Date Published: 05-15-2026
Publisher: RMK Publications
Is there a message in your novel you want readers to grasp?
Life comes with a ton of prepackaged problems. I hope my characters are examples of how to face those problems with heart, hope and plenty of humor.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Sometimes getting to the heart of what I am trying to say can prove elusive. I won’t settle for a piece of writing that doesn’t quite hit the mark. Rather, I’ll spend as much time as it takes on a particular passage or an exchange of dialogue to make sure it moves the story along at a good pace and urges the reader to turn the page. I’ve been known to spend days rewriting a single paragraph!
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
I have written a novel and a novella, both of which are unpublished. This collection is my first published endeavor and I guess you could say that, by default, it is my favorite. I like the fact that my stories deal with an eclectic mix of topics in the areas of mortality, family, language and workplace.
If you had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?
One of my favorite characters in my collection is Lady Lucy Bugg from my story, “The Codex of Lady Lucy Bugg.” If I could choose who to play her in a film, I would pick Anne Hathaway. I believe she would project the sensitivity and sincerity of Lady Lucy as she strives to recapture the true meaning of language. But I also believe she would display the steely courage my character relies on to face off with her language nemesis at the end of the story.
When did you begin writing?
I decided to pursue writing wholeheartedly in my early 30’s, right after my first son was born. Milestones like that signify a passage of time and remind us not to continue putting off what is most dear to us.
How long did it take to complete your first book?
The novel I wrote took almost five years to get to a place where I believed it was as good as I could get it for a first-time endeavor.
Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?
I’ve always admired classic humorists like O. Henry ( “The Ransom of Red Chief”) and James Thurber (“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”). More recently, I have enjoyed work by Percival Everett (“I am Not Sydney Poitier”) and Colson Whitehead (“The Underground Railroad”). I have also been inspired by the magical realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and find myself injecting doses of that technique into my work.
What is your favorite part of the writing process?
I have to say revisions. My work is like a clay sculpture. Getting the initial draft into a shape that resembles what I am trying to say is the hard part. I can now massage it into a finer work through continuous editing and rewriting. I seem to find a better way to say something or illustrate an important point every time I go through it. I find this to be a very rewarding aspect of my work.
Describe your latest book in four words.
Thoughtful…hopeful…whacky…fun
Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the future for your writing?
I love the short story so I am coming up with what I hope will be a sequel to my current short story collection. I still pursue the unanswerable questions…mortality, meaning of life, the usual. But lately I have been developing the theme of connection in my work, how it is our natural inclination to care for one another. Not as an outward expression of altruism, but as an integral part of our makeup etched indelibly into our DNA.
About the Author
Fortunately, he overcame his initial stage fright and began accepting roles in community theatre, the parts of Oscar Madison in “The Odd Couple” and Ivan Lomov in “The Proposal” among his favorites. He studied acting in New York City and performed in a couple of Off-Off Broadway productions including Sam Shepherd’s “Buried Child,” where he played the crotchety, whiney patriarch, Dodge (a part for which his wife felt he was uniquely suited).
He wrote and produced plays for children, awarding roles to his sons and other kids in his neighborhood (earning the gratitude of their parents who considered rehearsals free babysitting). He started writing adult plays and received a number of accolades including an honorable mention in the 2020 Bridge Award contest sponsored by Arts in the Armed Forces (AIAF) for his full-length play, “The Stars of Orion” and selection as the winner of the 2022 Susan Hansell Drama Award for his one act play, “Monarch.”
But the logistics of staging plays proved too time consuming. In his early 30's he started writing short stories and flash fiction pieces and submitting them for publication. Many of the stories presented in this collection have been published in online magazines and anthologies, and some have achieved recognition, most notably, “The Secret of the Smiling Rock Man,” First Place, National Federation of Press Women’s Communications Contest (2022); “They Only Showed Elvis from the Waist Up,” First Place, Southwest Writers Writing Contest (2023); and “Running Errands,” Finalist, Hemingway Shorts Competition, sponsored by the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park (2023).
Joe invites you to read more of his work and follow his anything-but-straight-line career at joecappelloauthor.com.
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