There are many, friends with amazing blogs that we’ve hosted and we’ve had quite a few writers on our blog as well. But when we began to look back at our interviews, we began to see a trend. We only hosted females and we only spotlighted fiction!
Now Lord knows Inion N. Mathair has a soft spot in our hearts for our blogging sista’s & can’t pass up a great book written by some of our brilliant lady Authors!
But we began to think…what if the great, big, blogosphere being, starts spreading negative thoughts that this Irish Mama/daughter duo is prejudice against male authors/bloggers?
And so, we decided to do our very first interview of a male Author on Two Voices….One Thought. Yep, we’ve gotten masculine up in this blog!! And we figured, what better way to come out strong, than with a strong Author who has a genius mind & a wicked sense of humor!
We would like to introduce a very close friend of ours, Mr. Ian Lowell, Author of: Son of Sam Was My Catcher And Other Bronx Tales. Whew…that was a mouthful; but for good reason. This isn’t just any book! Part historical, part autobiographical, the book documents the life of the author in the rough streets of the Bronx, his life growing up in the James Monroe Houses in the Bronx and historical accounts of many of the most crucial events that took place in the 1960’s. Extensive write-ups of 60’s music including firsthand accounts of concert performances he witnessed by many of the greatest names in music history, some of which were at the legendary Fillmore East as well as 60’s local sports.
(I.N.M.) Well now…it’s about time we got you here on: Two Voices….One Thought! You’ve been a busy man as of late. So, tell us Ian, what inspired you to take on a project of this magnitude?
(I.L.) During the summer of 2011, one of the members of our James Monroe Houses group on Facebook suggested that one of two other members of the group write a book about the group and Facebook. One of those members is Paul LaRosa, who is an award-winning journalist/author and an Emmy Award-winning television producer of 48 Hours Mystery. Paul, after having read the story that forms the basis for my book, suggested that I handle the project. Clearly, I knew there would not be nearly enough material about our project group and Facebook to fill an entire book but it could serve as a small portion of it. Very early on in the process, I fully realized that this was going to be a major project but anything less would not be consistent with either my vision for the book or what I hoped to accomplish with it.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/MONROEALUMNI/
(I.N.M.) We’ve been following the progress of this book for quite some time now, Ian (as you know) and can’t wait to grab our copy & read, read, read! Tell our visitors a little bit about yourself, Ian.
(I.L.) I am a Baby Boomer who was born in the Bronx in 1952. Like many others who I grew up with in the James Monroe Houses, life was often challenging. We were all poor and my mother was stricken with mental illness. I draw upon a number of aspects of this upbringing and experience to incorporate them in my writing. I have resided in Colorado for many years.
(I.N.M.) Ian, this book is not only filled with important historical events, famous people & charismatic politicians. A large portion of the book is dedicated to music. Is this a passion of yours personally that you chose to highlight as such? Or do you feel that music was that big a part of the sixties?
(I.L.) As people who read the book will find out, one of the very first things I can recall in my life was a trip our family took to a Bronx drive-in movie theater when I was 5-years-old. The opening movie on the bill was Rock Around the Clock. When I witnessed Bill Haley and the Comets perform the song of the same name, I was instantly mesmerized and completely taken in by Rock & Roll music. As far as the music of the 1960’s, it would be my view that much of it is among the very greatest music ever recorded. Further, the influence and impact is so profound and far-reaching and will be for many years to come. In this regard, consider artists such as Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix and the ways in which they have not only affected the music industry but the world at large. It is my belief that people will listen to the mastery and magnificence of the likes of The Beatles and Motown hundreds of years from now in much the same manner that folks listen to Mozart and Beethoven today. It is also not difficult for me to imagine future generations many years hence studying, analyzing and dissecting the timeless poetry of Bob Dylan in ways that will not be terribly far-removed than the study of Shakespeare today. The lasting cultural impact of much of this music cannot be overstated.
(I.N.M.) The title! Very unique indeed! We we’re actually privy to the process of selection via Facebook when you decided to change the title. Clearly the reference to a serial killer was intentional. But is the title literal or metaphoric?
(I.L.) The title is literal. During the 1960’s I attended Shorehaven Beach Club in the Bronx. I was the pitcher on our fast pitch softball team that won several youth championships. One of the catchers on that team was a quiet and very pleasant kid named David Berkowitz who later became the notorious and much reviled Son of Sam killer who terrorized the city of New York for just over one year in 1976 and 1977.” On occasion, Son of Sam was in fact my catcher. I also was on the same bowling team with him in a league for several years. When I learned that it was the same kid who I had known, I was as shocked and flabbergasted as anyone who knew him during those years. Every one of us had a great deal of trouble even beginning to process and understand how the kid we knew would grow up to be so brutal, heartless and callous.
(I.N.M.) Ian, we’ve spoke with you in length about the many flavors of your book. Baseball, Music, (Motown) President Kennedy, Crime, Drugs, Poverty…. Tell us, what about the book, do you feel will stick out as the most important thing to take from it?
(I.L.) That the 1960’s may well have been the most influential and fascinating decade in American history. It truly had everything and as such, like the projects I grew up in, it was the good, the bad, the great and the horrible. It is this expansive view, one that is broad-based that I attempt to convey to the reader throughout the book. My hope is that for those who lived through the period and were old enough to remember it, that the book will spark some old memories along with some enduring fondness. As for those who did not grow up then or were too young to remember it, in reading the book, that they shall come away with a sense of what the times were truly like.
(I.N.M.) Ian, we know that the book is based on your life. But what other sources did you use to compile the enormous amount of statistics and details that fill this books pages?
(I.L.) I utilized any sources that could provide the most interesting, engaging and compelling material, ranging from books, documentaries, journals, magazines, newspaper articles, periodicals and lectures, much of which has been compiled from online sources. The great thing about the internet is that on occasion, you can come up with material that is not widely known. Last year, I just happened to find a brilliant Op-Ed piece that ran in the New York Times. The piece was more along the lines of an article. In 1963, on the same night that civil rights leader Medgar Evers was murdered, President Kennedy delivered a superb speech that remains quite obscure. It was totally overshadowed by Evers murder. The speech marked the first time that a sitting American presented the ugly continuing reality of race segregation in the Deep South as a moral issue. Before this, it was often viewed as a political and/or regional issue. There is nothing political or regional about the distasteful and repugnant conditions our own black citizens were forced to live with just shy of 100 years after the Civil War had ended. This speech is a defining and seminal moment in the history of the American presidency yet it has been neglected as an old relic. It’s something I was very pleased to uncover for the book.
(I.N.M.) Ian, most of the bloggers we network with are Authors. And strangely enough, there are only (3) that aren’t classified as Fiction; you being one. Besides the obvious answers, tell us what you feel to be the strongest differences in Non-Fiction Authors verses Fictional Authors.
(I.L.) I think if you can write, if you chose to, you can write in more than one genre. Although my book is a work of non-fiction, the manner in which I chose to approach it is very unusual as it’s actually written in four genres. The book is autobiographical, historical and musical with sports as well. In writing non-fiction as opposed to fiction you must deal with character development and plot twists. Of course, these are elements that are nonexistent in works of non-fiction but both genres do require creativity.
(I.N.M.) Ian will there be any photo’s accompanying this book or illustrations of any kind?
(I.L.) There are not.
(I.N.M.) Ian, how long did it take you from start to end, to finish this book?
(I.L.) 21 months.
(I.N.M.) For those young people who rarely pick up Non-Fiction Books. What would be your selling point for them to read yours?
(I.L.) The 1960’s were arguably the most explosive, far-reaching and profound period in American history. I think all readers, young and old alike, who have even the slightest interest in where we have been and where we may be headed should know it. As we know, there are millions of gay Americans but I would be safe in stating that many of them have no clue what preceded the Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village in 1969 that marked the birth of the gay rights movement. America had laws in place that were so oppressive towards gays that they were actually more punitive than that of many Eastern Bloc communist nations.
(I.N.M.) Ian, is this the first of your works published? Or is there something else?
(I.L.) This is my first book. The only other time I have been published was a lengthy Op-Ed piece that appeared in the Denver Post in 1995. I wrote it after a close friend died of AIDS. He was the last of a circle of 30 friends who died. Seeing him just a few days from death had a profound impact upon me. He was a robust and handsome man that had been reduced to skin and bones. It was a terrifying and horribly sad experience. The piece was about this and the larger issue of AIDS.
(I.N.M.) We have one more question for you Ian, before we let you go. If you had to pick a second runner up, what decade would rank second only to the sixties?
(I.L.) That is an easy question for me—-the 1950’s. It was during this time that Rock & Roll set the U.S. and Europe on fire. The excitement and incendiary nature of emerging acts such as Elvis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Bo Diddley, Johnny Burnette and Jerry Lee Lewis was unprecedented. Further, there were great R & B performers such as Sam Cooke, Clyde McPhatter and Chuck Willis and amazing blues artists such as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and John Lee Hooker. In addition, during this time there was an entire array of terrific doo-wop vocal groups along with the beginning days of the girl group genre.
(I.N.M.) We can’t thank you enough, for stopping by & chatting with us about your book, Ian: Son of Sam Was My Catcher And Other Bronx Tales and we wish you much success for this incredible achievement.
I.L. Thank you so much for having me. I am greatly appreciative to have had the opportunity to be featured here. You are a tireless and dedicated advocate for all Indie authors. It has not gone unnoticed and many love and appreciate you for it.
Thank you Ian!! For those of you who have comments or questions for Ian, I’m sure we can convince him to hang around long enough to chat back! And for those who want to run on over to Amazon and grab their copy of Ian’s book, I’m afraid we have to wait a little while longer. We will be leaving several links to Ian Lowell and promise that when his book becomes available, we will be posting it on all our networking sites, so please make sure to watch out for it. We fully anticipate that there will be something for everyone. Regardless of whether you like the 1960’s, the history of those times, music, sports, or the civil rights movement, you are sure to find something that will appeal to you.
http://www.ianlowellauthor.com/
http://jeniannpromotingauthors.blogspot.com/2014/02/author-ian-lowell.html
https://www.facebook.com/SonofSamWasMyCatcherandOtherBronxTales
https://www.facebook.com/ianlowell.author?fref=ts
https://twitter.com/IanLowellAuthor
***Amazon link to buy book will be posted on Two Voices…One Thought as well as all our networking sites as soon as it is available!
Inion N. Mathair 
I’m literally sitting here all excited – *GASP* and he said Muddy Waters and JOHN LEE HOOKER in once sentence. I die. My favorite Blues artists EVAH.
But more than my reaction to the artists he mentioned, with have absolutely nothing to do with the interview, I’m genuinely intrigued and anxious to read this book. This era is profoundly interesting to me, mainly because I know very little about it. He seems like a great and talented guy. Thanks for bringing some testosterone onto your lovely blog. Well done! Heading over now to stalk him and buy that book (assuming it’s already out). xoxo
Knew they wouldn’t get past you Bethie, being such a big blues fan like Mathair. Music is a big part of Ian’s book, which really intrigues us as well. But as you rightly pointed out, the fact that it covers an era that is unconditionally one of the most explosive era’s of all time makes it all the more a jewel. Unfortunately it is not yet ready to purchase, but we will have another shout out on the day it launches with the links to where any visitors on Two Voices….One Thought can simply follow the link to grab their copy, we know Ian will be thrilled!! Thanks for coming by, Bethie and for always being such an incredible supporter of Indie Authors. xoxoxo ❤ 😉
Thank you so much Beth for the interest, kindness love and support!! As you may suspect, it is the great abundance of musical material in the book that is drawing the most interest. I was very fortunate to be in the right place, (NY), at the right time, (late 1960’s and 70’s) while living up to my eyeballs in the vibrant and explosive counterculture scene. Thank you again Inion as well !! 🙂 🙂
What a great interview! Ian’s book sounds fantastic, too. I grew up in the 60’s and I also remember Son Of Sam–I followed that case in the news for awhile until they caught him. Soooo eerie than Ian played ball with him!!
Great interview ladies! Fascinating author and interesting book. I love that you manned up your blog today.
Hi J.C & thanks for stopping by & commenting on the interview. Ian is a great writer & friend. It’s a good fit; manning up the blog with a part-autobiographical/part-historical book, to follow thru with a brilliant female fictional Author & her book that’s ready to rock the literary world! Look out paranormal fans, J.C. McKenzie’s about to spotlight on Two Voices….One Thought. 🙂 Can’t wait J.C.!! xo ❤
Thank you J.C. for your kindness, interest and support. I am quite honored to have appeared here, let alone as the first male author! 🙂
Reblogged this on Dancing With The MS MonSter and commented:
A wonderful new voice of ‘my’ generation. Get to know Ian Lowell.
Hi Rebecca & welcome to Two voices…One Thought!! Thank you for posting this! ❤ xoxo
Thank you so much for your kindness and support Becky!! 🙂 🙂
Nice interview, and the book sounds really interesting! I am always amazed at people’s early brushes with evil like Son of Sam…scary stuff!
Perfect description…”Brush with evil!” That’s a little too close for my comfort!! But oh what a delicious experience to write about!! Can’t wait to read this!! Thanks for coming by & for commenting!! 😉 ❤
Pingback: The Trump Diary | Spotlighting Author, Ian Lowell/Son of Sam Was My Catcher & Other Bronx Tales
Hi and welcome to Two Voices….One Thought! And thank you for hosting our post on the brilliant Ian Lowell, your in good company our friend!! 😉
I again wish to thank the lovely Inion for such superb questions, a real interest in taking the game to get to know both me and my work and the kindness, interest and support that everyone here has shown me. You are all just a terrific bunch of fine folks. All of you make me feel great about what I doing with this book!! 🙂 🙂
Super interview ladies! Really interesting, and I hold the 60’s and 70’s near and dear to my heart. Good luck Ian.
I do as well, Tami! That’s cuz we we’re children of the 60’s so we can hold it near & dear to our hearts! Still…there’s something so magical about that decade that pulls people from every age to it’s doorstep!! Bottom line is: the 60’s & 70’s are awesome decades that are worthy of a book dedicated to them!! Thanks for coming by & for commenting 😉 ❤
Thank you so much for your interest, support and kind words Tami!! 🙂 🙂
This sounds like a very interesting book! Although I don’t remember much of the the ’60s, I know they were a huge influence on American culture and what followed.
Thank you for you interest and comments!! Now, I would like to take the liberty of quoting from the final passages of the book proper:
“It was a time of major upheaval yet a time when we very much came together and the possibilities seemed truly boundless. It was a time of great fear yet tremendous courage where great hopes and aspirations came to die yet so many were born. It was a time for the deepest of sorrows and tribulations but great elation and accomplishment, when many exercised the courage of restraint and others chose far more violent and destructive endeavors. It was a time of many monumental struggles, the final outcomes of which would forever alter the course of our history.”
What an interesting man! I am definitely going to have to read his book, it is exactly the kind of reading I love. So glad that you decided to “man up” and introduce Ian Lowell!
Thanks Sandy!! Yeah, we’ve already added this book to our “Must Read List”. We usually stay in the fictional playground making exceptions for Memoirs as Inion & I both are addicted to them (hint…hint! 😉 ) but this book seems to speak to all interests of that era while playing a big part in historical topics that gives the reader a personal view into someone who didn’t just research and write about it, but lived the experiences!! Ian has such an incredible sense of humor but also is a very serious writer and I’m sure, he can capture the spirit of that decade beautifully. We can’t wait to delve into his world Thanks for coming by & for commenting!!
Thank you so much for your interest and support Sandy!! As for you Inion, you have been one of my most devoted and loving supporters all along and I love you not just that, but the wonderful and terrific person you are. For reasons that are all well-earned, you truly have the love of many!!! xo xo 🙂
Thank you for your interest and comments!! 🙂
Nothing wrong with having some TESTOSTERONE around here! 🙂 What a fascinating man and life. I would love to read his book, thanks for sharing! 🙂 🙂
Thank you so much for your interest and comments. I can at least provide some pretensions of a semblance of man power, lol…. 🙂
Indeed BHC ~ Our motto exactly! 😉 He is fascinating & once you get to know him, a bundle of laughs!! Thanks for coming by & for commenting!! ❤
Sounds like a very interesting man and a very interesting read. Can’t believe he knew the son of sam!
Thank you so much for your interest and comments. Hard for me me to believe I actually knew this cold-blooded killer. He was so adept at hiding who he truly was from many. We never even had so much as a hint that there was something terribly hateful and amiss with this man. It is not the first time we have heard such a story and sadly, it will surely not be the last.
Totally cool right! We can’t wait to read his book & find out what other interesting things happened to him. thanks for coming by & for commenting, Phil!! 😉
Thank you for your interest and comments! To this day, I do not believe any of us who know Berkowtiz back then could fully reconcile that the kid we knew turned to be Son of Sam. Of course, from the second I learned this was one and the same person, there was the realization that there was a freak show parading around in his head long before I knew him. Case in point: at age 12, he murdered his mothers parakeet. The reason: he apparently saw the feeble-minded little bird as a rival for his mothers affections. Such depraved behavior as a child put him in the “elite” company of the likes of Bundy, Dahmer and many other serial killers. The torturing and or/killing small defenseless animals is the early MO of many a serial killer.
Very true, Ian. As you know I worked in law enforcement & that is absolutely a true trait or early detection sign of any serial killer worth their salt. Clearly this mans stages were in place!! Such a shame we didn’t know then what we do now and someone couldn’t have picked up on them!!!
I always love reading your interviews and learning about new authors! This book sounds very interesting, and I look forward to reading it when it’s available.
Thank you for your interest and comments Miranda!! 🙂
Hi Miranda & thank you so much for the compliment! Ian will be thrilled to know you plan on reading his book!! Thanks again!! ❤ 😉
I am positively thrilled and gratified when anyone shows interest and support in my writing….. 🙂
Wow, so creepy about the son of sam being on his softball team. Here is some more serial killer knowledge for you. My grandma went to school with Henry lee Lucas, he lived just four houses down from her. One day he tried to force her in the car with him as she was walking to school, but luckily my grandfather pulled up just in time and proceeded to beat the crap out of him.
No kidding!! Omg~your grandmother is very blessed to be alive & saved by none other than her sweetheart! Now that’s a story to write down in a book!!! It’s strange but I was just watching something on the crime channel, about Ted Bundy and the lady who wrote the book based on his life. She met & worked with Ted at a rape crisis center where they answered calls from victims of rape. She also claimed that the demented monster that everyone hated was charismatic, quite charming, an extraordinary human being who was articulate & very intelligent. Quite the different face than his victims seen! Thanks for stopping by & for commenting, mommyx4 ❤ 😉
Yes, it is all truly creepy. Lucas and Toole—a couple of works of art there. I would have paid good $ to have witnessed your grandfather handing Lucas his slimy ass on a silver platter. As for Bundy, to many, he appeared to be a fine young man who was a pillar of the community. Yes, author Ann Rule knew him as anyone ever did. One of Bundy’s escapes was from the Garfield county jail in Glenwood Springs, Co.
You ask such good questions in your interviews! Thanks for sharing another interesting writer with us.
Thanks Darla!! We try to create the questions tailor made for the writer in hopes of finding out as much about them & their work as possible! And so nice of you to notice!! 😉 ❤
Thank you Darla, yes great questions!!
I do tend to focus a lot on fiction in my corner of the blogosphere. Nice to be directed to some interesting non-fiction work as well. Wonderful interview, and best of luck to Mr. Lowell with his book.
Thank you Carrie. we’ve been anxiously awaiting this book, both of us being fans of the decade, we feel there will be things about history we love that we can read about as well as some things we don’t know. Should be packed with a versatile selection of 60’s culture galore!! Thanks for coming by & for commenting, and seriously Carrie, do keep us informed about the Amazon contest as we are excited to find out if you win or not!! We’ll totally host a winners cup at Two Voices…One Thought, for the Amazon-Queen!!! 😉 ❤
The odds of winning are minuscule, but if my Publishers Weekly review is decent, I’ll be happy enough with that. 🙂 (Comes next month.) Thanks!
Thank you so much Carrie. As we all know, Inion is a true gem. I believe her Blog is truly superior and she asks such insightful questions.
You are so wonderful to your fellow bloggers! Generous heart! Bravo~
Awe thank you so much Cindy!! It’s easy to be generous to a lot of people as incredibly sweet & giving as our blogging brothers & sisters (such as you) Thanks for coming by & for commenting!! 😉 ❤
Kind, generous, quite intelligent, thoughtful, engaging, and loveable about sums it up!!
Just left your blog, Nav, to come home and find your star shining brightly as #1!! good place for a great friend!! Thanks for stopping by & for commenting! And you love Nonfiction because your absolutely brilliant! 😉 ❤
My pleasure, of course. As for brilliance, sobriety does interfere, on occasion.
};-)> ❤
Wow. What a great interview. So much to digest in terms of iconic 20th century history. Well done, Ladies, and best of luck with the book, Ian.
I am partial to non-fiction authors, for some strange reason.
Thank you for you and comments. In terms of providing a quality interview, it certainly helps when the interviewer is insightful and thoughts and provides great questions.