Tony Canzoneri

                            
Tony Canzoneri spent his early years in the South and even though he traveled quite a bit up until I a teenager, Tony still thinks of the South as home. Tony was born the son of an English teacher who eventually retired from Ohio State as head of the Creative Writing Department, with five books to his credit. Reading and writing in Tony's home would have been like football in Vince Lombardi’s. They had family gatherings where his father would read aloud from his favorite books, so as a child Tony's earliest influences were Mark Twain and Bugs Bunny, William Faulkner and A. A. Milne. And then there was the circle of friends Tony's father gathered over the years. Tony says, "I was lucky enough to be able to sit and listen to the thoughts and stories of some of the most creative and successful artists and writers of our day."
 

 

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 Canzoneri: I spent my early years in the South and even though we traveled quite a bit up until I was a teenager, I still think of the South as home. I was born the son of an English teacher who eventually retired from Ohio State as head of the Creative Writing Department, with five books to his credit. Reading and writing in our house would have been like football in Vince Lombardi’s. We had family gatherings where my father would read aloud from is favorite books, so as a child my earliest influences were Mark Twain and Bugs Bunny, William Faulkner and A. A. Milne. And then there was the circle of friends my father gathered over the years. I was lucky enough to be able to sit and listen to the thoughts and stories of some of the most creative and successful artists and writers of our day.




PAGEONELIT.COM: Why do you write?

Tony Canzoneri:  I write purely for entertainment. If I accidentally stumble upon some social comment, then it had better be entertaining or I want nothing to do with it.

PAGEONELIT.COM: Your novel "COLD TRAIL" is great -- !! I was laughing before I finished the first page -- You remind me of one of favorite authors Carl Hiaasen -- Does some of your own writing/characters make you laugh? What is it about the magic/chemistry of a little humor in fiction that works so well? Your thoughts/perspective? What/Who makes you laugh? And why?

Tony Canzoneri:  Yes, it all makes me laugh, I just can't help it. I can't fill out a grocery list without trying to make it funny. Rutabaga, I don't even know what that is, but it's on the list because it makes me laugh. I think that because life is basically hard and cruel that we all need a little humor just to keep us sane. In fiction you can present some pretty graphic and dramatic situations that would leave you cold without a splash of humor. Life, and a writers attempt to portray it, becomes two dimensional without humor. It gives us the perspective we need to see things as they truly are. It is the thing that keeps us balanced, it's the yin to the yang, the hee to the haw.

PAGEONELIT.COM:  In "COLD TRAIL" your main character is a newly elected sheriff, Buck Jackson -- Talk about this character. Is he based on anyone you've encountered in your own life?

Tony Canzoneri:  Every one of my characters has at least some basis, or in most cases is a composite of people I've known or encountered in my life. Buck Jackson is a young man who has devoted his life to law enforcement and it has left him isolated and alone. As Sheriff his life is about to change. Buck as a character, is solid, dependable and straight as an arrow, the polar opposite of almost all the other screwball characters in the book. He is like the courthouse clock, around which the bats are constantly circling.


PAGEONELIT.COM:  "COLD TRAIL" is a well written thought provoking and funny book -- Each and every page is grin -- Where do you get all of your ideas for situations and subplots? Newspapers? Neighbors? CNN?

Tony Canzoneri:  All my life, people have felt compelled to tell me things. I once got on a bus in Knoxville that was filled with guys who had been released from an over crowded jail in North Carolina. They were told to go as far west as their ticket would carry them and don't come back. By the time I changed buses in Memphis, I had heard everybody’s story. All innocent as it turns out, what are the odds of that? I guess I've always been a good listener.



PAGEONELIT.COM:  "COLD TRAIL" is set in the South -- The flavor and sites/settings are very Southern -- Do you feel you have to walk any tightrope with your 'funny' perspectives and general look at the Southern culture? Why or why not? You are from/live in Ohio -- Have you/do you visit Southern States much?

Tony Canzoneri: I was born and lived a major portion of my life in the South. I now live in the beautiful hills of Southeast Ohio but I love to go home to see my friends and family. I have however, chosen not to live in the south until the churches to Starbucks ratio equalizes. I also feel that as a fiction writer, I damn well better be walking the tightrope, because nobody's watching the guy on the escalator.




PAGEONELIT.COM: Which part of the writing process do you have the most difficulty -- Plot or Character?

Tony Canzoneri:  I always start out with a plot in mind but I like to let my characters tell the story. Sometimes the characters take me in a direction I hadn’t planed and that is usually when the fun starts.


PAGEONELIT.COM: What do you hope readers walk away with after reading "COLD TRAIL"?

Tony Canzoneri:  A big smile, and hopefully a taste for more.



PAGEONELIT.COM:  What has been your feedback from readers?

Tony Canzoneri:  Reader feedback has been fantastic. Everyone seems to find the story line intriguing and characters real. It is very pleasing to hear people talking about a specific character as if that person really exists.



PAGEONELIT.COM: What's next?

Tony Canzoneri:  I am working on another novel that I hope to have on the shelves by the end of this year. "Eat a Peach" will feature many of the same characters as Cold Trail and promises to be an even wilder ride.


PAGEONELIT.COM:  What was the last book you read?

Tony Canzoneri:  I just finished Carl Hiaasen’s Nature Girl and I'm starting Tim Dorsey's Hurricane Punch. Christopher Moore's latest is waiting in the wings.


PAGEONELIT.COM:  Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing?

Tony Canzoneri:  Writing seems to be my hobby of late, but travel is my inspiration.