This is written in response to the many emails I received from my readers.

When I started to write the ” degree” series I planned to conclude Karl’s story with my fourth book. I wanted to phase him out and at the same time starting to feature Harold and his interesting life.

It seemed that I succeeded because one reviewer remarked that I shifted “seamlessly from Karl to Harold.”

However when I showed my wife the many emails suggesting, and in some instances almost demanding, that I continue with Karl’s story, she said: “You should continue to write about Karl’s life…..(at least to a certain degree) because you are abandoning your readers”.

Now, this is the last thing I wanted to do. I thought that continuing with Harold was the right thing to do because his actions and viewpoints, during the cold war, were remarkable.

While I was a pastry apprentice and learned how to make butter cream and wedding cakes and eventually became a pastry chef, Harold learned additional languages and became a cunning international businessman. All the time being under the protection of the political Soviet Kommissar and the almighty Soviet State Police, he also became a political agent .

In addition, he avenged his mother without directly killing anyone. He made them all wish that they were dead..

Plus, he traveled with Stalin’s team, and later on with Khrushchev, as a translator, to many Eastern conferences and all during this time he kept me up to date.

For example: He knew more about the  American nuclear submarine Nautilus (you remember the first crossing of a submarine under the northern polar ice) than the American public.

So, while I was thinking of continuing my books in accordance of the historical events at that time…… my readers and my own wife tells me: “No. It is not the history or WWII with which you connected with your readers ……. It is Karl they want to know about.”

I never thought about this when I  was starting the series.While I was writing about a time span in recent history and about my experiences during this period it never entered my mind that a reader would be interested in Karl’s life after the war.So now, as a writer, I would be stupid not to listen to my readers and I decided on the following:

  • I will finish my first book about Harold, because I am writing already the final chapters. Off course, the book still needs cover art and (yes, a title) and to be edited and formatted. However my VA  team with Chris Haas from zenithbusinesssolutions.com is already working on it.
  • Secondly, I am starting on a follow up with Karl’s life. At this time I intend to  write about him until he entered the United States.

At the present time I cannot predict how my readership will react to it, because I also  received many requests to keep on writing about the cold war and Harold’s experiences.

Due to the fact that I met with Harold many times and in many different international locations it is entirely feasible that from time to time I somehow merge again the two characters in my future books.. We hardly ever acted together, but our viewpoints clashed on many subjects. However, they never impaired our friendship. Somehow, I think, this could evolve into interesting books.

Time will tell.

Horst