H. W. Buzz Bernard is an acclaimed thriller author, who has published numerous bestsellers in the genre. His work ranges from natural phenomena to the gritty World War II history that has inspired many of his stories. To get a better insight into what motivates him as an author, we recently conducted an interview with Buzz Bernard and here are some highlights:
Tell us about your book? DOWN A DARK ROAD is WWII historical fiction. Reed Farrel Coleman, a NYT bestselling author, described it as “a gut punch” of a novel. But it’s based on a true story—that of a young infantry lieutenant, Jim Thayer, and his platoon. At the end of the war in Europe they stumble into the very heart of darkness in western Austria—a Nazi death camp. The scenes are chilling and unforgettable, and Jim refused to talk about what he’d witnessed for decades after. But when he finally did, it ignited my creative talents. I had to tell the story. Buy Now on Amazon
What is the PRIMARY benefit, above all others, that your potential reader will gain from reading this book? I would like readers to realize two things about WWII: 1) that not all “wounds” soldiers carried home with them were physical, I.e., from combat per se. Many were psychological from things they’d seen and experienced, such as being the first to stumble into a Nazi death camp. And 2) that although evil was widespread in the Nazi regime, not all German military members were Nazis. Many men in the Luftwaffe, for instance, were not members of the Party. That particular service had its own standards and code of conduct, perhaps not that dissimilar from those of the US Army Air Forces.
If you had to compare this book to any other book out there, which book would it be? Perhaps the best comparison would be to Stephen Ambrose’s BAND OF BROTHERS which follows a WWII combat unit through western Europe. Ambrose’s book is nonfiction (or maybe creative nonfiction), of course, and mine is fiction. It’s similar to Ambrose’s, however, in that it follows Jim Thayer and his platoon through Austria and ultimately to their discovery of a Nazi concentration camp deep in the forests of western Austria. The book is grounded in fact and is based on Jim’s postwar memories of his adventures. I injected some fictional characters into the story—a Luftwaffe fighter pilot, an American bomber pilot, and an SS prison camp commandant—because I wanted to highlight some additional aspects of WWII history in the tale.
Hundreds of thousands of books come out every year. Why should someone buy THIS book? DOWN A DARK ROAD is based on the true story of a unique individual who went on to become a brigadier general and prominent citizen, and who had a thrilling story to tell. I’ve been told (via reviews of my WWII historical fiction) that I have a singular ability to place the reader in the action, not just tell him or her about it. That seems borne out by the fact I’ve been awarded two Gold Medals by the Military Writers Society of America. All considered, I think my abilities enable me to create a gripping saga readers will not soon forget.
Who is your target audience? My target audience is anyone with an interest in WWII history, man or woman. The novel would probably be most appropriate to readers 18 or older. The story itself will have wide appeal across the nation, but may be of particular interest to audiences in the Pacific Northwest, since Jim Thayer was a well liked and widely known resident of Oregon. Among other roles later in life, he served as commander of the Oregon State Defense Force (now the Oregon Civil Defense Force).
Did your environment or upbringing play a major role in your writing and did you use it to your advantage? My service in the United States Air Force—33 years—certainly informs my writing and makes me comfortable when writing about the military. If I don’t know the specific details regarding what I’m writing about, I know the right people to ask. For instance, when crafting DOWN A DARK ROAD I realized I knew very little about infantry tactics. So I sought help from both Army and Marine infantry officers, and they kept me on the straight and narrow.
Tell us your most rewarding experience since publishing your work? My most rewarding experience has been receiving Gold Medals for my books from the Military Writers Society of America. One for WHEN HEROES FLEW and one for WHEN HEROES FLEW: THE SHANGRI-LA RAIDERS. WHEN HEROES FLEW: THE ROOF OF THE WORLD is entered in this year’s competition. Also, it was pretty darn exciting to see my debut novel, EYEWALL, soar to the number-one bestselling position on Amazon’s Kindle
How would you describe your writing style? I write cinematically. That is, I picture myself in the scene, standing side-by-side with my characters. I see what they see, hear what they hear, smell what they do, and share their emotions—fear, awe, confusion, disappointment, love, hate.
Are your characters pure fiction, or did you draw from people you know? Since I write historical fiction, some of the characters I run with are real. Many others that I create and plop into historical situations are based on an amalgam of traits and backgrounds drawn from friends, family, and coworkers I’ve known over the years . . . many years. And a few are just flat out made up.
Are you more of a character artist or a plot-driven writer? I suppose I’m more of a plot-driven writer, but I usually develop my characters in tandem with the plot. In the end, it’s the characters that carry a story. If you don’t have 3D, believable people in your tale, nobody’s going to care about it or remember it.
What do you hope to accomplish with your book other than selling it? I hope DOWN A DARK ROAD will further establish my credentials as a top-notch writer of WWII historical fiction. I’d like to be known as a novelist who can take a real WWII event—often one that’s had little previous visibility—and create a tale that illuminates that incident and hurls the reader Into the middle of the action. I want a reader to feel a part of the what’s going on, not just read about it.
How can our readers get in touch with you?
Website URL: https://buzzbernard.com/
Social Media Links: https://www.facebook.com/hwbuzzbernard/ email: hwbernard@att.net
Synopsis
Down a Dark Road transports readers to the shadowy forests of WWII Austria, where a weary and battle-worn Army platoon is about to discover the war’s darkest secret…
As the war in Europe draws to a close, young Army lieutenant Jim Thayer finds himself and his platoon on the point of the American advance into Austria. Jim and his men are no strangers to the horror of war. But what they find hidden in the forests of Western Austria is beyond anything they have yet experienced.
Battling remnants of the legendary Waffen SS, Germany’s elite fighting force, Jim and his men come face to face with the cruel brutality of the Nazi regime. And bear witness to the fields of death left in its wake.
Determined to hunt down the architect of this atrocity, Jim dispatches an unofficial team of unlikely allies—an American bomber pilot, a German Luftwaffe fighter pilot, and a young Austrian woman.
The war may be ending. But for these strange comrades in arms, the final battle has only just begun…
In Down a Dark Road, former Air Force officer H.W. “Buzz” Bernard plunges readers into the final dark and bloody chapter of the war, as they follow Jim and others into the true heart of darkness. Buy Now on Amazon
Where can our readers purchase your book?
