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Interview with Edward Zuckerman – S. 10, Ep. 23

Interview with Edward Zuckerman – S. 10, Ep. 23

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 My guest for this episode of the Crime Cafe podcast is crime writer Ed Zuckerman. Check out his wealth of experience a freelance journalist, as well as his work as a debut crime writer! You can download a copy of the transcript here! Debbi (00:52): Hi everyone. My guest today has what most people would consider to be a pretty interesting resume. He began his career as a journalist writing about zombies, killer bees, talking apes and other subjects for Rolling Stone, Spy, the New Yorker, Harpers, Esquire, and many other magazines. He has written two nonfiction books, The Day After World War III and Small Fortunes then moved into writing for television drama, including more than 50 episodes of the original Law and Order, Blue Bloods, and Law and Order SVU. I have that right, don’t I? SVU? Ed (01:35): That’s correct. Debbi (01:36): Alright. It’s my pleasure to introduce my guest, Ed Zuckerman. Hi, Ed. Good to see you here. Ed (01:43): I’m happy to be here. Thanks for having me. Debbi (01:45): Well, it’s my pleasure, believe me. And wow. I mean, your guest post just tells an amazing story, and it struck me that you found the information initially in a book where a lot of people would’ve just stopped and said, oh, I got a book about Nigerian police. That’ll do. But you took it farther. You talked to the author and then you went to Nigeria. Ed (02:10): That’s right. That’s right. Well, I was a journalist, but the first part of my, I’ve always been a writer, but my first part of my career, I was a journalist, ended up doing a lot of research and enjoyed the travel and enjoyed the research. (02:21): And when I came up with the idea for my novel Wealth Management, one of the characters is a detective from Nigeria who shows up in Switzerland to investigate a crime. Geneva, Switzerland is where the story is set. And instead of just making stuff up about Nigerian police, especially nowadays with concern about being authentic and not making who you’re writing for, who writing about, I thought I would find and meet some Nigerian policemen, which was easier said than done. I can retell the story or it’s in the blog post that I put on your website. So what do you? [I]nstead of just making stuff up about Nigerian police, especially nowadays with concern about being authentic and not making who you’re writing for, who writing about, I thought I would find and meet some Nigerian policemen, which was easier said than done. Debbi (02:58): I will link directly to the website. Ed (03:00): Okay. Debbi (03:00): I think they should read it because really it’s a remarkable story to read. Ed (03:05): The short version. I ended up going to Nigeria, which is a tough top. People don’t go to Nigeria. Nigerians don’t need you, and they expect the same. Tourists are not especially welcome, and you have to be all careful watching your step over there. People don’t go to Nigeria. Nigerians don’t need you, and they expect the same. Tourists are not especially welcome, and you have to be all careful watching your step over there. Debbi (03:22): Interesting. Very interesting. And the police are not always cooperative. Ed (03:28): They didn’t see any reason to cooperate with me, but I did arrange some contacts as I described in my blog post that you can read on the Crime Cafe website. Debbi (03:37): I will be sure and put a link into the notes with this episode for sure. Ed (03:42): Oh, good. Debbi (03:43): Yeah. And you’re giving away a copy of the book as I understand it. Ed (03:47): Yes, I am. I have a few left. Debbi (03:50): Awesome, excellent. Because I got to tell you, I’m reading it now and it’s very, very compulsive reading. Short chapters. Well-written. Ed (04:01): Well, I did write for a TV for a long time, and for better or worse, the book is structured a little bit like a TV script with short chapters and a lot of dialogue and a good story I hope, but also a substantial dose of humor. Debbi (04:16): I’ve noticed that since I’ve taken up screenwriting, my writing has gotten shorter. I mean, it just happens. I think it happens when you go into screenwriting mode. You start being aware of how many words you’re using to say something. Ed (04:33): Right. You just don’t, I mean, some famous writer, I forget who it was about something he had written and he said, if I had more time, I could have written less. Debbi (04:43): Yes, exactly. Yeah. Choosing your words carefully is very important. I have to ask, you did such an interesting variety of topics in magazines in your work. How did you break into writing things like this for magazines? I felt like I was born writing. I was a little kid. I was writing little stories and poems when I was eight years old. In college, I was very involved with the school newspaper. Ed (05:01): I felt like I was born writing. I was a little kid. I was writing little stories and poems when I was eight years old. In college, I was very involved with...
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