Ask the Author: Lenny Cavallaro
Answered Questions (10)
Lenny Cavallaro
I have already answered this question. Much as I may enjoy the genre, I do not write horror stories. Thus, I cannot possibly offer a compelling, two-sentence narrative in a foreign idiom.
Lenny Cavallaro
I cannot easily answer this question, simply because I am simply "inspired" by the idea of artistic creation (whether literary or musical). However, I may be inspired by something I have read or something I know. For example, THE IBBUR'S TALE was prompted by the story of how my mother's aunt had a child out of wedlock while she was a teenager living in a pre-World War One shtetl. Once I had also read THE WARSAW ANAGRAMS (Zimler), I knew I wanted to write about an ibbur, and the two pieces fell into place. Similarly, the first of the Sherlock Holmes chess mysteries is a legitimate one: was Alexander Alekhine (the world chess champion) murdered? I read some intriguing arguments and ended up applying my own thoughts to fiction.
I suppose I would be remiss if I neglected to mention the bizarre, multi-genre sequence (THE PASSION OF ELENA BIANCHI). It was spawned by more family history: a song my father had composed for a woman named Maria some eleven years before I was born. I wondered what became of her. Throw in classical music, the Holocaust, the Mafia, and some mystical, paranormal elements, and voila! The series "happened"!
I suppose I would be remiss if I neglected to mention the bizarre, multi-genre sequence (THE PASSION OF ELENA BIANCHI). It was spawned by more family history: a song my father had composed for a woman named Maria some eleven years before I was born. I wondered what became of her. Throw in classical music, the Holocaust, the Mafia, and some mystical, paranormal elements, and voila! The series "happened"!
Lenny Cavallaro
My most immediate project is one I must decline to discuss. I hate to sound superstitious, but I believe one either writes the book or talks the book, and I find the former far more fulfilling.
Other projects have crossed my mind, although I have not done ANY work toward them. One idea is to write the sequel to Bataille's THE STORY OF THE EYE, a venture he never started. Another is a romance story, and while not as unusual (or controversial) as THE PASSION OF ELENA BIANCHI (especially the first two novels), this one would certainly be "different." However, all this is idle speculation. First, I must finish the work in progress.
Other projects have crossed my mind, although I have not done ANY work toward them. One idea is to write the sequel to Bataille's THE STORY OF THE EYE, a venture he never started. Another is a romance story, and while not as unusual (or controversial) as THE PASSION OF ELENA BIANCHI (especially the first two novels), this one would certainly be "different." However, all this is idle speculation. First, I must finish the work in progress.
Lenny Cavallaro
I encourage writers thusly: (1) Keep at it, no matter what. (2) Write during the time of day best suited for you, personally, since there is no "correct" time! (3) Do not become discouraged by rejection. (4) Learn how to market (a skill I lack completely!). (5) Understand the harsh realities of the publishing industry at this time.
Lenny Cavallaro
My answer applies to both literature and music. I love the idea that I can create something out of nothing. Acclaim, financial rewards, and recognition may elude me, but the joy of creation validates my efforts, no matter what.
Lenny Cavallaro
I never get writer's block or composer's block. [I also compose classical music, though in a style consistent with the musical idioms of roughly 1710-1830.] At the moment, I have several projects I'd like to address and almost no time to attend to them, so I cannot afford the luxury of a "block."
Lenny Cavallaro
I do not write in that genre, as much as it may fascinate me. Thus, I would not feel comfortable even attempting a two-sentence narrative.
Lenny Cavallaro
My interests are eclectic, and my reading list includes some strange ones:
THE MARQUISE DE GANGES (A. Dumas, Pere)
THE SONG OF ACHILLES (Madeline Miller)
THE PAINTED BIRD (Jerzy Kosiński)
THE SCHRODINGER (Laurel Brett)
A WOMAN IN THE WINDOW (Mallory)
THE TRUTH * OTHER LIES (Sascha Arango)
LIFESPAN (Sinclair)
Given my hectic schedule, if I actually get to read two or three of them, I'll be grateful!
THE MARQUISE DE GANGES (A. Dumas, Pere)
THE SONG OF ACHILLES (Madeline Miller)
THE PAINTED BIRD (Jerzy Kosiński)
THE SCHRODINGER (Laurel Brett)
A WOMAN IN THE WINDOW (Mallory)
THE TRUTH * OTHER LIES (Sascha Arango)
LIFESPAN (Sinclair)
Given my hectic schedule, if I actually get to read two or three of them, I'll be grateful!
Lenny Cavallaro
I can easily conceive a mystical tale, in which a character based on me seeks to understand how someone with so much presumably "going for him" -- at least superficially -- has had so many personal and professional setbacks. He concludes that there is a karmic explanation. What unfolds? What does he learn about his ancestral incarnations?
In fairness: I have written one set of mysteries: SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE MYSTERIES OF THE CHESS WORLD. It is not a genre I am likely to consider again until I have completed my next two projects.
In fairness: I have written one set of mysteries: SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE MYSTERIES OF THE CHESS WORLD. It is not a genre I am likely to consider again until I have completed my next two projects.
Lenny Cavallaro
THE IBBUR'S TALE emerged from family history (a family scandal; also, the fate of relatives during the Holocaust) and my interest in the ibbur, a possessive spirit with one last task to accomplish (or one last mitzvah to perform). The last tale in my recent collection, SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE MYSTERIES OF THE CHESS WORLD (Russell, 2022) involved an ibbur, and I was anxious to work more extensively with such a character. The actual device that brought the disparate elements together came to me in a dream.
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