What inspired you to write your memoir?
Since I was very young I have always been influenced by the power of movies. So, when I was fortunate enough to work around NY filmaking in 1990 I was filled with emotions and stories about my experiences in the world of celebrity. Keeping both written notes and mental notes I decided I wanted to tell my story about my personal infatuation with the entertainment industry. Though I wrote my memoir years after my introduction into NY movie making it remained fresh in my conscious and I decided it was indeed an interesting tale!
About your Book:
In 1989 Patrolmen Vincent Casale was transferred to his dream assignment, The NYPD Movie-TV Unit. The elite unit employed a limited number of police officers whose responsibility was to assist the motion picture industry while they rolled cameras on the streets of New York. Officer Casale found himself smack in the middle of New York filmmaking. Lights! Camera! Action! Movie Stars! As a life long film fanatic he was over the moon! But were the stars in his eyes too bright? Was the world of filmmaking as glamorous and exciting as he thought? The next three years were filled with great highs (Al Pacino, Cindy Crawford) and disappointing lows (Dustin Hoffman, Telly Savalas). Ultimately Officer Casale would have to decide if The Movie-TV Unit was still his dream assignment, or would returning to patrol duties be a better choice..
How did you decide how to publish your book and where is it published through:
Like all writers I began with the notion I could have my book published through the traditional channels. And like the multitude of authors the rejection slips piled on. I also attempted to send my work out to small presses. This was not a bad way to go, however, there were many stipulations with small presses that were equal to self-publishing. Marketing for one and editing for another. So, through a small imprint, JLE inc. I worked to design my own cover. I worked strongly with a private editor and transferred my file to PDF in which I then uploaded on to CreateSpace publishing, a division of Amazon.
How do you see writing a Memoir as different from writing other genres of books?
I still like to write fiction as that is my goal. With memoir writing the work is right out there, heart and soul. It is so personal as to be painful in a sense that it is true and any critique in the negative is felt more internally.
Author Bio:
Vincent Casale was born in East Harlem, New York City and was raised in Flushing, Queens. He attended Hillcrest High School where his favorite classes were those pertaining to the arts. Upon graduation Casale, deciding not to attend college fell into the so-called family business working as a union member for Movie-Labs as an expeditor. He also worked as a bartender in Penn Station, and driving for a local car service.
In 1984 he took and passed the entry test to become a New York City Police Officer, the first to do so in his family. Most of his career was spent patrolling the streets of Queens, New York.
From 1989-1992 Casale was assigned to the department’s Movie-TV Unit. He was over the moon especially since he had once dreamed of becoming an actor. He has also been a film fanatic for most of his life, growing up on old black and white movies.
Casale’s exposure to the world of New York street scene film-making would become the basis for his first book, a memoir entitled, The Coparazzi.
Vincent Casale resides on Long Island with his wife and three children.
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Author Home Page Link
Link To Book On Amazon
