Ask the Author: E.Michael Helms
Answered Questions (22)
E.Michael Helms
While serving as a combat Marine in Vietnam, one morning I woke up on the wrong side of my fighting (fox) hole. Later that day I was wounded three times; however, that experience helped inspire my Vietnam memoir (and first book), THE PROUD BASTARDS.
E.Michael Helms
The island where the Swiss Family Robinson was stranded. Sounds like Paradise!
E.Michael Helms
This sounds coincidental (I guess it is), but I recently got a new Internet provider that now allows me to stream movies, etc. I signed up for Netflix and one of the first movies I put in my cache (whatever you call it?) was "Laura." Nope, haven't watched it yet, but it's next on my list. :-)
E.Michael Helms
I feast on old "noir" movies from the 1930s-50s. Watching some based on novels led me to read the books. I really enjoyed the "tough guy" bit I found in some of those books. And then Dinger started knocking around in my head, wanting to come out and have his say. How could I deny him? :-)
E.Michael Helms
Frank and Joe Hardy, of the Hardy Boys fame. As a kid I read and collected the first forty-something mysteries in the series. After looking for an alternative to writing war-themed books, I remembered my love for those mysteries. That memory challenged me to see if I could write a mystery. And that challenge resulted in my Mac McClellan Mystery series!
E.Michael Helms
Hi, M.J.!
I enjoy writing mysteries more than my earlier works which mostly dealt with war and its effects and aftermaths. Writing those books (war) meant dredging up old and painful memories/experiences to give them authenticity. Even when writing about the Civil War I still had to call forth those old "ghosts" from the past.
With the mystery series I'm free to make stuff up and let the story go where the characters take me. It's much lighter writing, even though there is violence and even murder in them. I don't have to recall all the pain from the past to feed the storyline. I hope I've answered your question and not confused you. Thanks again!
I enjoy writing mysteries more than my earlier works which mostly dealt with war and its effects and aftermaths. Writing those books (war) meant dredging up old and painful memories/experiences to give them authenticity. Even when writing about the Civil War I still had to call forth those old "ghosts" from the past.
With the mystery series I'm free to make stuff up and let the story go where the characters take me. It's much lighter writing, even though there is violence and even murder in them. I don't have to recall all the pain from the past to feed the storyline. I hope I've answered your question and not confused you. Thanks again!
E.Michael Helms
Hi M.J.
Yes, the new Mac mystery is Deadly Spirits. It's finished and due to be released on January 15.
Mac's Doberman, Henry, made his appearance in Deadly Dunes (Mac #3). He's back in Deadly Spirits and hopefully will become a regular. Henry is a "chick magnet" and Mac often wishes that he'll come back as a dog in his next life. Thanks for the question!
Yes, the new Mac mystery is Deadly Spirits. It's finished and due to be released on January 15.
Mac's Doberman, Henry, made his appearance in Deadly Dunes (Mac #3). He's back in Deadly Spirits and hopefully will become a regular. Henry is a "chick magnet" and Mac often wishes that he'll come back as a dog in his next life. Thanks for the question!
E.Michael Helms
Hi Ellen! Nope, there's no real order to the Dinger stories yet. I'm hoping to accumulate enough of them to make a novella-size book. I'll have to go back through the stories, edit this and that, make some changes, and then put them in some kind or order. I'm among the world's most disorganized people (he said proudly). For now Dinger is shackled in my basement until I finish the latest Mac McClellan Mystery which I'm WAY behind on. Thanks for the question.
HAPPY TRAILS!
HAPPY TRAILS!
E.Michael Helms
Dinger is proving to be a pain in the butt! He wants out, and wants his on full-length story. And yes, he IS hampering the latest Mac & deadline. I've written myself into another corner and I'll have to go WAY back in the story to make a major plot change. Rats! I've never had this trouble before, so blame it on Dinger!
E.Michael Helms
Jimmy, thanks for contacting me. That's a tough question. The Corps and its training methods have changed quite a bit since I went through boot camp at PI in January-March 1967. Back then our drill instructors were "heavy handed" -- meaning they weren't shy about using "physical therapy" (meaning roughing us up physically) on us "boots." They also used enough "cuss words" to fill a dictionary, often berating a boot nose-to-nose. So, my answer back then would be the mental toughness required to survive the situation. They had a very good reason for their actions: learn to obey instantly and without question. That played a huge role in surviving combat.
They physical requirements were also demanding. But I was in good shape (I had played football and baseball all through school) and that wasn't as bad as the mental stuff they threw at us. However, now I hear the DIs aren't allowed to use physical violence, or vile language (although I'd bet some of that still occurs). And now they have the "Crucible" which I hear is very demanding both mentally and physically.
So, prepare yourself physically and mentally before you arrive at boot camp. And if you go to Parris Island and should hear a distant "Sir, YES SIR!" wailing in the dark of night, that could be me--boot camp never completely leaves you, and you never completely leave it!
Good luck, and Semper Fi!
--Michael
They physical requirements were also demanding. But I was in good shape (I had played football and baseball all through school) and that wasn't as bad as the mental stuff they threw at us. However, now I hear the DIs aren't allowed to use physical violence, or vile language (although I'd bet some of that still occurs). And now they have the "Crucible" which I hear is very demanding both mentally and physically.
So, prepare yourself physically and mentally before you arrive at boot camp. And if you go to Parris Island and should hear a distant "Sir, YES SIR!" wailing in the dark of night, that could be me--boot camp never completely leaves you, and you never completely leave it!
Good luck, and Semper Fi!
--Michael
E.Michael Helms
MJ, to enter all you have to do is leave a comment, and state if you are from the U.S. or somewhere international. Both blogs have a "click here" (small) that will take you from one to the other. Simply leave a comment on both blogs and you're in. I just noticed the giveaway runs through August 31, so you still are good to go. :-)
E.Michael Helms
Thanks for the question, MJ. I suppose it's a matter of "feeling" the mood or tone of the story/book, and allowing the characters' voices to "fit" the mold. In the war books, The Proud Bastards is a memoir. I wanted to capture the "here and now" experience for the reader, so I used the voice of the 18-19 year old Marine I was at the time. A first person present, stream of consciousness voice just seemed natural to let the reader "inside" that young Marine's head and experience what he was experiencing.
The Private War of Corporal Henson, on the other hand, is a novel although it's based on true characters and events. It's told in third person, with several of the characters involved narrating their experiences as they battle PTSD in and out of group therapy. At times the narration edges into an "omniscient" viewpoint.
Of Blood and Brothers is set during and after the Civil War, and features three narrators: Calvin Hogue, the young cub reporter from Pennsylvania working at his uncle's newspaper in 1927 NW Florida; and the two Malburn brothers, old codgers now in their 80s who fought on opposite sides during the war. To sustain each character's distinctive voice throughout nearly six hundred pages was a challenge. I based the brothers' voices on two old gents in their 80s that I knew as a young boy. Their father had fought for the Confederacy during the late War for Southern Independence (as we Southerns are fond of calling it).
Now for the mysteries. The Mac McClellan Mystery series is set in the present day Florida panhandle. Mac's a retired Marine with combat experience. He's easy going, a Southern gentleman (most of the time), an admirer of the fairer sex (though Semper Fidelis is his watchword), but can turn into your worst enemy in an instant if given cause.
My new private eye, Dinger, is still trying to shake off the horrors of the intense combat he experienced as a (surprise!) Marine during WWII. He's settled and opened up shop in post-war Las Vegas. It's a darker setting. He's more straightforward than Mac, lacks Mac's sense of humor, and isn't afraid to snuff out the bad guys if he's rubbed the wrong way. I've tried to make his voice more "hardboiled noir." I'm hoping to write enough "Dinger, PI" stories for a collection, and then possibly move on to a full-length novel.
Hope this answers your question!
The Private War of Corporal Henson, on the other hand, is a novel although it's based on true characters and events. It's told in third person, with several of the characters involved narrating their experiences as they battle PTSD in and out of group therapy. At times the narration edges into an "omniscient" viewpoint.
Of Blood and Brothers is set during and after the Civil War, and features three narrators: Calvin Hogue, the young cub reporter from Pennsylvania working at his uncle's newspaper in 1927 NW Florida; and the two Malburn brothers, old codgers now in their 80s who fought on opposite sides during the war. To sustain each character's distinctive voice throughout nearly six hundred pages was a challenge. I based the brothers' voices on two old gents in their 80s that I knew as a young boy. Their father had fought for the Confederacy during the late War for Southern Independence (as we Southerns are fond of calling it).
Now for the mysteries. The Mac McClellan Mystery series is set in the present day Florida panhandle. Mac's a retired Marine with combat experience. He's easy going, a Southern gentleman (most of the time), an admirer of the fairer sex (though Semper Fidelis is his watchword), but can turn into your worst enemy in an instant if given cause.
My new private eye, Dinger, is still trying to shake off the horrors of the intense combat he experienced as a (surprise!) Marine during WWII. He's settled and opened up shop in post-war Las Vegas. It's a darker setting. He's more straightforward than Mac, lacks Mac's sense of humor, and isn't afraid to snuff out the bad guys if he's rubbed the wrong way. I've tried to make his voice more "hardboiled noir." I'm hoping to write enough "Dinger, PI" stories for a collection, and then possibly move on to a full-length novel.
Hope this answers your question!
E.Michael Helms
DEADLY SPIRITS is up next. I just learned the pub date has been pushed back from this September to January 2017 (due to a switch in distributors). This is supposed to be very advantageous for the publisher and the author. I hope so!
In his upcoming case, Mac must delve into the world of the paranormal to investigate a couple of suspicious deaths. Accidental, or murder? Is there anything really to "the other side" that Mac must contend with? He's a big skeptic. Convincing him that "ghosts" or "spirits" could have a part in either committing or solving the murders is a BIG order. Will Mac be forced to admit to something he's always scoffed at? You'll have to read DEADLY SPIRITS to learn the answer.
In his upcoming case, Mac must delve into the world of the paranormal to investigate a couple of suspicious deaths. Accidental, or murder? Is there anything really to "the other side" that Mac must contend with? He's a big skeptic. Convincing him that "ghosts" or "spirits" could have a part in either committing or solving the murders is a BIG order. Will Mac be forced to admit to something he's always scoffed at? You'll have to read DEADLY SPIRITS to learn the answer.
E.Michael Helms
In WWII there certainly were incidents of cruelty and experimentation by certain doctors. These, however (IMO) were the ones who had "bought into" the Nazi mindset of the "Super Race," meaning the Arians or Germanic people. I don't really believe Germans as a people in those days were inherently cruel or sadistic. I doubt the Nazis medical "monsters" grew from the occasional miscreant doctor from the First World War era.
E.Michael Helms
Not to my knowledge. At times surgeons could be overwhelmed with casualties resulting in "meatball" surgery. By this I mean the repairs were done quickly and the cosmetics might have been a bit more crude than if there had been time to devote to "tidying" things up. All-in-all, my feeling is the doctors worked diligently to save lives and did a fine job of it given the circumstances they faced.
E.Michael Helms
Hi, M.J.~ I was daydreaming and remembered a trip my wife and I had taken to Seaside, FL, over twenty years ago. Seaside is a beautiful "planned" resort on the panhandle coast built to resemble architecture back in the 1940s or '50s. There are quaint shops around a town square, with an outdoors amphitheater centered in the square. They hold concerts, people picnic, or just hang out there. The houses all follow the period mode. Just across the highway lies the Gulf of Mexico fronted by beautiful sand dunes and a beach as white a pure sugar.
I remember thinking "what if" historical artifacts had been discovered on the site, artifacts that proved an encampment of a famous explorer had occurred on the site before construction began. What if the site was of such historical significance that it threatened to stop the planned development dead in its tracks. Investors who had staked fortunes in the planned resort stood to lose everything. Would anyone among them be so desperate as to commit murder to silence the discovery before it went public? So, an experience I had socked away in my mind for two decades became the idea for Deadly Dunes. I think that's what most writers tend to do. We observe and file things away, often in our subconscious. That's what works for me.
I remember thinking "what if" historical artifacts had been discovered on the site, artifacts that proved an encampment of a famous explorer had occurred on the site before construction began. What if the site was of such historical significance that it threatened to stop the planned development dead in its tracks. Investors who had staked fortunes in the planned resort stood to lose everything. Would anyone among them be so desperate as to commit murder to silence the discovery before it went public? So, an experience I had socked away in my mind for two decades became the idea for Deadly Dunes. I think that's what most writers tend to do. We observe and file things away, often in our subconscious. That's what works for me.
E.Michael Helms
Absolutely. "Deadly Dunes" is up and running now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and other Internet outlets. Should be in many brick & mortar bookstores, too!
Thanks for asking, M.J.!
--Michael
Thanks for asking, M.J.!
--Michael
E.Michael Helms
Certainly! In my (very) younger days I had aspirations of being a rock star; however, our band sucked. So, I decided to become a best-selling author. Ah, the dreams of mice and men! Nowadays I simply play for my own enjoyment (because no one else enjoys my playing!). ;-)
E.Michael Helms
The satisfaction of having completed a book, knowing that you've done your best, and hoping that it will stand the test of time.
E.Michael Helms
READ a LOT in the genre you want to write. Pay close attention to punctuation, dialogue, and how stories are structured. Use active verbs, and show more than tell. Put your characters "on stage" and let them act out the story.
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