We interviewed the author and posed nine particular questions that had been submitted by his Instagram followers.
If you were given the chance to reside in any part of the world for a year while crafting a book set in that same location, where would you opt to go?
"I would choose the Amalfi Coast which is an extraordinarily beautiful stretch of rugged coast in Campania, Italy, at the edge of the Sorrentine Peninsula. For about fifty miles, the coast looks like something a romantic artist would paint - sheer cliffs plunging into an azure sea, golden beaches hidden in secluded coves, a pastel sun, and villages hugging the steep slopes of Mount Ravello."
What little-known aspect of your life behind the scenes would likely astonish your readers the most?
"I have played the piano since I was a youngster. During my many years of international travel, there were constant meetings at restaurants, clubs etc., and there was usually a piano somewhere in the room. During many of those times, if the piano was unoccupied, I took the liberty of playing that piano which surprised many of the patrons and the people who were my host (s) or whom I was hosting. It cemented many of the relationships I was trying to forge and left a lasting impression with them. On subsequent trips when visiting those places again, I was remembered and usually asked to play a song or two."
What is your favorite cover out of all your books? Why is it your favorite?
"I think it would be the cover of "Life Impossible." - a lone figure walking along a deserted, narrow street which duplicated streets in numerous cities I have visited over thirty-five years of international travel to South America, Africa and the Far East. I imagined myself as that figure when we designed the cover."
How do you think being a writer has helped you as a person?
"I have taken "pieces" of my life - the places I visited, the difficult and easy times, the accomplishments and the failures, the various people I have interacted with and against, and these became the basis for the novels I've written. Remembering these data points while writing my novels, I was able to reflect back on who I was, and who I became because of these interactions. I remember something the South African political and social activist, Nelson Mandela once said - "I never lose. I either win or I learn." I've made what Nelson Mandela believed a part of my character, a foundation of how I act and interact with people and in all situations."
What is your favorite word, and why?
"I would say the word "Okay," is my favorite word. It defuses many situations, and is an answer you can give that is non confrontational. It usually will bring an argument, misunderstanding, disagreement or an agreement to a quick end/conclusion."
If you could spend a day with one of your characters, whom would you choose and why?
"I think it would be Nancy Gault, one of my principal characters in my novel "The Profession." She is depicted as a multifaceted woman, a classical pianist and an assassin. These are unusual and complex personas for one person to have, but Nancy Gault handles both with considerable ease."
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What is the significance of your title "Kill Alexis Markovic?
"In my novel, "Kill Alexis Markovic,"I have created the primary character as a beautiful, female Russian born assassin (enforcer) and developed her into a lethal weapon for the fictitious Okulov crime family whose tentacles reach to the shores of the United States. Alexis embarks on an assignment to find out why the organization is losing money in their American operations. I have admired many women whom I have met during my career and travels. The majority of those women were strong-willed, attractive, accomplished, intelligent and successful. I try to portray many of my principal characters after these women and attempt to dispel the image, some may hold, that women are the weaker sex. They are anything but this, and "Alexis Markovic," is a perfect example - Intelligent, beautiful, determined and skillful. I married just such a woman.
When one or more of the characters in this novel, renounce or renege on their obligations and/or mandates to their employer, as the storyline depicts, then those people find their authority, and their lives compromised. They conclude that the threat has to be eliminated. "Alexis Markovic" is the crime family's weapon of retribution and those threatened need to eliminate her. Thus "Kill Alexis Markovic" was created."
What is the best part of your day?
"Early morning, meaning 4:30 a.m. or so. I always start my morning with several cups of coffee and the quiet (before my wife usually awakes) gives me an opportunity to reflect about a number of things past and present, solve a problem or two and enjoy the solitude. Perhaps the minimal amount of sleep I get goes back to when I was attending the Ranger Course at Fort Benning, GA., where sleep deprivation was the norm. I seem to manage well on a few hours of sleep, although I realize that the medical authorities say to get at least six to eight hours a night."
Which are the five words you would like to be remembered by as a writer?
"Passionate, Interesting, Creative, Innovative and Original."
Published book titles available by Harris L. Kligman include "The Profession," "The Shaolin Covenant," "Her Father's Daughter," "Life Impossible,", "The Dark" , "The Original Alphabet Gang" "The Day the Night Did Not Come", "Kill Alexis Markovic","Requiem For A Soldier", "The Treasure",The World of Nicholas Lord, "The Wordman", and Hakoah.
Audiobook tittles are also available for purchase through Audible, iTunes and Amazon. Audible stores distributes each title in the US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Australia, and Japan.
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