Mortal Acquaintance

Growing up on the streets of New York City allowed me the opportunity and experience of socializing with an array of, to say the least, interesting characters. From bookies to high level mobsters and, big time heist crews to loan sharks. Yeah, I knew them all. It started when I was seven years old. On Sunday mornings I’d grab my shoe shine box and hit the streets of Little Italy. All the characters were out in their silk suits and fancy shoes. I didn’t make much on what I charged. It was the tips. Each one of them wanted to outdo the other. Sometimes, at the age of seven I’d take home more money on a Sunday morning then my father made for the week. Just about every character in my novels is formulated from someone I have known. I usually have a cooking scene somewhere in my novels. That’s because I enjoy writing-in something depicting my culinary skills.