Gilbert Speaks on The Venus Mantrap

I have some amazing writer friends, and when one of them publishes a story or book, I want to celebrate their work. A very good friend of mine, Bruce Capoferri, has recently published a book called The Venus Mantrap. Here is Bruce telling us a little bit about himself and the book.

Gilbert: Hi Bruce. I am so very excited about your book. My first question is do you belong to a writers’ group and what are the benefits?

Bruce Capoferri:  I’m a member of South Jersey Writers’ Group and highly recommend anyone, especially a novice, to join. I have grown as a writer since becoming a member and got my first story titled THE MALOCCHIO published because of it.  The wonderful folks who run SJWG and all my fellow members are friendly, extremely helpful and supportive. The guest presenters are always top-notch professionals as well, and provide valuable insight and positivity. 

Gilbert: What is The Venus Mantrap about?

Bruce Capoferri: The Venus Mantrap is a story set in a dystopian future when humanity has begun mining and colonizing other planets in our solar system. During the course of terraforming Venus enough to reduce the temperature, indigenous plants are awakened, ultimately resulting in alien-human hybrids. Being intelligent, these creatures immigrate to Earth. The murder of one leads to a darkly humorous mystery full of twists and turns, involving a Detective who must solve the case in order to clear himself and win back his childhood sweetheart. 

Gilbert: What was your inspiration for the book?

Bruce Capoferri: Similar to the style of Ian Fleming, I love playing with names, words and phrases. I also enjoy writing science fiction/horror with humor. The name of my lead character is not only a prime example of this, but was the joke that also inspired the story.  If you don’t guess the joke immediately (which I hope you won’t), it is revealed at the end. This prompted Barbara, my wife, to ask if I had written the whole story just for the punchline?  And the answer is YES!

Gilbert: What are you working on now?

Bruce Capoferri: Although I have had a number of reality-based stories about my childhood published, it appears magazine and book publishers do not appreciate my slightly warped story telling style. This is why I’ve made my first foray into the world of self-publishing with THE VENUS MANTRAP on Amazon Kindle.  

I have a novel titled CHILDREN OF GOD AND MEN that I may publish on Kindle depending on the response I receive. I am also a singer/songwriter and have recently been accepted to BMI and am a member of the Nashville Songwriters Association, International.  

Currently I am researching the business of SYNC, which is the placement of songs and background music in commercials, TV, movies and other audio-video platforms.  In fact, I already have a few of my songs appearing on websites.  For an example, please visit: www.friendsofpumphouse.org.

Gilbert: Thank you, Bruce, I am excited to read your book which can be found on Amazon Kindle, and also to learn more about your songs at a future date.

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