Interview with author Cristoph Fischer

Hi Cristoph, so happy to have you as a guest on my blog. We only know each other online, but I enjoy having you in my life.

Revital:
Please tell the readers who you are, and what you are passionate about.

Cristoph Fischer:
I’m an indie author and avid reader. I’m passionate about good books, good stories and good writing. I read as much as I write and I also love good films. I live in the UK countryside with my partner and three dogs, who are my pride and joy.

Revital:
What brought you to become an Author and a blogger?

Cristoph Fischer:
I experimented with writing only fairly late in my life and had no intention to publish. Then I researched my family tree and Central European History in connection with my ancestry, and suddenly I had a (to me) fascinating historical setting and a story I felt deserved to be told. The result was “The Luck of the Weissensteiners”. As soon as I learned how vital blogging was for indie writers I began to do so. I have never stopped reading, so it came very naturally to me to review and blog about the many great books that are out there.

Revital:
Please tell the readers about your work.

Cristoph Fischer:
I write in several genres. “The Luck of the Weissensteiners” became part one of my historical “Three Nations Trilogy”, books about Czechoslovakia, Austria and Germany between 1918 and the 1970ies. I’m about to release “In Search of a Revolution”, a Finnish Civil War drama, also set in the early 20th Century. I’ve also written two contemporary family dramas: “Time To Let Go” about a family affected by Alzheimers, and “Conditions”, a story about two brothers and mental health. My most recent release “The Healer” is a medical thriller about alternative medicine and trust.

Revital:
How does your personal life impact your books? Can us, readers learn something about your life from your writing?

Cristoph Fischer:
So far, none of my stories are auto-biographical. However, I guess you can figure out what kind of person I am from the novels. The subjects that interest me and how I approach them in my books, the values portrayed and the messages, they all give away how I think and feel as a person. Friends of mine have found quite a few similarities of character between me and some of the people in my books. While I write I can get so involved with the characters that I often feel I’m like all of them.

Revital:
What is the best part for you about writing?

Cristoph Fischer:
The creation part: When I have a new idea for a story it’s like falling in love. The excitement and anticipation are a huge burst of energy for me. I love working on that first draft until I come to the end, which often turns out to be different from what I thought myself that it would be. I edit and re-write to polish the story a few times after that and, again, there can be many fantastic moments where I find ways to improve scenes or characters.

Revital:
Please let us know one thing that you are proud of that you have done.

Cristoph Fischer:
Proud might be too strong a word. I’d say that I’m secretly pleased with my thriller “The Healer” and its plot. I don’t read many thrillers and am notoriously bad at guessing whodunit. To think that even one reader could be surprised or fooled by my writing seemed out of reach. When that very thing happened with beta readers of the first draft for “The Healer” I couldn’t have been more surprised and pleased. I must warn you though that the book is far from sensational in its ‘twists’.

Revital:
Short Biography

Cristoph Fischer:
Christoph Fischer was born in Germany, near the Austrian border, as the son of a Sudeten-German father and a Bavarian mother. Not a full local in the eyes and ears of his peers he developed an ambiguous sense of belonging and home in Bavaria. He moved to Hamburg in pursuit of his studies and to lead a life of literary indulgence. After a few years he moved on to the UK where he now lives in a small hamlet, not far from Bath. He and his partner have three Labradoodles to complete their family. Christoph worked for the British Film Institute, in Libraries, Museums and for an airline. ‘The Luck of The Weissensteiners’ was published in November 2012; 'Sebastian' in May 2013 and The Black Eagle Inn in October 2013. "Time To Let Go" , his first contemporary work was published in May 2014, and “Conditions” in October 2014. His medical thriller "The Healer" was released in January 2015. He has written several other novels which are in the later stages of editing and finalisation.

Revital:
Thanks you Cristoph for a fascinating interview.