James Pierre Talks About the Success of his Novel Gambino: The Rise ⁠ ⁠

 

Having my book optioned by a major production company is a dream come true. As a writer, you write for yourself, because you can’t help yourself. The characters chatter endlessly in your mind, begging you to bring their stories to life on the page. So you do, but almost entirely as a means of quieting the voices. You hope—but never really think—that others will find your characters as intriguing and engaging as you did. So, when in fact others do, it’s a validating feeling. 

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Ken Atchity was the first person to believe in me and in Carlo Gambino, the main character in my book, Gambino: The Rise. Before Ken, I felt like I was the only person that was interested in crime boss Carlo Gambino and his organization, the Gambino Family. Ken opened my eyes to the fact that the general public might be just as interested in the Gambinos as I was. And he was right. Years after publishing the book with Story Merchant, renown Hollywood producer Julius Nasso expressed interest in the novel, and here we are today. On the precipice of a great achievement—and what is every writer’s dream—to see their book turned into a movie. I cannot thank Ken and Julius enough for this opportunity. It validates  the many years of research—and long hours in front of my keyboard—that went into bringing Gambino and his world to life. I pray that we see this film project all the way through, so that the world will get to meet and fall in love with Carlo Gambino, just as I did. 

And to all of the aspiring writers out there: never give up on your characters. Listen to them. Then breathe life into them, on the page. And then find a literary agent who believes in them as much as you do, and chances are, at some point, if you remain patient and committed to the process, your characters and their stories will be introduced to the rest of the world, for everyone to enjoy.

 

James E. Pierre