Author Mike Kannengieser
 Decent Hill is pleased to introduce Michael J. Kannengieser, author of the newly released novel The Daddy Rock (published under our Felsen Press Imprint).
Michael is a retired New York City police officer who lives on Long Island with his wife and two children. He worked as the Managing Editor for Fiction at The View from Here magazine, a U.K. based literary publication. Currently, he is employed at a performing arts college as an Instructional Technology Administrator. He has been published at The View from Here, and in Newsday, a Long Island newspaper. Michael also speaks as a guest lecturer on campus.
The following are excerpts from Decent Hill’s conversation with the new author.
Decent Hill
How did you get started in writing? What keeps you going? Did you read any special books on how to write?
Kannengieser
I have been writing for as long as I remember. In high school, I wrote a lot of short stories and I also filled notebooks with poetry and essays. As an adult, I became fascinated with the idea of becoming an author. My first book-length manuscript was written in long hand, on yellow legal pads, and completed on a Smith Corona, electric typewriter. When I finally got a computer, I found the transition from using a pen and pad, and typing with a typewriter to be easy – but the creative process was still the same. My next two novels were written using Microsoft Word. What keeps me going is the satisfaction I get from imagining characters, filling their lives with drama, and seeing their conflict come to a peaceful resolution. While I do read writer’s magazines and books on grammar and style, I am most influenced by the book, “The Writing Life,” by author Annie Dillard. I relate to what she describes about the ordeals writers face while executing their craft and attempting to fulfill their dreams.
Decent Hill
Does your writing career ever conflict with your current job responsibilities?
Kannengieser
My writing career never conflicts with my current job responsibilities; in fact, my current place of employment encourages my creativity. I am employed by a well-established and renowned performing arts college here on Long Island. There are so many talented educators, musicians, actors, filmmakers, and writers on campus; it is difficult not to feel inspired in this environment. Even when I was a police officer patrolling the streets and housing developments of New York City in the 1990’s I was able to maintain a prolific writing schedule. My theory is, if you’re a writer, you’ll write no matter what your circumstances are, and that includes any restraints your work or school hours place on you.
Decent Hill
Please tell our readers something about The Daddy Rock that excites you.
Kannengieser
Perhaps what excites me most about The Daddy Rock is the idea of confronting enormous challenges and conquering them.
What each character must do is take action in the face of danger, sacrifice for others, and make choices for a better life for themselves, their friends, and their families. Family and friends are what is most important to me in life, and I feel most strongly that the characters in The Daddy Rock realize this for themselves. I am hoping that readers are as excited about the characters in The Daddy Rock and the challenges they face as I am.
Decent Hill
What was the motivation for your story?
Kannengieser
The main motivation I had for writing The Daddy Rock was family. As a father of two, I cannot imagine what my life would be like if I was not a dad, and if something happened to my wife and kids, I’d be ruined. Since I was a police officer, it was easy to make Roger Price a retired cop. It is difficult enough after working a career in law enforcement to make a successful transition into civilian life. I’ve done this myself, leaving “the job” and training for a new vocation, which has none of the danger, excitement, or drama of police work, and I could not have done so without the support of my wife and children. Roger’s civilian world is a dull void without his wife and daughter in his life to propel him forward into a new career and ultimately into old age with any degree of vigor. At the end of it all, this book is a result of me being a happy husband and father.
Decent Hill
How much of the book is realistic? Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Kannengieser
None of the characters or events is real. I did my best to keep the police work, jargon, and procedures accurate. Since both Roger and Danny are retired, I keep their police dialog somewhat generic so as not to bore the reader, and because retired cops tend to lose their edge since they are not on patrol anymore and they don’t have to stay on their toes. The story takes place on Long Island, but the nursery where Roger works is imagined, as is the bookstore that Debbie owns, and the hospital where much of the story takes place. Maybe one day I will write a story using actual events from my days as a police officer; but for now, I’ll allow Roger and Danny to tell theirs.
Decent Hill
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in The Daddy Rock?
Kannengieser
If I had to do it all over again, I may have described Roger as more of a motivated cop. He’s much less successful than his father who is a retired police captain in the story. My goal was to illustrate the vast differences in the careers of both Roger, a street cop, and his buddy Danny, and highly decorated and famous detective. Describing Roger as a patrol cop does not diminish his value as a police officer, but it makes him less glamorous than a venerated detective.
Decent Hill
What does your family think of your writing career?
Kannengieser
My wife and children are very proud of me because they know it has been a lifelong dream of mine to be published as an author. My daughter is in high school, and she is a very talented writer herself, and both my children tell their teachers about me and my work. I am humbled by how happy they are for me; but in the end, I use my success as an example for my children to live their dreams and to make them happen.
Decent Hill
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in writing your book?
Kannengieser
A little background information is necessary here. My mother died of colon cancer in 2006. Prior to that, my cousin passed away from the same disease at the young age of thirty-eight. Because of this, early screening for colorectal cancer is necessary for my siblings and me. Since my mother’s passing, I became a regular donor of red blood cells, whole blood, platelets, and I also joined the national bone marrow registry. While doing research for The Daddy Rock, I learned that in order to prepare leukemia patients for a bone marrow transplant, the doctors treat the patients with high doses of radiation in order to kill their existing bone marrow which may or may not be cancerous. This process is called “conditioning,” and it has the risk on its own to kill the patient. I hope after reading The Daddy Rock, readers will volunteer to join the national bone marrow registry and maybe save someone’s life.
Decent Hill
What has been your overall experience as a published author?
Kannengieser
Prior to The Daddy Rock being published by Decent Hill Publishing, I had a wide audience on my former blog, Mr. Grudge. It was there I met the editor of a baseball magazine called Gotham Baseball Magazine who took baseball articles I posted on Mr. Grudge and re-posted them on his magazine’s website. In short-order, I learned that while I loved the game of baseball, I hated writing about it. Essentially, sports fans feel like they are also qualified critics of the game, and my opinions were no more worthy than any other fan’s. I turned Mr. Grudge into a writer’s blog where I featured much of the creative non-fiction essays I enjoy writing. My readership included fellow writers, some of whom I am friends with to this day. My friend, J.D. Beaudoin lives in Canada, and he writes very emotional, spiritual, and vivid poetry. In addition, he is a talented wood carver and photographer. I am always in awe of his creativity. Together, we formed a mutual blog for fellow writers where we accepted submissions. We called this site “The Society of Midnight Wanderers.” It was J.D.’s observation that both of us typically posted our work in the wee hours of the morning. We decided that writers write “even at two o’clock in the morning; and so the name of our venture was born. We accepted work from other writers which we felt was creative and reflected our tastes as editors. In this period of time, I also met my good friend Mike French, who is the founder and senior editor at The View from Here literary magazine. Mike and I often communicated through emails and we were both fans of each other’s writing. In time, J.D. and I were too busy to maintain the Midnight Wanderers and the website was closed. Mike needed new editors and he offered J.D. and I the opportunity to both act as editors for fiction at The View from Here. J.D. declined in lieu of his other interests, and I accepted. For two years, I was immersed in the wonderful world of TVFH, it’s highly dedicated and creative crew, and the magazine itself which has been described as “Bohemian eclectic.” Mike French became my mentor, in a way. He allowed me to write articles for the website in addition to my duties as managing editor. I was given a lot of creative control for my section of this imaginative community. Acting as the New York Office for this multi-cultural, multi-national, U.K. based publication; I brought in my good friend and photographer, Chris Barrio to create images for the website and the print edition. While I no longer work as editor for the The View from Here, I am still very close friends with Mike French who is a published author as well with two novels to his credit. I have also been published in Newsday, a major, Long Island newspaper. Overall, my experience as a published author has been fulfilling both as a writer, but in my career as well.
Decent Hill
How has your education informed your writing?
Kannengieser
My formal education as been indispensible as far as teaching me the mechanics of writing, but I would not be the writer I am today without my life experiences in the NYPD or the skills I learned as managing editor at The View from Here Magazine. In my view, it is fair to say that one learns the basics of writing in the classroom, but one becomes a writer after experiencing life.
Decent Hill
How can our readers find out more about you and your book?
Kannengieser
Readers will find more about me and my books on my blog http://mrgrudge.blogspot.com, and my upcoming website, mjkannenbooks.com, my new Facebook page which will be launched later this week, and through twitter, and Tumblr.
Decent Hill
What is next for author Michael J. Kannengieser?
Kannengieser
I have another novel which I wrote prior to The Daddy Rock called Burning Blue, which is a supernatural thriller involving a young police officer who has a near-death experience and sees Hell instead of Heaven. His challenge is to atone for his corrupt deed which he feels is the catalyst for his seeming damnation, and save his soul. Currently, I am writing a novel based on my father’s experiences in WWII which chronicles the evolution of his faith which he finds after he is left for dead on the battlefield.