Piper van der Berg is a 17-year-old latter-day Rip Van Winkle—except when she awakens in 2021 after 25 years, she hasn’t aged a single day. Can she adjust to the strange world of 2021?
Will the desperate Russian spy posing as her Chemistry teacher get his hands on her blood, which the Russians believe is the Fountain of Youth? Can the ghost of author Washington Irving return her to 1996 and set things right? With the aid of a Ouija board, Pip and her new friends must race against time, the Russian spy, and the FBI and contact the ghost of Washington Irving before it’s too late.
Q+A with Donald Capone
River Journal North (RJN) > How long have you been writing?
Donald Capone > 25 years. I started with short stories (which I still write) and have written four novels (three published).
RJN > Is this your first published work?
DC > It’s my third published novel. I self-published a comic novel, Into the Sunset, in 2007. In 2014 Pen-L Publishing (Pen-L.com) published my second novel, Just Follow Me (which I republished in 2018 when the rights reverted back to me).
RJN > How long did it take to write Piper Van Winkle?
DC > I started in January 2021 and have been revising and polishing since.
RJN > What is your writing process?
DC > For a novel, I work on it every day, usually in the early morning. My goal is a modest 300-500 words a day, which adds up to 9,000-15,000 words a month, so I’ll finish a first draft in 4-6 months. Then the revisions begin.
RJN > Do you ever experience writer’s block?
DC > I don’t know if I ever have true writer’s block. Sometimes I get stuck on what to do next in the plot. What helps me is to step away from the computer—take a walk or a drive, and that’s when ideas come to me, and I have to remember them until I get home. Another trick is to write the scene you really want to write, even if it’s final, climactic scene. Write the fun stuff first, if that helps.
RJN > Do you have a literary agent?
DC > I don’t, but I’m open!
RJN > Is Piper Van Winkle self-published?
DC > Yes, through a project I started called Rockford the Cat Books. I’ve republished my first two novels under this imprint, along with several public domain books. The goal is to get a few other writer friends to join in once it has more traction.
RJN > Where do you live?
DC > I recently got married and moved across the river to Waldwick, New Jersey, after living in Hastings-on-Hudson for 14 years. I was born and raised in Westchester County, and this is the first time I haven’t lived there.
RJN > What do you like about Westchester?
DC > It is such a great place to live, especially the River Towns. The Hudson River is gorgeous. Easy to get to Manhattan, and close to the mountains and hiking. Win win! Both sets of my grandparents immigrated here from Italy, with my father’s side landing in Mt. Vernon, where I grew up.
RJN > Favorite local hangouts?
DC > My favorite hike is Anthony’s Nose, near the Bear Mountain Bridge (pivotal to my new novel). Rockefeller Preserve in Sleepy Hollow is another place I love to hike. Untermyer Gardens in Yonkers is another favorite, especially at Christmastime.
ASIN: B0DVN11DGL Kindle, $5, preorder available now
ISBN: 9798309188062, 240 pages, trade paperback, $12
YA/New Adult/Literary
rockfordthecatbooks.com
Twitter/X: @donaldcapone
Bluesky: @donaldcapone.bsky.social
donaldcapone[at]yahoo.com
publishersmarketplace.com/members/DonaldCapone
