Editor’s Note: This exchange is part of a series of brief interviews with emerging writers of recent or forthcoming books. If you enjoyed it, please visit other interviews in the I’ve Got Questions feature.
- What’s the title of your book? Fiction? Nonfiction? Poetry? Who is the publisher and what’s the publication date?
Madcap Serenade. It’s a fiction rom-com published by Black Rose Writing. It comes out in paperback and ebook on July 11, 2024.
- In a couple of sentences, what’s the book about?
Eli, a precocious 16-year-old social misfit living on Long Island in August 1979, cons his way into a professional boys’ choir’s Italian and Vatican tour so he can discover his missing father’s legacy. But when he meets his dream girl, Jane, and finds himself connected to an intricate murder plot involving a legendary drug, he must decide if singing for the Pope is worth losing his family and first love.
Jane, a rebellious 16-year-old American girl, is desperate to get back in favor with her school friends after accidentally calling a narc on them. When she is sent to a Roman convent for smuggling erotic novels, she realizes she must grow up fast if she’s going to escape the nuns, solve her family’s mystery involving a mythical drug, keep clear of the authorities, and declare her love for Eli.
- What’s the book’s genre (for fiction and nonfiction) or primary style (for poetry)?
It’s a rom-com with a murder mystery thrown in for fun.
- What’s the nicest thing anyone has said about the book so far?
I’ve been fortunate enough to have some lovely things said about Madcap Serenade. One of my favorites is by fellow author F.M.A. Dixon (author of The Little House on Everywhere Street): “A glorious rom-com caper delivered with genuine wit and panache. It’s one laugh-out-loud moment after another with mayhem and intrigue that will keep you laughing and guessing until the very end. With two mysteries, two murders, and one romance set against a backdrop of a seemingly innocent choral tour of Italy, this madcap musical adventure is a Roman Holiday for our times. You won’t read a funnier book all year.”
- What book or books is yours comparable to or a cross between? [Is your book like Moby Dick or maybe it’s more like Frankenstein meets Peter Pan?]
I can speak more in terms of movies. Its structure is a bit like “Sleepless in Seattle” by way of John Hughes. It also has elements of P. G. Wodehouse’s novels. And a bit of murder mystery but in the gentlest and funniest way possible.
- Why this book? Why now?
I set the book in 1979 when kids were much more free to explore their world without adults swooping in. It was also a great reminder of the critical thinking and problem-solving skills that you developed in 1979 without the assistance of any technology. Lastly, Madcap Serenade is light and fun, which I think we all need now in today’s world.
- Other than writing this book, what’s the best job you’ve ever had?
As a teenager on Long Island, I sang in a professional boys’ choir and participated in their Italian singing tour, which included a gig at the Vatican and singing for the Pope. This fact remains completely coincidental with the plot of Madcap Serenade.
- What do you want readers to take away from the book?
I hope they get swept up in the wild musical coming-of-age journey about plunging into a romantic Italian adventure with no adult supervision nor technology to get you out of a jam. My goal is to make you laugh out loud and keep turning the pages to see how this intricately plotted story ends.
- What food and/or music do you associate with the book?
I listened to a lot of 1979 music. In fact, I’d be content never to listen to “My Sharona” ever again.
- What book(s) are you reading currently?
I’m currently reading a fascinating non-fiction book: Driving the Green Book: A Road Trip Through the Living History of Black Resistance by Alvin Hall.
Learn more about Dan on this website.
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Buy the book from the publisher (Black Rose Writing), Amazon.com, or Bookshop.org.
