Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in a condominium unit overlooking fabulously inspirational Northside Park in Minneapolis MN. I subside and reside with my wife who is also an artist; the ones with colored pencils or brushes in hand. I earned a BA degree in English from the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 1989. Success, having my writing read and possibly bought, was always the plan. To implement it, I began writing stories, poetry, snippets of everything I saw. Before I was married, I lived (and made it out alive) in a very much crack-infested urban area of South Minneapolis. I dealt with roaches, crack-heads and shrill siren sounds every night. The days, hanging out at Brit’s Pub, gave me insight to how the have-nots live.
I grew up in the relatively tranquil suburb of Richfield, Minnesota. During and after college I traveled. Germany, France, Egypt, England, Israel, Norway can be claimed as places I’ve visited, derived poems from, recorded my benign experiences. My first Poetry book, Scenes the Writer Shows {forty-one places a poem can go} conspires to retell the snippets of life abroad.
My pose has so far manifested itself in the genres of nonfiction, creative nonfiction, and historical fiction. My first novel, The Orthodoxy of Arrogance (Trafford, 2013) is historical fiction. My second novel, Agent of Orange (Trafford, 2014) also fictionalizes history in a way James A Michener never did.
I relate fads, trends, and news events of the time to my characters. I write how they live, what they learn, and how the events affect their lives.
My first effort was a small nonfiction book called Would God Move a Ping-Pong Table: a cumulative analysis of faith and religion (Loft Press, 2005). This book follows religion, and the faith it requires, from the Inquisition to the September 11 terrorist attacks. It is full of factual information dealing with everything from faith healing to the Golden Rule. The only part that borders on creative nonfiction is the chapter from which the title comes. At UMD I prayed for a Ping-Pong table to be moved, and it was, ostensibly by supernatural forces.
My other shorter stories have been published in paper and online magazines, anthologies, and journals. My first occurred in 1998. I currently participate in a writer’s group at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My current novel is titled Agent of Orange. One day, at my former “career” in Medical records, I was for some reason thinking of the line from Apocalypse Now “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” I am fond of word play, and said the line over in my mind. I wanted to relocate it, to after mass it, and distance it from that horrific weapon. I came up with “I love the smell palms make when they sway in the morning.” The story kind of grew from that line, that idea, the location of Palm Beach, Florida.
The novel grew to involve the Marine Corporal, Chauncy T. McClarren with the baggage of a disabled friend (who was his Sergeant) and a goddess-like woman who only his friend suspects is a fugitive. The story has grounding in my own life as far as being biracial, having known my mother, and having never met my black father who was killed in 1997.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write the moment I awake. I’ll begin with a haiku. It is something I began posting everyday on Facebook a few years ago. I write the morning off. I sometimes get so involved I’ll be eating breakfast for lunch. I write a poem Saturday and Sunday. I post them on my blog under the heading “Weekend Line,” perhaps a bad pun. Although, I do see poems as broken lines, just right, that are meaningless alone, unlike a prosaic sentence.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Charles Bukowski, O’ Henry, Salinger, Fitzgerald, Laura Hillenbrand, Lennon (John)
What are you working on now?
I am getting ready to publish my second book of poetry. The poems share a common link. They deal with relationships. Sixty poems explore how the human race has evolved. They look at how it relates to fine or benign aspect of politics, religion, technology, friendship, and ageing
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-P-Amrams-public-author-page/589032447848062?ref=hl
www.mbmoshe.blogspot.com
Do you have any advice for new authors?
write, write, write, write, write Edit as much. Develop a thick skin. Believe in yourself. Persist and don’t let any one crush your ambition
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I read once that one reason many people will diminish hopes of your becoming a writer is that they don’t have the nerve to try
What are you reading now?
books to research for my next project, including Political Upheaval
What’s next for you as a writer?
A family memoir. My folks were heavy into politics in my youth. They, along with many others, took steps to end the War in Vietnam. Bold moves were made to force Johnson out of office in 1968. They succeeded in that. You know the rest. A contingency of McCarthy Democrats wanted a concise end to a war that tore America apart. My book is fact; it all happened, whether it was about Chicago’s 1968 convention, to which my dad was a delegate, or me seeing the moon landing at three years old.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Catcher in the Rye, Catch me if you can, Factorium, One Flew Over the cuckoo’s Nest
Author Websites and Profiles
Michael Amram Website
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