Q & A with author George Galdorisi and San Diego Writers Festival
SDWF: What inspired you to write The Coronado Conspiracy?
GG: I worry about civilian control of the military and what might happen in that space.
SDWF: Which writers have influenced you most?
GG: My favorite writers are Dick Couch and Nelson DeMille.
SDWF: What’s the last great book/play/poem you read?
GG: Flow
SDWF: What do you wish you’d known before you started out as a writer?
GG: It’s not the first draft that matters most, it’s the editing.
SDWF: What writing resources have been most helpful to you?
GG: The Dictionary
SDWF: Which of your life experiences have shaped you most as a writer?
GG: 30 years in uniform as a naval aviator
SDWF: What was the first piece of writing you shared with someone else?
GG: An article in U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings.
SDWF: Can you share something that gives us an idea of what you are working on? From my latest novel, Fire and Ice, currently with my agent:
GG: This story has painted Russia and its leader in stark, unflattering terms. While this is fiction, one thing undergirding the high concept for this story is that Russians are spectacular grudge holders. If you tick a Russian off, the chances of him forgetting about it and not seeking revenge asymptotically approach zero. Perhaps the best way to explain this is by way of a joke that has been retold countless times.
An angel appeared to three men, a Frenchman, an Italian, and a Russian. The angel tells them that tomorrow the world is going to end and asks them what they each want to do with their last night on earth. The Frenchman says he will get a case of the best champagne and spend his last night with his mistress. The Italian says he will visit his mistress and then go home and eat his last meal with his wife and children. The Russian replies that he will go burn down his neighbor’s barn.
SDWF: Is there anything else that you’d like to share?
GG: If you go to the Blog on my website http://www.georgegaldorisi.com/, you will find scores of writing tips that are useful for writers at all stages of their careers.
SDWF: Thank you George!
