Recently on a live video conference, fans had a chance to ask a variety of questions to Harris L. Kligman, the author of The Profession, The Shaolin Covenant & Her Father's Daughter. Below please find a few of those questions and answers from the video conference.
Where did you get the idea for your most recent book:
According to Harris L. Kligman, All my books contain something I have experienced from my years as a United States Army Intelligence Officer, my approximately four and a half years of living in South Korea, my extensive travel for over thirty-five years throughout South America, Africa and the Far East and of course the many personalities, both male and female, that I have met during this period of time and with whom I worked, partied, and shared some difficult times. The story takes life from there and I weave in some fictional aspects to make the story more readable. And from all my experiences - some good and many not so good, I discovered one thing many years ago that has become the foundation of my belief system - "One act of kindness can change a person's life forever." I try to weave this into all my stories in some fashion."
How do you get inspired to write:
According to Harris L. Kligman, "As an only child growing up, I discovered a love for books - stories of adventure and of far away places. Writing was always something I liked to do. It was never a problem for me, whether it was high school, undergraduate days at my university or in grad school getting my MBA. It took some prodding from my son Rob to get me started, but once I began, I was able to write 10/12 novels, several short stories and children's stories."
What is your advice to aspiring writers:
According to Harris L. Kligman, "We all have a book inside of us. Don't be afraid to put that book on paper whether it's a short story, a life experience or some fictional idea you have thought about."
What is the best thing about being a writer:
According to Harris L. Kligman, "I can can bring characters to life, and create situations that the average man or woman might not have had or would ever experience. I can take the reader to places such as Mongolia, as in "The Shaolin Covenant," and weave my characters into the background of the country introducing facts that the reader might not be aware of."
If you could travel to any fictional book world, where would you go and what would you do there:
According to Harris L. Kligman, "I'd like to be in the fictional book world of "Alice in Wonderland." It has a heroine named Alice , a young girl who experiences the marvelous characters in a place called "Wonderland," such as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, the Mad Hatter, and of course the White Rabbit.....quite an adventure for anyone of any age - pure fun."
