Author Interview with Harry Hallman
I’m interviewing Harry Hallman today, author of “Mercy Row Retribution”. Welcome to my blog!
Author Interview
When did you know you wanted to be an author?
I was in my twenties when I first thought it might be fun to write fiction. It took me awhile to do it. I was 68 when I wrote my first novel.
What inspired you to write Mercy Row Retribution?
It is natural continuation of my series, but the reason I choose to write the series is I wanted to highlight life in North Philadelphia where I grew you. I hate that Philadelphia always seem take second fiddle to New York, especially when it comes to organized crime fiction. So I am doing my part to change that.
What is your editing process like?
I edit as I go. I might write several chapters and then as I read them I edit. After I finish the book I re-read it several times and make edits, then I hire a proof reader/editor to find all the spelling errors (Spelling is not my thing).
Who is your favorite character from your book?
I love them all, but I think Gerry Amato. He was in the Air Force as I was. It had several tours in Vietnam as I did. He does things I wish I could.
Did you set any writing goals for 2016? If so, what are they?
Yes I have server books on my list. I have started one already and I want to do a fourth and final Mercy Row novel.
Are you working on something now?
My working title is The Potato Thief. It is the story of a destitute Irish man, in 1880, that steals a few sacks of potatoes to keep his family alive. This simple act sets him on a path of immense danger in some exotic locations in a world he could never imagine.
About the Book
Title: Mercy Row Retribution
Author: Harry Hallman
Genre: Historical Crime Fiction
While serving as a pilot during the Vietnam War, Gerry Amota, the grandson of Jacob Byrne, the head of a powerful North Philadelphia Irish crime family, seizes an opportunity to create a lucrative marijuana smuggling operation. It’s 1967 and under the secrecy of a classified military operation and with the assistance of a French Marseille Mob, who owns plantations in Cambodia, he is able to send tens of thousands of pounds of marijuana a month to Philadelphia. His grandfather’s criminal enterprise distributes the drug to a population who has developed and insatiable appetite for the marijuana.
A rival French from Paris gang tries to force Amato to buy their product and this triggers war between the Byrne family and the Paris mob. From the steamy jungles of Vietnam and Cambodia, to the streets of Saigon, Paris and Philadelphia the ruthless actions of the Paris mob threatens to destroy the Byrne family. Gerry Amato orchestrates merciless campaign of retribution against his foes in order to save himself and his family.
In part two of Mercy Row Retribution, the third book in the Byrne family saga, it is April 1975 and South Vietnam is about to fall to the North Vietnamese communist. Gerry Amato fears that the communists will take revenge on the population and especially children, many of whom are Amerasian, at an orphanage he supported and volunteered at during his time as a Pilot. He orchestrates a rescue mission to retrieve the children and bring them to the United States. This takes him and his team into harm’s way in Thailand, across Cambodia and into worn torn Vietnam and back. The fate of 75 children and 30 adults rest squarely on Gerry’s shoulders.
Bonus Section
Mercy Row Retribution includes a bonus section of short true stories of the author and his friends’ experiences growing up in North Philly in the 1940s and 50s. This is a true reflection of what life was like for kids from working class families growing up on the streets Philadelphia.
Author Bio
Hallman was born in 1944 and raised in the Kensington section of North Philadelphia. Hallman’s father was Harry Hallman, Sr., a champion pool player who also owned a poolroom called Circle Billiards, located at Allegheny Avenue and Lee Street in Philadelphia. The younger Hallman spent many hours after school at his father’s poolroom and watching his father play in other poolrooms in Philadelphia and New Jersey. The people he met, some belonging to the real K&A Gang, influenced his writing of the Mercy Row series.
After a year of being an apprentice plumber he served four years in the U.S. Air Force, including two tours in South Vietnam as a photographer. His first tour was at Ton Son Nhat Airbase where he processed film shot by U2 Aircraft over North Vietnam and China. He returned to the same place for his second tour, but processed film shot by U.S. fighter recon aircraft. He is married to Duoc Hallman, whom he met in Vietnam, and has two children, Bill and Nancy, and one grandchild, Ava.
Hallman is a serial entrepreneur who has created several marketing services and digital media companies and continues to work as a marketing consultant.
Email Hallman at harry@mercyrow.com. Keep informed at www.mercyrow.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mercyrownovel.
Links
www.facebook.com/mercyrownovel
Mercy Row Retribution on Amazon Print, eBook and Audio.