What kind of research do you
do before you begin writing a book?
I do extensive research because
the books reflect the contemporary international environment. I use the facts
and events of the real world and insert my characters as participants. I also
include a list of references at the end of each book.
Do you
see writing as a career?
I am retired and not doing much
else, so writing qualifies as a late career.
What do you think about the
current publishing market?
It sucks. Amazon dominates it,
and authors have no choice but to comply with them.
Do you read yourself, and if
so, what is your favorite genre?
Serious novels, biography, and
history.
Do you prefer to write in
silence or with noise? Why?
I write with Bach in the background.
It helps to develop a mental rhythm that propels my writing.
Do you write one book at a
time, or do you have several going at a time?
I write one book at a time
because I don’t know where I am going. Once I achieve momentum, I have to say
with it.
Pen or typewriter or computer?
The computer is the greatest tool
for authors. I have a beautiful Mont Blanc fountain pen that I used to write my
business books and articles way back. I keep the pen as a relic and haven’t
used it in years. I keep thinking of the novelists and authors of the past, and
how difficult it must have been to make revisions. I believe Balzac paid for
printing various drafts, and because of that expense, he hardly made any money
at all by the time the novels were published.
Tell us about a favorite
character from a book.
Claudine Bisson. She is a killer
violinist and leads the Valkyries Squadron in war games against the American
Air Force. Like Tess, she is gorgeous, fierce, relentless, and unlike Tess, she
has a wicked sense of humor and could charm the pants off anyone. The problem
is that she is in love with Jake and creates havoc with the single-minded
pursuit of her goal, which unfortunately involves attempts to undermine and
compromise Tess by capitalizing on her weakness for Vaughn Wentworth, the
conductor.
What made you want to become
an author, and do you feel it was the right decision?
At this time in my life, being an
author fulfills a long-term goal. It is the right decision.
What advice would you give new
authors?
Don’t listen to naysayers. Just
write, write, write until you find your voice.
What’s the most challenging
thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
Writing
about women is fraught with peril because no man can decode what is in their
mind. Women always surprise me.
How long, on average, does it
take you to write a book?
I don’t rush and let the stories
develop at their own pace until the result makes sense. I usually take six
months to write a book.
Do you believe in writer’s
block?
I don’t know any writer that hasn’t experienced writer’s
block at various times. I hate to finish a book because then I have to think of
another story to tell. Sometimes, it takes a year to find a direction.
Are your characters based on
real people, or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
My characters are based on real
people that I had the privilege of knowing during my career. I took literary
license, but I believe I have done an excellent job of portraying remarkable
individuals, good and bad. I just speculated what they would do when faced with
the challenges in the stories.
Do your characters seem to
hijack the story, or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?
My characters absolutely hijacked
the stories as my writing progressed.
Convince us why you feel your
books are a must-read.
I believe that I have created
remarkable characters and great stories that transport readers to fantastic
locales. Themes of the novels include action, intrigue, deceit, obsession,
sensuality, the use of wealth to achieve one's goals and highlight the eternal
struggle between good and evil.
Have you written any other
books that are not published?
No.
What did you edit out of
this book?
Some
sensual scenes were controversial and unnecessary to propel the narrative.
Is
there a writer which brain you would love to pick for advice? Who would that be
and why?
I would love to have met Umberto
Eco, the author of The Name of the Rose, Foucault’s Pendulum, and
other history-based esoteric titles. His erudition is astounding, and I always
learned much from it.
Tess Awakening: The Complete Story
The Tess Series Book 1
by Andres Mann
Genre: Adventure Romance
Tess Awakening - The Complete Story combines two previously published novels: Tess Awakening and Tess Valkyrie. Since the second novel is a sequel, the combination provides the full story of Tess’s confrontations with the fascinating villain Amir.
Tess and Amir continue to square off in an epic struggle to define their destinies. Aided by Jake, Tess’s friend and co-pilot Carmen and their colleagues, Tess must overcome Amir's vicious attacks motivated by his continuing obsession with her. They repeatedly clash in a succession of encounters taking place in Baghdad, Amman, Istanbul, Sorrento and New York. Tess's friend Carmen finally meets her soul mate in Nicola, who helps her overcome the traumas of her youth and becomes a valuable member of their team. The two women respond to their challenges by drawing on their skills as fierce warriors, battling Amir, who not only hurt Tess but plans to take over the Iraqi government. Their struggle leads to a series of violent and bloody battles in the air and on the ground. A heartbreaking loss at the end is redeemed by a final poignant resolution.
Tess: The Abomination of Human Trafficking
The Tess Series Book 2
A powerful exploration of global human trafficking
After rescuing a child prostitute in Cambodia, Tess persuades Jake, Carmen, Nicola and the Team to tackle human trafficking worldwide. Sponsored by the United Nations, she creates a team of Valkyries, six remarkable women that alongside the men of the Team embark on a Herculean effort to rescue victims and pursue traffickers, starting with a degenerate financier that controls a multinational sex enterprise. The team then takes direct action by unleashing their military skills in battles against powerful slavers, Boko Haram in Nigeria and the Mexican cartels. The action turns to combating child trafficking, rescuing captured women abused by the terrorist group ISIS, probing Nigerian prostitution in Europe and Russia, and confronting the appalling sex trade in Mexico, Afghanistan and in the U.S. In a whirlwind series of actions, the story transitions from Phnom Penh to New York, Houston, Miami, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Buenos Aires, and Las Vegas. The deeper the Team gets involved, the more challenging their task becomes. With all cards stacked against them, Tess and Jake must find a way to address the fundamental causes of human trafficking and attempt to formulate a solution to intractable problems.
Tess: Day of Reckoning
The Tess Series Book 3
In this epic adventure, Tess and Jake continue to fight terrorists and try to address the overwhelming refugee crisis in Europe. When ISIS terrorists acquire two North Korean nuclear bombs, Tess and the team must change priorities to prevent a worldwide calamity. The stakes are high — the potential obliteration of European cities and possibly the destruction of Israel. The CIA asks Tess and Jake to use their special talents to find the weapons, forcing Tess to deal with her nemesis, the dissolute Laurent Belcour who is still obsessed with her but may know where the bombs are hidden. Personal complications arise when Tess meets a captivating symphony conductor who persuades her to play a piano concert in Moscow and introduces her to the Russian President. Their musical collaboration leads to temptation and turmoil, affecting Tess’s relationship with Jake, who has challenges of his own in fending off the stunning and talented Claudine Bisson. Spanning the globe, the frantic search for the missing weapons takes them to Bulgaria, Ukraine, the South China Sea, Syria, Israel, Tehran and Moscow. Racing against the clock, Tess’s team must pursue every lead no matter how tenuous and fight a host of enemies in a desperate attempt to ward off nuclear Armageddon.
Tess: Clash of Civilizations
The Tess Series Book 4
Tess and Jake have fought bitter battles against ISIS and Boko Haram Islamic terrorists, but now they have an unusual dilemma. Their adopted daughter Aara received a huge inheritance from Tess’s nemesis, the deceased Amir al-Saadi. The fortune comes with an unsettling condition: Aara must marry into a Muslim family within one year. This forces Tess and Jake to overcome their prejudices and assess whether such a condition is acceptable.
Tess: The Flight of the Valkyries
The Tess Series Book 5
In a story of high passion and conflict, Claudine Bisson returns to the Valkyries team. She persuades Tess and her colleagues to provide adversary services to the Air Force, a plan that requires learning how to fly jet fighters. The Team acquires surplus aircraft and hires a team of Russian specialists led by the abrasive Colonel Peter Brusilov, a hard taskmaster. Laurent Belcour, the notorious villain, is back and continues to create obstacles. Claudine further complicates things because she has an ulterior motive: to get Jake back by undermining Tess. While the team struggles to prepare for the upcoming operation, they must deal with the destructive collision between Claudine and Tess, leading to unpredictable consequences.
This is an illustrated version of the book. Why? I thought that by providing pictures of the many aircraft in the story would help the reader better understand the scope of the challenges faced by Tess and her friends. Once I started searching for appropriate images, I couldn’t resist adding pictures of venues, people and other material that might be of interest. The choice of illustrations is entirely arbitrary.
Andres Mann was an Army Officer and a business executive. He graduated with degrees in Political Science and International Relations and published three management books and various business articles.
The Tess adventure novels are based on real contemporary events and explore the challenges posed by international political developments and the issues that professional women face in today's world. The setting of the stories starts with the second Gulf War in Iraq and continues up to the current era.
Andy had the good fortune to meet remarkable people from all over the world, most of them good, others not so much. Some were extraordinarily talented, able to perform well in multiple endeavors. The novels are based on the actions of real people he observed dealing with challenging situations. He believes that it is interesting to understand multi-faceted personalities that are fascinating and sometimes evil, making it difficult to make quick judgments about right and wrong.
Action, intrigue, deceit, obsession, sensuality, the use of wealth to achieve one's goals, the struggle between good and evil are a constant theme.
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