Age of The Nerd
Interview with Author Gene Abel
Some relationships are just meant to be, which is a lovely heart-felt thought during Valentine’s Day this year. As such, author Gene P. Abel often finds himself unable to sleep because he feels compelled to write down his ideas for his next book.
This is exactly what happened with The Inn of Destiny, a salacious romance novel about a couple in which the wife, Jackie, is trying to fulfill her physical needs within the bounds of her marriage.
“The storyline was so intense after I retired from the military in 1999 that on a few occasions, I woke up in the middle of the night and got out of bed and wrote what became the outline for the book,” Abel recently explained.“
After the outline was completed in about a week,” he recalled, “I sat down at the computer and wrote the book. It just poured out of me.”
Abel is the best-selling author of 10 published books, several of them in the sci-fi genre, including, What, If Anything Is Out There?
At a time in life when many of us consider slowing down and enjoying our retirement, the retired U.S. Army Colonel, who served his country with dedication and distinction for some 30 years, is heading to book signings and trying to get his books made into movies.
Abel is available for interviews and eager to discuss his books, including the third book in his sci-fi trilogy, Defenders of Time, his distinguished military career, and his advice to his adult children and grandchildren on how to live an honest and successful life.
A current resident of Sicklerville, N.J. he spent a great deal of time in Allentown, PA., and also lived in Doylestown.
Here is a recent Q and A with Author Gene Abel:
You have been extremely active in local politics and church groups, and giving back by helping feed low-income people in the community. Why is this important to you?
We are not an island onto ourselves. If someone is fortunate enough to have good health, a sound mind, and some success at whatever they did in their life, I strongly believe that it is incumbent upon them to provide this to someone else.
What is your best advice for your grown children and grandchildren (ages 8 to 25)?
I want them to know they have to live their own lives. They can get advice, but they have to figure out on their own what they are going to do with that advice. And most of all – follow the rules.
What is your take on marriage in The Inn of Destiny, and why will readers relate to it?
First of all, it’s a book that many people can relate to. It’s certainly a topic involved in most marriages. I have been very encouraged by reader comments about Jackie, the main character, and the very real storyline. I got a different perspective listening to the audiobook with someone else telling it. I think a lot of people can relate to it – they can get lost in Jackie’s attempt to meet her needs.
Do you believe in the supernatural? Or have you seen any evidence of it?
In a few instances in the past have had insights into things that came true. Premonitions like that. Some people claim they are more into that than others. How does Leonardo De Vinci have insights into things that are materializing today? They put it down in writing, and now here it is.
The romance and sex in your novel were suggestive without going over the top. You allow the reader to interject their own thoughts.
It had a good storyline that is as current as today in the Middle East. I liked the flashbacks to show Jackie developed her strong physical needs. The book will remain in my mind for a long time. I believe that it would make a compelling movie.
Do you wish romance and the supernatural would converge more? Do you think there is a prevalent convergence in today’s literary works?
I do not read many romance novels, but my wife Susan does. She liked my storyline and how it included the supernatural. She also liked the development of Jackie, especially Chapter 3, which is a flashback to a year she spent as a college student in Paris. Susan said it helped the reader see how Jackie developed her physical side. Other readers have commented they enjoyed Jackie’s character development. They also liked the fact that I took the reader up to a point with many of the more erotic parts but let the reader complete the adventure.
Erotica/romance is a genre normally written by women. What different takes did you bring to this genre as a man?
Since the plot just popped into my head, that is hard to answer. Within two weeks, the entire story was in an outline. At least two times, I woke up at 3 a.m. and got up to make notes about my book.
Please tell me a bit about your military career.
The most important elements of that chapter in his life are when as a young first lieutenant, I was assigned as a Nuclear Weapons Officer and was a member of the Nuclear Release Authority to launch such weapons.
What do you enjoy about being a writer?
Creating books that others read and get pleasure from reading. I guess there is also some degree of ego in seeing my name on the cover of my books. Seeing others like what I have written. The desire to achieve a greater measure of success. I appreciate hearing comments from my readers and meeting them at events. I have always been a people person.
