet.

~What TV show/movie/book do you watch/read that you'd be embarrassed to admit?

American Ninja Warrior and ICarly (with my son of course)

~Finish the sentence- one book I wish I had written is....

"Blood Meridian" by, you guessed it, Cormac McCarthy. It's so profoundly violent in a primal way that it makes you wonder if that violence is within all humans. It makes you aware of doors to parts of the human psyche that you don't want to admit exist, and makes you double-check the locks on those doors. I wish I could write something that can so deeply expose the primitive aspects of our species.

~Favorite places to travel?

I've been to Rome, Florence, London, Aruba, Saigon, Paris, San Diego and San Antonio. I loved them all. I love to explore. It doesn't matter where.

~Favorite music?

I bounce around a lot, but if I could only have one type, it would be the romantic classical composers like Debussy, Mendelsshon, Wagner, Bizet, Grieg, Sibelius, etc, etc. I like sweeping orchestral pieces, adagios and melodic work.

~In your wildest dreams, which author would you love to co-author a book with?

There is a great Indie author I'd like to collaborate with, Jake Needham. He's such a pro. I know I could learn from him.

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Genre - Personal Development
Rating - PG

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