Q&A With Ralph Pezzulo
Ralph Pezzulo is the New York Times Bestselling author of several nonfiction and thriller books. Some of his work he has co-authored with other authors. Some of Ralph’s work includes Full Battle Rattle co-authored with Changiz Lahidi, At The Fall Of Somoza co-authored with Lawrence Pezzulo, Plunging Into Haiti, Jawbreaker co-authored with Gary Bernstein The Great Chinese Art Heist. According to his Amazon bio, Ralph is the host of Heroes Behind The Headlines, one of the top documentary podcasts. Ralph also worked on Capital Hill later as a correspondent for the Associated Press covering assignments in Latin America creating relationships with other diplomats, CIA agents and military attaches around the world! He’s also written screenplays for major film studios!
Q: Welcome to Book Notions Ralph Pezzulo! I’m so happy to be interviewing you! Would you please give a brief description of some of your books beginning with your recent release The Great Chinese Art Heist?
A: In the summer of 2010 obscure Chinese artifacts started being stolen by professional thieves from prominent museums in Europe – the Chinese Pavillion at the Swedish Royal Palace, the Fontainebleau Museum in France, the KODE Museum in Norway. Investigators were baffled at first. Then they noticed that many of the artifacts taken had been looted from Chinese palaces at the end of the Second Opium War. My book traces the history behind the museum break-ins and how the thefts and current Chinese attitudes towards the West are informed by what the Chinese call “the century of humiliation” During that time – roughly 1860-1960 – the British Empire and other Western merchants introduced opium to China, addicting a large segment of the Chinese population and when the Chinese Emperor banned opium imports to China, fought two wars to force the Chinese Imperial government to their ports to opium, thus weakening the Imperial government and leading to its demise.
Q: How long did it take you to research and write The Great Chinese Art Heist? It sounds fascinating and I know I would love to read it!
A: The writing and research took about a year. I initially intended to write a book about the thefts themselves and linking them to Chinese billionaires who believed that they were recovering Chinese historical icons and helping to restore Chinese cultural pride. I also planned to show how they were helped by Chinese Triad gangs and the Chinese Communist Party. But I realized that I couldn’t do the subject justice without covering Western imperialism and exploring the subject’s ownership of art and cultural heritage.
Q: Would you say that you working as a correspondent for the Associated Press covering assignments in Latin America, your father being a diplomat whose work took you around the world, has helped with writing your thrillers as well as your nonfiction? What were your favorite places to see while traveling with your father?
A: Absolutely! I learned so much about the world and how our government works by living with my family in places like Mexico, Vietnam, Colombia and Bolivia. The most impactful experience with living in Vietnam in the early ‘60s, at the beginning of the war. Because of my father, I came into contact with at kinds of interesting people – US president, leaders of foreign governments, journalists, famous writers and artists, bishops, guerilla leaders, secretaries of state, generals, Green Berets, rock musicians, etc.
Q: Are you currently researching your next nonfiction book now and are you also writing a thriller? Or is it too early to reveal any details?
A: My next nonfiction book actually released this week. It’s called Deep Cover Shallow Graves and it’s about the life and career of a CIA contract pilot named Robert Tosh Plumlee who trained with Lee Harvey Oswald at the CIA’s School of Illusionary Warfare in the late 1950s and flew a Pentagon abort team to Dallas the morning in November 22, 1963. He was standing on the south knoll of Dealey Plaza when shots rang out behind him and hit President Kennedy in the head. I’m working on thriller now about a victim of traumatic mind control who slowly starts to regain his memory and realizes he was used by dark forces in our government to conduct secret operations for years.
Q: You’ve written screenplays for all the major Hollywood studios! That sounds amazing! What is it like writing screenplays? Can you name some of the screenplays you’ve written? Have you written screenplays for some of your books?
A: I wrote a screen adaptation of my book Jawbreaker for Oliver Stone. Writing screenplays is a much more collaborative process. The director has a lot of input. I’ve worked with some great ones – Oliver Stone, Antoine Fuqua, George Gallo. Yves Simoneau. Francois Giroux.
Q: Would you please talk about your podcast Heroes Behind The Headlines? What made you want to do this podcast and what is your advice for anyone wanting to begin a podcast? Would you please provide a link to your podcast? The readers of the blog and I would love to listen to it!
A: About five years ago, I was approached by two Hollywood producers about hosting a podcast featuring people I knew who were former and are current FBI and CIA agents, military officers, whistleblowers and government insiders – basically people who participated in important historical events but weren’t well-known. The podcast almost immediately attracted a large following. Over the years, I’ve expanded the scope of the interviewees to include writers, victims of human trafficking, detectives, victims of crimes, etc. Today we have a large audience that extends all over the world and a catalogue of over 200 episodes. Unlike other podcasts, I stay in the background and let my guests do most of the talking.
Q: How do you juggle writing books, screenplays and hosting a podcast? What is your advice for anyone wanting to do one or all 3 of those things like you do?
A: I have to careful about how I budget my time but actually enjoying working on several projects at a time. It’s important to fully focus on whatever project you’re working on at a particular time and not get distracted.
Q: How does it feel that all your books are New York Times Bestsellers? I feel a Congratulations are in order!
A: Not all of my books are New York Times bestsellers, but many of them are. Some that haven’t sold as well remain my favorites.
Q: Last question! Would you please provide your social media links so the readers of the blog and I can follow you and your work?
A: Sure. My website is www.ralphpezzulloauthor.com.
My podcast website is https://www.hbhpod.com/.
https://www.instagram.com/ralphpezzullo/