Category Archives: sports

May28

10 QUESTIONS FOR…Tom Caraccioli, best-selling sports author

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Author interview with Tom Caraccioli, co-author with identical twin brother JerryTJMug2
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Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli are identical twin brothers. BOYCOTT: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games is their second book. Their regional bestselling book STRIKING SILVER: The Untold Story of America’s Forgotten Hockey Team was published in Jan. 2006.

 Jerry is the Director, Communication for the CBS Television Network Sports Division’s Communications Departments. Tom is the founder and CEO of Lions Roar Public Relations and a former television public relations executive with NBC Sports/USA Network.  Each has been working in some capacity in sports communications for the past 20 years.  They grew up in upstate Oswego, New York.

Among his career highlights, Tom has worked in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox in various capacities in the organization, was the Director of Sports Information at Merrimack College in Andover, Massachusetts, and a managing editor at Professional Sports Publications in New York City before working at NBC/USA for more than five years, where he worked on events such as the Masters®, Ryder Cup, U.S. Open Tennis Championships and 2004 Olympic Summer Games.

Among his career highlights, Jerry also has worked in Major League Baseball for the California Angels and Oakland Athletics organizations, as well as Major League Baseball International as the Director of Media Relations for the Australian Baseball League in Sydney, Australia.  He has worked for CBS Sports for more than 11 years on some of the biggest events in sports including the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, Super Bowls XXXV, XXXVIII, XXXLI, the NCAA Championship and Final Four, as well as the U.S. Open Tennis Championships and the Masters® and PGA Championship.

1. Tell us about your latest book.

Our latest book – BOYCOTT: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games takes an in-depth look at the events and history of the U.S.-led boycott of the 1980 Olympic Summer Games in Moscow. BOYCOTT also features the personal stories of 18 U.S. athletes who never got another chance to represent the United States in an Olympic Games.  The foreword was written by former Vice President Walter Mondale who apologized to the athletes of 1980.

2. How did you get started as a writer?

I was encouraged in my 8th grade English class when I wrote an essay about sitting behind the Boston Celtics bench and eavesdropping in the huddle during a timeout. I wrote about the fact that I was so close that I could feel the heat and perspiration emanating from the players. It was a fictitious account but my teacher really encouraged me from that point.

3. What does a typical day look like for you?

I try to write in the either early in the morning of later in the evening after my daughter is in bed. I own and operate my own PR firm – Lions Roar Public Relations – so I do not make my living as a writer yet.

4. Describe your workspace.

My second book – BOYCOTT: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games – I wrote in my office of my 100-year-old carriage house in Philadelphia. My first book –STRIKING SILVER: The Untold Story of America’s Forgotten Hockey Team – was written during my daily commute between Philadelphia and New York where I was working as a public relations executive for NBC Sports and USA Network. My brother and I also spoke every day and communicated via email while co-authoring both books.

5. Favorite books (especially for writers)

I have always loved Hemingway. My favorite is the “Sun Also Rises.” I also enjoy non-fiction history books. Lately, besides my own books, I would say my favorite book has been “Manhunt” about the assassination and subsequent search for John Wilkes Booth.

6. Tell us 3 interesting/crazy things about you

1. I have an identical twin brother Jerry, who co-authored both books with me.

2. I once ran with the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. Back to Hemingway….

3. My wife and I have 36 nieces and nephews.

 

7. Favorite quote

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.” – Henry Ford

8. Best and worst part of being a writer

The best part is completing a story, having it published and then someone telling you it was a great story, they learned something.  The worst, is finding any mistake, a typo, a misplaced comma, whatever, in the final product.

9. Advice for other writers

My best advice is to follow through. Lots of people talk about “writing a book” or “writing that story” but never do it. Don’t just talk about – do it!

10. Tell us a story about your writing experience. 

During the writing of our BOYCOTT book we wanted to talk to President Jimmy Carter about his decision to not send a U.S. team to Moscow for the Olympics. Unfortunately, he was busy finishing his last book and promoting it. We then set our sights on Vice President Mondale who was the administration’s point person. We didn’t have any contacts to get to him so I called information in Minneapolis to take a chance I could get a phone number. The operator asked me if I wanted the business or residential number. I told her both (I ended up with only the business number) and went on to call the Vice President at his office and set up an interview all in a matter of 10 minutes. He was a pleasure to speak with and eventually wrote the foreword to the book.

Where can people buy your books?

BOYCOTT and STRIKING SILVER are both available on Amazon.com and boycottbook.com .For further questions or comments, email tom@lionsroarllc.com.

Mar10

10 QUESTIONS FOR…fantasy football guru – author Sam Hendricks

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Author interview with Sam Hendricks, author of “Fantasy Football Guidebook“160264022x-frontcover_2hpqscan0001

 

Sam is a former USAF F4/F15E fighter pilot who currently teaches academics and simulations on F15E fighter aircraft. He has three books on fantasy football. Fantasy Football Guidebook is the award-winning comprehensive guide to playing fantasy football and is “One of the Top 4 fantasy football books of All-Time” (RotoNation.com). Every May he releases “Fantasy Football Almanac” which is the essential fantasy football reference book for that year. Fantasy Football Almanac 2009 will be his third in that series. Sam is currently writing a “best of the best” of his winning strategies.

 

1. Tell us about your latest book.ffalmanac2008-softproof

Fantasy Football Guidebook is an encyclopedia of fantasy football. It includes the history of fantasy football, types of leagues and scoring systems, how to rank players, draft day tips and strategies, roster management skills, injuries, the psychology of fantasy football and much more. This 400-page book represents everything about fantasy football in one single comprehensive reference book. For anyone who loves football Fantasy Football Guidebook is the perfect gift and especially anyone involved in fantasy football.

2. How did you get started as a writer?

I took a year off from work and decided I wanted to contribute something to what I feel is one of the greatest hobbies (fantasy football). Ok, my wife wanted me out of her hair too. On rainy days when I could not play golf, I may have been in her way in the house. At the time, I had played FF for over 17 years but when I looked for a book on the subject, there were few out there.

I wrote Fantasy Football Guidebook because there were no definitive books on fantasy football. The existing books fell into two categories: very basic or self-promoting. None presented all of their fantasy football knowledge just to make players better.

3. What does a typical day look like for you?

Well since I am still working with the USAF as an instructor, it is charmed. I get up early (6 AM), and try to go to the gym before showing at work. I usually have one or two flight simulators scheduled for the day. I will brief the flight crews on the scenario they will face and then I work the console and orchestrate what events they experience in the simulator. I am their ATC controllers, the enemy they fly against in the other aircraft or on the ground and the one who gives them malfunctions in their own jets. Occasionally, I will fly in one of the cockpits to stay current. 

The fantasy football year goes something like this:

Jan-Feb: Off to watch the NFL playoffs.

March-April: Work on the annual Fantasy Football Almanac

May: Expert drafts and rankings/projections for national magazines

June: Free time, vacation

July-August: Participate in Fantasy Football drafts for leagues in which I compete.

Sep-Dec: Manage FF leagues, blog, MB.  

As far as writing and fantasy football, the weekends are my work.

4. Describe your desk/workspace.

I have an orange tabby cat that always accompanies me to the computer room. She likes to look out the window and then to sleep by the computer, the gentle hum of the key strokes lulls her to sleep. I have a bookshelf behind me with tons of reference books. On occasion, I will take my laptop to the TV room and work while watching some football oriented television. I have a PDA that I use to write in when I get inspiration away from the computer.

5. Favorite books (especially for writers)

1) The Self-Publishing Manual-Dan Poynter

2) Bryson’s Dictionary for Writers and Editors-Bill Bryson

3) Wealthy Barber-David Chilton (because you need to know how to invest your hard earned royalties)

4) The Time Traveler’s Wife-Audrey Niffenegger (what a great book-really loosens the imagination)

5) Love in the Time of Cholera-Gabriel Garcia Marquez (a special love story)

6. Tell us 3 interesting/crazy things about you

1) I am married to a beautiful, former open-heart surgery nurse, who is Danish. Her name is Birgitte. We have been fighting over computer time since she has opened her own shop http://www.SewDanish.etsy.com where she sells Scandinavian Textile Art, Unique Hand Made Supplies

 

2) A ran with the Bulls in Pamplona at the festival of San Fermin in 2000. Without a doubt the scariest and stupidest thing I have ever done, yet I am quite proud of it.

3) I lived and worked in Saudi Arabia for over three years and that is where I met my lovely wife. We went on our honeymoon first (a trip around the world) before we were married and met the in-laws.

 

7. Favorite quote

“There are three kinds of people in this world: those that can count and those that cannot.” Unknown

“Quantity has a quality all its own” Napoleon

“It has been my experience that folks who have no vices, have very few virtues” Abe Lincoln

8. Best and worst part of being a writer

Both the best and worst is the attention. At times, it is great being asked your opinion on various topics and to feel the importance of those words, but at other times, you just want to scream, “Make up your own mind”

9. Advice for other writers

1) Write something every day. Even if it is just in your blog.

2) Do not start at the first page of a new book; instead write the chapter you feel most comfortable with first. The rest will come.

3) Always let others review and analyze. It will produce a much better product.

10. Tell us a story about your writing experience. 

When my first book came out, my author copies had not arrived, so my mother (being the great parent she is) ordered the first purchased book. It arrived several days later and she called me but was not as glowing as I expected. It turns out the cover was from my book but the inside was from another book about “Advanced Mathematics”. We all had a laugh at that start.

Where can people buy your books?

My books are available at Amazon.com, BN.com and other retailers and through my publisher www.virtualbookworm.com as well as my website www.FFGuidebook.com

www.FFGuidebook.com includes my blog and information about Fantasy Football Almanac 2009 and my upcoming book.

http://fantasyfootballguidebook.blogspot.com  is another popular blog of mine.

Look for my fantasy football rankings in Fantasy Football Index and other magazines in 2009 and my views in a weekly “Ask the Expert” column at www.FantasyIndex.com