JEFF HEIN
JEFF HEIN
Books
JEFF HEIN
Jeff Hein writes historical fiction that is grounded in facts that refer to the writings of ancient and modern historians and the discoveries of modern archeology.
Jeff has traveled the world and had the good fortune to walk in the footsteps of many of his characters.
When visiting these ancient sites, he feels the ghosts of those who went before him that are tied to the land they lived upon.
Writing about history is a passion and he loves the challenge of weaving historical and archeological facts with believable fiction and interesting characters into a seamless and fascinating story.
With a heavy dose of action, adventure, romance, and intrigue he writes with the hope of transporting the reader to another time and place.
At the end of the story, he hopes the reader will have learned something about actual history and shared a personal adventure with the author.Â
Q. WHEN YOU READ YOUR BOOK REVIEWS HOW DO YOU HANDLE THE BAD ONES?
A. I assess to see if there is something I can learn from it. Sometimes I laugh. Mostly I shrug my shoulders and realize you can’t please everyone and move on.
Q. HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU DO GET A GOOD REVIEW?
A. It’s wonderful and it makes me feel very good.
Q. ARE YOU TRYING TO HAVE EACH BOOK STAND ON ITS OWN OR ARE YOU TRYING TO BUILD A BODY OF WORK WITH CONNECTIONS BETWEEN EACH BOOK?
A. I am currently working on a series of four books that tell the story of the Cimbri. I plan for my next to be a series on Gaius Marius.
Q. HOW MUCH OF YOUR PERSONAL LIFE DO YOU INCORPORATE INTO YOUR WRITING OR DO YOU MAKE UP EVERYTHING?
A. I try to incorporate real life emotions, decisions, relationships, and personalities into my books.
Q. HOW LONG DO YOU RESEARCH BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR NEXT BOOK?
A. I have researched my series for 30 years before I decided to write it, and each book is researched in more detail as I write.
Q. WHAT ARE THE ETHICS OF WRITING ABOUT HISTORICAL FIGURES?
A. I try to keep things as close as possible to the real history. When there is not enough information available, I try my best to present a story that is likely to be as close to actual history as possible.
Q. WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST DIFFICULT PART FOR YOU WHEN IT COMES TO WRITING?
A. Marketing the books.
Q. ARE YOUR CHARACTERS ‘REAL’ OR DO THEY COME OUT OF YOUR IMAGINATION OR DO YOU BASE THEM ON SOMEONE YOU KNOW?
A. About 50/50. The book is about real people as the main characters, but I have created supporting characters to flesh out the story.
Q. WHEN DID YOU START WRITING?
A. Tinkered in 2006-2007 but didn’t really start writing till 2017
Q. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR BOOK.
A. General Fiction, Mystery, with personal life experiences that are made and read like a William Shakespeare play script.
Q. WHAT IS YOUR WRITING KRYPTONITE?
A. OVERTHINKING. I’m bad at that and can get stuck in a scene until I am happy with it.
Q. HOW DO YOU CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTERS?
A. That I can’t really explain. It’s a mix of many characters I have known all wrapped in one.
Q. WHAT DID YOU EDIT OUT OF YOUR LATEST NOVEL? A SCENE? A CHARACTER? A SUBPLOT? WHY?
A. Well, honestly, that is hard to explain. For 3 years, book 2, Chapter 8 was at a standstill with at least 50 to 100 different ideas, and nothing really fit. It roadblocked me. It wasn’t until recently that I was part of a discord that someone gave me the idea to do a private eye of sorts, which is carrying over to Chapter 9 and beyond, and this set the scene for the rest of the book. So, editing completely out I would say no, but better polishing of the characters is something on which I am working.
Q. AN AUTHOR'S PATH IS NEVER EASY. WHAT KEEPS YOU GOING?
A. I know the answer I am going to give is both going to upset people but also make people chuckle. What keeps me going is SELF DETERMINATION. I lived my life with this autism and many individuals telling me what I should do or can do that by pushing ahead and creating book 1, now working on book 2 and God knows what else in the future. I want to prove to everyone and myself that this can be a viable career. I want people to know that autistic and non-autistic can make writing a career. I might end up being a starving author, but I would do what I love. That will fill me up.
Q. 31. WHO DO YOU TRUST TO GIVE YOU OBJECTIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM OF YOUR WRITING?
A. Mostly my wife.
Q. 32. HOW LONG, ON AVERAGE, DOES IT TAKE YOU TO WRITE A BOOK?
A. About a year
Q. 33. DO YOU OUTLINE YOUR BOOK BEFORE WRITING IT OR DO YOU JUST PLOT ALONG AND HOPE FOR THE BEST?
A. I always start with an outline. I create a timeline, then a rough chapter plan. Then fill in with the details and side stories as I go.
