Ask the Author: Roland Lazenby

“Ask me a question.” Roland Lazenby

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Dear Roland, I represent a Portuguese publishing house. Could you please tell me who I should speak to regarding the translation rights of Michael Jordan's biography? Do not reply here so that my email address does not become public. If possible, reply directly to aspereira@kathartika.pt or forward my message to the right person. Thank you so much! Best, Angelo

Roland Lazenby I'm apologizing to you, Angelo. Just seeing this message (been buried in writing my Magic Johnson book). Please let me know if you found the answer. Sincerely, Roland Lazenby

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What mystery in your own life could be a plot for a book?

Roland Lazenby Well, it's a mystery tangentially in my own life. Who killed Vic Weiss in 1979? I address this in my forthcoming biography of Magic Johnson. In 1979, Johnson was about to become a Los Angeles Laker, and the team was about to hire Jerry Tarkanian of UNLV's Runnin' Rebels to be his coach. At the same time, Jerry Buss was in the process of purchasing the team from owner Jack Kent Cooke. Both owners met with Vic Weiss, a shady figure who was Tarkanian's longtime friend and agent. They met at a hotel, and as soon as Weiss left the meeting in his white Rolls Royce, he was abducted and murdered mob style. Thirty minutes after the meeting he was dead, his body stuffed in the trunk of his Rolls and parked in the garage at another hotel, the Universal City Sheraton, where it sat in the heat for several days. The case has never been solved.

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Roland Lazenby Well, like with my Jordan book, I had spent a fair amount of time with Kobe during the early part of his career. I was considering doing a definitive biography about him. Sonny Vaccaro encouraged me to think about telling Kobe's life story because he was such a complex and fascinating character.

I usually make lists of ideas on which projects to do and then study the lists to determine which is best.

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What books are on your summer reading list this year?

Roland Lazenby I like Larry McMurtry and was thinking of reading a little Larry this summer. Also Bruce Catton.

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How do you deal with writer’s block?

Roland Lazenby I find there's usually a reason behind it. For example, if I can't write a section of a book, it's because I'm not ready to write it. I need to learn more. So I usually go back and ask myself what I haven't done, what still needs to be done.

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What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Roland Lazenby Being a non-fiction author is about having the credentials to learn more, in my opinion. I am motivated by the research, by discovering new things, by meeting and interviewing people. But it's not just what they say. It's what they do and have done. I love analyzing that as well.

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Roland Lazenby Do lots of interviews. Ask lots of questions. The idea for non-fiction, and probably life in general, is to make yourself an expert in a core group of related things. For example, I write a lot about the National Basketball Association, which means I also write about business, race in America, competitive personalities, an array of topics related to my area of investigation.

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