Interview with Klaus Marre
Published 2013-10-20.
What's the story behind your latest book?
I covered the 9/11 Commission as a reporter and that gave me the idea for "Human Intelligence." One of the findings of the commission was that we are lacking human intelligence in the fight against terrorism. We're great at listening on phone calls and reading emails but it's proven to be nearly impossible to infiltrate a group like al Qaeda. I asked myself how that could be changed and came up with this story.
What is your writing process?
My writing process was probably different from that of most people since I moved to Thailand specifically to write my novel. I wanted to find a beautiful place with a low cost of living. Every morning, I'd swim a couple of miles and create new problems for my protagonists that they needed to solve. Then I'd eat breakfast and write down what I had thought about ... or not. Thailand is a great place for procrastination.
What do you read for pleasure?
Everything. I love books. I usually read different things at the same time. I enjoy the story of a good novel but also really enjoy non-fiction, especially about history. And, of course, books about romantic vampires.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
My first "real" piece of writing was a short story called "The Battle of Sesch." It was about two tribes (Ivorriors and Ebonians) fighting a war to appease their respective gods. It was told from the perspective of one of the peasants fighting for the Ebonians who eventually questioned the purpose of the battle. It turned out that the story was about a game of chess from the viewpoint of one of the pawns, with the two gods being the players in tournament. I've clearly always had a fondness for misdirection.
My very first stories were for my fourth grade writing class. A great story would earn two stamps from my teacher and ten stamps would allow me to not do homework for a day. So, instead of just doing the minimum, I would write these elaborate stories, hoping to get two stamps instead of one or none. I only realized much later that I got "duped" into doing a whole lot of extra work this way.
How do you approach cover design?
That was the easiest part. I let Deer Watson Media do it.
What is your e-reading device of choice?
I usually fall asleep a few moments after shutting down my iPad.
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
I'm the co-founder of a startup company that launched recently and that pretty much occupies all of my time. My favorite activity when I need to get away from work is skyping with my little niece, so I try to do that as much as possible.
Smashwords Interviews are created by the profiled author or publisher.
Books by This Author
Human Intelligence
by Klaus Marre
(4.92 from 12 reviews)
A bus explodes near the Pentagon and triggers a massive search for the bomber. After a manhunt across four continents, a special CIA unit searching for the world’s most wanted terrorist discovers an imminent plot to bring nuclear carnage to the United States. But all is not as it seems to be as the unlikeliest of heroes must prevent the nuclear attack and risk his life to do so.
