Welcome to my stop on the Mercy Row Book Tour!Today I have an author interview for you.Be sure to check out the rest of the tours stops!
Hallman: Website • Facebook • TwitterRelease Date: March 26, 2013
Publisher: Octane Interactive, LLC Publishing
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Group: Adult
Organizer: Sage's Blog Tours
Get It: Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Kobo
Mercy Row is a novel set in 1920's and 1930's Philadelphia. It's the story of the rise of a North Philadelphia crime family who was also responsible for building the homes and factories that make up this blue collar area of the city. Despite the violent trials and tribulations caused by rival gangs from South Philadelphia and Chicago Jacob Byrne and Franklin Garrett, with the help of the Irish immigrants that settled the Kensington area, build a formidable Irish mob.~synopsis provided by Goodreads
This legal and criminal enterprise kept North Philadelphia free from the Mafia for two generations. Jacob's and Franklin's organization was built on the blood of those who opposed them, the sweat of the laborers who built North Philly and the tears of the wives and mothers whose loved ones were lost in the struggle.
Interview with Harry Hallman
What inspired you to write a book about the mob during the 1920s/1930s? Why this time period?
The 20 and 30s is when organized crime really started in the USA. This is the best place to start this series of books (Mercy Row is the first). What inspired me to write Mercy Row was a desire to show North Philadelphia in its formative years. Many of the homes, in the area I show most , were built in the eary 1920s. I grew up in one of them. We always hear about South Philly and the Mafia, but seldom do we hear about North Philly. I wanted to shed some light on North Philly.
Describe your book in 5 words.
Progress, Crime, family, and Vengeance
What do you hope readers take with them after reading your work?
First and foremost I hope readers enjoy reading the story, are thrilled by the action and are a little repulsed by the language. That's pretty much what North Philly is and continues to be. Many stories, lots of action and plenty of colorful language.
If you could time travel, where would you go? Who would you meet? Why this time/place/person?
First, I would go back to Ancient Rome. I have a thing for reading about the Romans and I would just like to see how the average person lived. I am not that interested in meeting people of historic fame. Second, I would go back to the late 1800s and early 1900s and try to meet my Grandfather ( he died when my father was 11) on my father's side. He was a professional baseball player and an actor. I would like to meet his family, wife and children, including my own father when he was young. I would also like to meet my Grandfather and Grandmother's family (my mother's side). When the few stores I hear these were very colorful people.
What is a question you've always wanted to be asked in an interview, but never have?
My views on the afterlife! Just kidding. No I have never thought about what someone would ask me.
What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, logistical, etc) you faced?
Research was easy, literary was hard and I am learning, psychologically just getting the confidence to write and finish the store. No logistical issues.
What can we expect from you in the future?
I am working on the sequel to Mercy Row, a book titled Mercy Row- Clann. It takes place in the 1940s and 50s mostly, maybe early 60s, and it is the story of the growth of Jacob and Molly's children. The next generation so to speak. More crime, vengeance, family and development of strong women (which in the first book were a bit neglected (just like the time period.)
I also have a short story I am working on. It popped into my head as I was finishing Mercy Row and I have it started and move back and forth between it and Mercy Row- Clann.
Since I started novel writing in my senior years I don't have a lot of time to build a body of work, so I have to keep cracking.
