Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in Trieste, Italy, an eclectic city that was home to many writers including James Joyce and Italo Svevo. I came to the United States at the age of 14, graduated from the University of California, San Diego with degrees in Physiology and Psychology and earned my medical degree from Loyola University in the suburbs of Chicago. I practiced general pediatrics for just over 20 years.
I have written 4 books in all, the last 2 being medical thrillers. I sharpened my writing skills by attending the SEAK medical fiction writing seminar with Tess Gerritsen and Michael Palmer (twice), Robert McKee’s incomporable Story seminar, and completing the Writer’s Path seminar at Southern Methodist University.
My first novel, The Art of Forgetting, took first place in adult fiction at the North Texas Book Festival in 2014, and my short story, A Long Stretch of Highway, won the grand prize at the Literature + Medicine Writing Contest in 2015.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest novel is Sanguinity Point. It grew out of a short story that I wrote back in 2014 and was then published in The Intima, an online journal of medical narrative. It was loosely inspired by experiences I had practicing medicine on the Texas-Mexico border. I first started writing it in April 2013, then put it aside to write another novel because I just wasn’t ready to complete it at that time. There were a lot of feelings and themes I had to explore before I could give it a fair shake.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
After trying various approaches I’ve settled on writing on yellow legal pads with a blue Bic pen. I do a lot of visualizing as if my story were a movie. If I can’t see the scene unfold I know I have to do more homework. I usually write the climax scene first, or at least very early in my project. This gives me a target to work towards.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I really like Elmore Leonard even though my writing style is quite different from his. I’m also big fan of William Goldman. Among my favorite books are 1984, Marathon Man, The Boys From Brazil, The Sun Also Rises, and Three Days (or Six Days, depending on the edition) of the Condor.
What are you working on now?
I just started writing a novel which is not a medical thriller. The protagonist is a private investigator who is hired by a dead woman to solve her own murder.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think a book’s Amazon page is the most important factor in selling books online. I wish I had better answers to this question
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read some good books on the craft, and read lots of novels, mostly the excellent ones but also the not so good ones.
If you have the opportunity, attend one of Robert McKee’s Story seminars. You’ll learn tons of him.
The most important thing, however, is to keep your eyes and ears open so that you can witness those small but oh so revealing truths of human behavior.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write the truth.
What are you reading now?
I just finished reading The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V Higgins.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have several novels in my head that I have to get down on paper. A couple of these stories have been simmering in my brain for a couple of years and are pretty well developed. Others are ideas I came up with in the last couple of months.
My goal is to try to write one novel per year, but only if I can do so without resorting to tired cliches.
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?
Big ones since I’m going to have a lot of time on my hands. The complete works of William Shakespeare. The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. Gone With the Wind. Ulysses by James Joyce.
Author Websites and Profiles
Peter Palmieri Website
Peter Palmieri Amazon Profile
Peter Palmieri’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile