Official Interview: Bob Herpe

[kandscreeley]

Today's Chat with Sarah features Bob Herpe author of The Other Side of Crisis.

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1. What does your schedule look like when you are writing?

I, generally, write every weekday morning and when spare time allows. Such as, If I have an appointment where I have to wait around, or when traveling on an airplane, I tend to use those times to get some writing done.

2. Who has been your biggest influence?

My favorite all-time author was Pat Conroy. Everything he wrote was like music to my ears. No one writes like he did anymore. I used to think if only I could write like him. Whether he influenced me to become a writer, I don't know. I believe my greatest influence is myself. I have always had a need to accomplish as much as I can while on this planet. Like Irma Bombeck once said, "When I arrive at the Pearly Gates, I want to be able to say that I have used up whatever talent the good lord has given me." I add to that, "every bit of energy that I have been endowed with."

3. Let's discuss your book, The Other Side of Crisis. Why fiction?

I just love the energy of a good mystery thriller. They are fun to read and fun to write. Fiction allows me the freedom to showcase every human emotion and feeling and even go beyond the norm. The Other Side of Crisis is a story of a retired suburban police chief, who seeks justice and revenge for the killing of his wife on the day of their wedding. The story begins with the protagonist, Ernie Gravnick and his adopted son, Jonathan flying home from Israel on El Al flight where the lad had celebrated his Bar Mitzvah.

Their plane is attacked not once but twice and Gravnick is the only one aboard with any capability of getting the plane and its passengers down safely. During the chaos that follows, Gravnick meets Riana, a descendant of Moshe Dayan, the celebrated Israeli General. It turns out that she too is a hero in her country's special forces and is being stalked by a Syrian Terrorist sworn to kill her. With Gravnick who is marked by a Mafia hitman, known only as the Ghost, the two are drawn into an ever-deeper cacophony of suspense with twists and turns that carry the reader right up to the end of the story.

4. What was the hardest part of the story to write? What was the most fun?

For me, the closing chapter is the hardest to write. Unlike most writers, I don't work from an explicit outline. The first thing I write is the ending. It becomes the goal for my characters to reach. In reality, I think most authors have trouble with the final chapter. So many good books that I read, often fall apart at the end, like the author is desperate to get it all over with. To me, the close is as important as the opening hook. The parts of the book that were the most fun for me were the scenes with Dora and the Senator and those in the pool hall with Big John and Willie "the moose" Gavanno.

5. Are any Characters based on real-life people?

Gravnick's mother Dora was inspired by my late mother-in-law. She was a wonderful, loving lady who somehow managed to get away with saying every four-letter word you can think of. She just told it how it was, and everyone accepted it from her. To make certain situations more believable, I had my characters interreact with real people, such as Israeli Mossad directors, "Yossi" Mier Cohen and Director "D," Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and with Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad.

6. The book includes humor to lighten the mood. Why did you feel it was important?

People need humor to bring a smile to their face in this crazy world we live in. It is the spice of life. I cannot imagine living in a world without humor. We all need to have fun. Better yet, we need to make fun of ourselves and not take life so seriously.

7. The book is about terrorism and justice. Who or what do you think is the biggest threat to the world?

It's difficult to know who or what is the biggest threat to the world. Unfortunately, tyrants exist in so many places and any of them are capable of or could become capable of unleashing weapons of mass destruction on the world. But they aren't the only threat. There are the threats brought on by nature itself, such as global warming and the changes in storm patterns which it foments. But perhaps our greatest threats are we the people, who through carelessness, selfishness, laziness, or just plain ignorance, continue to junk up the world around us.

8. What's next for you?

Next for me is another sequel to complete the Gravnick trilogy. The working title is Beyond Crisis.

I like to end with fun questions.

9. What's your favorite way to relax?

When I was a little younger, I would have answered by saying golf, golf, and more golf. That's what was. The way it is now, my favorite ways to relax are reading, playing scrabble, eating out, walking and writing. I also go to the gym to work out when time allows.

10. What's your favorite season?

The spring and the fall. The spring is so nurturing when all comes alive and new blooms spread their wings. The fall, especially up north where the colors of life attain their final glory.

11. What's your favorite indulgence?

Chocolate! Chocolate! Chocolate!

12. What literary character would you most want to have a meal with?

Amor Towles or Dan Brown. I believe they stand out above all other contemporary writers.

[Lakshyaaj J]

Great interview by the author.