Q&A with Paul Acampora

From my Q&A with Paul Acampora, author of Danny Constantino's First (and Maybe Last?) Date:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

The title – Danny Constantino’s First (and maybe last) Date – really sums up the plot. It also makes a bunch of promises: There will be an opportunity for romance. Our hero will screw it up. That should be funny. I hope I’ve kept those promises!

What's in a name?

I definitely put a lot of thought into characters’ names. There needs to be a sort of rhythm and heft in a name so that characters can feel like real people. At the same time, names can provide some insight into a character’s nature. Danny is sort of an everyday, no-adventure name. There are no Pirate Danny’s. At the same time, Constantino sounds a bit like Valentino as in Rudy Valentino, one of the great romantic Hollywood leading men of all time. Constantino also means steady and faithful, which describes Danny as well. Shoving all the disconnects into Danny Constantino creates a...[read on]

Visit Paul Acampora's website.

The Page 69 Test: Danny Constantino's First (and Maybe Last?) Date.

Q&A with Paul Acampora.

--Marshal Zeringue