Interview with Michael Morris and Dick Pirozzolo

Michael Morris, author of "Escape from Saigon: A Novel"

Michael Morris's Website

Michael Morris, who grew up in New York City was drafted into the US Army at the height of the war. He saw combat as a nineteen-year-old infantry sergeant in 1967–68, where he served in the northern I Corps region during some of the war’s fiercest fighting, including the 1968 Tet Offensive that changed the course of the conflict. He was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in combat.

He later earned his master’s degree at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and became a reporter and feature writer for Gannett Newspapers in New York, where he wrote for the debut issues of USA Today.

His journalism career included stints as an editor and contributor to TIME, Sports Illustrated, Wired, and Popular Science. He is author of several books on the home and sports. Mike returned to Vietnam in 2015 with a delegation of scholars, journalists and authors to examine the changes that have taken place since the events portrayed in Escape from Saigon.

The reader is immediately drawn in by the heroes, secret agents, turncoats, romance and danger in “Escape from Saigon.” This is a fast paced saga of bravery, intrigue and the human spirit that follows the lives of diplomats, journalists, CIA agents and Vietnamese refugees–all trapped in Saigon– their beloved city once known as The Paris of the Orient.·The action is set during the final 30 days of the Vietnam War as the city’s inhabitants look for any way to escape the advancing North Vietnamese Army. Among them are Matt Moran, a soldier searching for his Vietnamese wife’s terrified relatives; Lisette Vo a Vietnamese-American TV reporter who risks her life to chronicle the events of that fateful time; an American businessman who “adopts” 300 of his employees in a bid to sneak them out. All this while the enemy army tightens its stranglehold on the city in a novel that reveals the plight of ordinary people swept up by the mistakes and folly of their leaders.·”Escape from Saigon” is ideal for anyone who plans to visit Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City, and wants to know how the city evolved from a French colonial oasis to a popular travel destination. 
Casey Sherman, New York Times Bestselling Author of “The Finest Hours”
“Escape from Saigon is a sweeping saga that places you dead center in the tumultuous final days of the war in Vietnam. Authors Mike Morris and Dick Pirozzolo carry on the tradition of Michener and Clavell in that they make history come alive through rich, compelling characters in a pulsating narrative.” 
Winston Groom, author of “Better Times Than These” and “Forrest Gump”
“Set during the final days of the Vietnam War, Escape From Saigon brings to life the war-torn lives of the men and women, soldiers and civilians alike, each trying to escape the fall of Saigon before it engulfs them all. A vivid, unvarnished vision.”·Nicholas Gage, author of “Eleni: A savage war, a mother’s love and a son’s revenge – a personal story” and “Greek Heat.”·”Escape from Saigon movingly dramatizes the plight of people caught in the crucible of war and trying to survive. A searing tale that vividly recreates a tumultuous time in our recent history.”·Skip Yetter, author of “Rilertown: A Jake Ketcher Novel” who also ran an NGO relief organization in Cambodia.·”Michael Morris and Dick Pirozzolo have created a mirror image of the Vietnam War with the style and authority of Tom Clancy, accurately depicting the final heartbreaking weeks of the decades long conflict. Lovers of intrigue, history, or anyone in search of an excellent action read that accurately depicts the journalists who covered the Vietnam War will love this book.”·Barry Nolan, former anchor of “Hard Copy”·From the beginning – you can smell the cordite and feel the fear. As a reporter I loved the truthful sketches of bar scenes, and the pervading sense of how messy and risky life really was behind the neatly edited stories that – for the first time – brought war into our living rooms.·Erika Armstrong, ATP, aviation professor, and author of “A Chick in the Cockpit”·”The Vietnam War produced some of the best pilots in the world because their lives, as well as the soldiers on the ground, depended on them to get it right on the first try. Escape from Saigon makes the connection between what was happening in the air with the result of their efforts on the ground.”
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction–novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Dick Pirozzolo, author of "Escape from Saigon: A Novel"

Dick Pirozzolo's Website

Dick Pirozzolo served during the Vietnam War as a US Air Force information officer in Saigon, where he was a media spokesperson and participant at the daily press briefings nicknamed “The Five O’clock Follies.”

He developed a lasting affection for Vietnam and its people, figuring prominently in fostering US-Vietnam post war reconciliation and trade.

His articles on Vietnam have appeared in The Boston Herald, Transpacific, The Washington Times and Destination Vietnam to name a few publications.

He is a member of the Foreign Press Association and serves on the editorial board of Boston Global Forum, a think tank with ties to Harvard University that advances peaceful solutions to global conflict and fosters cultural, commercial, and political ties with Vietnam.

Dick is managing director of Pirozzolo Company Public Relations, an international communication consulting firm in Boston.

The reader is immediately drawn in by the heroes, secret agents, turncoats, romance and danger in “Escape from Saigon.” This is a fast paced saga of bravery, intrigue and the human spirit that follows the lives of diplomats, journalists, CIA agents and Vietnamese refugees–all trapped in Saigon– their beloved city once known as The Paris of the Orient.·The action is set during the final 30 days of the Vietnam War as the city’s inhabitants look for any way to escape the advancing North Vietnamese Army. Among them are Matt Moran, a soldier searching for his Vietnamese wife’s terrified relatives; Lisette Vo a Vietnamese-American TV reporter who risks her life to chronicle the events of that fateful time; an American businessman who “adopts” 300 of his employees in a bid to sneak them out. All this while the enemy army tightens its stranglehold on the city in a novel that reveals the plight of ordinary people swept up by the mistakes and folly of their leaders.·”Escape from Saigon” is ideal for anyone who plans to visit Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City, and wants to know how the city evolved from a French colonial oasis to a popular travel destination. 
Casey Sherman, New York Times Bestselling Author of “The Finest Hours”
“Escape from Saigon is a sweeping saga that places you dead center in the tumultuous final days of the war in Vietnam. Authors Mike Morris and Dick Pirozzolo carry on the tradition of Michener and Clavell in that they make history come alive through rich, compelling characters in a pulsating narrative.” 
Winston Groom, author of “Better Times Than These” and “Forrest Gump”
“Set during the final days of the Vietnam War, Escape From Saigon brings to life the war-torn lives of the men and women, soldiers and civilians alike, each trying to escape the fall of Saigon before it engulfs them all. A vivid, unvarnished vision.”·Nicholas Gage, author of “Eleni: A savage war, a mother’s love and a son’s revenge – a personal story” and “Greek Heat.”·”Escape from Saigon movingly dramatizes the plight of people caught in the crucible of war and trying to survive. A searing tale that vividly recreates a tumultuous time in our recent history.”·Skip Yetter, author of “Rilertown: A Jake Ketcher Novel” who also ran an NGO relief organization in Cambodia.·”Michael Morris and Dick Pirozzolo have created a mirror image of the Vietnam War with the style and authority of Tom Clancy, accurately depicting the final heartbreaking weeks of the decades long conflict. Lovers of intrigue, history, or anyone in search of an excellent action read that accurately depicts the journalists who covered the Vietnam War will love this book.”·Barry Nolan, former anchor of “Hard Copy”·From the beginning – you can smell the cordite and feel the fear. As a reporter I loved the truthful sketches of bar scenes, and the pervading sense of how messy and risky life really was behind the neatly edited stories that – for the first time – brought war into our living rooms.·Erika Armstrong, ATP, aviation professor, and author of “A Chick in the Cockpit”·”The Vietnam War produced some of the best pilots in the world because their lives, as well as the soldiers on the ground, depended on them to get it right on the first try. Escape from Saigon makes the connection between what was happening in the air with the result of their efforts on the ground.”
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction–novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Steve Murphy, Executive Producer & Host