Interview with Sam Moffie Today, Tyler R. Tichelaar of Reader Views is pleased to interview Sam Moffie, who is here to talk about his new book “The Organ Grinder and the Monkey.” Sam Moffie is a lifelong baseball fan from Youngstown, Ohio. After graduating from Wittenberg University, Sam managed two sports bars, which put him on the front lines of America’s most heated debate topics: sex and sports. Sam has three children, one son-in-law, one granddaughter, two dogs, two cats, and one beautiful muse. Besides “The Organ Grinder and the Monkey,” he is also the author of “Swap,” and the soon to be released “NO MAD.” Tyler: Welcome, Sam. I’m intrigued by the title of your book. Am I correct in assuming it’s not some cute European fable but that the organ grinder and the monkey symbolize something more?
Tyler: Will you tell us about the main characters? Let’s start with Seymour Petrillo. Sam: Seymour was the toughest character for me to flesh out. I found it incredibly easy to write about all the characters in his life (excluding Irving and Constance) and how they had positive and negative influences on him. Seymour starts out as a good kid—witnesses a terrible trauma and slowly but surely disappears into someone else. He has a lot of great qualities. His treatment of domestic animals. His relationship with his grandfather and Mrs. Brumagin to name a few. In earlier drafts, I had him even darker than he turns out, but it didn’t read right. Tyler: What is the background for the character, Irving Hanhart? Sam: Irving was my non-linear character. All over the place about everything. He wants to be focused, but everything around him is in chaos, and he wants to fix it all. He is the most human of the three main characters. Thinking he can change everything for the better. Most of my reviews have always found something positive to say about his radical parents. Irving is the son of a Jewish mother and Scottish father who are owners of a radical bookstore. Tyler: And finally, tell us a little about the third main character, Constance Powers? Sam: I had more fun with her than any of the others. She just came to life and became the sane center of the entire novel. No matter what happens to her (and a lot does), she is so practical and upbeat. Tyler: Sam, what interests me right from the start about these characters is their diverse backgrounds, Seymour having connections to the ghetto and the gay lifestyle, Irving being Jewish and Constance being from an upper class family. Why did you choose to make the characters’ backgrounds so colorful and diverse? Sam: Thank you for asking such a terrific question. I’m a big believer in environment shaping many of our traits, so of course even a fictional character’s environment is going to be important, at least to me. I think my exposure to all sorts of environments and people in those environments has been very helpful in creating excellent characters. Tyler: Sam, you mentioned above that all the characters are monkeys dancing to an organ grinder. Will you explain how that is the case for Seymour, Irving and Constance. What is the organ grinder for each of them? Sam: Gee, I wanted the readers to be able to answer this question because I think each reader will see a different monkey dancing to the music. For me, Seymour dances to the music of strength. When not being guided by a strong character he falls flat on his face. Two of the stronger characters for him are his grandfather and Mrs. Brumagin. Irving’s organ grinder is he is a total co-dependent. Once he conquers that, he is free of that chain. Constance has to deal with not being successful in New York after being such a big-shot back home. That’s her music. Tyler: Sam, I’m curious, since the novel is set in Ohio, what role or influence would you say Ohio has had on your writing since you live in Youngstown, Ohio? Sam: An incredible amount. Blessedly, there is no other place like Youngstown, Ohio in the world. Kurt Vonnegut was very wrong. Youngstown, Ohio is truly the asshole of the universe. It’s my duty to remind people about that. However, it is a terrific place for a writer of fiction. Tyler: Are you from Ohio, yourself, and what reaction have you received from readers in Ohio? I can’t imagine they will appreciate the comment you just made, but despite that, what makes it a terrific place to write about? Sam: I was born in Boston. Moved to Youngstown, Ohio when I was 13. I have witnessed the collapse of the steel industry and now I’m witnessing the collapse of the auto industry around here. And still, people go around thinking that in the morning the factories will re-open. I’m not running for office, so I’m not afraid of the backlash. I’m hoping to wake this place up because it needs a quick kick in the tush. I invite you here to see why I say what I say. You’ll agree after 24 hours. Tyler: Sam, what brings the main characters together in the novel? Sam: One chance meeting while they are all in different colleges is all the foreshadowing that the reader needs to see that they will all see each other again. New York is where they all end up. The introductory chapters which outline each character points to a meeting there. Tyler: Why do Irving, Seymour and Constance want to go to New York? Sam: Irving—to become a policeman. Seymour doesn’t necessarily want to be there, he ends up there courtesy of a benefactor. Constance wants to become a Rockette. Tyler: When you created your characters, how did you feel about each of them, and what reaction did you expect your readers would have to them? Sam: I created Seymour to be sympathetic. He got too sympathetic, so I had to turn him for the worse when he changed his persona. Seymour has to exist for the Therapist vein that runs through the novel to make sense. She is the real “bad guy/gal.” I really enjoyed Irving. He became a good friend. Always wanting to fix things and make everyone happy. I want readers to respect him for what he tries to do and what he ultimately stands for. Constance was so easy to like. I put her in some zany situations—and she shines like a hot summer sun through everything. I wanted people to laugh out loud when they read about her trials and tribulations. Tyler: Will you explain more to us what you mean by the “Therapist vein” that runs through the novel? Sam: Seymour has a therapist who writes a bestselling book about him and what he ultimately does. Her psycho-babble becomes a protagonist for Irving’s Al-Anon teachings which are both put to test against Constance’s common sense approach to life. Tyler: Without giving away the ending, can you give us some clue as to what will happen to the characters? Will the book have a happy or tragic ending? Sam: Happy for two. Happy and tragic for one. Tyler: When readers have finished “The Organ Grinder and the Monkey” what is the feeling or impression you hope they will come away with? Sam: That I write a good story full of rich characters. That they learn something about contemporary culture. Tyler: Sam, I mentioned you’re a baseball fan and I understand your novel “Swap” is about baseball—sort of. Will you tell us a little about that book? Sam: Thank you. In the 70’s, two New York Yankee baseball players traded their wives and thus their lives. I took that and just ran with it. It has everything to keep the reader entertained—baseball, movies and sex. It’s a lot funnier than OGM. Tyler: And you have another novel coming out called “NO MAD”? Will you give us a little preview of it? Sam: My pleasure. Racing home to share news of a long awaited book deal, Aaron Abrams unexpectedly finds his wife and beloved brother together. Starting somewhere, going nowhere and finding an unplanned, unexpected landing Aaron embarks on the ultimate road trip with his faith full dog Churchill, bottles of Newman’s Own Virgin lemonade and a cache of 70’s music to die for. With the help of many he pulls so far ahead of where he once was; only he is surprised. Tyler: Sam, of your three novels, do you have a favorite, and if so, why? Is there one you think best represents the kind of writer you are or hope to be? Sam: That is the toughest question I have ever had put to me. “Swap,” is good, but it is a first novel. “The Organ Grinder and the Monkey” throws a lot at the reader… maybe too much. But “NO MAD” is the ticket to what I want to achieve as a serious writer of non-linear literary fiction. Tyler: Thank you for the interview today, Sam. Before we go, will you tell us about your website and what additional information our readers may find there about you and “The Organ Grinder and the Monkey”? Sam: First off, thanks for the opportunity. Secondly, please visit my web site www.samsstories.com. E-mail me at uel0409@aol.com. Tyler: Thank you for the interview today, Sam. I wish you much luck with “The Organ Grinder and the Monkey” and also your future books. Listen to interview on Inside Scoop Live
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