Interview with Richard Krause
Published 2018-01-23.
What's the story behind your latest book?
For many years my children and friends have said that I wrote the book on evil, wicked, mean and nasty due to my ability to devise unusual ways to payback or extract revenge on the individuals that have for what ever reason chosen to wrong me or mine. Most of the time the methods were just mental exercises on my part, without ever being enacted. Mainly due to the fact that I have a very healthy respect for Karma. I firmly believe that everything that you do, or say has the uncanny habit of returning to you. Be it good, bad, or indifferent. Many of my methods I learned during my years in government service. Others I developed while in the Military, and still other I just came up with while sitting around talking to my friends and associates.
Then one day a couple of years ago, after I had retired from government service a couple of my friends had come over to my home to visit with me. We were sitting out in my patio consuming a few drinks and some very tasty cigars from an unmentioned island nation when one of them asked me. " So Dutch, when are you going to write all these dirty little tricks of yours down?".
I guess that was the day I decided to write "The Book On Evil, Wicked, Mean, & Nasty / A Whimsical Guide To Payback & Revenge".
I had been writing stuff for years mostly Science Fiction and Fantasy, and sending my work out to the Main Stream Publisher, but they did not seem to be interested in my work. I decided that I would compose this work and then publish it myself. It took me about six months to put it all together. And format it the way I thought I wanted it, then about a month to develop the Cover using Daz3D and Paint Shop Pro.
I was going to upload it to DiggyPOD and have them print it for me, but the cost was prohibitive and I just could not justify it in my own mind due to being on a fix income.
Then a friend suggested that I do it as a E-Book. I started researching the market and discovered Amazon and Smashwords, a few more days of reformatting and then uploading and there you have it.
After twenty plus years I am a Published Author!
Who knew it could be so darn easy?
What motivated you to become an indie author?
As I said earlier, the complete disregard of the Main Stream Publishing companies, and my sheer Bullheadedness I suppose. I knew I had some good stuff in me and I wanted to share it with the rest of the world. Plus, I have to admit I am kind of hoping I will make a little money at it. As I mentioned before I am on a fixed income, and now with my age and my physical disabilities I am not able to hold down a physical job like I use to. I started up my own computer repair service and have made a bit with that but the market is very low here in my area of Southwest Florida. It seems that nobody wants to fix their computers any more, they just go out and buy a new one. We have become a throw away society! Sadly that effects people as well as appliances. I have discovered what the "Gray Ceiling" is, and it is not pretty!
How has Smashwords contributed to your success?
Well it may be a little early to say, considering that I have just started publishing with them. But I will say that they have been the best that I have found as far as making the process easy. And giving guidance in the process of publishing. All in all the process has be relatively painless. Time will tell if the endeavor pays off.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
I truly enjoy painting a mental picture with my words. It is like being the "Creator" in many ways (watch out for the lightening guys!!) Who knew there could be so many weird, screwed up, characters hiding out in my mind. Or so many unusual places. I remember a dear friend of mine once saying "Dutch, your mind is a dark and scary place!" Turns out he was right. But it is not all scary, there are some really nice places and people there also. I think.
What do your fans mean to you?
Next to my wife and children they are everything. They are who I write for. They are my bread and butter and my sugar cookies and milk.
What are you working on next?
I have been working on a Science Fiction series called "The Far Star Trilogy" it consists of three volumes, "The Perilous Star" number one in the series, "Trouble on Tyree" number two in the series, and "Destiny's Star" the third and final book of the series.
I have been working on them since back in 2009, sadly half halfheartedly. They are a Space Opera, and tell the story of young Maximilian Star, and his adventures on several planets, and in the Federation of Planets Security Forces, and then finally on Tyree. There is plenty of kiss, kiss, bang, bang, going on and as with any good story the boy meets the girl and then everything really starts popping.
I truly believe it will be a great group of stories and will give the fans many hours of enjoyment, and escape. After all I have the whole Universe to pick characters and places from. How can I possibly go wrong?
Who are your favorite authors?
Oh I have so many!! On the top of the list is Andre Norton, E.C. Tubbs, Marion Zimmer Bradley, David Drake, Alan Dean Foster, Clive Cussler, Larry Maddock, and my Lodge Brother Randy Wayne White. Among many. I have been an avid reader for better than six decades. And I sincerely hope that when I die it will be with a book in hand and two more to be read.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
The sun shining, my three furry four legged children, Aesop, Kodiak, and Lexy. And the fact that I beat the Grim Reaper one more night. Along with my kidneys and overactive bladder. Mixed in with my addiction to caffeine and nicotine. And an intensive desire to put more words into my computer. Of course if the wonderful woman I have spent the past thirty seven years with or my dear child the Chef should be, by some chance cooking that fantastic Heart Attack on a fork, known as Bacon and French Toast and coffee, the aroma will cause me to salivate myself awake.
But mostly it is Kodiak my hyperactive Jack Russel, licking my eyes and bouncing up and down on my chest that does it. One of these days I will discover where he hides that little watch of his and calendar.
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
Living!
I have numerous hobbies, one of my favorites is building and painting 54 mm military figures.
But I also cut and polish semiprecious gemstones and make wire-wrapped jewelry. About a year ago a dear friend of mine and I went on a mining vacation to the mountains of North Carolina. We brought back several hundred pounds of gemstone rough and I have been attempting to turn all of it into marketable jewelry. My lovely wife has been the recipient of some of those piece which included 23.5 carrots of Emeralds in earring, ring, and necklace form, this past Christmas. It is fun to take a old dirty rock and turn it into a beautiful piece of jewelry. Nature never ceases to amaze me.
And I still have my computer repair service that throws me a few crumbs every so often.
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
Yes, it was "The Bobbsey Twins At The Seashore" by Laura Lee Hope. And I think it was printed in the late 1930's. I was a sickly child and my mother had brought me some books to occupy my mind while I was bed ridden. The escape those book gave me never left. I learned that I could travel anywhere and see anything and do anything, without ever leaving my room. I became a Galactic Traveler that cold winter's day in Western Pennsylvania and continued on to this day.
How do you approach cover design?
I use three different computer programs, Daz3D to create the scenery and characters, Paint Shop Pro to combine the layers and then Photoshop to enhance the renderings. It is just another step in the creating of a finished product. I am fortunate in that I have the ability to be artistic and a vivid imagination with an eye for color and perspective. I credit my years of building scale models and painting for this ability.
Smashwords Interviews are created by the profiled author or publisher.
Books by This Author
The Fine Art of Getting Even
by Richard Krause
This book is a comical approach to getting even and achieving revenge, along with warnings of the results backlashes of such actions. As such it should be considered as a mental exercise rather than an instruction manual on creating havoc.