I read with interest the three part series profiling former Hibbing tennis star, California prosecutor, and renowned author, Vincent Bugliosi, that recently appeared in the Duluth News Tribune. My first reaction to the series was Wow, journalism is once again alive and well in NE Minnesota! My second reaction was Maybe I can add a little something to the story.
Understand: I am not a personal friend of Mr. Bugliosi’s. I have only met the man once, back in the mid-1990s, when he appeared as a guest speaker at a lawyers’ gathering I was attending. Prior to giving his speech, he’d taken up the gauntlet to litigate the case against Lee Harvey Oswald (as the alleged lone gunman who assassinated President Kennedy). In a mock trial tried before an actual jury, Vincent functioned as the prosecutor and noted criminal defense attorney, Gerry Spence, defended Oswald. Mr. Bugliosi related during his talk that, in addition to participating in the trial (which ended in a conviction of Oswald and resulted in a British television documentary) he was heavily involved in combing the Warren Report and other historical evidence with an eye towards writing the definitive book decrying the conspiracy theories behind the President’s murder. I was enthralled by his dedication to task and research. As a fiction writer, I wanted to meet the man.
At the time, Vincent was hawking his latest book, And the Sea Will Tell, a true crime story that chronicled his defense of an alleged accomplice to the brutal murder of a wealthy couple by an envious drifter (the guy wanted a new yacht and saw homicide as the best means to acquire it) on the remote Pacific island of Palmyra. After Mr. Bugliosi concluded his remarks, I walked up, bought a signed copy of the book, and chatted, ever-so-briefly with the author about my writerly aspirations. The man couldn’t have been more gracious, more encouraging, more kind. Having become a published author (albeit in the minor leagues) since that encounter, I’ve had many folks approach me to talk about writing and publishing. I’ve learned that it’s not an easy task to ground would-be authors in reality, but, at the same time, encourage their aspirations. Vincent accomplished this dual task during our brief interaction: He emboldened me to keep fingers to keyboard. And so I did.
When my first novel, The Legacy, was ready to be published by Savage Press, Mike Savage asked if there were any folks of note who might review my book and supply complimentary cover blurbs. I thought of Senator Paul Wellstone, former Vice President Walter Mondale, Boston author Barry Reed (author of the great legal novel, The Verdict, who I’d also met at a lawyers’ function), MPR commentator Mary VanEvera, and Vincent Bugliosi. I sent review copies of the novel to all five requesting that they read the book and supply blurbs if they thought the effort worthy. I received prompt, favorable responses from the first four individuals but I didn’t hear back from Mr. Bugliosi.
He hated the book.
That’s how authors, even established authors, think. There’s always a seed of doubt lingering behind a writer’s effort. I was convinced that, despite recounting our brief connection at his speech in my cover letter, Vincent was either too busy to read The Legacy, or, like so many literary agents, read the first paragraph and tossed the book in the slush pile for recycling. Then, just before the book to be printed, a delicately scripted envelope from California found its way into my rural mailbox.
As a native of northern Minnesota, I was intrigued by Judge Munger’s captivating depiction of the links between the present and the past. Part historical novel, part contemporary thriller, The Legacy is a very impressive first novel, which readers of this genre will enjoy immensely. Vincent Bugliosi.
Unlike the other folks I’d contacted (who sent blurbs typewritten and vetted by personal assistants) Vincent’s response was written in ink and elegant cursive, the sort of reply you’d expect to receive from a luminary from a long-past era. The man who successfully prosecuted Charles Manson, one of the most famous attorneys of 20th century America, hadn’t written me off: He was just being deliberate and thoughtful before responding to my brazen request.
I’ll cherish that handwritten letter and accolade from Vincent Bugliosi no matter the course my fiction writing takes.
Peace.
Mark
(This piece, edited by Chuck Frederick, originally appeared in the Duluth News Tribune)
