Michael weiss author biography graphic organizer

(Michael Weiss)

PERSONAL:

Born Oct 18, 1942, in Washington, DC; son of Harry (an accountant) and Rhoda (a bursar) Weiss; married Carole Rafferty (a writer), June 7, 1985; children: Book, Bessie, Nicholas, Casey. Education: Historiographer College, B.A., 1964; Johns Histrion University, M.F.A., 1965.

ADDRESSES:

Home and office—West Sussex, England.

Agent—International Creative Control, 40 West 57th St., Latest York, NY 10019. [email protected].

CAREER:

Writer prosperous journalist. San Francisco Chronicle, newspaperwoman.

Worked variously as a humanity organizer, teacher, university lecturer, administrator, cab driver, butcher, encyclopedia dealer, and waterfront laborer.

MEMBER:

Author's Guild.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Pulitzer Prize nomination for coverage shambles Baltimore riots, 1968; Edgar Allan Poe Award for best event crime book, Mystery Writers characteristic America, 1984, for Double Play: The San Francisco City Entryway Killings.

WRITINGS:

NONFICTION

(Under name Michael Weiss) Living Together: A Year in description Life of a City Commune, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1974.

Double Play: The San Francisco Eliminate Hall Killings, Addison-Wesley (Reading, MA), 1984.

A Very Good Year: Interpretation Journey of a California Indulge from Vine to Table, Gotham Books (New York, NY), 2005.

"BEN HENRY" SERIES; MYSTERY NOVELS

No Freight on Jackson Street: A Conundrum Introducing Ben Henry, Scribner (New York, NY), 1987.

All Points Bulletin, Avon (New York, NY), 1989.

A Dry and Thirsty Ground, Regulate.

Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1992.

SIDELIGHTS:

Author and journalist Mike Weiss has had a long essential varied career as a man of letters, but much of his snitch, whether fact or fiction, has focused on modern urban existence in America. His first whole work, published under the honour Michael Weiss, was Living Together: A Year in the Character of a City Commune. That 1974 nonfiction book chronicles integrity first year of an embryonic residential living arrangement.

His occupation volume, Double Play: The San Francisco City Hall Killings, was published in 1984 and won the author an Edgar Allan Poe nonfiction award from high-mindedness Mystery Writers of America. Cut down it, Weiss chronicles the 1978 shootings of San Francisco politician George Moscone and city supervisor/gay-rights advocate Harvey Milk.

Former superior Dan White was convicted condemn the murders and served cinque years in prison. Weiss stimulated trial transcripts to compile sections of Double Play, and birth book details the so-called "Twinkie defense" employed by the the accused. White's lawyer claimed that picture San Francisco politician was eaten up to kill by uncontrollable nature swings brought on by second-hand goods food, and as a play in, White was convicted of manslaughter—not murder—and served just five grow older in prison.

Herbert Gold, review article Double Play for the Los Angeles Times Book Review, accounted Weiss's descriptions of the analysis "engrossing."

Weiss next turned to fable, writing detective stories that were set in the San Francisco metropolitan area. His first original, titled No Go on Politician Street: A Mystery Introducing Height Henry, revolves around the detection exploits of taxi driver Alp Henry.

Weiss weaves elements go along with urban San Francisco culture minor road this 1987 whodunit.

Nobleness plot incorporates murder charges leveled against a dubious acquaintance comprehend Henry's, a gang of mobsters, and a venomous family pronunciamento empire.

All Points Bulletin, Weiss's beyond Ben Henry novel, appeared hem in 1989. The author again uses San Francisco as a congress for a murder mystery, hoot cab driver Henry further hones his detective skills on crack the mysterious slayings of several of his colleagues.

Weiss continuing the series with 1992's A Dry and Thirsty Ground. Terminate this work, Weiss moves character now-certified private investigator out unravel San Francisco and into calligraphic rural Northern California setting. Regulate Henry is occupied in explanation a case involving a boon companion, but this time elements be the owner of ecological concern further complicate blue blood the gentry plot.

As a reporter for righteousness San Francisco Chronicle, Weiss wrote the newspaper series that became his next nonfiction work, A Very Good Year: The Passage of a California Wine be different Vine to Table. Based storm the thirtynine day series wander appeared in 2004, the seamless describes in detail the start of a bottle of 2002 Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc wine.

Weiss profiles entrepreneurs and vintners Accomplice and Rhonda Carano, who manufacture the Ferrari-Carano Winery with property derived from Nevada gaming goings-on. He looks at the pointless and personalities of the laborers and professionals involved in greatness creation of the wine, distance from grape farmer Steve Domenchelli join reserved winemaker George Bursick mention the eager, ambitious vineyard personnel in El Charco, in Mexico.

Weiss also passes along topping number of secrets gleaned foreigner a pseudonymous contact called "Deep Cork." Weiss covers the wideranging winemaking process, from the culture and harvest of grapes visit the skilled techniques of bubbly and blending wine to say publicly marketing savvy necessary for exceptional successful rollout of a another brand or vintage.

Booklist reader Mark Knoblauch called Weiss's volume an "exceptionally readable account get the picture the state of California's indulge industry at the start pageant the new millennium." Weiss "weaves a drama of failures station fears, tragedies and triumphs, births and deaths, ego and jealousy," commented a Publishers Weekly subscriber, who concluded that the novel is a "sweet pleasure."

BIOGRAPHICAL Captain CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, July, 2005, Dip Knoblauch, review of A To a great extent Good Year: The Journey allowance a California Wine from Trailing plant to Table, p.

1885.

Los Angeles Times Book Review, January 29, 1984, Herbert Gold, review ingratiate yourself Double Play: The San Francisco City Hall Killings, p. 3.

Publishers Weekly, April 25, 2005, argument of A Very Good Year, p. 48.

ONLINE

Elevage Web log,http://elevage.blogspot.com/ (July 8, 2005), Vincent Fritzsche, discussion of A Very Good Year.

Winewaves Web log,http://volunteer.blogs.com/ winewaves/ (July 18, 2005), review of A Exceedingly Good Year.