Q: What was the inspiration for “In Front of Fifty Thousand
Screaming People”?
 |
| David A. Todd |
A: Frankly, I wish I
knew! After I finished my first novel, I
needed an idea for the next one and the idea just came to my mind. However, I would say that because I don’t
like the changes in baseball lately such as specialty pitchers, I wanted to
create a character that would be like someone such as Walter Johnson. Ronny Thompson’s character spoke for those
who long for those days. As noted in your review, I do realize that Ronny’s
performance would be impossible in today’s game, but I developed his character
for the nostalgia.
Q: Why the tie–in with organized crime?
A: I had a conversation with a person who said that he was a
baseball fan, but he was not aware of the 1919 Black Sox scandal. I wondered how someone who called himself a
fan could not know about this, but realized a lot of people don’t know or study
history. I then thought of what a modern version of that scandal might look
like. From there the plot with the organizations placing large bets and bribing
players to throw the World Series in much the same manner.
Q: What were your baseball experiences?
A: I have been a fan of the Boston Red Sox and the San
Francisco Giants (because of Willie Mays).
My earliest baseball memory was seeing Bill Mazeroski hit the winning
home run in the 1960 World Series. Unfortunately, I only played pickup baseball as I didn't have the skills
to play well enough to make a team.
Q: Do you have any future sports books or writing projects?
A: I am writing a sequel to this book, titled “Headshots”,
which is about 25% complete. I got the
idea from one of my beta readers who noted that the end of “In Front of Fifty
Thousand Screaming People” there were several plot elements to finish. These included what would become of Ronny and
his girlfriend Sarah, how he dealt with his injuries, would the bet be paid
off, what would become of the mobsters who were caught or the three players who
took the bribes. So with all of these
elements to finish, a sequel is being written.
I am learning new writing skills as I write it and I anticipate it being
released in time for the 2014 baseball season. I also have ideas for stories
about professional football and college basketball.
For more on David, visit his Amazon author link: http://www.amazon.com/David-A.-Todd/e/B005HJ4SNO/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1384031868&sr=1-1
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