Jul 26, 2012

Spotlight David Morrell "The Father of Rambo"

It is such an honor To present
The Hibiscus House 
Spotlight of the Week

David Morrell


David has an M.A. and Ph.D. in American literature.  His Master's thesis was on Hemingway's style. His doctoral dissertation was on the works of John Barth.  At the University of Iowa, he taught courses about the American Novel Hawthorne, Melville, Mark Twain, Henry James, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Edith Wharton (one of his favorites), J.D. Salinger, Jack Jerouac, Joseph Heller.  He loves talking about American culture, which is what his Facebook page is all about.  David says, "My fascination with J.D. Salinger prompted me to write The Architecture of Snow, which is a mystery about a recluse author very much like Salinger." 



Facebook Page

Good entertaining and informative topics discussed daily on his page, check it out. 
Like his page and please tell him Dolly sent you.



The Master of high action thriller

David's Website is full of very entertaining information. I love the magazine style of his web pages, and I will definitely be reading more of his books.  



Please check it out: David Morrell 
Website  (click here )





A look into David's office





In 1972, I published my debut novel, First Blood, Called "The father of the modern action novel,"  It was widely and enthusiastically reviewed.  It was taught in high schools and colleges.  It became a 1982 film, starring Sylvester Stallone, and led to a series of films about Rambo, who joined the ranks of the top five internationally recognized thriller icons:  Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, James Bond, and Harry Potter.








David working with Sylvester Stallone














The mysterious Marfa lights have been appearing outside the west Texas town of Marfa since 1889 Cattlemen thought they were marauders from Mexico.  In WWI, local people feared that they were Germans on the border.  In the 1950s, the classic James Dean film Giant was made there.  Dean was fascinated by the light and dragged his co-stars Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor to see them, but of the three, only Dean could see the lights. Read more (click here)







David may write action thrillers, but he was a professor of American Literature and his specialty is American Studies.  He writes essays about fascination, American icons whose lives tell us a lot about our culture.  The Marilyn Monroe Essay is one of those.


Few movie stars had as large an impact as Marilyn Monroe.  Although she died in 1962, a half century later she remains vivid in popular culture, even to those who have never seen her films. Two of the men she married~Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller ~themselves had a powerful cultural impact.  In this moving essay, David Morrell analyses Monroe's poignant life, which had more significance than any movie in which she appeared.  Even her most knowledgeable fans will find something new in this homage to a star whose luster outshone her films






Non-Fiction
A father's tale of love and loss



In the bestselling novels of suspense-master David Morrell, fear is the main subject.  But Morrell himself had never known genuine terror until he watched his 15-year-old son wage a heroic but doomed struggle with cancer. This is a father's powerful and unforgettable story of fierce love, impenetrable loss, and an unexpected, breathtaking encounter with the miraculous.  Ultimately, Fireflies is a tribute to the undying human spirit that has moved readers around the world. Read more here


I have had some of the nicest conversations with David. I learned that he and his family had suffered great losses.  It saddened me to learn that his son Matthew died at the age of 15 from a rare bone cancer called Ewing's Sarcoma.  Only a few hundred people get it each year in the US.  It is not supposed to be inherited. There is more sad news he also lost a granddaughter Natalie, who died at the age of 14 from this very same disease. 

The TCF which stands for The Compassionate Friends, the world's largest grief organization (for parents, siblings, and grandparents of dead children), helped. David said, "TCF helped my wife and me, and I give back by speaking at TCF Conferences and other grief groups.  For reasons I don't understand, my memoir FIREFLIES, about my son's death, has been helpful to people who lost children."

This touched my heart and I am so sorry for his losses.  He is truly a strong man in many ways.

I asked David what he was up too now and he said that his long essay FRANK SINATRA:  THE ARTIST AND HIS MUSIC will probably come out this fall as an e-publication.

MURDER AS A FINE ART will be published next May from Little, Brown.  Set in 1854 London, it deals with a series of real-life mass murders that rivaled those of Jack the Ripper for spreading terror throughout London and all of England.


He is also working on a screenplay...I wonder?     

David Morrell is such a nice gentleman.  I have enjoyed every minute talking, researching his work, finding out about this person. Brilliant is the first word that comes to mind, he is the master of the thriller, but is not limited to just those works alone as you have seen in this post and will see if you read further on his website.  There are too many books for me to highlight.  The man himself is genuine, one of a kind, so talented in so many different areas. I am in awe of his abilities, yet he is approachable, very likable and down to earth.
     
I asked him, "What is the most important thing that you have accomplished in your life."
He replied, "It is to demonstrate good-nature and compassion to others and to do my best to be useful."

I know that he does indeed demonstrate good-nature...he certainly has shown it to me.



Check out this new article click link below



Thank you David for sharing with us!
Everyone don't forget he is signing and sending to the winner a hardback copy of his book

"Creepers"
Book Giveaway Enter Today...Winner Announced July 30th



Thank you David for sharing with us!
Everyone don't forget he is signing and sending to the winner a hardback copy of his book
"Creepers" click here for instructions as to how to enter and good luck! I'll announce the winner Monday 7/30


UPDATE
Winner of book announced
click here  to see who.

5 comments:

  1. This was so interesting. I have heard of many of those titles, of course "First Blood" which I didn't even realize was a book initially. I will look into a couple of his titles as I am a big reader and am always looking for someone new to try. I love an author who does a lot of research - it always shows! Ann

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  2. I would love to win this book. I have watched First Blood 100 times. My husband and I are both fans.

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  3. This is an interesting post. I'm new to your blog. But enjoyed reading about this author and his work.
    I've not been much of a reader. Only recently have I begun reading for pleasure again like I did in my younger years. I'm not too familiar with modern or contemporary authors--I've made it my quest to read classics as I missed out on so many of these in earlier years. I'm not opposed to reading contemporary literature; I think the Marilyn Monroe Essay would be pretty interesting to me. However, if I were to win this book in a drawing. I'd certainly give it a read and I hope I would enjoy it! :)
    Like I said, I'm new here so I'm going to snoop around a bit... check out your etsy store too!
    Pat

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  4. I've enjoyed this post and learning more about this fascinating author! Thanks!

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  5. Wow, congratulations on getting to interview this man! My husband love the Rambo films, but I am not sure if he has read the book. You have a beautiful blog and I love the name!

    ***Stopping by from the Blogaholic Hop, have a wonderful rest of your week!

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