Conversation between Frank Hummer and Herbert Grosshans

Hi. My name is Frank Hummer. I’m the main character in Bullet of Revenge, a contemporary mystery novel written by Herbert Grosshans. Mr. Grosshans is with us today and I’m going to ask him a few questions about his writing and specifically about his novel Mark of the Cobra, also a contemporary thriller, featuring Peter Hartmann.

Frank Hummer: “Hi, Mr. Grosshans. I’m pleased to have you with us today. How are you?”

Herbert Grosshans: “I’m fine, thank you, and glad to be here, Mr. Hummer. By the way, you don’t have to call me Mister Grosshans. Herbert will do just fine. After all, we’re no strangers to each other. You’ve been inside my head for two years.”

F. H. (chuckles): “And you in mine. Still, it feels strange to call you by your first name. I mean…you are like a god to me. You decided my fate, planned my daily activities, got me in and out of trouble. To call you by your first name somehow doesn’t feel right, Mr. Grosshans. If that is indeed your real name.”

H.G.: “I can assure you, it is my real name. Unlike the character Peter Hartmann, who is…”

F. H. (holds up his hand): “Don’t give away secrets, now. Let the readers find out those things.”

H.G.: “Okay, so what can I talk about?”

F. H.: “Quite a bit, as long as you don’t give away too many details. Tell our readers what kind of book Mark of the Cobra is.”

H. G.: “As you already said in the introduction, the novel is a contemporary thriller. You forgot to mention that it also contains erotica, lots of explicit erotica, actually.”

F. H.: “Do you enjoy writing erotica?”

H. G.: “I do, or perhaps I should say ‘I did’. Because I’ve written so much of it, I tend to not write as explicitly in the novels I write these days.”

F. H.: “Like in my story Bullet of Revenge? In fact, there is no explicit erotica in it.”

H. G.: “That’s right, but you do have a sexual relationship with a woman, except it happens behind closed doors, unlike Peter Hartmann, who has one sexual encounter after another…in explicit detail. However, it is not all about erotica in Mark of the Cobra. There is plenty of intrigue, mystery, and adventure in the story.”

F. H.: “Who is this Peter Hartmann? Can you tell us about him without giving away too much?”

H. G.: “Peter Hartmann is a sales rep who gets himself into trouble when he meets a prospective client, who wants him to do more than just sign a contract. Suddenly he finds himself accused of a double murder and drawn into a violent past he has left behind many years ago.”

F. H.: “That sounds intriguing. What made you write a contemporary novel, since your love is mainly Science Fiction and Fantasy?”

H. G.: “I wanted to prove to myself that I could also write in other genres. Mark of the Cobra was written quite a few years ago, but I rewrote it last year to make it publishable. Last year I published a 180,000 word contemporary novel Web of Conspiracy. Because of its length it was published as 3 books. It also features a character with a checkered past, but the story and setting is completely different from Mark of the Cobra.”

F. H.: “It seems you like to create characters with a mysterious past.” He chuckles. “I am such a character.”

H. G.: “That’s true. Even in my Science Fiction novels I write about men who are not what they seem. I also like to bring a few surprises to the end of the story. I want the readers to say, “I didn’t see that coming.” If I can achieve that I’ve done my job.”

F. H.: “Do you find writing a contemporary novel harder or easier to write than Science Fiction?”

H. G.: “Harder. You can’t fool around too much with facts. Places need to exist, history has to be correct, even the weather needs to be right. It takes much more research to write a contemporary novel than writing Science Fiction/Fantasy where you can create your own worlds and make up stuff. As long as it is believable.”

F. H.: “When you write, do you have an outline? Do you know the ending already before you start a story?”

H. G.: “I never know the ending. I get an idea and start writing, creating characters and events as I write. Once I’ve got a chapter or so, I list all the characters I’ve created in a file and begin fleshing them out. Sometimes I will make up a short background for each character. That’s how they come alive. As the story continues and I create more characters, I add them to the file. Most of the time I have no idea what kind of past my main character has. I discover that as I’m writing.”

F. H. (shakes his head in disbelieve): “That seems like jumping on a train not knowing its final destiny. How can you have order and logic in your story? How can it even come to a satisfactory conclusion?”

H. G.: “Don’t ask me.”

F. H.: “Aren’t you ever worried the story may never end?”

H. G.: “Never. Somehow everything always comes together in the end. Sometimes I am surprised myself. I guess that’s the mystery of creating anything. And also the fun. You have to trust your inner self and just let it happen. If I get stuck I wait for inspiration. If an idea pops into my head it doesn’t always make sense. I just follow the thought and see where it leads me and suddenly it does make sense.”

F. H.: “What are you working on right now?”

H. G.: “I’m writing Book 7 in my Science Fiction/Fantasy series ‘The Xandra’.”

F. H.: “Book 7. Wow! And after that?”

H. G. (shrugs and smiles): “I don’t know yet. Maybe another novel featuring P. I. Frank Hummer.”

F. H.: “Well, I’m looking forward to more adventures. Will you add a bit more erotica to that one, like in Mark of the Cobra?”

H. G.: “No chance of that. Your name is Frank Hummer not Peter Hartmann, even though you two have much in common. I want to attract a different kind of reader who will buy and read about your adventures. Not everybody likes erotica, and Mark of the Cobra is filled with it.”

F. H.: “Thank you for the glimpse into your writing life and for the opportunity to interview you. Perhaps we can do it again some time.”

H. G.: “Perhaps.”

F. H.: “One last question: Where can Mark of the Cobra be purchased?”

H. G.: “Mark of the Cobra was published by Melange Books, LLC and can be purchased directly from Melange Books http://www.melange-books.com/authors/herbertgrosshans/markofthecobra.html

It can be viewed on my website http://www.hegro.shawwebspace.ca or my blog http://www.hegro.blogspot.com 

F. H.: “Is Bullet of Revenge also available from Melange Books?”

H. G.: “I’m afraid not yet. I know you’re anxious to have people read your story, but it won’t be published until June 2012. So you’ll have to be patient.”

F. H.: “I can wait. It’s not that long. In the meantime readers can find many other exciting books you wrote…on your website or at Melange Books. Thank you for your time.”