Ask the Author: Marc Liebman
Answered Questions (10)
Marc Liebman
Probably second week in November, 2020
Marc Liebman
I'm a great fan of the late C.S. Forester (Horatio Hornblower), Alexander Kent (Richard Bolitho) and Patrich O'Brian (Jack Aubrey )... All wrote series of novels about a fictional naval officer in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. It was such a transcendent period in world history in which the British Empire grew exponentially around the known world, the American and French Revolutions took place and the Industrial Revolution began. I would have loved to be in that world.
Marc Liebman
CIRCLE OF TREASON - by Sandra Grimes and Jeane Vertefeuille - the unmasking of the traitor/spy Aldridge Ames told by the two CIA officers who found him. I picked this book because I had read a lot about the damage Ames did to our efforts to gather information about the KGB and GRU and their attempts to steal secrets from the U.S.
CONQUERING TIDE by Ian Toll - it is about WWII in the Pacific. Toll looks at the battles from Guadalcanal to Saipan from sides from a command perspective. This book was selected because I am a history book and a fan of Ian. He, along with Jim Hornfischer and Rick Atkinson are three of the best of the new generation of writers of military history.
THE FLEET AT FLOOD TIDE - the U.S. Navy in 1944-1945 - the book focuses on the Marianas campaign and the events that it triggered. See reason for picking CONQUERING TIDE.
SHATTERED SWORD by Jonathan Parshall. Actually, I am re-reading this book about the Battle of Midway because it is the 75th anniversary of this epic battle. It looks at the operational doctrine of both the U.S. and Japanese navies and how this explained their tactics and decision making. It is an easy, fascinating read.
EYES OVER AFGHANISTAN by Matt Vernon - the book is about Matt's experience as a Naval Aviator and helicopter pilot sent to Afghanistan to train pilots in the Afghani Air Force.
CONQUERING TIDE by Ian Toll - it is about WWII in the Pacific. Toll looks at the battles from Guadalcanal to Saipan from sides from a command perspective. This book was selected because I am a history book and a fan of Ian. He, along with Jim Hornfischer and Rick Atkinson are three of the best of the new generation of writers of military history.
THE FLEET AT FLOOD TIDE - the U.S. Navy in 1944-1945 - the book focuses on the Marianas campaign and the events that it triggered. See reason for picking CONQUERING TIDE.
SHATTERED SWORD by Jonathan Parshall. Actually, I am re-reading this book about the Battle of Midway because it is the 75th anniversary of this epic battle. It looks at the operational doctrine of both the U.S. and Japanese navies and how this explained their tactics and decision making. It is an easy, fascinating read.
EYES OVER AFGHANISTAN by Matt Vernon - the book is about Matt's experience as a Naval Aviator and helicopter pilot sent to Afghanistan to train pilots in the Afghani Air Force.
Marc Liebman
I spent years in the outsouring business either working for a provider in business development or for a consulting firm advising clients on whether or not to outsource and then selecting and negotiating a contract with a provider. The politics and machinations on both sides often make you wonder if you not acting in a movie because there are good guys who want to do the right thing for their firm, villians who want to torpedo the project and those whose personal agendas create mischief. Think of characters you could invent... A hard driving CFO who wants to maximize short term gains to max out his bonus, a CEO who wants to improve the stock price so his options are more valuable; a functional VP who doesn't believe it will work. One could create a unethical sales man who will do anything to win the deal and he is pushed by a a VP of business development who needs to make his numbers, at any price. Caught in the middle is the consultant advising the client and and the company's project leader. One can add in bribes, sex, unethical, even murder and dirty tricks to spice up the plot so, to answer the question, it is a mystery to me as to why I haven't written a novel with the process of outsourcing as a core element of the plot...
Marc Liebman
Persistence pays. If you want to be a writer, you will find time to write. It does not matter whether it is a proposal, book review, novel, magazine article, write and then write some more. Write and develop a style that is yours, not an imitation of someone else's.
You need persistence to finish a project, you need it to try to sell it and you need it to market the book once it is published. Everyone needs an editor so set your ego aside when it is critiqued. Use it to get better.
You need persistence to finish a project, you need it to try to sell it and you need it to market the book once it is published. Everyone needs an editor so set your ego aside when it is critiqued. Use it to get better.
Marc Liebman
Great question. My third book, CHERUBS 2 should be out later this fall. I'm guessing November and it takes priority. Next, I am almost finished with an update to a book titled THE KURILE WEDGE INCIDENT which takes place in 1992 in Japan. Next up is either the first major edit of a rewrite of a book titled MOSCOW AIRLIFT or the first draft of a novel called FORGOTTEN POWs. All of these, are part of a series of nine books.
Marc Liebman
Two ways. The first is to force myself to at least outline the scene or what I am trying to write. then, I put it down and come back to it. The outline often spurs other ideas and I can start writing.
The second is to stop. Then, when I am either working out or walking my dogs, let my mind wander as I think through the passage.
Often what is causing the block is that text or scene doesn't fit for whatever reason and my sub-conscious is coming to the forefront. I take these as a warning sign.
The second is to stop. Then, when I am either working out or walking my dogs, let my mind wander as I think through the passage.
Often what is causing the block is that text or scene doesn't fit for whatever reason and my sub-conscious is coming to the forefront. I take these as a warning sign.
Marc Liebman
I get to share my stories with others. I love it and can't wait to retire so I can do it full time. Right now, working full time is supporting my writing habit!
Marc Liebman
I've always wanted to be a novelist. It is not inspiration, but perspiration. Writing military historical fiction is lonely and time consuming. I get my ideas from the events my life and those around me. I am an avid reader of history which also gives me ideas. I try to be operational and historically accurate which means I spend a lot of time on the internet. Once I start writing a passage, I try to become the character who is the focus of the screen and then the words just flow. When I begin polishing, I often wonder what was I thinking and start all over again. The reality is either you want to write or you don't. It is a borderline obsession.
Marc Liebman
I'd been wanting to write a book about chasing terrorists in Europe. I lived in West Germany in the fifties and sixties at the height of the "power" of organizations such as Baader-Meinhof, the Red Brigades, etc. Despite the fact that West Germany was a democracy, there were still many who fondly remembered the "good old" days under Hitler. Sooo, I combined the two, added in a does of the East German secret police - Stasi, the KGB and Fatah for good measure and out popped the plot for RENDER HARMLESS.
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Sep 13, 2020 06:26PM