Interview with Frank Nappi, Author of The Legend of Mickey Tussler

Frank Nappi has taught high school English and Creative Writing for over twenty years. His debut novel, Echoes From The Infantry, received national attention, including MWSA's silver medal for outstanding fiction. His follow-up novel, The Legend of Mickey Tussler, garnered rave reviews as well, including a movie adaptation of the touching story "A Mile in His Shoes" starring Dean Cain and Luke Schroder. Frank continues to produce quality work, including Sophomore Campaign, the intriguing sequel to the much heralded original story, and is presently at work on a third installment of the unique series. Frank lives on Long Island with his wife Julia and their two sons, Nicholas and Anthony.


What is this book about?

The Legend of Mickey Tussler is the story of a 17 year old autistic kid who is mired in the obscurity of a small farm in Indiana in 1948. In addition to his condition, which of course has no name at the time, Mickey possesses the remarkable ability to throw objects (most notably apples) with extraordinary velocity and precision. It appears that his life will never amount to anything more than the day to day toiling on the family farm under the cruel and watchful eye of his cantankerous father Clarence when a most fortuitous encounter with baseball manager Arthur Murphy, a man who himself is struggling with his own demons, alters the trajectory of each of the character's lives forever.

What inspired you to write it?

I wanted to tell a baseball story -- the genesis of the endeavor is my pure love for the game of baseball. I always thought that to combine my first love, which is baseball, with my passion for writing, would be a wonderful creative amalgamation. However, I did not want to re-tell the classic, trite tale that has been told before -- you know, the young talented nobody who is discovered and then makes good on the diamond. So that was a real impediment. However, I soon had the epiphany that if my character were unique -- special in another way too -- that would add a compelling wrinkle to the tale that has never been attempted. Conceiving Mickey Tussler as an Asperger’s kid was what unlocked the whole story.

Who is your favorite character from the book?

The title character, Mickey, is probably my favorite. He is pure of heart yet is a multi-faceted young man who I believe is very engaging.

Was the road to publication smooth sailing or a bumpy ride?

Fairly smooth I would say. There was a lot of interest in Mickey Tussler right from the onset. Everyone loves baseball and the autism component really touched many people deeply.

If you knew then, what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently?

Thankfully, I have no regrets. This book, and the sequel Sophomore Campaign, have brought me nothing but joy and they facilitated many wonderful relationships with readers and organizations such as Challenger Baseball and Best Buddies.

Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?

Amazon is the best place to purchase all of my books.

Do you have a video trailer to promote your book? If yes, where can readers find it?

Yes. The trailer may be accessed through my website - www.franknappi.com.

What is the best investment you have made in promoting your book?

Time. Honestly, here is no substitute for time -- that is, reaching out to readers through author events, blogs like this one, my own personal blog, etc. I believe that it is important for readers to get to "know" the authors they read.

Based on the novel The Legend of Mickey Tussler,by Frank Nappi

What is one piece of advice you would like to share with aspiring authors everywhere?

I always pass along the same advice that was given to me by Scott Turow after the publication of my first novel Echoes From The Infantry. It is one simple line: just keep writing. This is a very competitive business and success is predicated on getting your work out there to be read. The more opportunities people have to read your writing the more likely you are to succeed.

What is up next for you?

I am presently working on another mystery/thriller and also the third and final installment of my Mickey Tussler series. I am also entertaining a few other ideas as well.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Yes. I love interacting with my readers. Please feel free to send an email and tell me about yourself and your response to what you have read. This repartee with readers is the best part of the whole experience.

Reviews:
"This book does a very good job of treating gifted kids and teenagers with sensitivity and understanding in coping with and meeting these challenges."
-Alex Rodriguez, NY Yankees

"Speaks powerfully, brilliantly to anyone who loves baseball or anyone who loves a special person who is dealing with the rigors and challenges related to autism."
-Autism Speaks

"The baseball elements really sing; baseball fans will find much to appreciate, while the sports treatment of triumphing over adversity adds crossover appeal to the YA market."
-Publishers Weekly

"Riveting. Rewarding. THE LEGEND OF MICKEY TUSSLER reaches the heart the way Alex Rodriguez reaches the bleachers."
-New York Daily News

The Legend of Mickey Tussler Excerpt Link:
http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/297342-excerpt-from-the-legend-of-mickey-tussler

Sophomore Campaign Excerpt Link:
http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/296423-excerpt-from-sophomore-campaign

The Legend of Mickey Tussler Book Summary:

In the late 1940s, the minor league Milwaukee Brewers are foundering yet again and manager Arthur Murphy is desperate. When he sees seventeen-year old Mickey Tussler throwing apples into a barrel, he knows he has found the next pitching phenom. But not everyone is so hopeful. Mickey’s autism—a disorder still not truly understood even today—has alienated the boy from the world, and he is berated by other players and fans. Mickey faces immense trials in the harsh and competitive world of baseball while coping with the challenges inherent to his disorder. An honest and knowledgeable book about overcoming adversity, and the basis for the television movie A Mile in His Shoes, Mickey’s powerful story shows that with support and determination anyone can be triumphant, even when the odds are stacked against him.

Prices/Formats: $12.95 paperback, $12.95 ebook
Pages: 304
ISBN: 9781616086589
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Release: April 1, 2012

Amazon buy link ($12.95):
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1616086580?tag=tributebooks-20

Barnes and Noble buy link ($12.95):
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/legend-of-mickey-tussler-frank-nappi/1009004910?ean=9781616086589

Kindle buy link ($12.95):
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007NLRXVI?tag=tributebooks-20

Nook buy link ($12.95):
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/legend-of-mickey-tussler-frank-nappi/1009004910?ean=9781620873021

Sophomore Campaign Book Summary:
It’s 1949 and eighteen-year-old pitching phenom Mickey Tussler is back with the rejuvenated minor league Brewers in the sequel to The Legend of Mickey Tussler (the basis for the television movie A Mile in His Shoes). Despite Mickey’s proclamation that he will never play baseball again after last season’s violent conclusion, his manager—and now surrogate father—Arthur Murphy cajoles the emotionally fragile, socially awkward boy with autism into giving it another shot. Mickey reluctantly returns to the field and must once again cope with the violence and hatred around him. When a young African American player joins the team, the entire team is subjected to racial threats and episodes of violence, one of which Mickey witnesses firsthand. Struggling to understand such ugliness and hatred, and fearful of reprisal should he tell anyone about what he has seen, the boy’s performance on the field suffers. Mickey now must deal with a side of human nature he scarcely comprehends.

Prices/Formats: $12.95 paperback, $9.99 ebook
Pages: 280
ISBN: 9781616086633
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Release: April 1, 2012

Amazon buy link ($12.95):
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1616086637?tag=tributebooks-20

Barnes and Noble buy link ($12.95):
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sophomore-campaign-frank-nappi/1110930657?ean=9781616086633

Kindle buy link ($12.95):
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007NLRWBY?tag=tributebooks-20

Nook buy link ($12.95):
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sophomore-campaign-frank-nappi/1110930657?ean=9781620873069

Frank Nappi's Web Site:
http://www.franknappi.com/

Frank Nappi's Blog:
http://www.franknappi.com/blog.html

Frank Nappi's Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/authorfranknappi

Frank Nappi's Twitter:
https://twitter.com/FrankNappi

Frank Nappi's Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/fnap33

The Legend of Mickey Tussler Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12693349-the-legend-of-mickey-tussler

Sophomore Campaign Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12693348-sophomore-campaign

A Mile in His Shoes (movie) link:
http://www.franknappi.com/a-mile-in-his-shoes.html

Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186

The Legend of Mickey Tussler/Sophomore Campaign blog tour site:
http://mickeytussler.blogspot.com/

Interview with Greg Messel, Author of The Last of the Seals

Greg Messel has written four novels and three unpublished memoirs. He published his premiere novel “Sunbreaks” in 2009, followed by “Expiation” in 2010 and “The Illusion of Certainty” in 2011. “Last of the Seals” is the first in a series of mysteries which are set in 1957 San Francisco. The second book in the series “Deadly Plunge’ will be published around Christmas of 2012. Greg grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and has had a newspaper career as a columnist, sportswriter and news editor. He won a Wyoming Press Association Award as a columnist while working for a daily newspaper in Wyoming. Greg also spent many years in the corporate world as a Financial Manager. He now devotes his energies to writing at his home in Edmonds, Washington on the Puget Sound just north of Seattle, where he lives with his wife, Carol.

To get your paperback copy of LAST OF THE SEALS by Greg Messel: http://www.amazon.com/Last-Seals-Greg-Messel/dp/0985485906

To get your e-copy of LAST OF THE SEAL by Greg Messel at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Last-of-the-Seals-ebook/dp/B0083WCHOO

To view all books by Greg Messel: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=Greg%20Messel

To learn more about Greg, go to his website: www.gregmessel.com

Visit Greg Messel on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/gregmessel

Like Greg Messel on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greg.messel

What was the experience like writing Last of the Seals?

It was great fun. I've never written a mystery. It was really challenging and a new experience. I was pleased with the result and it seems that readers and reviewers have reacted very favorably to it. I love the characters and the time period and place. San Francisco in 1958 in a very exciting and interesting place. Readers seem to really like the nostalgic aspect of the story.

How did you come up with the title?

The San Francisco Seals were a Pacific Coast League team that was displaced after the 1957 season. The Seals were just one level below the big leagues. The end of the Seals came when the major league Giants moved from New York for the 1958 season. The time period of the story is 1957 as the Seals and the main character Sam Slater play their final games in San Francisco. Sam is at the end of his career. In the fall of 1957 it was the "last of the Seals" but in a way Sam was the 'last of the Seals."

Can you tell us more about your main character, Sam Slater?

As a teenager, Sam was a baseball phenom and was signed by the Boston Red Sox right out of high school. But Sam's career is interrupted by World War II and he is part of the landing force at Omaha Beach on D Day. Sam also fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Sam's baseball abilities are never quite the same after the war. As his baseball career is ending in 1957 he plans to join the private detective agency of his best friend Jimmy Jankow. But Jimmy is suddenly murdered and Sam is thrust into a series of mysteries which he feels ill prepared to cope with. It is then that he meet Amelia Ryan who changes his life.

What are his strengths and what are his weaknesses?

Sam is a very admirable character and is the kind of guy who is admired by men and loved by women. He is very brave and loyal. Sam is often reminded by his friends and Amelia that he doesn't need to take on all of this problems alone. Sam has had a lot of hard knocks and has become something of a loner. Amelia is always reminding him to let others help him with his challenges.

What about Amelia Ryan? Can you tell us more about her?

Amelia is a beautiful 25 year old TWA stewardess. Amelia has always had a sense of adventure and wants to experience as much of the world as possible before she settles down to become a 1950s housewife. Amelia is often told that she looks like Grace Kelly. It is her classic beauty that enchants Sam Slater from the first moment he meets her. Amelia has had many pursuers over the years and is constantly fighting off grabby passengers at work. However, when she meets Sam she falls deeply in love with him. She also loves helping him solve the mysteries he faces as a private eye.

Are there any supporting characters we need to know about?

Sam's friend and old Army buddy is Vince Marino is a street-tough San Francisco Police Detective. Vince helps Sam and advises him as he tries to solve the mysteries he encounters. There is also the Ryan family, Amelia's large Irish Catholic clan, who is very interested in her new romance. The men in the Ryan family are big baseball fans and are star struck by Sam and his baseball stories.

Can you open to page 25 and tell us what’s happening?

This episode occurs just before Jimmy's death. It is the last time the three friends are together before the murder. The three Army buddies meet for dinner and then are going to some boxing matches together. It reveals much about their relationship before everything suddenly changes.

What about page 65?

Sam is adjusting to his new role as a private eye. He goes into the office and meets with his secretary Janet. Someone ransacked the office while they were at Jimmy's funeral. Sam and Janet are puzzled as to why someone would tear their office apart. What were they looking for?

Now that Last of the Seals has been published, what’s your next project?

I've finished writing the second book in the series as a sequel to "Last of the Seals." It is called "Deadly Plunge" and takes place in 1958. Sam and Amelia encounter a rich, seductive socialite who wonders why her husband suddenly jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. There's also a mysterious house where shadowy characters come and go. "Deadly Plunge" will be out around Christmas. I'm also beginning work on the third book in the series "San Francisco Secrets."

Do you have anything you’d like to tell our readers?

I hope you will give "Last of the Seals" a try. Some readers wonder if it's a baseball book or is it a romance or is it a mystery? It's all three and I think it should appeal to a wide range of readers.

Book Spotlight: Last of the Seals by Greg Messel

The year is 1957 in San Francisco. Sam Slater is a lifetime minor league baseball player for the San Francisco Seals. The Seals have just one more season left as San Francisco is about to become a major league city. The Giants are coming to town in 1958 and the Seals will be displaced. Sam has come to the end of his baseball career and is going to join the private detective agency of his best friend. When his friend is brutally murdered, Sam must go it alone and try to find out why. Along the way he is swept off of his feet by a beautiful Elvis-obsessed TWA stewardess named Amelia Ryan. Sam and Amelia try to unravel the mystery together. Sam’s best friend, Jimmy inadvertently saw something he shouldn’t have. Sam and Amelia have pictures in their possession that have crime families in San Francisco and Chicago very worried. Then a young woman Sam has been searching for is found dead on the beach. Suddenly, Sam and Amelia find themselves in danger. On dark and foggy San Francisco nights, trouble is lurking just around the next corner.

Read an excerpt!

First Chapter:

CHAPTER 1

EMBARCADERO STABBING

September 4, 1957

______________________________________________________________________

Those who loved Jimmy Jankow would say he had a “big personality.” The people who didn’t like Jimmy would say he was brash and arrogant. His “personality” was an endearing quality to his friends and an obnoxious trait to those who didn’t count themselves as his friend. Jimmy always seemed very confident in his actions.

His best friends, Sam Slater and Vince Marino, tended to follow Jimmy’s lead. Sam was a baseball player for the Seals and Vince was a veteran San Francisco cop.

Jimmy had always attracted a lot of attention from the ladies. With his wavy blonde hair, blue eyes and muscular build, he could prove to be irresistible. It was just after the war that Sam declared that Jimmy had become “domesticated.”

That’s when Jimmy fell under the spell of Rita Angelos, the eye-popping daughter of Greek immigrants. She had thick long black hair, large brown eyes, and just as “big” of a personality as Jimmy.

The Embarcadero is the main roadway which skirts along the edge of San Francisco Bay. It is lined with piers and is a major area for shipping. Embarcadero means “the place to embark.” It has certainly filled that function in San Francisco.

After the completion of the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge around 1936, there was a rapid decline in ferry traffic. The famed Ferry Building and the neighborhood began to deteriorate.

However, during World War II, San Francisco’s waterfront became a military logistics center as troops, equipment and supplies left the Port in support of the Pacific theater.  San Francisco began growing in leaps and bounds. Almost every pier and wharf was involved in military activities, with troop ships and naval vessels tied up all along the Embarcadero.

Jimmy left in 1943 for England to fight in Europe in the middle of World War II. While in England, he had met two San Francisco natives, Sam and Vince, who became his best friends.

Now in 1957, Jimmy was a successful private investigator. As Sam’s baseball career was winding down, Jimmy was planning to take him on as a full partner.  Jimmy had been busy preparing an office space for Sam. A carpenter had just finished the remodeling job and Jimmy couldn’t wait to show it to Sam. The frosted door pane on the new office even had been painted with the name “Sam Slater.”

Jimmy pulled his 1955 Mercury coupe to the curb near Pier 23 on the Embarcadero.

It was a flashy car and it perfectly fit Jimmy’s personality. The two-toned Merc was turquoise and white and had chrome everywhere.

A beautiful late summer day was ending in San Francisco as Jimmy scooped a folder of pictures off of the front seat of the Merc. He had to deliver the end product to his client, who was very paranoid about secrecy.

Fred Langenfeld had grown very suspicious of his wife’s activities throughout the summer. The more Jimmy got to know Langenfeld, the more he suspected that he was suspicious of everyone’s activities.

Earlier in the decade, Langenfeld had been a law clerk in Washington D.C., where he was involved in the McCarthy hearings and the anti-communist scare. Jimmy had met Langenfeld through a law firm that had, on occasion, used his private investigation skills.

Langenfeld hired Jimmy to follow his wife and find out where she spent her afternoons. Jimmy had been doing this for most of August. She was not hard to catch. Langenfeld had good reason to be paranoid.

Now Jimmy was going to deliver a series of photos to confirm all of Langenfeld’s worst fears.  Jimmy had snapped the photos at lunch spots throughout the city, a motel,  and at Golden Gate Park, where he found Mrs. Langenfeld crawling all over a young guy who had been her constant companion. Jimmy had been tailing them and it was easy pickings.

Particularly damning was a series of pictures of Mrs. Langenfeld publicly displaying her intense passion for her new lover while they sat on a park bench near a pond in the park.

Jimmy felt this was like shooting fish in a barrel. It didn’t tax his investigative skills. Mrs. Langenfeld turned out to be the most indiscreet woman in San Francisco. All you needed was a camera.

Sneaking around spying on someone’s spouse wasn’t the most pleasant part of his job, however, it paid well.

The difficult part of following someone’s unfaithful husband or wife was delivering the bad news to the suspicious spouse. Jimmy always thought that you shouldn’t ask a question if you’re not prepared to hear the answer.

Langenfeld wanted Jimmy to meet him on his boat, which was docked at Pier 23 to ensure privacy. Jimmy wanted to get this over with, collect his pay, and then get home to his wife, son, and new baby. As Jimmy walked down the pier, he looked carefully in the dusky light for the docking location of the “Frisco Fred.”

What a jerk!

Who names their boat “Frisco Fred?” Not a native San Franciscan, that’s for sure. One way to really piss off a San Franciscan, is to call their beloved city “Frisco.”

As Jimmy walked slowly down the marina dock looking for the boat, he sensed someone coming up quickly behind him. He spun around to see a large, beefy man with his hat pulled down just above his eyebrows, concealing his face.

Jimmy immediately sensed the threat and his defenses went on full alert. He thought the man was charging at him for a physical assault, but the thug stopped short and then got in Jimmy’s face.

“I’m gonna need those pictures,” he snarled.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Someone you don’t want to tell no!” he growled and then repeated his warning. “Hand them over.”

“Look, I don’t want any trouble pal but there’s no way…”  Jimmy never finished the sentence. In a split second, the burly man stuck a knife into Jimmy’s chest.

Jimmy staggered backwards, completely shocked at the sudden assault. He dropped the pictures and fell onto the dock gasping for air and instinctively trying to remove the knife.

The assailant took his foot and rolled the mortally wounded Jimmy off the edge of the pier and into the water. The man looked around to see if the splash had attracted any attention. It had not.

He then reached down and grabbed Jimmy’s pictures with his gloved hand and quickly disappeared into a dark blue Buick that was waiting at the curb.

Title: Last of the Seals
Author: Greg Messel
Paperback: 392 pages
Genre: Mystery/Romance
Publisher: Sunbreaks Publishing (April 23, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN – 0985485906
ISBN – 978-0985485900

Available in paperback and electronic formats from Amazon!

Greg Messel has written four novels and three unpublished memoirs. He published his premiere novel “Sunbreaks” in 2009, followed by “Expiation” in 2010 and “The Illusion of Certainty” in 2011. “Last of the Seals” is the first in a series of mysteries which are set in 1957 San Francisco. The second book in the series “Deadly Plunge’ will be published around Christmas of 2012. Greg grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and has had a newspaper career as a columnist, sportswriter and news editor. He won a Wyoming Press Association Award as a columnist while working for a daily newspaper in Wyoming. Greg also spent many years in the corporate world as a Financial Manager. He now devotes his energies to writing at his home in Edmonds, Washington on the Puget Sound just north of Seattle, where he lives with his wife, Carol.

To learn more about Greg, go to his website: www.gregmessel.com 

Visit Greg Messel on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/gregmessel 

Like Greg Messel on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greg.messel

B is for Baseball: Running the Bases from A to Z--Book Review

Batter up! From Chronicle Books comes an alphabet primer that is sure to be a home run with young baseball fans. From autograph to knuckleball and from left field to zinger, this book filled with vintage photos from the American Baseball Hall of Fame and illustrations from David Habben, is one that should be on the shelves in every young baseball lover's home.

Babe Ruth, Yogi Berra, Joe Dimaggio, Jackie Robinson, and other baseball greats fill the pages of this primer alongside terms like error, infield, and tag. And the back jacket includes a five-question quiz for kids to test their knowledge.

Just one in a series of alphabet primers from Chronicle Books, B is for Baseball will leave readers yearning to learn more about America's favorite pastime.


Title: B is for Baseball: Running the Bases from A to Z
Publisher: Chronicle Books
ISBN-10: 0811860965
ISBN-13: 9780811860963
SRP: $15.99 (U.S.)