I have always enjoyed telling stories to my kids and
their friends.
It was a good friend, Sandy Smart, who steered me to
actually writing a book. Now that I am retired I
have decided to devote much of my time to writing as
it is both rewarding and challenging. It's like an
adventurous path that you take without knowing where
it will lead you or how each event turns out until
you are there. Should have done this years ago.
"THE BIRTH OF AN ASSASSIN by Tony Bertot
is an action packed suspense set in Chicago
and New York in the early 1940's. It spans
decades from 1942-1964. It is well written
with depth,details and is action packed. It
has action, suspense, murder, betrayal, loss
of innocence, cold blooded killer, revenge,
vengeance, and the life of an assassin. It
is a powerful story ..."
PAGEONELIT.COM: Where did you grow up and was reading
and writing a part of your life? Who were your earliest
influences and why?
Tony Bertot: I was born and raised on 125th street (Harlem)
in New York City.
When young I would read the Readers Digest from cover to
cover. Later I started to read books by Agatha Christie,
Dean Koontz, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Stephen King. I also
enjoyed the Hitchcock and Ellery Queen magazines. Hitchcock
magazine challenged the reader by presenting a picture and
asking the reader to submit a story. I created my own story
in my head and really enjoyed doing that process.
During my pre-teen years I would tell my friends stories;
stories I would make up on the spur of the moment. After a
while it became normal, during the summer months, for us to
sit around in the park outside of PS 125 where I would tell
my stories.
As a father I often told stories to my kids and their
friends. I included them in all my stories and truly enjoyed
seeing the reaction on their faces as the story took a life
of its own. Some were horror stories and then others would
be funny. It all depended on what they wanted to hear.
PAGEONELIT.COM: Why do you write?
Tony Bertot: I love writing; bringing characters to life. I
wish I had started writing a lot sooner but unfortunately
the opportunity never presented itself or rather I never
took it seriously I never thought about actually writing a
book until a good friend, Sandy Smart, made the comment,
"Why don't you write a book now that you will be retired."
It stuck and thus The Heart of an Assassin was created.
PAGEONELIT.COM: Briefly tell us about your novel The
Birth of an Assassin.
Tony Bertot: The Birth of an Assassin is my attempt to bring
the assassin to life. I tried to make the reader understand
the concept that there is good in everyone of us. It was my
goal to have the reader now cheering for the Assassin
instead of condemning him. I think I have achieved that in
the book.
PAGEONELIT.COM: Who is Theo Gresco?
Tony Bertot: Theo Gresco was an innocent boy who loved life
and most of all loved taking pictures. His world was made up
of his parents and those that live and worked within his
neighborhood. This world was soon was shattered by an
unspeakable act of murder. The tragedies that befell this
young man helped mould him into an avenging killer; with
little remorse for those who crossed his path and yet
instilled in him a need to protect those he deemed friends.
PAGEONELIT.COM: If Hollywood called and asked you to
cast The Birth of an Assassin - Who would you cast and why?
Theodore Gresco – Gerard Butler Ana Randazzo –
Marisa Tomel
Sylvia Santiago – Eva Mendez Tyler Santiago –
Robert Pattinson
Nick Costello – Mark Washlberg Felicia Giordano
– Angelina Jolie or Sandra Bullock
Jay Messina – Christian Bale Fabio Giordano –
Thomas Gibson
Sergio Gresco – Andy Garcia Fazio Giordano – Tom
Selleck
Lucia Gresco – Susan Lucci
Benito Randazzo – John Travolta
I have seen each of these actors in various roles and I
believe they would fit the profile of the character.
PAGEONELIT.COM: What advice do you have for other
authors working on their first novel?
Tony Bertot: First of all I would suggest they have a
spreadsheet in front of them where they would put down the
name of a character and a brief description as they are
introduced in the story.
Secondly, once you start writing let it flow realistically.
In other words ask yourself can this happen in real life or
how would someone truly react to an event. How would the
surrounding people act in this particular situation?
PAGEONELIT.COM: What do you hope to achieve with The
Birth of an Assassin?
Tony Bertot: I want people to walk away satisfied that I
gave them a story they truly enjoyed. That they want more
books from me. I want my books to touch people's hearts and
minds. I want them to cheer or cry for my characters. Simply
put I want my stories to come to life in their minds.
PAGEONELIT.COM: What was the last book you read?
Tony Bertot: Desperation by Stephen King.
PAGEONELIT.COM: What's next?
Tony Bertot: After I finish the Assassin trilogy I am going
to write The Chronicles of Asanya. I am not sure how many
stories it will contain but they will all be part of one
book.
Next I might finish Hell Train. The initial story was
finished a long time ago however I need to expand on it,
have it edited, and review it before consideration for
publication. I had released part of it some years back on a
site called Fantasy Fiction under the pseudo name Tonada.
Next is Among Us. I believe this book will be my best yet.
At least that is what my wife tells me and those to whom I
have given a brief summary.
After the Assassin trilogy I will devote more time to
developing this one story; more so than the others.
