Beautifully put! Who cannot agree? What
was the most out-of-character book you’ve recently read, and what led to your
choice?
I’m
reading, but haven’t quite finished, Worth
Her Weight by Janet K. Brown. This is a book primarily for women who
struggle with their weight. However, men can learn some things about these
women, too. Generally, if there are no weapons and no running for your life in
the story, I won’t read the book. I made an exception, in this case, because
J.K. Brown and I exchanged books. She’s a great writer and, if she hasn’t given
up on me finishing her story, I will soon be saying that in my review.
How fun! I interviewed J.K. Brown just a
few weeks ago. (Folks, you can find her interview here.) H.L., as a writer, you
should know better, but as a reader, you know we all do it…so, when did you
last “judge a book by the cover”? How did it work out?
Judging
a book by its cover means, for me, “I don’t like the cover so
I’m not even going
to pick up the book.” This works out pretty well because I haven’t found many
bad books with great covers. There have been a few times where, regardless of
the cover, I have read a book based on recommendations from people who knew me.
Having published multiple books in
recent years do you find time to read during the months you spend writing or with
deadlines ahead. Is it either/or for you? If so, what did you read while
working on your last book? If not, what did you read when you finished this
one?
When
I’m intensively writing or editing, I like to keep the whole story—all the
technical details, setting, plot, and character details—in my head until I’ve
finished writing or editing. This is the best way I know of to prevent logical
inconsistencies, plot holes, and dangling story threads, all of which drive me
crazy. So, the answer to your question is it’s either/or for me. Which is
frustrating for my wife. I know that because she sometimes pretends to be a
character in my story just to get my attention.
Before
beginning my current WIP, I read Charles Martin’s Water from my Heart, a great redemption story.
Okay, I’m still laughing over your comment on
your wife. When I recover, I’ll ask if you were the kind of kid/teen who loved
reading? Which novel do you first remember reading?
When I was
growing up in the ’50s and early ’60s, we had the great outdoors to explore,
neighborhood kids to play with, and sports. Most kids didn’t start reading
novels until high school. But I started reading novel-length stories when I was
about 9. At first, I read novels for boys—outdoor adventures and sports stories.
I can’t remember the titles. But, when I discovered my best buddy’s dad had the
whole Tarzan collection by Edgar Rice Burroughs, as well as the
whole Zane Grey
collection, my buddy and I, using rainy winter days and lazy summer afternoons,
read our way through those 100+ books in junior high and our first year of high
school. I don’t remember the very first book I read, but my first Tarzan book
was, of course, Tarzan of the Apes.
Delightful answer. I can just see you
two. When did you know you wanted to write? Did any or multiple books influence
this desire?
I’ve
written since elementary school. Most of my adult life I’ve made a living by
writing. However, the nature of what I write has changed several times. As a
research scientist, I wrote research reports, scientific books, scientific
papers, and professional journal articles. After earning an MS in Computer
Science, I wrote computer system specifications, then computer code, over a
million lines of that arcane stuff.
Only
after retiring did I write a novel. I was hooked, immediately. It wasn’t any
book I read that influenced me. It was more that authors get to create worlds
from nothing, then populate those worlds with characters we also create.
There’s something satisfying about that.
In
the beginning, after each part of creation, God’s word says, “and God saw that
it was good.” In other words, He created, then felt satisfaction. Maybe God
wired us a bit like Himself. We create, whether it’s writing stories, creating
art, or something else, and then we feel that satisfaction. I get mine through
writing stories.
Again, HL, that is very nicely put. (I’m
definitely more interested in your stories the more I get to know you!) Is
there a book you are looking forward to rereading?
I seldom
reread novels, but one I’ve read 3 times is John Grisham’s The Testament. Lately, my wife and I have both talked about
rereading Grisham’s The Street Lawyer.
Both are redemption stories.
I’m beginning
to see a pattern here. In addition to thrillers, redemption stories, even if
they don’t have a lot of action, are at the top of my favorites list, too.
If Brock Daniels (protagonist in Voice in the Wilderness) were to pick a
book from today’s shelves, what do you think it would be?
At 24, Brock
is already a rising star in Christian Apologetics. I suppose he would choose
something like Why Suffering?: Finding
Meaning and Comfort When Life Doesn't Make Sense by Ravi Zacharias and
Vince Vitale.
Thanks so much for visiting, Harry, and
letting us get to know you better as a reader. I know I greatly enjoyed this
interview, and I hope everyone else does too! Folks, you may connect with Harry
and discover more about his books at the following links.
BIO:
H. L. Wegley served as an Air Force
Intelligence Analyst and a Weather Officer. In civilian life, he worked as a
research scientist, publishing in the scientific literature, then developed
Boeing computing systems for 20 years before retiring near Seattle with his
wife of nearly 50 years where they enjoy their 7 grandchildren and small-group
ministry. He is a multi-published author with a 4-book inspirational thriller
series, a political thriller with romance, 2 nonfiction books, and 4 more
novels on the way.
PURCHASE AND CONNECTION LINKS:
Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Voice-Wilderness-Against-Enemies-Book-ebook/dp/B013F47FA0 shortened: http://amzn.to/1EuEWnq
Book trailer/interview YouTube: http://bit.ly/1VuqLHz
Website: http://www.hlwegley.com
Facebook author’s page: https://www.facebook.com/HLWegley
Twitter https://twitter.com/hlwegley
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