March 10, 2001
Romance Reviews Today conducted the following interview with
Bill Hartzell,author of "After She''s Gone."
RRT: What other job did you have before becoming a writer?
BH: After leaving the military, I spent several years working as a produce
clerk. I didn't know it at the time, but the daily interaction with
people ranging from miserable to humorous would prove to be invaluable
for character development in the future. From there, I entered into the
graphic arts industry as a typesetter, proofreader, and layout artist.
This position afforded many opportunities to be creative with copy
writing and editing which eventually led to the idea of persuing
published writing.
RRT: How much do your books incorporate your real life experiences?
BH: Actually, this book is loaded with them. When I entertained the idea of
writing a fiction novel, I couldn't bring myself to penning another
story similar to the industry standard. I wanted a fiction to be useful
in the sense that the story itself would leave the reader with one or
more morals to consider. In this way, the reader would be able to draw
upon their own life experiences during particular passages in the novel.
It was integral to incorporate every-day references such as music, and
pets, etc.
RRT: Do you feel humor is important in women's fiction? Why?
BH: Absolutely. It's a critical parameter to real life, so I couldn't
possibly omit that kind of human relation. I think it's fair to say that
women readers enjoy humor as much, if not more then men. Additionally, I
believe it makes the characters more likable, if not entertaining.
RRT: What about another genre? Would you like to write in a different
one than you do now?
BH: Actually, this novel has been identified in a number of cross genres by
various readers. As for the future, I am working on a second novel that
will also draw upon the realities of every-day life, but will probably
be categorized as general or mainstream fiction. Beyond that, I have a
young reader's horror fiction on the drawing board, so I suppose that I
will cross many genre's in the years to come.
RRT: What books do you read and what authors?
BH: To tell the truth, I rarely read fiction novels. If my wife reads
something particularly entertaining I'll give it a peek. My main reading
concentration is U.S. History emphasizing the Army of Northern Virginia
in the Civil War.
RRT: Tell us about your latest book.
BH: In summary, After She's Gone traces the central characters life
immediately following the death of his spouse of twenty years. It
illustrates the difficulties of re-entering the social scene, and
highlights the built-in prejudices that we all share to the point that
we are blinded to the potential love that often can be found standing
right beside us.
RRT: Do you get any ideas from today's news events?
BH: In the sense that I've drawn from real experiences, I have to say yes to
this. For instance, the issue of cancer survival as a patient, as well
as suffering the loss of a loved one, is central this book. Drawing upon
breast cancer references should serve to elevate awareness to women at
risk, and the men that love them.
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