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Interview with Siegfried Eckleben

Published 2013-09-16.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
My father was born in South West Africa during German colonial times, my siblings were born in SWA, but before the Second World War my family moved to Germany for economic reasons. So I was born in Weimar/Germany, as a war product, but grew up in what was then South West Africa and studied engineering in South Africa. The clear night skies in the dry season awed me and drew my attention irresistibly towards the stars, the universe, the mystery of it all.
When did you first start writing?
At about age 15 I tried to write articles for a youth newspaper - unsuccessfully!
What's the story behind your latest book?
The rise and (possibly) fall of the universe.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
Counter-intuitive concepts such as infinite and eternal - and the mystery of the universe.
What has overpopulation to do with the universe?
Almost all problems on planet Earth can be traced directly or indirectly to overpopulation by humans and their animals. It would be a crying shame if the marvelous evolution process of the universe were stifled on our particular planet after 13.7 billion years by the irresponsible behaviour of one dominant species. Needless to say that neither our solar system nor the rest of the universe would even take note of the suffocation and possible destruction of life on our planet.
How do you discover the ebooks you read?
Mainly on the Internet - and by word of mouth.
What book marketing techniques have been most effective for you?
Word of mouth, personal e-mails.
What is your e-reading device of choice?
An iPad 1. But I have 2 issues with it:
1) It is too heavy to read in bed.
2) Apple doesn't permit it to run an operating system higher than ios5.1.1, which means it does not support some of my favorite apps any more.
And I refuse to succumb to planned obsolescence by buying a newer version that has additional features which I don't need, while my older model is perfectly functional.
Describe your desk
My backbone objects to prolonged sitting, so I try to work standing for as long as I can stand it.
What do your fans mean to you?
Great minds think alike!
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Books by This Author

From BIGBANG to OVERPOPULATION by
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 95,380. Language: English. Published: April 26, 2011 . Categories: Nonfiction » Science & Nature » Cosmos
A quark tells the story of the universe from the start to now, in everyday language for curious persons, from teenager to pensioner. Everything in the universe consists of quarks, electrons and photons. It tells the differences between humans and other animals, including their odd sexual behavior, and the underlying problem of the planet at the start of the 21st century: overpopulation.
Van Oerknal tot Oorbevolking by
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 110,820. Language: Afrikaans. Published: March 6, 2011 . Categories: Nonfiction » Science & Nature » Cosmos, Nonfiction » History » Natural history
Yog, 'n kwark en ooggetuie, vertel die geskiedenis van die heelal tot by planeet Aarde en sy intelligentste lewewese - die mens - in verstaanbare taal en vir lesers van alle ouderdomsgroepe. Die wetenskaplike plousibiliteit word deur 'n duitse fisika-professor beaam. Suider-Afrika word besonder beklemtoon.