Please welcome Tom Schwartz for this week's Unread Interview! Tom is promoting his latest book, Fourth Reich Rising! We have a Giveaway as well, so after you are done reading, click the button just below!
Unread Interview is a series where I feature authors whose books I couldn't accept for review because of time or logistics issues.
From Amazon: The descendents of Hitler's inner circle developed a plan for a Fourth Reich, like the Phoenix, rising from the ashes of the Third Reich. The key to success was to embroil the United States and Islamic countries in a major conflict, which would eventually drag in most of the world's nations. With the world in chaos, they would orchestrate their rise to power.
Tell us a bit about your book (s).
The Third Reich was supposed to be the New World order, a period lasting at least a millenium. It failed to achieve even a fraction of that time. Following the loss of World War II, the descendents of Hitler's inner circle developed a plan for a Fourth Reich, like the Phoenix, rising from the ashes of the Third Reich. The key to success was to embroil the United States and Islamic countries in a major conflict, which would eventually drag in most of the world's nations. With the world in chaos, they would orchestrate their rise to power.
The 9-11-2001 incident gave them the pathway to start the ball rolling. The plot was to detonate a nuclear warhead in New York City on the tenth anniversary of 911 (this year), laying the blame on the Islamic nations. The ruling Mullahs in Iran, grasped the only straw that could to avert the disaster, the Israeli Mussad. With a cooperative effort, the plot was exposed. Saudi Arabia and Iran were found innocent, and the American retaliatory strike force against Iran and Saudi-Arabia was recalled. The emerging Fourth Reich was then squashed; however, the leaders of the movement escaped with sufficient resources to plot for another day.
Have you ever wanted to be a writer? When did you start writing "seriously"?
I decided to become a writer at the age of 70, when I was reading stories to my young grandchildren. I felt that I could write better stories. Being retired, I had the time--and wrote a children's environmental story , "How Mother Nature Flowered The Fields Of Earth And Mars." This was published by Reagent Press (several editions), and can be purchased on-line through Amazon or Barnes & Noble. This was followed with "How Mother Nature Dealt With Earth's Creatures", (print and ebook). I then changed genres, and wrote a science fiction story, "Spaceship Earth", dealing with one cycle of the Big Bang (about a 70 billion year time span) and human kind's efforts to survive future Big Bangs (print and ebook). Jumping genre's again, I wrote an adult trilogy. "Wrongly Accused, " about an innocent man framed by police and imprisoned (in print and ebook), followed by "Fourth Reich Rising" (ebook only--publisher decided against print, as not cost-effective), and lastly, "Identity and Immortality" (again, only ebook) which is about a brain transplant.
Do you read much? What kind of books do you usually read?
I read quite a bit, fiction and non-fiction. I like historical novels best. Subjects vary--American Civil War, world wars 1 and 2, science fiction, mysteries, etc. I believe that my readings were instrumental in helping me develop a writing style--I'm convinced that you need to read many authors to become a good writer. Almost everyone has a story to tell, but lake the ability to write it. I encourage young chilren to read. I was a volunteer guest speaker at about 60 elementary schools and spoke to over 18,000 youngsters about the importance of reading and how I became an author.
What are your favorite or least favorite scenes to write?
My favorite scenes are the action ones.
Do you relate more to any of your characters? Why?
I relate to all of my characters. I put myself in their position, and become each one in my stories. Before I start writing, I have most of the plot and characters in my head. After the first draft, I go over it and rework it all over again until I am satisfied. I then have my wife look it over, and make changes that I agree with (a labor intensive process).
Which genre do you feel it would be a challenge to write?
Children's stories present the greatest challenge. Setting the right tempo, and word construction is paramount to getting your story across, while keeping their interest.
What inspires you? And how's your writing environment - music, place, etc.?
I am inspired by the subjects I choose to write about. All my stories carry messages that are important to me. I use a word processor, in a quiet place. Spell-check is most important, as is cutting and pasting. I type with two fingers, slowly, which matches my thought process. I am in no rush to finish.
What would you say about the book - your words, no blurbs! - to convince someone to read your book?
"Fourth Reich Rising" is a thought provoking fictional tale that can happen. It deals with human emotions under stress, and accommodations between adversaries to avoid a disaster. It is fast moving, suspenseful and logical.
What are your plans for the future, writing-wise? New books, sequels, publishing deals, etc.I recently obtained a literary agent to get my adult trilogy made into a series of movies. The script for "Wrongly Accused" has been written, the two follow-on stories are in the process of being scripted.
Thank you for your time and your generosity for our giveaway, Tom! Best of luck with Fourth Reich Rising and we're looking forward to seeing new novels and your movies - that should be interesting!
