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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dear Reader.
 I
like to write about events that could happen. And in many cases,
about events that have happened although we may not necessarily
know it.
The poisonous cargo in the Syrian desert existed (and still exists,
according to the U.S. government). The murders of the Iraqi shepherd
and his sons probably happened, and who knows - the probability
is great that a secret plan exists for a "final solution" to the
conflict in the Middle East.
If people think that I write mainly about macro-political events,
scenarios involving heads of state, the CIA, Mossad and A'man, then
they are dead wrong. I prefer instead to write about the individual
person. Normal people who are influenced by events which more or
less touch all of us in our everyday lives. Whether it be a car
accident, a kiss, blind violence, theft or even the crisis in Iraq.
Everything that in total comprises your daily life and mine.
Bad Guys
I like best of all to write about "the bad guys," those who end
up on the wrong side of what we call "the law." During the creative
process (if I may be allowed to use such a pompous phrase), the
events often lead off in their own direction. I always have a clear
goal when I start to write. I plan a chapter with thought given
to what is going to happen, who is going to do it and how it is
going to end. But gradually the characters take on lives of their
own. It's a fascinating experience. The result is that I often end
up with a totally different end-result than I had planned at the
start. Even though this is true for all my characters, it is often
the bad guys who develop and change most along the way. They change
from being one-dimensional stick figures to more nuanced, reflective
characters. Don't misunderstand. They are still bad guys, but maybe
they will seem more genuine if they, in their own way, are victims
of circumstance. The world is seldom black and white. Far from it…
Here is an excerpt from my next book
which shows what I mean.
What If?
Have you ever thought "what if"? What if I had left home two seconds
later? Then maybe I would not have crashed at the intersection,
not met my future lover. (Or if you have a lover, maybe your wife
would not have seen you kissing him or her.)
Or what about the man who missed his plane that crashed 20 minutes
later? Or the woman who was hit in the head by a chunk of ice as
she walked under an awning?
All "what if" stories do not necessarily have to be sad. What if
a man in front of you in line at the kiosk buys just two lottery
tickets instead of his usual three and therefore ends up passing
on the winning lottery ticket to you. And all because you used two
seconds extra before leaving home…
I often think like this. And I use this when I enter the world of
fiction. For there I am the boss, and there I can shamelessly jump
forward and backward and create moments that touch the reader. Either
through tears, laughter, anger or, preferably, through joy. Perhaps
the joy of having read something will stay with you, even after
you have read the last page and have put the book away on the shelf...
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