Interview with Fritz Rumpel

Author of The Show Down in St. Augustine

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I was born in Berlin, Germany and now live in Savannah, Georgia.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

That’s a long, complicated saga only my immediate family members would be interested in learning about and they may be jiving me too. Suffice it to say that it was my fate, as much as I resisted it, to wind up living in Savannah.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

I had written 12 plays in a 10-year period, which served as a warm-up time for putting together something I’d been dreading for years, writing a novel. Finally, I got up the nerve to do it and after a few tentative steps, it poured forth, making a mess of things. But it did feel good to get it out there.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

My influences are Catch-22 and The World According to Garp. If you enjoyed those books you should give mine a try.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

Sad to say, my audience is dying every day. But anyone looking for the beloved community may be interested in taking a look.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

That it’s really true that there comes a time when the characters take over and the writer is simply dictating what they are telling him to write.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

Don’t go to college.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

That reminds me of the story about Oscar Wilde on the opening night of The Importance of Being Earnest. Someone said to him “I hope the play is a success.” He supposedly responded, “The play is a success; the only question is will the audience be a success.” I sent a copy of my novel to a woman whom I hadn’t seen in 25 years. Now she is my wife. So this book has already been a roaring success and every other person I “reach” is another cherry on top of the chocolate ice cream.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

Filling out this questionnaire.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

Perseverance.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

Naivete.

When do you think you will write your next book?

Thank you! In the past, when someone asked me a question like that I would think, can’t I just wallow a minute or two in the moment? But I am about to publish an ebook. This one’s a narrative history called Savannah’s Divine Appointment: The Meeting That Brought Black Americans to a Seat at the Table. (By the way, I would italicize all these book and play titles if I knew how to accomplish that feat in this format.) If you’re interested, go to https://www.40acresandamule.org/the-ebook.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

Proudly self-published and so was Marcel Proust.