Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a 33-year-old History-buff and author from France, and I have just released my first book in English through Pen & Sword Books (UK) and Casemate (US). It’s called “Till Victory : the Second World War by those who were there”, and it tells more than 50 different stories of real Allied soldiers from World War II using their never published before correspondences. These letters are all from my personal collection, gathered over the years from eBay and other collectors, therefore offering new accounts from the era and an emotional look at the conflict (while still providing historical context for the neophytes). The French version, “Till Victory : lettres de soldats alliés”, was a big success in France and even won a History award. It lead to the release of a Tome 2 in 2020, which has not been translated in English yet.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Till Victory : the Second World War by those who were there” is the result of 15 years of work (half my life!) on my personal WWII letters collection. The reason why it took so long is because it’s hard to find historical and interesting content in original letters that were heavily censored during the war… Fortunately it is not impossible, otherwise there wouldn’t have been a book to speak of, but you have to be patient, lucky, and of course collecting is a very expensive hobby. Moreover, I had to find the descendants of more than 45 soldiers, all over the world, to make sure they were okay with me publishing these letters to the general public. Of course it was done with the utmost respect, because as a Frenchman, this work is my way of saying thank you to all these veterans I owe my freedom to.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am not a full-time historian / author, so I only work when I should sleep or relax… But I don’t think this is unusual for an author to spend 14 hours a day in front of the computer, while everyone else in the house is sleeping.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love wartime and personal accounts, so my favorite authors have been through WWII themselves and wrote about it in a very humane way. “Up Front” by Bill Mauldin or “Brave Men” by Ernie Pyle are probably the best books ever written about World War II, in my opinion…
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a third book, again on WWII letters, and hopefully it will be released in English someday. I still need to translate the second volume of Till Victory, which hasn’t been discussed with my publisher yet.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I produce my own podcasts, called “Till Victory (a podcast about WWII and Peace)”, where I interview WWII veterans that are honored in the book (available on all streaming platforms). It offers new content to my readers, while spreading the good word about the book to those who have never heard of it. However, I must admit that I’m pretty new to the game and being French doesn’t help: although the book did very well in France, nobody knows who I am overseas and I have to start from scratch…
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Considering myself a new author, I still have so much to learn… and I’d love to get some advice!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I probably haven’t heard it yet…
What are you reading now?
An upcoming French title from one of my friends!
What’s next for you as a writer?
I hoped I could turn some of the stories in Till Victory into an awesome movie, but it turns out the movie industry seems even tougher than the book industry. So I’ll probably stick to writing books, preserving the stories of WWII heroes, one at a time…
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Probably some very thick titles that could be used to crush huge tropical spiders.
Author Websites and Profiles
Clément HORVATH Website
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