Saturday, January 23, 2016

Interview with John Hegenberger

Today's interview is with John Hegenberger, author of series CROSSFIRE and STARFALL, who has taken up the challenge of answering our interview questions!



Apple or PC?
I use about three PCs, depending on what room and stage I’m in.

Do you use Scrivener or Word? Or another word-processing program? Or even pen and paper?
I start with a pile of pencils and note pads.  This creates my first draft which then gets typed into a computer, creating the second draft.

Do you have any pets? Do they influence your writing?
I have a cat who appears in in one way or another in both my private eye series.  In CROSSFIRE, he’s a spy.  In STARFALL, he’s part of an alternate history mystery.  

Would you rather see your stories on the big screen or the little screen? 
I believe episodic electronic would fit best with my SF tales.

Are you hooked on any of the shows on the sci-fi channel? If so, which one(s)?
The Expanse is the best science Fiction TV since Idonowhen.

What is your view of Star Wars, and the latest episode (if seen)?
Not bad for a start, but it’s only a start.  Much, much more to come, right?

What is your favourite Science Fiction (or Fantasy) film?
I keep returning Back to the Future.

Are you a Luddite? Or do you prefer to be on the bleeding edge of technology?
I’m a leading edge Luddite.

Are you--or have you ever been--a gamer?
I learned long ago that the internet itself was one big game.

Do you cook? What is your best/favorite/most popular recipe?
Shrimp Scampi.

Do you have a garden? Have you ever grown your own food?
I tried to grow tomatoes this year, but got started too late and they never went beyond being green marbles.

Have you ever been to Starbucks?
Yes, it’s kinda hard not to, since they’re as omnipresent as telephone booths used to be.

Would you prefer an independent bookshop, or a big chain?
Independents are much, much more fun!

Do you have your own office, study or writing space, or can you write in a cafe or the library?
I have all three and write everywhere. I need a waterproof PC for use in the shower.

Who do you consider are your major influences in writing?
It changes from day to day, but now it’s Harlan Ellison, Philip K. Dick and H. Bedford Jones.

What writer, living or dead, would you most like to meet?
Raymond Chandler.

If you could have any director to shoot the film of your book(s), who would you choose?
It changes from day to day, but now it’s Sergio Leone, John Ford, George Lucas.

How would you define Speculative Fiction?
Clever and insightful free association breaking the mold outside the box.

On a scale of 1-10, how eccentric are you?
Twelve and three-quarters.

Do you consider yourself a slave to the muse?
I’m beginning to, but it might be insecurity or madness.  Here’s a few recent examples:

Here’s Stan Wade, L.A. PI, in the first of a series of six “noirstalgia” novels from 1959.  SPYFALL is your E-ticket to a nuclear threat hidden from the public until 2012.  The insightful tale teams Ian Fleming of MI6, Walt Disney of the FBI, and a hard-luck private eye searching his past for truth, justice and… well, you know.  With appearances by Karloff, Steinbeck, Cohen and Flynn, SPYFALL is a rollicking ride into a past that never was… or was it?  

The Secret Behind SPYFALL 
Here’s the facts behind the fiction of SPYFALL.
TOP SECRET until 2012 

If you liked SPYFALL, catch a new adventure of Stan Wade LAPI where he meets Rod Serling in Tales From the Otherverse.


About John Hegenberger:





Born and raised in the heart of the heartland, Columbus, Ohio, John Hegenberger is the author of several series: Stan Wade LAPI in 1959, Eliot Cross Columbus-based PI in 1988, and Ace Hart, western gambler in Arizona in 1873.  He’s the father of three, tennis enthusiast, collector of silent films and OTR, hiker, Francophile, B.A. Comparative Lit., Pop culture author, ex-Navy, ex-marketing exec at Exxon, AT&T, and IBM, happily married for 45 years and counting.  Active member of SFWA, PWA and ITW.


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