Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Michael Bernhart is an award winning author who has published extensively on international development and public health – primarily service quality. His credentials for this written outpouring are a PhD (from MIT!) and four decades of international work – currently 50 countries and counting.
The journey from writing funding proposals to writing pure fiction was short and easy. The result is the Max Brown tetralogy which traces the arc (from age 10 through 66) of a man who earnestly tries to avoid trouble, but whose own behavior – or events – repeatedly drops him into it. Each of the four novels finds Max struggling with a new existential crisis – or crises – as he grows up in these trying times. Manhood used to be a birthright; now it seems to be an unending series of challenges. Each novel also finds Max confronting a new face of evil.
Dr. (why not use it?) Bernhart started this project before the internet could serve up virtual experiences to authors. The contextual information and situations come from service as a pilot in the USAF, living in Asia, Europe and Latin America, and inexplicable success at snaring women well out of his league. These remarkable similarities with the main character noted, he insists the work is not autobiographical. It’s wish fulfillment.
Bernhart currently lives in a yurt on a mountaintop in northern Georgia with one ex-wife, two daughters, and three cats. He still flies his vintage plane, although more cautiously than before, and he’s unshakeable in his conviction that he’s God’s Gift to Aviation.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“How Existentialism Almost Killed Me: Kierkegaard Was Right” was driven by two – make that three – objectives. 1) The tetralogy takes Max Brown, an intentional smart-ass, through the conventional life stages. After three books there were still more years and at least one life stage left in the boy. 2) Each novel examines a different face of evil. I hadn’t presented evil that comes with an ideology attached. I selected the Khmers Rouges because I had worked in Cambodia and knew something of their vile ways. No one can do evil like those guys. 3) I was on a roll.
I’ve ground out ten (?) non-fiction books, primarily on some aspect of healthcare, and this makes four fiction books
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I enjoy writing fiction, perhaps because I enjoy lying. Too late to go to law school or enter politics, and this was the next best thing.
I’ve discovered that I do best with plot development when I’ve had a few in the evening. (This is being written in the evening. Had you guessed?) The next morning, sober, I clean up the previous night’s work.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
The writers that depress me the most when I read them are Garrison Keillor, John le Carre, and Bill Bryson. How do they do it?
What are you working on now?
Promotion.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Still a mystery.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes! Scram, skedaddle, get! The field is over-crowded already. I don’t need any more competition.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“That woman is trouble, Mike.” Sadly, I didn’t pay attention.
What are you reading now?
“Sapien” by Harari
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have to crack this promotion nut. Credible beta readers say the material is good.
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?
Three or four books on how to survive on a desert island.
Author Websites and Profiles
Michael Bernhart Website
Michael Bernhart Amazon Profile
Michael Bernhart’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile