Featured Interview With Michael De Sapio
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised and still live in beautiful Alexandria, Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC, although my family is originally “New Jersey Italian.” I am a great lover of cats and have a tabby named Regina.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always liked books and reading. I loved writing stories as a child, from as far back as the first grade. Oddly enough, though, it wasn’t until some time after college that I realized I wanted to pursue writing as an occupation.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I am particularly inspired by the great writers of the Christian tradition, from the Bible all the way through G.K. Chesterton (especially his book “Orthodoxy”), C.S. Lewis, Pope Benedict XVI, and others. Chesterton had a way of combining lightness and profundity that I admire. I also enjoy humorists and journalists from the early-to-mid-20th century: Robert Benchley, P.G. Wodehouse, and others. The book I most recently finished was Oscar Wilde’s “Picture of Dorian Gray.” But I rarely read fiction and usually confine myself to books about history, religion, and culture.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
“The Incredible Life of Joey Coletta” is special in that it is not a book per se but a screenplay. I think of it an homage to the classic domestic situation comedies of the 1950s and ’60s – shows like “Leave It to Beaver,” “Father Knows Best,” “The Andy Griffith Show.” I was raised on those old shows and have always admired their wisdom and charm. My screenplay is about an average young boy named Joey Coletta, who auditions for a family sitcom in Hollywood on a whim and wins the lead role. We follow him as he deals with the trials and tribulations of child stardom in the late 1950s: temperamental directors, unscrupulous entertainment journalists, as well as his parents’ crumbling marriage. The story is full of whimsy and charm, and is at times very poignant.