Formerly a Hollywood screenwriter, DENNIS PALUMBO is now a licensed psychotherapist, specializing in creative issues. His debut crime novel, "Mirror Image," is the first in a series featuring psychologist and trauma expert Daniel Rinaldi. The sequel, "Fever Dream," is available now, and the third Rinaldi, "Night Terrors," appeared this May.
RTE: Describe yourself in a sentence?
Palumbo: I'm a former Hollywood screenwriter (My Favorite Year; Welcome Back, Kotter, etc.), now a licensed psychotherapist and author of the Daniel Rinaldi series of mysteries.
RTE: What's the one record you'd take to a desert island?
Palumbo: The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
RTE: What did you want to be when you were growing up?
Palumbo: I wanted to be a rocket scientist. Seriously. Until I discovered that there was math involved. In college, I split my interest between writing and psychology...as I still do now.
RTE: Who's your oldest friend?
Palumbo: Jim Denova, from my first days at the University of Pittsburgh. He still lives there, and we're still best friends.
RTE: If I ruled the world...
Palumbo: I suspect it would be in even worse shape than it is now. Except that every day would feature an NFL game.
RTE: Which book do you wish you'd written?
Palumbo: "Presumed Innocent" by Scott Turow. No, wait..."The Poet," by Michael Connelly. No, no, wait..."The Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad. No, no...aw, there are just too many!
RTE: What makes you angry?
Palumbo: Fundamentalism. Anyone who's certain that his/her beliefs are the one and only Truth.
RTE: Name your five dream dinner party guests.
Palumbo: Oscar Wilde. Dorothy Parker. Gore Vidal. Miles Davis. Helen Mirren
RTE: Who would you least like to be stuck in a lift with?
Palumbo: Karl Rove.
RTE: What inspired you to start writing?
Palumbo: Reading "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" when I was 10.
RTE: Where would you most like to live?
Palumbo: Oxford, England. Here in the states? Monterey, California.
RTE: Sum up your latest book in no more than 12 words.
Palumbo: Psychologist Daniel Rinaldi treats an FBI profiler on a killer's hit list