20 Questions with Author Christoph Fischer

I’m very excited to have author and blogger Christoph Fischer as the subject of today’s ’20 Questions’. Christoph has a very interesting background that he is going to share with us as well as his work and inspiration. I’m very pleased to have him stopping by and I hope you enjoy today’s installment of ’20 Questions’.

Q1) When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Not until my late thirties. Sometimes I’m still not sure whether I really want to be one. It’s such a time consuming job.

Q2) How long does it typically take you to write a book?

I can write the first draft within three weeks, but then I spend a lot of time re-writing and editing, so the book won’t be ready until at least three months later.

Q3) What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

When I write almost everything has to wait until the story is out. I get up early and write for as long as I can – or for as long as my dogs allow me to sit on the computer.

Q4) What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I write best in the early morning hours, before sunrise.

Q5) How are your books published? (traditional, indie, etc.)

Indie.

Q6) Where do you get your ideas for your books?

From real life and from my vivid imagination: ‘What if’ scenarios, or ‘imagine that was you’…

Q7) When did you write your first book?

I wrote my first book 7 years ago, as an experiment.

Q8) What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I like to walk my dogs, to cycle, do yoga, read and watch comedy TV.

Q9) What is your favorite book?

Shantaram.

Q10) What do your family and friends think of your writing?

They are very supportive, even though it takes away a lot of my time from them.

Q11) What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

How easy and difficult it is at the same time, especially the technical aspects of it, like cover choices and formatting. The devil always lies in the minor details, not in the big steps.

Q12) What do you hate most about the writing process?

Marketing. I wish people could find my books without me shouting about them.

Q13) How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

I’ve published ten and have written two more. “The Luck of the Weissensteiners” is special because it was my first published one and has a family connection, but I am also strangely proud of my thriller “The Healer” and “Ludwika” is the most popular to date. That’s as close as I can get to choosing a favorite – sorry J

Q14) Do you have any suggestions to help us become better writers? If so, what are they?

Keep working on your craft. Keep writing and do listen to criticism with an open mind (but never let it discourage you).

Q15) Do you get much feedback from your readers? How and what kinds of things do they say?

I managed to get quite a few reviews on Amazon. They have provided me with valuable feedback. I’ve learned from those who criticised my writing and I keep going because of the readers who enjoyed the stories.

Q16) What is your preferred reading audience?

Anyone from young to old.

Q17) What do you think makes a good story?

Characters and plot we can relate to, or something that takes us away from reality and makes us dream. Surprises, humor, action….

Q18) As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

I wanted to become a singer. I imagined it an easy life. I’m glad that never happened…

Q19) Where can we find your books?

Website: http://www.christophfischerbooks.com/

Blog: http://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6590171.Christoph_Fischer

Amazon: http://ow.ly/BtveY

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CFFBooks

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/christophffisch/

Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/106213860775307052243

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=241333846

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WriterChristophFischer?ref=hl

Q20) Can you tell us a bit about your books and where to buy them?

 

Ludwika: A Polish Woman’s Struggle To Survive In Nazi Germany
It’s World War II and Ludwika Gierz, a young Polish woman, is forced to leave her family and go to Nazi Germany to work for an SS officer. There, she must walk a tightrope, learning to live as a second-class citizen in a world where one wrong word could spell disaster and every day could be her last. Based on real events, this is a story of hope amid despair, of love amid loss . . . ultimately, it’s one woman’s story of survival.
Editorial Review:

“This is the best kind of fiction—it’s based on the real life. Ludwika’s story highlights the magnitude of human suffering caused by WWII, transcending multiple generations and many nations.

WWII left no one unscarred, and Ludwika’s life illustrates this tragic fact. But she also reminds us how bright the human spirit can shine when darkness falls in that unrelenting way it does during wartime.

This book was a rollercoaster ride of action and emotion, skilfully told by Mr. Fischer, who brought something fresh and new to a topic about which thousands of stories have already been told.”

http://bookShow.me/B018UTHX7A

The Luck of the Weissensteiners (Three Nations Trilogy Book 1)

In the sleepy town of Bratislava in 1933 a romantic girl falls for a bookseller from Berlin. Greta Weissensteiner, daughter of a Jewish weaver, slowly settles in with the Winkelmeier clan just as the developments in Germany start to make waves in Europe and re-draws the visible and invisible borders. The political climate in the multifaceted cultural jigsaw puzzle of disintegrating Czechoslovakia becomes more complex and affects relations between the couple and the families. The story follows them through the war with its predictable and also its unexpected turns and events and the equally hard times after.

But this is no ordinary romance; in fact it is not a romance at all, but a powerful, often sad, Holocaust story. What makes The Luck of the Weissensteiners so extraordinary is the chance to consider the many different people who were never in concentration camps, never in the military, yet who nonetheless had their own indelible Holocaust experiences. This is a wide-ranging, historically accurate exploration of the connections between social location, personal integrity and, as the title says, luck.

On Amazon:  http://smarturl.it/Weissensteiners

http://bookShow.me/B00AFQC4QC

The Healer

When advertising executive Erica Whittaker is diagnosed with terminal cancer, western medicine fails her. The only hope left for her to survive is controversial healer Arpan. She locates the man whose touch could heal her but finds he has retired from the limelight and refuses to treat her.  Erica, consumed by stage four pancreatic cancer, is desperate and desperate people are no longer logical nor are they willing to take no for an answer. Arpan has retired for good reasons, casting more than the shadow of a doubt over his abilities. So begins a journey that will challenge them both as the past threatens to catch up with him as much as with her.  Can he really heal her? Can she trust him with her life? And will they both achieve what they set out to do before running out of time?

Amazon: http://smarturl.it/thehealerthriller

http://bookShow.me/B00QIJ4DJ6

About Christoph Fischer:

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 moved to Hamburg in pursuit of his studies and to lead a life of literary indulgence. In 1993 he moved to the UK and now lives in Llandeilo in West Wales. He and his partner have several Labradoodles to complete their family.
Christoph worked for the British Film Institute, in Libraries, Museums and for an airline. His first historical novel, ‘The Luck of The Weissensteiners’,  was published in November 2012 and downloaded over 60,000 times on Amazon. He has released several more historical novels, including “In Search of A Revolution” and “Ludwika”. He also wrote some contemporary family dramas and thrillers, most notably “Time to Let Go” and “The Healer”.