Ask the Author: Gary W. Toyn
Answered Questions (5)
Gary W. Toyn
I know it has become trite to say that I love the research more than the writing, but that’s exactly how I feel. I could have hired a research assistant but that would take all the fun out of it.
Aside from interviews, books and tracking down primary sources, I think it’s important to immerse myself in the physical environment of my protagonists. So I do a lot of traveling. I like to visit war-related sites in England, Germany, Austria, Poland, as well as important historical sites here in the U.S. that usually figure prominent during World War II. It’s important for me to see for myself, and feel the vibe of each place so I could describe each place with better accuracy.
One thing I don’t want to be accused of is doing sloppy research. Now I’m sure someone may find some detail I may have gotten wrong, but it won’t be for lack of trying to get all the important historical details right.
As is always the case, much I my research has to put be away for another day, but I like to incorporate as many of the most intriguing and lesser-known facts I discovered, then weave those historical nuggets into the narrative of my novel. For the avid WWII history buff or fan of WWII historical fiction, I’m confident you’ll learn something from my books. I know I'm always learning something new.
Aside from interviews, books and tracking down primary sources, I think it’s important to immerse myself in the physical environment of my protagonists. So I do a lot of traveling. I like to visit war-related sites in England, Germany, Austria, Poland, as well as important historical sites here in the U.S. that usually figure prominent during World War II. It’s important for me to see for myself, and feel the vibe of each place so I could describe each place with better accuracy.
One thing I don’t want to be accused of is doing sloppy research. Now I’m sure someone may find some detail I may have gotten wrong, but it won’t be for lack of trying to get all the important historical details right.
As is always the case, much I my research has to put be away for another day, but I like to incorporate as many of the most intriguing and lesser-known facts I discovered, then weave those historical nuggets into the narrative of my novel. For the avid WWII history buff or fan of WWII historical fiction, I’m confident you’ll learn something from my books. I know I'm always learning something new.
Gary W. Toyn
Don’t write for fame and fortune. Write because you love it. Write because you must write in order to be sane from day to day. People who write expecting fame and/or fortune get neither.
Writers must also be painfully patient to get through the writing and editing process. Welcome criticism from every available source. If you don’t, and you rush to print, be prepared to have someone you don’t know (and who doesn’t care if they hurt your feelings,) write a scathing review that will absolutely gut you. That’s why I always recommend that writers hire a skilled, professional editor to polish your manuscript before it ever sees the light of day.
Writers must also be painfully patient to get through the writing and editing process. Welcome criticism from every available source. If you don’t, and you rush to print, be prepared to have someone you don’t know (and who doesn’t care if they hurt your feelings,) write a scathing review that will absolutely gut you. That’s why I always recommend that writers hire a skilled, professional editor to polish your manuscript before it ever sees the light of day.
Gary W. Toyn
The best thing about being a writer is getting to study and learn more about the things I enjoy. It may sound trite, but it's still quite true: I love the research more than the writing. My latest book, for Malice and Mercy, took me nearly five years to research, write, travel, correspond, interview, edit, revise, re-write, etc. Historical fiction must be historically accurate, so I needed the time to make sure I had my facts correct. While it's likely someone may eventually find a factual error or two, it's not because I was playing fast and loose with the facts. I made every effort to be as true and accurate as possible.
Gary W. Toyn
My new book is a WWII historical novel inspired by true events. It's about a German-American family from a small rural community who's stripped of their citizenship and sent to a secret German "Concentration Camp" in Texas. There's much more to it, but I don't want to inadvertently slip in any spoilers, but it's based a little know episode of WWII history that only recently has been revealed.
Gary W. Toyn
My upcoming novel was a product of pure inspiration. Plain and simple. I wasn't planning on writing a novel, I was busy creating travel videos for a Youtube channel. After I committed to writing this book, I started to dig in on the research. So if you know me, you can suspect that this upcoming book is set in the time period of World War II. I've been studying WWII history and visiting historic site in Europe for years now. But along the way I recently came upon some historical events that I wasn't aware of. I like to think of myself as pretty knowledgeable about WWII history, but after hearing about this story, I kept digging and digging to see if I was being deceived. But it was all true, and I was amazed. So, to avoid offering any spoilers, I'll just say that I'll blog about it here on Goodreads in a little while. So I can't take any credit for the idea, but I'm sure glad I didn't ignore it.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more