It is my pleasure to welcome Shelly Frome to Escape With Dollycas today.
Hi Shelly,
What are three things most people don’t know about you?
I’m an incurable daydreamer and storyteller. I once played the violin in a symphony orchestra in Miami. I attended law school at the University of Arizona for a time.
What books/authors have most inspired you?
In part, I’ve been affected by the writings of Hemingway, Salinger and Ray Bradbury because each, in his own way, followed their individual voice with no thought of what was commercial, trendy and/or expected of them. Admittedly they wrote at a time when being an author was considered a noble and meaningful profession.
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
The place and the life are very important to me and greatly affect everything that happens. For instance, I spent a couple of months looking at fifties photos of Times Square, Washington Square, the environs around the cobblestone streets in an around Greenwich Village, the Broadway Theater district, Little Italy, etc– becoming reacquainted with the distinctive atmosphere of Manhattan during that era when I was a starving actor. I do so before embarking on the storyline of “Fast Times, Big City”.
Do you ever suffer from Writer’s Block?
Actually, there are times when I wish I would get writer’s block so that I could give myself a little time to relax and engage in placid, everyday life.
What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?
Read as much as you can until you find authors you can relate to and then read some more. Stay away from most how-to-write handbooks until you come upon a quest that will sustain you throughout all the drafts it takes to complete the narrative. Then try to find a kind but relentless editor who will tell you the truth and go ahead and make whatever changes are necessary.
If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go and why?
I’d like to think there are still kindred spirits of all nationalities in and around the left bank of Paris so that in some way I could recapture the days and ambiance of the expats like Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. As a result, I’d hope to embark on brand new adventures and experiences totally unlike anything I’ve done before.
What is next on the horizon for you?
The working title is “Charlie and the Blue Ridge Caper”. It centers on a handyman who has spent most of his life avoiding involvement with other people. One day a newlywed, who also happens to be a new resident in this little mountain town exactly like my own Black Mountain, comes barging in on Charlie’s woodsy, secluded cabin claiming her husband is missing.
The inspiration is all the men I know of a certain age who opt for the routine of fixing and maintenance and never stray, supposedly hanging onto a sense of security. I’m reminded of something a minister once told me: we can never be whole until we tap the side of ourselves that’s lying dormant—e.g., spiritual, becoming some kind of naturalist, creative artist, activist or campaigner championing some just cause, playing a sport, etc.
Thank you, Shelly, for visiting today.
Keep reading for more information about Shelly and his new book Fast Times Big City
About Fast Times, Big City
Fast Times, Big City
Thriller/Suspense/Crime Escapade
Settings – Miami, Miami Beach, Manhattan
Publisher : BQB Publishing (February 27, 2024)
Paperback : 284 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8886330267
Digital ASIN : B0C92RW97K
Like most people, Bud Palmer felt this was just another day. Though the era was drawing to a close, he assumed his life as a sports columnist in the subtropics, in keeping with the benign fifties itself, would go on as predictable as ever. But that particular autumn morning he was thrust into a caper that was totally beyond him, forced him to leave Miami and take the train to Manhattan, and suddenly found everything in this restless “Big Apple” was up for grabs, on the brink, at a dicey turning point.
Excerpt
The looming billboards were so massive, in contrast the Times Square sign jutting out of the lamppost was totally eclipsed. As if it might have been a relic from a long-ago era before everything had given way. Here, high above the rooftops to Bud’s right, was a massive Pepsi bottle doing its best to block out the sky, not to be outdone by an equally outsized bottle top on its side. Further ahead as the Square verged into a tip of a triangle, other billboards joined the fray, starting with a domineering Admiral Television and Appliances sign, topped by a Canadian Club whiskey sign, topped by a Chevrolet sign. All but eclipsed, a lesser billboard around the corner advertised the musical West Side Story—the very same black-and-white logo with the girl ecstatically racing by the tenements pulling her boyfriend along. Other logos and marquees took part by marking the street entrances to buildings so that the Statler Hotel sign didn’t stand a chance.
At the same time, fighting off the prospect of becoming overwhelmed, Bud couldn’t help wondering if Amy had been among the rushing pedestrians who had gotten off the buses and trains. Had they too gotten wind of small town dreams—that legendary call of the lady carnival barker promising never-ending opportunities?
More About Shelly Frome
Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at UConn, a former professional actor, and a writer of crime novels and books on theater and film. He also is a features writer for Gannett Publications. His fiction includes Sun Dance for Andy Horn, Lilac Moon, Twilight of the Drifter, Tinseltown Riff, Murder Run, Moon Games, The Secluded Village Murders, Miranda and the D-Day Caper and Shadow of the Gypsy. Among his works of non-fiction are The Actors Studio: A History, a guide to playwriting and one on screenwriting, Fast Times, Big City is his latest foray into the world of crime and the amateur sleuth. He lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina.
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Also written by Shelly Frome
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