Interview with Larry Hammersley

Joining us today is fellow TSRA author, Larry Hammersley. Tell us about yourself, Larry.

[Larry] I am married to Sue coming up on 49 years this December 29, have two children and four grandchildren. I graduated from Purdue in January 1961 with a BS in chemistry and from IU in January 1975 with a MS in chemistry. I enjoy writing science fiction and romance, jogging, amateur radio, a bit of woodworking, and am active in our local church. I worked as a civil service chemist for forty years and retired in September 1999.

[Anne] Congratulations on your upcoming anniversary! That’s awesome! When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

[Larry] I believe it was almost forty years ago when I dreamed up a science fiction novel. I had fun plotting and getting ideas while doing such mundane tasks as mowing the grass.

[Anne] Tell us about your latest book.

[Larry] May I talk about my last novel I’ve written early this year? It is strictly romance involving two of my favorite characters from a short story. Leroy and Jody have resolved to avoid the opposite sex as they enter college. They’ve had unhappy experiences in high school. The story covers six years of their life and involves Leroy trying to break down Jody’s icy barrier and her opinion that a career woman has no room for a man in her life.

[Anne] Sounds like a wonderful story, Larry. What inspired you to write it?

[Larry] The Leroy and Jody characters exist in my first accepted short story with Wild Rose called Lab Partners. That has been my most popular story if you can call 15 downloads popular. It is available in the Vintage Rose line. The novel casts Leroy and Jody into modern day but is not a time travel. I had to give these characters closure.

[Anne] How did you go about researching your book?

[Larry] Leroy and Jody moved to Pittsburgh after graduating from college so I did a bit of internet search on the three rivers there and a little of scenery involved. I already have knowledge of chemistry labs and chess tournaments which form a part of the story. I also did a bit of reading on the H1N1 virus which both Leroy and Jody contracted.

[Anne] Do you have anything new in the works?

[Larry] Two things. I’ve been thinking about a short historical story, romance, based on a true happening in my home town of Williams, Indiana. The event was the building of a hydroelectric dam in 1910. I have a number of photos of that project and would like to build a story around a young man and woman, fictional of course, around that project. The other project is one based on the Biblical character of the Shunammite Woman. It can be romance as her husband I perceive from the scriptures is probably 40-50 years older than the woman. She was a marvelous woman.

[Anne] What is your writing process like? Are you a plotter or a pantser?

[Larry] I’d say mainly a plotter, a little dose of pantser included.

[Anne] If you could be anyone of your characters, which one would you chose to be and why?

[Larry] Well, now that is a revealing question. I’d say Leroy from my Lab Partners story or Leroy from the modern version novel which is entitled A Change of Heart. Why? Because he’s a lot like me but with more ability and more deep feelings. He’s a track star, an ace in chemistry, and lucky enough to have romance in college. I told you this would be revealing.

[Anne] Say your publisher has offered to fly you anywhere in the world to do research on an upcoming book, where would you most likely want to go?

[Larry] Alaska, although I’ve been there but I’d like to get to the real wilderness or I’d like to go to Antarctica perhaps for an adventure involving one of the science stations based there.

[Anne] You’ve just been informed that your latest release was a NY Times bestseller and Hollywood wants to turn it into a movie. What actors would you choose to play your main characters?

[Larry] Jason Ritter would play Leroy, but he’d have to shave the facial hair away. He’s on the TV show The Event. I had to do some searching on Jody. I like Gemma Arterton with red hair and she would need the straight hair and bangs hair do. I’ve not seen her acting but liked the photo.

[Anne] What type of books do you like to read when you’re not writing?

[Larry] I like science fiction and sweet romance, both of which I like writing. I always have romance in my science fiction stories.

[Anne] Having read some of your work, I have to say you do a great job writing both, Larry! Name three things you can’t live without (excluding spouses and family because that’s a given).

[Larry] Freedom of worship, blessings of good health and ideas for stories.

[Anne] Awesome choices! What advice would you give to any aspiring writers out there?

[Larry] Keep plugging away and don’t sweat the rejections. This is what I must continually remind myself.

[Anne] Where can we find you on the web?

[Larry] http://larryhammersley.blogspot.com/ I hope to have a website one day. A friend is supposed to be constructing one for me but she is very busy.

[Anne] Where can we purchase your books?

[Larry] You can get Motorcycle Woman at Red Rose Press.

Here’s the blurb:

Tess McBride relied on her motorcycle to carry her away from an unhappy past, one that involved her father leaving her mother for another woman and her mother dying a year later.

Resolved to avoid men, judging them to be all alike, she meets Johnnie Parker, a stranded biker whose motorcycle she repairs. Her staunch resolve is undermined by Johnnie's kindness, respect and lack of a sordid agenda toward her, not to mention him being handsome.

Should she stick to her plans to take to the open road again after replenishing her traveling bankroll from her motorcycle mechanic's job in Johnnie's hometown? In the past, that question was easily answered, but what about now? Johnnie has fallen in love with her. The answer is obvious when she knows he's genuine, he treats her special, and she realizes that she has fallen in love with him too.

And you can find my other titles on my author page at The Wild Rose Press or at Smashwords. You can read a free story, very short on my blog.

[Anne] Is there anything else you’d like to add?

[Larry] Thank you, Anne, for having me.

Thanks for the interview, Larry! I hope you and your family have a very merry Christmas and an awesome New Year!