Interview and review of 'Outerborough Blues' by Andrew Cotto 06/06/12
Link: http://www.andrewcotto.com/
Recently I was fortunate enough to speak with Andrew Cotto, author of ‘Outerborough Blues: A Brooklyn Mystery’ (Ig Publishing 2012) and ‘The Domino Effect’ (Brownstone Editions, LLC Publishing 2011). Andrew has a playful sense of humor which shows up in his writing, endearing him to his loyal readers and also making for a great interview. He is a journalist with regular contributions to New York Times and the Good Men Project, who also writes a monthly blog called “Our Italian Year” on his website retelling adventures of the year he spent living in Tuscany with his wife and daughter.
Presently, and for the past seven years, Andrew teaches creative writing workshops and composition courses in New York City. Andrew also tells me he is a great cook and oenophile saying that one of his greatest pleasures is creating and sharing a meal he has prepared, usually an Italian dish, and bottle of great wine with his family and good friends. However, I’ll have to take his word on that having not had the opportunity to experience his talents.
With all of the things on his plate it’s a wonder Andrew had the time to share a little of himself. But share he did and as a result I am pleased to offer this insight into the workings of Andrew Cotto, the man, the author.
Jodi Hanson (JH): I have been told the biggest piece of advice that authors give is to read everything and everybody. What are your thoughts?
Andrew Cotto (AC): Writers do need to read, a lot, though I think it’s probably best to read those authors/novels that inspire your work. I read such titles very closely, and repeatedly. I actually do so with a pen in hand, underlining every phrase/image/word that especially catches my attention. Then, when I’m done with the book, I write these down, verbatim, in notebooks. I go back to the notebooks often for inspiration, though, of course, I’m careful not to use anyone else’s language. So, when it comes to reading as a writer, I’d advocate a less is more approach when it comes to breadth. I think one can learn more about writing by reading “Gatsby” 10 times as opposed to 10 different random titles.
JH: Andrew, you are an incredibly talented author, at what age did you become aware that writing was your calling?
AC: Thank you! I’m definitely a late-bloomer on the writing-is-my-calling thing. I was in college when I discovered a love for literature, and it was shortly after that when I realized I had a knack for storytelling and an ability to write fairly well. Still, even at that juncture, I wasn’t ready to really pursue writing in a meaningful way for another decade or so after graduating.
JH: Caesar Stiles is complex almost haunted character, did you struggle in your creation of him or does he resemble someone in your life making him almost write himself?
AC: Thanks for saying that, since “complex” characters are what most of us strive to create. I didn’t have a hard time coming up with Caesar, though I can’t really recall specifically from where he came. Like most of my characters, he’s an amalgam of people I’ve encountered in some way (through real life or fiction or whatnot) combined with my imagination. Once I get a character on the page, then they become their own entity, and I kind of let them take me where they want to go.
JH: Your description of Brooklyn in Outerborough Blues creates vivid pictures for your readers. Being that you are from Brooklyn yourself did you write from experience about the seemingly segregated neighborhoods?
AC: I grew up in a lot of places around America, but I’ve been in Brooklyn for the past 16 years, which makes it the place I’ve lived the longest (by far). I love it here, especially all the distinct neighborhoods. I definitely used the wonderful neighborhood of Clinton Hill, where I had once lived, as an inspiration for the primary setting of OUTERBOROUGH BLUES. Even though we moved there at a time actually a little later than when the novel is set, I had no problem imagining the type of strife that gentrification could create since when we arrived it was still pretty early in the area’s shift from an almost exclusively African-American enclave to one that would become decidedly more diverse.
JH: Do you write from an outline with an ending in mind or do you let the story take its course making changes when it has been written?
AC: I like to have a sense as to where the novel is going (beginning/middle/end) though I let the particulars work themselves out as I go along and then write accordingly. For instance, both of my novels had fairly different endings planned in my head which never made it to the page because they just didn’t work anymore when I got there. I think a mix of the planned and impromptu is a healthy way to tell stories.
JH: What makes Andrew Cotto tick?
AC: I like having goals. Things I’m working towards. Getting better, more informed, improving everyday at certain things gets me out of bed in the morning. I believe in incremental change through long-term commitment. I love that theory about having to do something for 10,000 hours before it’s mastered. That works for me.
JH: Who is the person that has had the most effect in you becoming the man you are today?
AC: My father, probably. He’s an amazing man. He’s been a musician, a teacher, a businessman, an entrepreneur (not to mention a great husband and father). Now, in his 70s, he’s a motorcycle riding computer geek. I admire his courage and independence. I also, for as long as I can remember, have been aware of his sense of morality, which has positively informed my life and my character in a major way. I think one of the reasons that I’m just a flat our sucker for father/son stories of all kinds (and have made this a big part of both of my novels) is that I know, first hand, how fortunate it is to have a really good father.
JH: I suspect you have something in the works; can you share what it is?
AC: I have a few things going, though the primary project is another noir story. MARTINIS & BIKINIS is the sort of fun noir I associate with writers like Elmore Leonard, though – at its heart – the story is a serious critique of how corporations are corrupting our arts and media, and – as a result – our society.
JH: If you were to have a biographical movie made of your life, who would you envision playing the role of Andrew Cotto? AC: Oooh. Wow. That’s a tough one. Too tough and fantastic for me to even come up with a legit answer, so I’ll just go with a younger George Clooney since I really like his style.
JH: One of my favorite questions to ask an author is what book do you wish you had written? Why?
AC: Another tough one, though this one I can answer without equivocation: The Great Gatsby. I love the language and the characters and the story, but, most of all, I’m impressed by the insight into those times – specifically how the decadence and corruption of American society in the 20s would lead to such a serious downfall by the end of the decade. Nice call.
I’m glad to have had the opportunity to speak with Andrew and would very much like to thank him for agreeing to my interview. For further information on OUTERBOROUGH BLUES and THE DOMINO EFFECT and Andrew Cotto please visit his website. http://www.andrewcotto.com/ and watch his trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_iF27...
The Review
Have you ever read a book that you know you will read again and again? Outerborough Blues is now a book on my list. Andrew Cotto has a style of writing that is lyrical and commanding. He skilfully draws the reader’s attention with the voice of Caesar Stiles as he tells the history of his family’s lineage and his attempt for redemption.
Caesar Stiles is a man haunted by his past. A drifter recently arrived in Brooklyn, he is looking to set down roots and create a ‘normal’ life for himself. He takes a job in a local joint called The Notch as a bartender and cook, minding his own business and doing a good job of it until an attractive French girl walks in to the bar, orders a drink and enlists him to find her missing brother. Stiles agrees, and his quiet little world is thrown off kilter.
In the course of his search for the artist, Stiles finds himself rooting around in the seedy side of Brooklyn’s underground: a place of drug addicts, prostitution and organized crime. Stiles begins to notice a car tailing him and a growing pile of cigarette butts outside of his front gate. Someone is watching him, leaving a crawling feeling down his spine as he wonders who it could be. Having crossed a nefarious individual who he calls The Orange Man, Stiles is worried the man may be looking to retaliate.
Caesar’s past soon catches up with him in the form of his ex-convict brother who has a violent temper usually directed in Caesar’s direction, and this time isn’t an exception as he seeks to settle a family score. With his brother on the warpath, the continued search for the missing man, and a beating from a group of local thugs, Stile’s life spirals out of control in the course of one week.
With his second novel, Andrew Cotto has firmly carved a niche for himself in the mystery genre. A teacher and seasoned writer with published works in many publications, including regular contributions to the New York Times and the Good Men Project, Cotto has an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. He presently spends his time teaching composition courses and creative writing workshops in New York City while working on a third novel.
This book was provided graciously by the author for review.
Recently I was fortunate enough to speak with Andrew Cotto, author of ‘Outerborough Blues: A Brooklyn Mystery’ (Ig Publishing 2012) and ‘The Domino Effect’ (Brownstone Editions, LLC Publishing 2011). Andrew has a playful sense of humor which shows up in his writing, endearing him to his loyal readers and also making for a great interview. He is a journalist with regular contributions to New York Times and the Good Men Project, who also writes a monthly blog called “Our Italian Year” on his website retelling adventures of the year he spent living in Tuscany with his wife and daughter.
Presently, and for the past seven years, Andrew teaches creative writing workshops and composition courses in New York City. Andrew also tells me he is a great cook and oenophile saying that one of his greatest pleasures is creating and sharing a meal he has prepared, usually an Italian dish, and bottle of great wine with his family and good friends. However, I’ll have to take his word on that having not had the opportunity to experience his talents.
With all of the things on his plate it’s a wonder Andrew had the time to share a little of himself. But share he did and as a result I am pleased to offer this insight into the workings of Andrew Cotto, the man, the author.
Jodi Hanson (JH): I have been told the biggest piece of advice that authors give is to read everything and everybody. What are your thoughts?
Andrew Cotto (AC): Writers do need to read, a lot, though I think it’s probably best to read those authors/novels that inspire your work. I read such titles very closely, and repeatedly. I actually do so with a pen in hand, underlining every phrase/image/word that especially catches my attention. Then, when I’m done with the book, I write these down, verbatim, in notebooks. I go back to the notebooks often for inspiration, though, of course, I’m careful not to use anyone else’s language. So, when it comes to reading as a writer, I’d advocate a less is more approach when it comes to breadth. I think one can learn more about writing by reading “Gatsby” 10 times as opposed to 10 different random titles.
JH: Andrew, you are an incredibly talented author, at what age did you become aware that writing was your calling?
AC: Thank you! I’m definitely a late-bloomer on the writing-is-my-calling thing. I was in college when I discovered a love for literature, and it was shortly after that when I realized I had a knack for storytelling and an ability to write fairly well. Still, even at that juncture, I wasn’t ready to really pursue writing in a meaningful way for another decade or so after graduating.
JH: Caesar Stiles is complex almost haunted character, did you struggle in your creation of him or does he resemble someone in your life making him almost write himself?
AC: Thanks for saying that, since “complex” characters are what most of us strive to create. I didn’t have a hard time coming up with Caesar, though I can’t really recall specifically from where he came. Like most of my characters, he’s an amalgam of people I’ve encountered in some way (through real life or fiction or whatnot) combined with my imagination. Once I get a character on the page, then they become their own entity, and I kind of let them take me where they want to go.
JH: Your description of Brooklyn in Outerborough Blues creates vivid pictures for your readers. Being that you are from Brooklyn yourself did you write from experience about the seemingly segregated neighborhoods?
AC: I grew up in a lot of places around America, but I’ve been in Brooklyn for the past 16 years, which makes it the place I’ve lived the longest (by far). I love it here, especially all the distinct neighborhoods. I definitely used the wonderful neighborhood of Clinton Hill, where I had once lived, as an inspiration for the primary setting of OUTERBOROUGH BLUES. Even though we moved there at a time actually a little later than when the novel is set, I had no problem imagining the type of strife that gentrification could create since when we arrived it was still pretty early in the area’s shift from an almost exclusively African-American enclave to one that would become decidedly more diverse.
JH: Do you write from an outline with an ending in mind or do you let the story take its course making changes when it has been written?
AC: I like to have a sense as to where the novel is going (beginning/middle/end) though I let the particulars work themselves out as I go along and then write accordingly. For instance, both of my novels had fairly different endings planned in my head which never made it to the page because they just didn’t work anymore when I got there. I think a mix of the planned and impromptu is a healthy way to tell stories.
JH: What makes Andrew Cotto tick?
AC: I like having goals. Things I’m working towards. Getting better, more informed, improving everyday at certain things gets me out of bed in the morning. I believe in incremental change through long-term commitment. I love that theory about having to do something for 10,000 hours before it’s mastered. That works for me.
JH: Who is the person that has had the most effect in you becoming the man you are today?
AC: My father, probably. He’s an amazing man. He’s been a musician, a teacher, a businessman, an entrepreneur (not to mention a great husband and father). Now, in his 70s, he’s a motorcycle riding computer geek. I admire his courage and independence. I also, for as long as I can remember, have been aware of his sense of morality, which has positively informed my life and my character in a major way. I think one of the reasons that I’m just a flat our sucker for father/son stories of all kinds (and have made this a big part of both of my novels) is that I know, first hand, how fortunate it is to have a really good father.
JH: I suspect you have something in the works; can you share what it is?
AC: I have a few things going, though the primary project is another noir story. MARTINIS & BIKINIS is the sort of fun noir I associate with writers like Elmore Leonard, though – at its heart – the story is a serious critique of how corporations are corrupting our arts and media, and – as a result – our society.
JH: If you were to have a biographical movie made of your life, who would you envision playing the role of Andrew Cotto? AC: Oooh. Wow. That’s a tough one. Too tough and fantastic for me to even come up with a legit answer, so I’ll just go with a younger George Clooney since I really like his style.
JH: One of my favorite questions to ask an author is what book do you wish you had written? Why?
AC: Another tough one, though this one I can answer without equivocation: The Great Gatsby. I love the language and the characters and the story, but, most of all, I’m impressed by the insight into those times – specifically how the decadence and corruption of American society in the 20s would lead to such a serious downfall by the end of the decade. Nice call.
I’m glad to have had the opportunity to speak with Andrew and would very much like to thank him for agreeing to my interview. For further information on OUTERBOROUGH BLUES and THE DOMINO EFFECT and Andrew Cotto please visit his website. http://www.andrewcotto.com/ and watch his trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_iF27...
The Review
Have you ever read a book that you know you will read again and again? Outerborough Blues is now a book on my list. Andrew Cotto has a style of writing that is lyrical and commanding. He skilfully draws the reader’s attention with the voice of Caesar Stiles as he tells the history of his family’s lineage and his attempt for redemption.
Caesar Stiles is a man haunted by his past. A drifter recently arrived in Brooklyn, he is looking to set down roots and create a ‘normal’ life for himself. He takes a job in a local joint called The Notch as a bartender and cook, minding his own business and doing a good job of it until an attractive French girl walks in to the bar, orders a drink and enlists him to find her missing brother. Stiles agrees, and his quiet little world is thrown off kilter.
In the course of his search for the artist, Stiles finds himself rooting around in the seedy side of Brooklyn’s underground: a place of drug addicts, prostitution and organized crime. Stiles begins to notice a car tailing him and a growing pile of cigarette butts outside of his front gate. Someone is watching him, leaving a crawling feeling down his spine as he wonders who it could be. Having crossed a nefarious individual who he calls The Orange Man, Stiles is worried the man may be looking to retaliate.
Caesar’s past soon catches up with him in the form of his ex-convict brother who has a violent temper usually directed in Caesar’s direction, and this time isn’t an exception as he seeks to settle a family score. With his brother on the warpath, the continued search for the missing man, and a beating from a group of local thugs, Stile’s life spirals out of control in the course of one week.
With his second novel, Andrew Cotto has firmly carved a niche for himself in the mystery genre. A teacher and seasoned writer with published works in many publications, including regular contributions to the New York Times and the Good Men Project, Cotto has an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. He presently spends his time teaching composition courses and creative writing workshops in New York City while working on a third novel.
This book was provided graciously by the author for review.
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Jodi
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Jun 06, 2012 12:29PM
Thanks for sharing with everyone Andrew!
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