Author Interview ~ John Iannuzzi

John Nicholas Iannuzzi grew up in New York City, where he received his B.S. from Fordham College and his J.D. from New York Law School. In 1963, he joined his father at IANNUZZI and IANNUZZI, a law firm with offices in New York, Rome, Montreal, Zurich, the Bahamas, San Francisco and Washington. The firm is primarily a litigation boutique, with a specialty in Criminal Law. In his career, Mr. Iannuzzi has personally handled more homicide cases on the trial level than any other actively practicing lawyer in the State of New York. He has been listed in "Who’s Who in the World" for thQ.

What book or project is coming out or has come out that you’d like to tell us about?

“Condemned”(MADCAN Books) is my sixth and recently published novel, “focusing a high intensity light into the dark, dangerous corners of international drug trafficking.” While fiction, it draws a parallel between the rampant crime, violence, and corruption that arose during alcohol Prohibition - which ended when Franklin Delano Roosevelt characterized Prohibition as a ‘stupendous blunder’ - and today’s drug prohibition laws, which have given rise to an industry of the same sort of rampant crime, violence, and corruption. In short, it fulfills the prophecy of Santayana who wrote, “those who fail to remember the past are ‘CONDEMNED’ to repeat it.”

In “Condemned,” Colombian drug lords, Russian thugs, Mafia soldiers, law enforcement, street junkies, rampant corruption, behind-the-scenes courtroom intrigue, jail cells, luxury cars, millions in cash, and sex for drugs spin together in a tight vortex to reveal that today’s society has two separate and distinct drug problems: trafficking and addiction. Legalization of drugs would instantly eliminate trafficking as profit to the underworld would disappear due to legitimate, tax-paying businesses maintaining stores and outlets - controlled much like alcohol is today - and make drugs available to those who require them, without the need for junkies to mug or burglarize to be able to afford a fix. At the same time, addiction, the second problem, now out in the open, could be treated as the medical problem it is, just as alcohol addicts (alcoholics) are treated, rather than jailed.

Tell us about your journey to publication. How long had you been writing before you got the call you had a contract, how you heard and what went through your head.

A. Prior to “Condemned” I had five novels and four legal textbooks published. However, as time passed since my first novel was published, the publishing industry has changed drastically. The publishing industry is dictated to by Buyers for large chain stores and giant bookstore chains. The Buyers convey to the publishers that the public likes this or that sort of book, and the Publishers, in turn, advise their editors to only consider this or that sort of book. In short, writing as published by the large publishing houses is formula driven, grinding out only works that will sell, without regard for literary value. This is much like the film industry was, with studio moguls who came from strictly-cash businesses and dictated the kinds of pictures the public should have, regardless of quality or artistry.

Today, independent film productions create most films of worth, which are distributed through the studios. Thus, rather than having to write formula-bound works, a small consortium, MADCAN, undertook to the independent publication of “Condemned”.

What thoughts did I have when I was able to write what I wished rather than what some theoretical reader somewhere from the middle-of-nowhere might like? “Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.”

Do you still experience self-doubts regarding your work?

Do I doubt that I can write effectively, with feeling and pulse, in proper, or purposely improper language? Not at all.

Do I, however, still have a nag within my head to hector me to create better, stronger prose - prose that artistically reveals the foibles and fumbles of human activity? Yes, of course. I think that that nag, or drive, if you will, is essential to fine writing. Is this piece good enough? Does it say what I am trying to say? That is what must be with you always, spurring you on to write better words that better convey the meaning of your work.

What mistakes have you made while seeking publication?

Too long being influenced by agents and hack editors - there are really no more real ‘editors’ at publishing houses; there are only acquisition editors who read not to find something of literary worth, but only to see if the book fits within the formula espoused by the publisher. I wrote many a novel trying to emulate someone else’s work until I had a revelation: Van Gogh painting at Arles painted what he wanted, what he saw, not what some agent advised because the public would not understand his work. I realize, of course, at the same time, that Van Gogh sold only one painting in his lifetime. But if you’re in this to make a buck, then you might try formula writing.

What’s the best advice you’ve heard on writing/publication?

In order to write, write. Sit down at the computer and start. If nothing comes to mind, type the word “The” - then go from there.

What’s the worst piece of writing advice you’ve heard?

Try to emulate Grisham or Patterson or Mary Higgins Clarke.

What’s something you wish you’d known earlier that might have saved you some time/frustration in the publishing business?

That you should write what you feel, what is in your head, not try to emulate some commercially successful writer. You can’t write out of his, or her, head - only your own thoughts and ideas can produce the ring of fine crystal. Mere mass produced emulation has a flat ding, never giving off a pure crystal-like bell-tone.

Is there a particularly difficult set back that you’ve gone through in your writing career you are willing to share?

I am also a trial lawyer, handling mostly criminal cases. I only wish there were two of me, one to litigate, one to write. Unfortunately, the stress and intensity of adversarial litigation has not provided the tranquility that I think I’d enjoy just writing. But then, it is from the molten cauldron that fine steel is produced, so perhaps my two horses make a fine team.

What are a few of your favorite books? (Not written by you.)

Frankly, I read mostly non-fiction, although once I get into a piece of fiction, I attack it with equal vigor, not putting it down for very long until I’ve finished. I enjoy a wide range of authors: Hemingway for his succinct, staccato; Moravia for his deep introspection. I’m afraid, though, that I do not read as much as I think I should. Law books take up a great deal of time.

What piece of writing have you done that you’re particularly proud of and why?

“Condemned”, my latest book, for all the reasons that precede this answer.

Do you have a pet peeve having to do with this biz?

Hundreds. The use of English is so poor nowadays. If an author chooses with artistic license to put together a clunky collection of words, fine. I’m afraid, however, that most journalists, and many authors, have no idea of the correct use of the English language, or of punctuation.

Can you give us a view into a typical day of your writing life?

I am often asked how can I run a full time law practice and find the time to write books. I always answer: get up early in the morning. People laugh when I say that, but I tell them it’s not a joke. I get up every morning – every morning! - and write for two hours. I could not possibly write at the end of a workday. Now two hours isn’t very long, but, perhaps you can write three or four pages a day; three or four pages, let’s say for five days a week, fifteen to twenty pages a week. By the end of a month, you have a hundred pages - a hundred pages! How did you do it. You awoke early and wrote.

If you could choose to have one strength of another writer, what would it be and from whom?

I really can’t say. I borrow bits and pieces wherever I find them, like a mosaicist, putting together a mosaic. The pieces that work, I keep; the pieces that do not fit what I am trying to say, I leave where I found them.

Do you have a dream for the future of your writing, something you would love to accomplish?

Just to have enough time to write all the thoughts that are in my head. I already have another novel, “Talion,” ready in the wings.

Was there ever a time in your writing career you thought of quitting?

Was there ever a time I thought of not breathing? No.

What is your favorite and least favorite part of being a writer?

The answer to both: the solitude.

How much marketing do you do? Any advice in this area?

As much as I can, in every area. I now leave no stone unturned, from the design of the jacket cover to the approval of publicity releases.

Parting words?

Only one. Write!