Chad Harp

Posted On February 17, 2020

• What lead you to write?

When I was in college, I wrote an article about Margaret Corbin that appeared in The Washington Post on Memorial Day 1991. That success led me to write a few more historical perspectives, many of which ultimately appeared in newspapers and magazines across the country. Soon after I wrote my first novel, Young Warriors.

• Was there a particular person that influenced you to pursue writing?

I write books because of Linda DePauw, a Professor of American History at GWU. First she helped me write and publish the article on Margaret Corbin and other historical pieces. Then she helped me write my first two novels. This was the early 1990s – a time when you had to master Writer’s Market (which is foreign to most writers under 35) if you wanted to publish anything you wrote. Linda taught me everything about being an author – from organizing a manuscript to contacting literary agents and publishers.

• What is your preferred genre to write?

Most of my books are based on my life. I often take my readers to the places I like and introduce them to the people important to me in a fictional story. That’s what I did in The Power of Fear. It’s set in Philadelphia – both my hometown and where I currently live. You meet some of the people I spent time with these past four years. And you learn about some of the places important to me. Like Nernat’s for ice cream. Or Benny’s for cheesesteaks.

• What is your favorite genre to read?

I like American History, which is probably why I like to read historical fiction and nonfiction. I’ll tell you about some books I liked. The Devil in the White City was riveting. I am a big fan of James Michener (who was also from the Philadelphia suburbs). I read The Novel very early in my writing career. And I thought Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter was very interesting.

• What are your favorite activities or hobbies outside of work/writing?

I like to cook and bake. If you want to show someone that you love them, make them something to eat. Nothing says love more than food (which is probably why some cultures ask Have you eaten instead of How are you). To many, food is love. For me, food is even more. Food is creation – and I like to create something every day. When I cook or bake, I start with bags of flour and sugar – or baskets of onions and potatoes. When I am done, raw ingredients have been transformed into something that often makes people happy. If I am lucky, they even enjoy it.

• Who is your favorite author and what do you enjoy about their writing style?

I would have to say two authors. First, Hemingway. We have a similar writing style. Both of us write with nouns and verbs – and our language is bold and direct. Second, Michener. We want to take you to places you have never been and introduce you to the people we met when there. (I would also like to hope that you can see a little Maclean in my thrift with words.)

• What is one major struggle you have with writing?

Getting people to read my work. I am an author. While I have managed to do pretty good so far with the business end of things, I really need a manager and a literary agent. I have boxes of manuscripts in my basement. I need someone to help me decide in which order I should publish them – and also help me decide what I should write next. It’s not easy making all of the decisions. And because I am making them all, I know some are not the best.

• Out of all of your stories, which one did you most enjoy writing?

I think I enjoyed The Power of Fear the most. I try to be a little better in every book, and when I succeed that is very enjoyable. Let me give you an example. In The Power of Fear, I decided to have lots of fun with proper names. Some are anagrams. Some are opposites. Some have reasons readers might never discover. It was a lot of fun creating them – and I think they make The Power of Fear the most enjoyable book to write this far. Of course I’ll probably say the same thing about the next book I write. Haha.

• What projects are you currently working on?

Right now I am resting. I wrote The Power of Fear this summer. That was 16 hour days from May until November. I’m still a little tired and don’t yet have my full energy back. But more to the point, I am waiting to see how The Power of Fear is received. The very first person to read it asked for a sequel – and I suspect that he will not be the only one. If The Power of Fear is enjoyed as I hope – and if I find a literary agent capable of placing it at a publishing house – then I suspect my next book will either be a sequel (what happens next to Seth, Tim, Kurt, and Sam) or a travel book set in Boston or Munich (as suggested in The Power of Fear). Right now I am sharing The Power of Fear with writers and readers to determine if I have indeed written an enjoyable, commercial book – one that will make money for me and a publisher. This means I spend most of my time on Twitter, which also gets my feet wet for when I have to do bigger book promotion.

• What has been one of your strongest inspirations for a story?

My own life. I spent ten years in a bed trying to kill myself. When I got out of my bed in November of 2015, I didn’t know what to do. In the winter of 2016, I met with a friend every Tuesday in her office, and she helped me put my life back together. One of the first things she told me to do was to write my story. So I did. That winter I wrote Happiness, the first of my five books on yellow paper. Since then I’ve based all of my books on my experiences, which is also true of The Power of Fear.

• Do you place any of your life experiences into your stories?

The books I am currently writing are based on my life experiences. The Power of Fear is set in Philadelphia, where I was born and raised – and currently live. In this book I talk about places important to me – like Benny’s in the Italian Section for cheesesteaks and Nernat’s in Bucks County for ice cream. I also tell you about the places I wrote these past four years – like The Skylight Café in Adallens. And introduce you to some of the people I spent time with – like Lilly, who is the person who encouraged me to write Happiness.

• If your story could be made into a play or movie, what actor/actress do you think would be the perfect fit to play your mc?

When you read The Power of Fear, you will discover that Seth Hoover is described to be just like Hondels, a character from a television show called The Small Noise Idea. For many reasons, Jim Parsons is a good choice to play Seth Hoover. But I also think Channing Tatum and Scott Eastwood are interesting choices as well.

• If you had enough money to travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I would rent a house in Tuscany for a summer. It’s something I’ve wanted to do since reading Under the Tuscan Sun – like two decades ago. Haha. And, of course, I would write about it. I liked that book so much I would base my travel books on it. They would be my story in a place – where I stay, where I eat, who I meet – along with the history of the place, recipes I collect, recommendations for places to go and things to do, etc. Very much like Under the Tuscan Sun.

• What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

The best piece of advice I ever received comes from when I was still working at the Medical Center at GWU (about thirty years ago). One day my boss shared this advice he received from a U.S. Senator (names intentionally withheld) – Whenever you can, use a rifle not a shotgun. I use this piece of advice dozens of times daily.

• What is your dream car?

This will surprise many people, but I love to drive. And I love fast cars. Even if I had millions, the car I would buy first is not a Lambo, or Rolls Royce, or whatever you might think a 50-year-old white dude would buy. Haha. I’d get something like a Challenger or a Charger. In stick. Yes, I like to drive.

• What part of your writing is the most complimented?

When you read anything I write, I will impact your feelings. You might smile. You’ll probably cry more than once. That’s when I know what I’ve written is good. I have to read my own words and they have to make me cry and laugh aloud. That’s when I know it’s ready to be published – a test I’ve used for decades (and a piece of advice for writers reading this).

• What part of your writing, do you feel, needs strengthening?

At this point in my career, I have mastered most areas of writing. But because I still do not have commercial success, I am not as confident about my work as I should be. I have mastered writing, but I don’t feel that way because my books are in my basement. If I had more confidence because of commercial success, I’d take even bolder risks. I can’t yet because I still need that first big group of readers to love my work.

• What is your favorite mixed drink?

I’m a lush – haha. All kidding aside, if you give me something with alcohol in it, I will try it. But, if you are asking me about a mixed drink, Jack and Coke is my go to when I want to get hammered. In the summer, vodka and some fruit juice. A good gin and tonic is also quite nice. (I’ll stop here before I prove I am a lush. Haha.)

• What is one of your most cherished items in your writing space?

That’s easy. I’ve written with the same pen for more than twenty years. I’m not kidding. It’s a blue pen that Paper Mate makes – and I’m probably the only person in the world still buying it. It’s called Liquid Flair I think. It comes in medium and extra fine points – and I use both. I used that pen to write every one of my five books on yellow paper (the books I wrote in my own handwriting). I cannot imagine writing without that pen. If they stopped manufacturing it, I don’t know what I’d do. Seriously.

• What is one thing in anything you’ve read that stood out to you? (Could be meaning or even just sentence structure.)

I like Hemingway’s word use. It’s similar to Norman Maclean. His A River Runs Through It is one of the best things ever written in the English language. Yes, it’s that good, and if you have not read A River Runs Through It your education as a writer and reader is incomplete. My style is like Norman’s and Hemingway’s – every word counts, mostly nouns and verbs.

• What advice would you give to someone trying to start building their platform and market their work?

Honestly, I need help in that area – and I’m not ashamed to say it. I need a business manager and a literary agent as a start. I have too many books to do this on my own. One thing I’ve learned these past four years is that people will help you – and the people you need to help you will find you. I believe that fully, which means someone reading this will be a literary agent or publisher or similar person and they will be intrigued. This will lead them to do some research – and eventually they will do something unconventional and read The Power of Fear.

• What is your favorite food?

I need to list three because it’s the only true answer. Slice, wings, and burger. Every place I visit I try to find the bar or restaurant that makes the best burger, the best slice, and the best wings. I love all three – and I am not alone in this I don’t think. Haha. In fact, if I do wind up writing travel books, I suspect that I’ll cover those three food items. And ice cream (which you will understand better when you read The Power of Fear).

• What is your favorite show/movie?

Star Wars. I saw New Hope in the movie theater with my brother and mother in 1977 – and since then my mother and I have seen every Star Wars movie together in the theater. We just ended our forty year streak when we saw Rise of Skywalker a few weeks ago. Star Wars is important to me. You know that’s true because I refer to Star Wars several times in The Power of Fear. Like everything else, if it’s important to me it might make an appearance in the books that I write. And Star Wars is absolutely important to me.

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