(Jim) James Grippando is presenting his new book Twenty, a Jack Swyteck novel in person at Miami Book Fair on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 10am.

James’s presentation will also be live-streamed for free at miamibookfaironline.com

To make a reservation for this free event, and the hundreds of other author in person conversations and presentations at Miami Book Fair 2021, please visit miamibookfair.com.

00;00;00;00 – 00;00;20;10
Aaron Glickman
Welcome to Melinda’s welcome to current Miami, we’re here in the outdoor studio with Jim Grap Hondo, but he’s got a novel out 20, which is a Jack Sweetback. So I talked actually novel, which I enjoyed very much, and you’re going to be speaking at the book fair this year.

00;00;20;11 – 00;00;26;11
James Grippando
I am. This will be my my 28th book fair. I only missed one and that was during the pandemic.

00;00;26;14 – 00;00;27;18
Speaker 3
But that, yeah.

00;00;27;18 – 00;00;31;24
James Grippando
So yeah, my first novel in 94 came out and we did.

00;00;32;11 – 00;00;33;07
Speaker 3
The book fair that.

00;00;33;07 – 00;00;35;01
James Grippando
Year, and it’s been every year since.

00;00;35;10 – 00;00;36;08
Aaron Glickman
And you’re a Miami guy.

00;00;37;05 – 00;00;38;27
James Grippando
I’ve been here since 1984.

00;00;39;28 – 00;00;41;22
Speaker 3
And you remember me.

00;00;42;02 – 00;00;43;28
James Grippando
In the mid-eighties. You may remember a.

00;00;43;28 – 00;00;46;23
Speaker 3
Show called Miami Vice. Oh, yeah, yeah.

00;00;46;23 – 00;00;47;20
James Grippando
And that’s sort.

00;00;47;20 – 00;00;47;29
Speaker 3
Of what.

00;00;47;29 – 00;00;48;26
James Grippando
Piqued my interest.

00;00;48;26 – 00;00;52;15
Speaker 3
This seemed to be this insatiable appetite for people.

00;00;52;15 – 00;00;54;07
James Grippando
Everything cool about Miami.

00;00;54;07 – 00;00;55;05
Aaron Glickman
Is crime related.

00;00;55;06 – 00;00;59;16
Speaker 3
So well, crime related, but also just sort of it had a cachet about it.

00;00;59;16 – 00;01;02;04
James Grippando
You know? Back then, it was sort of.

00;01;02;04 – 00;01;03;18
Speaker 3
Like people looked at it.

00;01;03;18 – 00;01;04;26
James Grippando
With the same fascination.

00;01;04;26 – 00;01;06;21
Speaker 3
You look at sort of the reckless youth.

00;01;07;02 – 00;01;07;13
James Grippando
You know.

00;01;07;24 – 00;01;10;07
Speaker 3
Always you never know if it’s going to be danger.

00;01;10;18 – 00;01;15;17
James Grippando
Intrigue, excitement. And it’s all of those things. And so, so Miami is sort of.

00;01;15;17 – 00;01;16;08
Speaker 3
A character.

00;01;16;13 – 00;01;17;17
James Grippando
In my novels. As much.

00;01;17;17 – 00;01;18;04
Speaker 3
As a place.

00;01;18;05 – 00;01;23;04
Aaron Glickman
It really is. And then 20. I don’t know how much how much are we allowed to give away in interviews.

00;01;23;04 – 00;01;24;05
Speaker 3
Like, you know, you can.

00;01;24;05 – 00;01;25;13
James Grippando
You can give away as much as you.

00;01;25;13 – 00;01;40;08
Aaron Glickman
Want. So the story is, is about the 20th hijacker and who’s living here and who is who is Muslim, which actually comes in today’s day and age. You know, to write a negative. We’re in this age of political correctness.

00;01;40;08 – 00;01;43;29
Aaron Glickman
You almost have to be careful how you portray a Muslim character.

00;01;44;00 – 00;01;52;28
Speaker 3
You do. You do in that part of part of the intrigue of this of 20 is that, you know, I’d like to put.

00;01;52;28 – 00;01;54;08
James Grippando
Twists in the story.

00;01;54;08 – 00;01;58;19
Speaker 3
I write thrillers. So that’s what it’s all about, right? And so there is this immediate.

00;01;58;19 – 00;02;00;09
James Grippando
Presumption when it’s found that.

00;02;00;09 – 00;02;02;09
Speaker 3
The suspect of this.

00;02;02;17 – 00;02;03;15
James Grippando
Mass shootings.

00;02;03;15 – 00;02;04;10
Speaker 3
At a school.

00;02;04;23 – 00;02;06;18
James Grippando
May have a Muslim connection.

00;02;06;18 – 00;02;08;12
Speaker 3
There is that immediate.

00;02;08;28 – 00;02;09;13
Speaker 4
Um.

00;02;10;07 – 00;02;11;11
James Grippando
Muslim backlash.

00;02;11;15 – 00;02;14;26
Speaker 3
That you know is part of the story.

00;02;14;26 – 00;02;15;12
James Grippando
Line.

00;02;16;13 – 00;02;19;08
Speaker 3
And that’s it’s a it’s a sensitive.

00;02;19;08 – 00;02;23;03
James Grippando
Topic, and I’m not sure I would have taken it on as a first novel.

00;02;23;08 – 00;02;23;19
Speaker 3
Right?

00;02;23;19 – 00;02;24;15
James Grippando
Right now.

00;02;24;25 – 00;02;25;19
Speaker 3
I feel like.

00;02;25;23 – 00;02;35;22
James Grippando
You know, after 29 novels, I try to challenge myself and I like to take on hot-button topics and work them into an exciting story.

00;02;35;23 – 00;02;37;27
Speaker 3
And I think it worked.

00;02;37;27 – 00;02;38;04
James Grippando
You know.

00;02;38;12 – 00;02;48;06
Aaron Glickman
I think, you know, I enjoyed it very much. I was riveted. And your lead character, Jack Switek is a lawyer and you’re a lawyer. So obviously you’re writing about what you know. Right? How did that process.

00;02;48;21 – 00;02;51;01
Speaker 3
You know? So, so Jack.

00;02;51;18 – 00;02;53;22
James Grippando
Started in 1994 in a book.

00;02;53;22 – 00;02;54;03
Speaker 3
Called The.

00;02;54;03 – 00;02;55;26
James Grippando
Pardon, and I never intended to.

00;02;55;26 – 00;02;59;00
Speaker 3
Write a series. It was. I wrote five.

00;02;59;00 – 00;03;00;10
James Grippando
Standalone novels.

00;03;00;10 – 00;03;02;19
Speaker 3
After that thought I had tidied up the.

00;03;02;19 – 00;03;04;01
James Grippando
Story in the pardon.

00;03;04;01 – 00;03;04;21
Speaker 3
Very well.

00;03;04;21 – 00;03;05;28
James Grippando
It was over and done with.

00;03;06;29 – 00;03;08;14
Speaker 4
And then my.

00;03;08;14 – 00;03;08;27
Speaker 3
Editor.

00;03;09;12 – 00;03;10;11
James Grippando
Carolyn Marino, who.

00;03;10;11 – 00;03;11;29
Speaker 3
Has since retired, but I had her for.

00;03;11;29 – 00;03;16;07
James Grippando
23 novels, Carol and around 2000, said, You know.

00;03;16;16 – 00;03;17;11
Speaker 3
Jack was this.

00;03;17;11 – 00;03;19;06
James Grippando
Really interesting character.

00;03;19;06 – 00;03;19;24
Speaker 3
He was this.

00;03;20;07 – 00;03;21;00
James Grippando
Miami.

00;03;22;09 – 00;03;23;07
Speaker 3
Loner.

00;03;23;07 – 00;03;25;25
James Grippando
Of an attorney who defended death row inmates.

00;03;26;03 – 00;03;29;20
Speaker 3
Very passionate about what he did, but he was.

00;03;29;20 – 00;03;30;05
James Grippando
Young and.

00;03;30;05 – 00;03;31;09
Speaker 3
Ideological, said, Wouldn’t.

00;03;31;09 – 00;03;32;02
James Grippando
It be fun just to.

00;03;32;02 – 00;03;33;22
Speaker 3
See, OK, where is.

00;03;33;22 – 00;03;34;28
James Grippando
Jack now in our.

00;03;34;28 – 00;03;41;29
Speaker 3
Eighties? It’s a little older. He’s gotten married, you know, is his situation is changed. And so we picked up.

00;03;42;05 – 00;03;43;01
James Grippando
With the next.

00;03;43;01 – 00;03;43;12
Speaker 3
Jack.

00;03;43;12 – 00;03;44;16
James Grippando
Switek novel not.

00;03;44;16 – 00;03;49;06
Speaker 3
Till 2002. And now they’re 17. Wow.

00;03;49;08 – 00;03;49;26
James Grippando
In the.

00;03;49;26 – 00;03;51;08
Speaker 3
Series? Oh, congratulations.

00;03;51;09 – 00;04;06;02
Aaron Glickman
Yeah, yeah. It’s a riveting character. He’s super smart. And then he’s got like, this flair. He’s like a Harrison Ford type guy, you know? You know, he added to Pete’s the the terrorist at the end of 20, which is, you know, what you know is going to happen.

00;04;06;02 – 00;04;18;27
Aaron Glickman
But it was it was fascinating to see it play out. And his wife, of course, is an FBI agent, and she’s quite in it. And it was a real ritzy Coconut Grove school. What was there, a specific school you based that on?

00;04;18;29 – 00;04;20;00
James Grippando
So any number.

00;04;20;00 – 00;04;26;04
Speaker 3
Of schools, you know, Miami has its share of, of very prestigious prep schools.

00;04;26;15 – 00;04;28;13
James Grippando
So I didn’t want to. And this is sort.

00;04;28;13 – 00;04;28;25
Speaker 3
Of like.

00;04;28;27 – 00;04;29;12
James Grippando
You know, like.

00;04;29;12 – 00;04;31;21
Speaker 3
A restaurant like this, I would never have a.

00;04;31;22 – 00;04;37;04
James Grippando
Crime happen here. I might put it into my book, but I would never have a crime happen here. And it’s the same thing with the.

00;04;37;04 – 00;04;38;26
Speaker 3
Schools, right? I would never want to.

00;04;39;09 – 00;04;40;19
James Grippando
Have a crime happen in an.

00;04;40;19 – 00;04;41;02
Speaker 3
Actual.

00;04;41;02 – 00;04;42;16
Aaron Glickman
School. So you made a professional.

00;04;42;20 – 00;04;47;09
Speaker 3
So I made a fictional school. But you know, the experience, the way this sort of came together.

00;04;48;04 – 00;04;56;12
James Grippando
You know, my mother, who’s now 94, lives in Coral Springs, and she wasn’t far from where the Parkland shooting happened. In fact.

00;04;56;12 – 00;04;58;21
Speaker 3
It was Coral Springs police who first.

00;04;58;21 – 00;04;59;11
James Grippando
Responded.

00;04;59;28 – 00;05;06;01
Speaker 3
That shooting. And so, you know, when you’re thinking of ideas for novels that sort of hit close.

00;05;06;01 – 00;05;07;25
James Grippando
To home because my, my brother and.

00;05;07;25 – 00;05;09;28
Speaker 3
Sister both went to high school, I was.

00;05;09;28 – 00;05;11;27
James Grippando
In college when we moved down here, but.

00;05;12;06 – 00;05;12;22
Speaker 3
My brother and.

00;05;12;22 – 00;05;15;04
James Grippando
Sister went to Coral Springs High School, and.

00;05;15;16 – 00;05;15;23
Speaker 3
So.

00;05;15;23 – 00;05;19;03
James Grippando
That element was in my mind of the school shooting.

00;05;20;07 – 00;05;23;27
Speaker 3
And for about 18 years, I’ve sort of.

00;05;23;27 – 00;05;26;17
James Grippando
Played around with the idea of some connection.

00;05;27;01 – 00;05;27;26
Speaker 3
To this.

00;05;28;03 – 00;05;30;08
James Grippando
You know, you mentioned the 20th hijacker.

00;05;30;27 – 00;05;38;12
Speaker 3
And so you do the what ifs games, right? So I had this sort of this merger of two concepts.

00;05;38;12 – 00;05;41;18
James Grippando
one is school shooting. And secondly.

00;05;42;18 – 00;05;44;03
Speaker 3
What if the.

00;05;44;03 – 00;05;45;12
James Grippando
20th hijacker.

00;05;45;12 – 00;05;45;29
Speaker 3
Is still.

00;05;45;29 – 00;05;56;01
James Grippando
Around right now because they only accounted for 19? Yeah, yeah. In in in the wreckage. What if he’s still around? And I first.

00;05;56;01 – 00;06;00;26
Speaker 3
Started thinking, Well, what if he’s dangerous? What if he’s a bad guy? But then I thought, What’s more.

00;06;01;00 – 00;06;02;08
James Grippando
Even more interesting is.

00;06;02;25 – 00;06;03;09
Speaker 3
What if he’s.

00;06;03;09 – 00;06;06;05
James Grippando
Just a normal guy now like you and me.

00;06;06;05 – 00;06;08;01
Aaron Glickman
And an elevated member of the community?

00;06;08;17 – 00;06;10;05
James Grippando
Exactly. And and.

00;06;10;05 – 00;06;13;09
Speaker 3
But has this terrible secret that he was.

00;06;13;21 – 00;06;17;26
James Grippando
The 20th hijacker. And once I settled on that, I knew, OK.

00;06;17;26 – 00;06;21;03
Speaker 3
I’ve got that germ of a of a of a.

00;06;21;03 – 00;06;24;01
James Grippando
Great premise anyway and run from there.

00;06;24;05 – 00;06;42;05
Aaron Glickman
Now it was great. It was great. It was great. And you have the female character who who is who’s in on it, and she has this tainted history back in, you know? And it really touched on on how females are portrayed in that part of the world and and that and that brought its way over here.

00;06;42;06 – 00;06;43;15
Aaron Glickman
I mean, she was a fascinating character.

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Speaker 3
Yeah, she was interesting.

00;06;44;22 – 00;06;45;20
James Grippando
To write, you know.

00;06;45;20 – 00;07;06;04
Speaker 3
So this is sort of the the the the girlfriend of the high school student who was accused of and I emphasize, accused of the mass shooting and. Some of that’s you know, I do a lot of research for.

00;07;06;04 – 00;07;07;21
James Grippando
The novels, right? And so.

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Speaker 3
So and so this idea of.

00;07;13;05 – 00;07;16;14
James Grippando
You know, she turns this isn’t giving in a way anything about the storyline, but.

00;07;16;15 – 00;07;17;11
Speaker 3
It’s.

00;07;17;11 – 00;07;18;15
James Grippando
In fascinating part.

00;07;18;15 – 00;07;23;16
Speaker 3
Of the research where there are literally these sort of brides for.

00;07;23;16 – 00;07;25;16
James Grippando
A night. Yeah, in the Middle East, yeah, you.

00;07;25;16 – 00;07;27;20
Aaron Glickman
Have to be married, but it’s prostitution.

00;07;27;21 – 00;07;30;04
Speaker 3
It’s basically prostitution. Exactly.

00;07;30;04 – 00;07;31;07
James Grippando
And these.

00;07;31;28 – 00;07;33;17
Speaker 3
Young girls get caught up.

00;07;33;17 – 00;07;34;04
James Grippando
In.

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Speaker 3
It. I mean, these are basically just.

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Speaker 4
Um.

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Speaker 3
It’s like you say, it’s basically prostitution, but it’s.

00;07;42;00 – 00;07;42;29
James Grippando
Technically has.

00;07;42;29 – 00;07;43;10
Speaker 3
Sort of.

00;07;43;10 – 00;07;43;16
James Grippando
This.

00;07;43;16 – 00;07;45;12
Speaker 3
Umbrella of the.

00;07;45;12 – 00;07;45;24
Aaron Glickman
Cleric.

00;07;45;24 – 00;07;46;29
Speaker 3
Marries the cleric.

00;07;46;29 – 00;07;47;17
James Grippando
Marriage.

00;07;47;17 – 00;07;52;04
Speaker 3
Right? Exactly. And so that storyline.

00;07;52;20 – 00;07;52;26
Speaker 4
And is.

00;07;52;26 – 00;07;53;10
Aaron Glickman
That real.

00;07;53;15 – 00;07;57;02
Speaker 3
Does have that prostitution that is that is there there’s.

00;07;57;02 – 00;07;59;16
James Grippando
An element of prostitution that works like that in that.

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Speaker 3
World. I mean, those are basically.

00;08;02;01 – 00;08;06;22
James Grippando
They are not it is not part of the Islamic religion. It’s an exploitation.

00;08;07;06 – 00;08;08;05
Speaker 3
Of the acts of.

00;08;08;05 – 00;08;09;22
James Grippando
The Islamic religion, the same way.

00;08;09;22 – 00;08;18;19
Speaker 3
Terrorism and it is an exploitation of of of Islam and and so. So I went down that road with caution.

00;08;18;19 – 00;08;22;10
James Grippando
Because again, you don’t want I don’t want to be someone who’s playing to.

00;08;22;10 – 00;08;24;05
Speaker 3
Stereotypes. But I thought that was.

00;08;24;17 – 00;08;28;04
James Grippando
Enough of an interesting and unknown component of.

00;08;28;04 – 00;08;29;20
Speaker 3
It that readers would.

00;08;29;20 – 00;08;30;15
James Grippando
Find it interesting.

00;08;30;16 – 00;08;48;07
Aaron Glickman
I found it fascinating, you know, and I and yeah, OK. So they’re going to justify their illicit behavior through some sort of fake marriage and somehow that cleanses it with God. And we have versions in Judaism and Christianity where people, where it’s where it’s convoluted like that.

00;08;48;07 – 00;08;54;20
Aaron Glickman
So it’s not. It’s not only them. I mean, there’s all kinds of people do all kinds of things that justify it. So I found it fascinating.

00;08;55;13 – 00;08;58;04
Speaker 3
But the story of that was actually.

00;08;58;04 – 00;08;59;15
James Grippando
Based on an actual young.

00;08;59;15 – 00;09;05;03
Speaker 3
Girl who was 15 who told her story, I think to the BBC of.

00;09;06;05 – 00;09;09;13
James Grippando
Getting married in the back of a cab on their way.

00;09;09;13 – 00;09;10;14
Speaker 3
To a hotel.

00;09;10;15 – 00;09;11;18
James Grippando
Right. And so the marriage.

00;09;11;18 – 00;09;14;05
Speaker 3
Lasted whatever it was, a night.

00;09;14;28 – 00;09;15;07
James Grippando
In the.

00;09;15;07 – 00;09;17;27
Speaker 3
Hotel, which is tragic.

00;09;17;27 – 00;09;19;21
James Grippando
It’s nothing more than trafficking.

00;09;20;18 – 00;09;25;02
Speaker 3
You know, but you know, I try to write about.

00;09;25;10 – 00;09;27;01
James Grippando
Real things in ways.

00;09;27;01 – 00;09;30;01
Speaker 3
That move the story. That’s the key, right, is that you.

00;09;30;11 – 00;09;32;26
James Grippando
You don’t want. I’m not just putting these things in the.

00;09;32;26 – 00;09;38;29
Speaker 3
Book because they’re salacious. When people read the book, they’ll see how it does.

00;09;39;07 – 00;09;40;11
James Grippando
Really tie into the.

00;09;40;12 – 00;09;41;00
Speaker 3
Story.

00;09;41;00 – 00;09;41;13
James Grippando
And move.

00;09;41;13 – 00;09;42;14
Speaker 3
The story forward.

00;09;42;28 – 00;09;44;10
James Grippando
And that’s the key, you know, is.

00;09;44;10 – 00;09;45;27
Speaker 3
That I hate books.

00;09;45;27 – 00;09;48;00
James Grippando
When I read them and I.

00;09;48;07 – 00;09;49;12
Speaker 3
Especially as a writer, I.

00;09;49;12 – 00;09;49;26
James Grippando
Can kind of.

00;09;49;26 – 00;09;54;24
Speaker 3
Figure it out, right? OK? The writer, did you know a week of.

00;09;54;24 – 00;09;57;24
James Grippando
Research on this? And by God, it’s going to find its way into the.

00;09;57;24 – 00;09;59;11
Speaker 3
Story, whether it moves the.

00;09;59;11 – 00;10;00;04
James Grippando
Story and.

00;10;00;08 – 00;10;00;25
Speaker 3
Forward or.

00;10;00;25 – 00;10;05;08
James Grippando
Yeah, you know, and I hate when I come to those parts because then I just want to start scripting.

00;10;05;22 – 00;10;09;16
Speaker 3
Pages. So it’s painful.

00;10;09;16 – 00;10;11;08
James Grippando
When I have to cut something that I.

00;10;11;08 – 00;10;15;16
Speaker 3
Researched extensively and has to cut it out because it doesn’t move the story.

00;10;15;16 – 00;10;16;27
James Grippando
But this one found its.

00;10;16;28 – 00;10;17;09
Speaker 3
Way and you.

00;10;17;09 – 00;10;29;00
Aaron Glickman
Have to be true and story. Yeah. Always so good. I’m glad it did, because it’s fascinating, and it was just something that I had never even thought of I. And when I was reading it, I was like, Oh, it was just so dark and the cleric in the dark.

00;10;29;03 – 00;10;42;29
Aaron Glickman
I think you had him smoking cigarets. The whole thing was kind of just dark and seedy, which I like. I like dark and seedy. And, you know, it was some sort of like repulsion and admiration at the same time.

00;10;43;07 – 00;10;49;12
Aaron Glickman
So it was it was a wonderful book and and I and I and I know you’re having success with it.

00;10;50;08 – 00;10;57;17
Speaker 3
I’ve get the feedback I’ve gotten is that it is the best in the Jack Switek, not a series. So which is very.

00;10;57;17 – 00;10;58;15
James Grippando
Gratifying, right?

00;10;58;15 – 00;11;00;03
Speaker 3
Because one of the hardest.

00;11;00;03 – 00;11;00;22
James Grippando
Things.

00;11;00;27 – 00;11;06;07
Speaker 3
To do. Well, one of the things you worry about the most is is the series getting stale?

00;11;06;09 – 00;11;07;24
James Grippando
Right, right? You know everybody.

00;11;07;24 – 00;11;11;23
Speaker 3
Who’s ever written. I’m sure Ian Fleming worried if James.

00;11;11;23 – 00;11;12;04
James Grippando
Bond.

00;11;12;04 – 00;11;13;03
Speaker 3
Was getting stale.

00;11;13;04 – 00;11;13;21
James Grippando
You know, and.

00;11;14;23 – 00;11;26;21
Speaker 3
So to hear 17 books in the series that readers who have read every book in the series think this is the best one yet is really your finally so well, that’s kind of the way I.

00;11;26;21 – 00;11;27;25
James Grippando
Feel, you know, because.

00;11;28;08 – 00;11;29;05
Speaker 3
And that’s also one of.

00;11;29;05 – 00;11;31;13
James Grippando
The thing, you know, when you write a series, you’ve got to think.

00;11;31;26 – 00;11;35;18
Speaker 3
OK, is he going to be, you know, 35 forever?

00;11;36;09 – 00;11;41;19
James Grippando
You know, like a James Bond? Or is he going to evolve? You know, and Jack started.

00;11;41;19 – 00;11;42;04
Speaker 3
Is, like.

00;11;42;04 – 00;11;43;06
James Grippando
I said, 28 years.

00;11;43;06 – 00;11;44;29
Speaker 3
Old, idealistic.

00;11;45;11 – 00;11;50;16
James Grippando
He’s been married and divorced. Now he’s remarried, has children and.

00;11;51;05 – 00;11;51;20
Speaker 3
Readers.

00;11;51;20 – 00;11;53;28
James Grippando
Dig on that right. They kind of evolve.

00;11;53;28 – 00;11;55;00
Speaker 3
With the character.

00;11;55;00 – 00;11;59;00
James Grippando
And by the time you know, he comes around and has.

00;11;59;00 – 00;12;02;15
Speaker 3
To, you know, make. His choice about.

00;12;02;15 – 00;12;08;03
James Grippando
Defending a young Muslim boy who’s not that young, I mean, at 18.

00;12;08;04 – 00;12;13;03
Speaker 3
Yeah, right. So but he’s charged with the most horrific.

00;12;13;11 – 00;12;18;06
James Grippando
Crime imaginable, which is going into a school and unloading an AK.

00;12;18;06 – 00;12;22;12
Speaker 3
47. So that’s a very difficult choice.

00;12;22;12 – 00;12;23;07
Speaker 4
And um.

00;12;23;20 – 00;12;24;07
James Grippando
And I.

00;12;24;07 – 00;12;29;14
Speaker 3
Think readers really appreciate the the agony the Jack goes through.

00;12;29;20 – 00;12;30;21
James Grippando
And deciding.

00;12;30;21 – 00;12;32;26
Speaker 3
Whether to take this case.

00;12;32;28 – 00;12;42;29
Aaron Glickman
Yeah, I felt as though know it all worked. It all worked. So. So you participated in all the book fairs. What is the book fair meant to Miami?

00;12;43;12 – 00;12;44;10
Speaker 3
I think, you know.

00;12;44;17 – 00;12;45;01
James Grippando
In some.

00;12;45;01 – 00;12;48;12
Speaker 3
Ways, it’s sort of the first thing culturally.

00;12;48;13 – 00;12;50;14
James Grippando
Miami really got organized.

00;12;50;18 – 00;12;51;04
Speaker 3
About.

00;12;51;04 – 00;12;53;01
James Grippando
And did well. Now it has a number.

00;12;53;01 – 00;12;53;06
Speaker 3
Of.

00;12;53;28 – 00;12;54;26
James Grippando
So many great.

00;12;56;00 – 00;12;58;02
Speaker 3
Cultural events. But back, you.

00;12;58;02 – 00;13;00;26
James Grippando
Know, when it first began to undertake.

00;13;00;26 – 00;13;01;07
Speaker 3
This.

00;13;01;07 – 00;13;02;08
James Grippando
Kind of.

00;13;02;22 – 00;13;03;13
Speaker 3
A.

00;13;03;15 – 00;13;04;04
James Grippando
Mission.

00;13;04;04 – 00;13;05;08
Speaker 3
To to be to.

00;13;05;08 – 00;13;10;10
James Grippando
Put Miami on the literary map and it has put Miami. I mean, there is.

00;13;11;03 – 00;13;13;12
Speaker 3
There isn’t a book.

00;13;13;12 – 00;13;20;25
James Grippando
Lover in the world who doesn’t know Miami book fair international, right? It’s it’s become that phenomenal.

00;13;21;19 – 00;13;22;17
Speaker 3
And I’m still.

00;13;22;17 – 00;13;24;09
James Grippando
Astounded when I find.

00;13;24;23 – 00;13;26;12
Speaker 3
People who read.

00;13;26;23 – 00;13;28;17
James Grippando
In Miami and have never been to.

00;13;28;17 – 00;13;29;06
Speaker 3
The book fair.

00;13;29;07 – 00;13;30;20
James Grippando
So shame on you.

00;13;31;16 – 00;13;35;29
Speaker 3
If you’ve never been to the book fair. But there it is, just, you know.

00;13;35;29 – 00;13;37;01
James Grippando
Literally hundreds.

00;13;37;01 – 00;13;37;20
Speaker 3
Of authors.

00;13;37;20 – 00;13;38;29
James Grippando
From all over the country.

00;13;39;12 – 00;13;52;10
Speaker 3
And they become part of the dialog with Miami, its its residents, its writers, it’s aspiring writers.

00;13;53;11 – 00;13;53;28
James Grippando
And.

00;13;54;19 – 00;13;56;09
Aaron Glickman
Its year round now and their programing year.

00;13;56;10 – 00;13;56;20
Speaker 3
Round.

00;13;57;05 – 00;13;59;09
James Grippando
Yeah, yeah, they do. But there’s.

00;13;59;09 – 00;13;59;20
Speaker 3
Still.

00;13;59;22 – 00;14;01;26
James Grippando
Something about that magical.

00;14;01;26 – 00;14;02;25
Speaker 3
three days at.

00;14;02;25 – 00;14;03;23
James Grippando
The end of the book.

00;14;03;23 – 00;14;05;14
Speaker 3
Fair the street fair.

00;14;05;27 – 00;14;08;21
James Grippando
There’s nothing like it in the world.

00;14;08;21 – 00;14;22;14
Speaker 3
Right where you are just going by booth after booth after booth filled with books, organizations that love books, publishers who publish books, authors who who.

00;14;22;15 – 00;14;26;27
James Grippando
Want nothing more than to entertain their audience and connect with their audience.

00;14;26;27 – 00;14;31;04
Speaker 3
It’s all. It’s all happening at those three days that the book at the Street Fair.

00;14;31;12 – 00;14;44;06
Aaron Glickman
Yeah, the mid-eighties. That was a time when, yeah, I mean, I would. It was one of the first cultural things. There were a couple of others that started around the same time, but that was a that was a time in Miami that led to where we are now.

00;14;44;09 – 00;14;47;27
Aaron Glickman
It is, I mean, you can make arguments that we don’t have Art Basel without that period.

00;14;47;27 – 00;14;49;28
Speaker 3
In the eighties. You could make that argument.

00;14;49;28 – 00;14;52;16
James Grippando
You know, back then, I think we had the King Mango Strut.

00;14;52;23 – 00;14;54;22
Speaker 3
And the book fair. Yeah, and we had.

00;14;55;03 – 00;15;06;16
Aaron Glickman
Mango and it started. I mean, I did a piece with Eduardo, Pedro it and listening to him, you know, it started as a way to get people downtown. It was. It wasn’t necessarily this, you know, he’s the first.

00;15;06;16 – 00;15;18;19
Aaron Glickman
He said it in the interview. What didn’t come, even though he loves books and literature? It literally started as a way to bring people downtown. And now when you look at downtown, you see that that that seed has blossomed and.

00;15;18;19 – 00;15;20;00
Speaker 3
It’s really it has, you know.

00;15;20;00 – 00;15;20;25
Aaron Glickman
We’re downtown right now.

00;15;21;12 – 00;15;22;15
Speaker 3
Which is which.

00;15;22;15 – 00;15;24;02
James Grippando
Is amazing because when I moved.

00;15;24;03 – 00;15;24;16
Speaker 3
Here.

00;15;25;00 – 00;15;25;15
Speaker 4
Um.

00;15;25;25 – 00;15;26;18
James Grippando
In the early.

00;15;26;18 – 00;15;29;00
Speaker 3
Eighties, it was a very tumultuous time, right?

00;15;29;00 – 00;15;30;20
James Grippando
I mean, it was just on the heels.

00;15;31;05 – 00;15;33;28
Speaker 3
Of of the Liberty City riots.

00;15;34;10 – 00;15;35;13
James Grippando
The and.

00;15;36;21 – 00;15;37;05
Speaker 3
I.

00;15;37;12 – 00;15;39;02
James Grippando
Am just I’m astounded at.

00;15;39;02 – 00;15;41;18
Speaker 3
What this area has become.

00;15;41;19 – 00;15;43;05
Aaron Glickman
And you made reference to that in 20.

00;15;43;23 – 00;15;47;03
James Grippando
I do, you know, and because I have, I have an affinity.

00;15;47;03 – 00;15;52;17
Speaker 3
For this area through Theo’s Theo Night is Jack Switek.

00;15;52;17 – 00;15;53;00
James Grippando
And anybody.

00;15;53;00 – 00;15;57;28
Speaker 3
Who’s read the series. They all love Theo. OK, so Theo was the only.

00;15;58;07 – 00;16;00;18
James Grippando
Client Jack ever had on death.

00;16;00;18 – 00;16;01;03
Speaker 3
Row who was.

00;16;01;03 – 00;16;01;28
James Grippando
Actually innocent.

00;16;02;21 – 00;16;05;28
Speaker 3
But he lives his life like you’d.

00;16;05;28 – 00;16;08;12
James Grippando
Expect someone to live their life if they spent.

00;16;08;12 – 00;16;09;28
Speaker 3
four years on death row.

00;16;09;28 – 00;16;11;14
James Grippando
For a crime they hadn’t committed.

00;16;11;14 – 00;16;15;10
Speaker 3
Right. So life is short is his is Theo’s mentality.

00;16;15;27 – 00;16;17;29
James Grippando
And and Theo has.

00;16;19;02 – 00;16;19;13
Speaker 3
His.

00;16;19;19 – 00;16;20;19
James Grippando
Uncle, Cy.

00;16;21;05 – 00;16;22;04
Speaker 3
Who plays the.

00;16;22;04 – 00;16;23;08
James Grippando
Saxophone and.

00;16;24;05 – 00;16;29;12
Speaker 3
Is part of the Old Town old Overtown. Exactly.

00;16;29;13 – 00;16;29;23
James Grippando
You know.

00;16;29;23 – 00;16;31;23
Speaker 3
With the great jazz clubs that have.

00;16;31;23 – 00;16;35;00
James Grippando
Gone gone the way of wrecking balls.

00;16;35;00 – 00;16;35;22
Speaker 3
Most of them.

00;16;36;02 – 00;16;36;27
James Grippando
But now.

00;16;37;02 – 00;16;38;04
Speaker 3
This area is.

00;16;38;04 – 00;16;38;27
James Grippando
Becoming.

00;16;40;10 – 00;16;41;07
Speaker 3
What it used to.

00;16;41;07 – 00;16;42;09
James Grippando
Be, and it’s not.

00;16;42;11 – 00;16;42;22
Speaker 3
Like the.

00;16;42;22 – 00;16;57;09
Aaron Glickman
Jazz here at Belinda’s on Wednesdays. I don’t know that it would. It would be comparable to the to the Overtown shameless plug there. But but you know, yeah, there is. There is action down here now, but it’s not situated in.

00;16;57;10 – 00;17;17;10
Aaron Glickman
I mean, back then it was a very specific thing. Black community was separate. It was the performers that would perform on Miami Beach had to live and stay over here in Overtown because they weren’t allowed to go to Miami Beach so that I’m sure that’s spawned its own universe within Overtown with the arts and that so we’re

00;17;17;10 – 00;17;19;03
Aaron Glickman
never going to get that again. No, just good.

00;17;19;10 – 00;17;21;09
Speaker 3
That is that we don’t think we.

00;17;21;09 – 00;17;35;09
Aaron Glickman
Don’t want that. You know, everyone’s intermingled now and doing it together, which I think is which I think shows the progress that we’ve made not only here, but in our whole country. So not to get too political with anything, but it’s yeah, but that’s where we are.

00;17;35;11 – 00;17;35;17
Speaker 3
Yeah.

00;17;35;18 – 00;17;39;04
James Grippando
Well, and Miami is just so fascinating in that regard.

00;17;39;04 – 00;17;41;04
Speaker 3
Because you don’t if you.

00;17;41;04 – 00;17;42;10
James Grippando
Were to come here now.

00;17;42;10 – 00;17;44;15
Speaker 3
Especially as a younger visitor.

00;17;45;22 – 00;17;51;15
James Grippando
You wouldn’t understand that Miami, because Miami and even even in the 1988 Miami, now.

00;17;51;15 – 00;17;54;15
Speaker 3
four felt like part of the Old South. Right? Yeah. But there.

00;17;54;15 – 00;17;55;27
James Grippando
Was a time when Miami.

00;17;55;27 – 00;17;56;14
Speaker 3
Was.

00;17;56;23 – 00;17;57;13
James Grippando
Miami.

00;17;57;23 – 00;17;58;29
Speaker 3
Yeah, because they used to say.

00;17;58;29 – 00;17;59;16
James Grippando
It and.

00;17;59;16 – 00;18;02;23
Speaker 3
Really was part of the Old South, and that is part of our history and.

00;18;03;24 – 00;18;06;22
James Grippando
In and I think it’s important to remember history.

00;18;06;22 – 00;18;13;02
Speaker 3
Yeah. You know, so so especially when you can do it through a character like Theo.

00;18;13;02 – 00;18;15;10
James Grippando
And his connection to his great uncle.

00;18;15;23 – 00;18;16;22
Speaker 3
Who was, you know.

00;18;17;06 – 00;18;18;04
James Grippando
Playing in the band?

00;18;18;08 – 00;18;18;19
Speaker 3
Yeah.

00;18;18;20 – 00;18;24;20
James Grippando
Um, back in the in the fifties and sixties when Miami was a very different place indeed.

00;18;24;22 – 00;18;37;22
Aaron Glickman
Well, Jim, I know that you’re a huge Florida gator fan and you have the world’s largest cocktail party today. You got Florida Georgia game. I went to Florida State, so. So yeah.

00;18;37;22 – 00;18;38;09
Speaker 3
Well, we have a.

00;18;38;09 – 00;18;40;08
James Grippando
Connection. My wife is a Seminole, so.

00;18;40;08 – 00;18;41;04
Speaker 3
We have that much.

00;18;41;09 – 00;18;42;14
Aaron Glickman
Better half for sure.

00;18;43;22 – 00;18;44;08
Speaker 3
I’m better.

00;18;45;01 – 00;18;52;05
Aaron Glickman
But but our football, our football has gone the way of the dodo. We are. We are not. We are not very good at.

00;18;52;06 – 00;18;53;09
Speaker 3
I think you’ll be back.

00;18;53;11 – 00;18;56;04
Aaron Glickman
I hope so. Yeah, but I want to thank you for joining me.

00;18;56;07 – 00;18;56;29
Speaker 3
It was great.

00;18;56;29 – 00;19;00;03
James Grippando
Great, and I will see you on a Wednesday night, for sure.

00;19;00;11 – 00;19;01;20
Speaker 3
For jazz, hear jazz.

00;19;02;03 – 00;19;08;20
Aaron Glickman
There you go. We had some um guys, we have a resident jazz company. Um, and and I enjoy it.

00;19;08;21 – 00;19;09;07
Speaker 3
I am.

00;19;09;07 – 00;19;09;22
James Grippando
Looking forward.

00;19;09;22 – 00;19;10;12
Speaker 3
To it. Great.