Interview With Author Dale M. Pollock
1. What inspired you
to write this book?
My wife Susie's great-great-grandfather became
embroiled in the most notorious murder trial of the mid 1800s. Susie's
mother had first tried to gather enough information to write a biography of
James Winchell Stone, but was working in the 1960s without the internet. We
took her concept further and devised a mystery around the murder of George
Parkman, for which Harvard Professor John Webster was tried, convicted and
publicly hanged.
2. What exactly is
it about and who is it written for?
The novel concerns the Webster/Parkman trial
of 1850, in which the dismembered pieces of a person were found in the Harvard
Medical School privy of a meek chemistry professor. It is written for lovers of
historical fiction, mystery thrillers, and unlikely love stories.
3. What do you hope
readers will get out of reading your book?
I hope they will experience Boston as it
really was in 1850. Because of my film background, I feel CHOPPED has a
cinematic quality that puts you right into the action. I also hope the love
story between two people of different classes will continue to resonate with
readers, since many of my readers have commented on how much they love Ellen
O'Keeffe (my wife's maiden name).
4. How did you decide on your
book’s title and cover design?
Originally, the novel was called "The
Phonographer" but it proved confusing because people thought it was
"The Pornographer!" Shortly before we finalized the book cover
design, I came up with the idea of CHOPPED, because it was the chopped-up
pieces of George Parkman that sets all of the events in my novel into
play. Our book designer, Julie Allred, came up with the design of using
the body parts on the cover, and we chose a 19th century deep red color rather
than a modern, bright red cherry color that we had originally selected. We also
had to add "a novel" to our title so people wouldn't think it was a
cookbook!
5. What advice or words of
wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!?
Work every day, no matter how little or how
much you write, as long as you do something. Persevere.
6. What trends in the book
world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is
heading?
I think independent bookstores are making a
great comeback after barely surviving the online onslaught that Amazon
launched. In a curious way, I think that Covid helped the book industry
since people finally had time to read. I think the growth of audio books
has also really expanded the potential audience that authors can reach.
7. Were there experiences in
your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this
book?
Yes, I had a 35-mm version of my story playing
in my head, the same way it did when I developed screenplays for the 13 films I
produced.
8. How would you describe
your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?
I am very influenced by Elmore Leonard and Don
Winslow. I would describe my writing style as straight-forward, detailed,
and hopefully cinematic!
9. What challenges did you
overcome in the writing of this book?
Since this took 19 years, there are too many
to mention! I was working full-time as a Cinema Studies professor while
writing 22 drafts of CHOPPED. I did have the summers off, so I spent every
summer for six years researching up in Boston. I read the complete
coverage of the 27 newspapers that were published in Boston at the time. There
were another 30 papers that covered the trial from places as diverse as New
York City and Berlin, Germany. I spent weeks in the Boston Public Library
Rare Books room examining personal diaries by the jury members, researching the
period, and the depth of detail that I undertook to absorb was a major
challenge.
10. If people can buy or read
one book this week or month, why should it be yours?
Because CHOPPED is different, engaging, and
surprising in its resolution. It works as a vintage crime mystery
thriller, a surprising romance that crosses class boundaries, and murder
mystery, which I solved fictionally.
Dale M. Pollock is a writer, lecturer, film
producer, and cinema professor. His previous book was the bestseller " Skywalking:
The life and Films of George Lucas." He and his wife Susie
reside in Winston Salem, North Carolina. For more info, please see: dalempollock.com
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