How long have you been
writing?
I
have only been writing for a few years. I never thought I would finish as much
as a short story but then I had some spare time and an idea and wrote it down
and it turned into a novel and then another one and that has continued ever
since.
How do story ideas come to you?
I
wish I knew that myself. With the trilogy it happened while I was doing some
research into my family history. Reading about the circumstances of those times
and knowing some vague anecdotes about my family drove my imagination into
overdrive and the first plotlines wrote themselves.
The other stories ‘just happened’.
The other stories ‘just happened’.
Do you outline the plot?
I
always plan the plot and the big events but my writing is very dynamic and I
constantly need to change my ‘battle plan’ to fit how the story evolves. It is
good fun writing that way.
What inspires you as an author?
Real
life, real events and problems - and real people.
Tell us briefly about your recently published book and what you feel
is the most important topic/sub-message you share.
The Black
Eagle Inn is a family saga set in post war Germany.
It was important for me to draw characters that showed the diversity of German people at the time and to show them as individuals. Conformity and intolerance was central to Hitler’s success and in my book many selfish, greedy or intolerant characters are confronted with changes and diversity, just like the country, and all need to redefine themselves.
I wanted it to be interesting and juicy, so I gave it a lot of drama. I suppose you can also read it as a big historical soap opera if you like.
It was important for me to draw characters that showed the diversity of German people at the time and to show them as individuals. Conformity and intolerance was central to Hitler’s success and in my book many selfish, greedy or intolerant characters are confronted with changes and diversity, just like the country, and all need to redefine themselves.
I wanted it to be interesting and juicy, so I gave it a lot of drama. I suppose you can also read it as a big historical soap opera if you like.
Who were
the biggest influences on you as a writer?
Some teachers and ‘guides’ who encouraged me to
believe in myself, some excellent writers whose genius is inspiring and mainly
my editors and beta readers whose pointed remarks hopefully help to make the
books more palatable.
Who are some of your favorite authors,
both fiction and non-fiction?
Lionel Shriver, Christos Tsiolkas, Brett Easton
Ellis, Fyodor Dostoevsky and OSHO.
Murielle Cyr, Scott Stevens, P.C. Zick, Malla Duncan and Andrew Peters.
Murielle Cyr, Scott Stevens, P.C. Zick, Malla Duncan and Andrew Peters.
Is there anything you'd go back and do
differently now that you have been published, in regards to your writing
career?
The perfectionist in me always wants to go back and
change that scene or maybe rewrite that chapter slightly but you need to let
your work go at some point. Nothing is ever going to be perfect. I feel quite
blessed how it all went for me. It is all a huge learning curve and I am
enjoying it, getting by with a little help from many supportive friends. So far
I have no regrets.
Do you do a lot of reading for pleasure or
does it feel more like work these days?
I read a lot but still mostly for pleasure. I come
across many other authors in internet discussion groups and I tend to get
curious as to what and how they write. I also have friends who run a small
bookshop. My pile of books to read is never ending but I am still a book addict
who loves it.
Do you do a lot of
research for your books? Based on your genre, I assume you do. When do you
realize you have enough to start writing or do you write and research
simultaneously?
I do a lot of research for
my books. I think as author of historical novels you have to make sure you are
not cutting corners and try to pass off a half-hearted effort to your readers.
When you start reading the same information a few times it is safe to begin writing.
I sometimes have to start early purely because I cannot hold back the words anymore and I get worried that I will forget all the best ideas. But I always go back to the beginning several times, rewrite and edit.
Throughout the writing, I continuously double check facts and re-visit sources to make sure I am as much inside of the story as my characters.
When you start reading the same information a few times it is safe to begin writing.
I sometimes have to start early purely because I cannot hold back the words anymore and I get worried that I will forget all the best ideas. But I always go back to the beginning several times, rewrite and edit.
Throughout the writing, I continuously double check facts and re-visit sources to make sure I am as much inside of the story as my characters.
It has been my experience,
some things come quite easily (like creating the setting) and other things
aren’t so easy (like deciding on a title). What comes easily to you and what do
you find more difficult?
Plot, characters and titles all come far too easily
to me. They almost happen instantly and then evolve naturally in the process. I
can visualize entire scenes quickly in front of my eyes but I sometimes find it
difficult to stop myself long enough to include enough details in the setting.
I can see them but might fail to mention some important ones to the readers.
I love my three dogs and I spend several hours a
day walking them and throwing the ball for the youngest. I also like exercise,
jigsaw puzzles, hiking, good TV drama and comedy programs, entertaining
friends, cheesy 80s pop, candy crush and bowling.
When they write your obituary, what do you hope they will
say about your books and writing? What do you hope they will say about you?
I hope someone will say
that the books were worth reading and that people generally enjoyed or even learned
a little from them.
I hope they will say something
like “He was ok, he can come again.”
Maybe that quote from
Douglas Adams “Mostly Harmless”
Blurb
The
Black Eagle Inn (Three Nations Trilogy Book 3)
The Black Eagle Inn is an old established
Restaurant and Farm business in the sleepy Bavarian countryside outside of
Heimkirchen. Childless Anna Hinterberger
has fought hard to make it her own and keep it running through WWII. Religion
and rivalry divide her family as one of her nephews, Markus has got her heart
and another nephew, Lukas got her ear. Her husband Herbert is still missing and
for the wider family life in post-war Germany also has some unexpected
challenges in store.
Once again Fischer tells a family saga with
war in the far background and weaves the political and religious into the personal.
Being the third in the Three Nations Trilogy this book offers another
perspective on war, its impact on people and the themes of nations and
identity.
On Facebook: http://ow.ly/pAX3y
On Goodreads: http://ow.ly/pAX8G
On Amazon: http://bookshow.me/B00FSBW2L6
Trailer: http://studio.stupeflix.com/v/mB2JZUuBaI/
Christoph Fischer was born in Germany, near
the Austrian border, as the son of a Sudeten-German father and a Bavarian
mother. Not a full local in the eyes and ears of his peers he developed an
ambiguous sense of belonging and home in Bavaria. He moved to Hamburg in
pursuit of his studies and to lead a life of literary indulgence. After a few
years he moved on to the UK where he is still resident today. ‘The Luck of The
Weissensteiners’ was published in November 2012; 'Sebastian' in May 2013 and The
Black Eagle Inn in October 2013. He has written several other novels which are
in the later stages of editing and finalisation.
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