Interviewed by Leslie S. Lowe 

   How would you describe this book and its themes in a couple of sentences?  

When Ashes Cried provides the reader with an insider’s view of Nazi reasoning and need to remove all Jews from German society––once and for all––after Kristallnacht. Seen through the eyes of the amnesic protagonist, Friedrich Richard, a key member of Hitler’s inner circle, we learn of multiple opportunities the West could have stopped Hitler’s adventurism . . . but didn’t. Filled with suspense and intrigue, When Ashes Cried explains how the Holocaust came about like no other telling of it does.  

  What inspired you to start writing historical fiction and what has been the most rewarding about it?  

I was meant to study history. I love learning about the past to understand the present. I love taking what might be seemingly disparate facts and weaving them into tales about the human spirit. This passion enables me to craft meaningful stories that by turns, engage, teach, and entertained readers while jumping off today’s headlines.  

How is this latest novel different than the other novels in the trilogy?   

I authored When Ashes Cried alone. Wolf and Sins of the Fathers were co-authored with Herbert J. Stern. In those books, we cobbled little known facts about Hitler and the Nazis into a more accurate historiography than what most nonfiction books offered, while making our works suspenseful. When Ashes Cried is more novelistic. It ties the various threads that run through the first two books together. It is also different in that it is an illustrated novel, containing more than sixty photographs which makes it quite unique.  

  Why the focus on this topic now? Is there a key historical event you found in researching that inspired you to write this story to portray a key message prevalent now?  

Years back, Herb Stern asked me, “Did you know that Adolf Hitler was in a mental institution at the end of World War I?” I didn’t . . . and I was hooked. What else was unfamiliar to me and the rest of the world about Hitler and the Nazis? After much research, we had enough revelatory issues to craft a more truthful picture that demystified or debunked many accepted notions about Hitler and the Nazis. Why was this important? Because accurate histories shore up present beliefs. Otherwise, we build foundations on quicksand that swallow liberties inherent to democracy. Another way to look at this is we can’t lose the truths of the past.  

  How do the characters transform within the story over the series? What did that journey mean to you as you wrote it?  

We had an unbelievable challenge from the start: write a story whose hero was a Nazi. In fact, an Obergruppenführer. A Nazi general. We had to make the reader care about him. Root for him. From the outset, our protagonist lost his memory in a bombing attack during WWI. We then rebuilt him concept by concept. Our challenge: craft Friedrich to be the eyes and ears of the reader while being Hitler’s trusted advisor. We balanced these scales as Friedrich undermined Nazi degrees or committed acts that affected Nazi outcomes until he could no longer remain in Berlin. How he extricates himself from Hitler’s inner circle is the backbone of Ashes . . .   

  How do you think the reader will connect with Friedrich in this book?  

Readers have loved Friedrich in the first two books and they will adore him in Ashes. Questions will be answered: Was Friedrich a Jew? What real life character was he based on? Would his memory return? How far into WWII will the story go? These and more questions are answered in the name of “closure,” including why the Holocaust became inevitable.  

  How did you balance the research with writing the story? Did you get to do any interesting interviews for your research?   

The only “live interviews” we performed were to correspond with Clare and Andrew Colvin, children of noted journalist Ian Colvin, who was a noted journalist and character in Wolf. When we came across German books and articles we needed to translate—neither of us speak German—we hired translators. Primary sources were our strength, not current histories or biographies but we scoured books by historians and key figures that lived during the 1920s, 30s, 40s, and early 50s, who knew the main players from this era. In essence, we used firsthand sources whenever possible. We were relentless in our quest for truths. Besides being a federal judge, Herb Stern was a state prosecutor and is presently a litigating attorney. Herb connected dots others did not recognize as dots. Herb’s brilliance and legal skills fueled this project.  

  Since When Ashes Cried completes the trilogy, what are you working on now? Is it connected to your other work in any way?   

I am presently writing a story from this same period, but in a way that has never been done before. I can’t say more without giving the plot away. Like my other books, it will offer new insights into history, highlight little known facts, while being both tense and suspenseful.  

As Professor at Columbia and NYU, how has your life experiences been incorporated with or assisted you in your writing?  

Studying and then teaching at two elite universities gave me the research skills I needed to present little known facts in an artful way that teaches while entertains.  

  Every author has his own publishing journey. Tell me about yours.  

My first manuscript was 800 pages. I got it to an agent at the William Morris Agency who called to say she was rejecting it, but wanted to meet me. She told me I made a common beginner’s mistake: cramming every idea into my manuscript.  There were two stories in mine. Pick and write only one. I did . . . and that is how Someone Else’s Son came to be published.   

  What advice would you give to other aspiring historical writers?  

Know your facts. Read everything you can about the period, and then leave most of it out of your book except for the key issues that will drive the story or character forward. Information dumps only prove you did a lot of research, but they become barriers to the reader.  

  What is the last great book you read? Why?  

The last great book I read was The Age of Revolutions by Fareed Zakaria. Fareed is brilliant. He explains why some revolutions succeed while many don’t. Nonfiction centers me after reading so many books, articles, monographs, and doing so much research on Hitler, the Nazis, and the Holocaust.