Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
In the early 80’s, I was offered a Julliard scholarship by Abbey Simon and was signed by Global Records, who changed my name from Hausman to Houston. The producers of my first album, “Beethoven Sonatas: Moonlight Pathetique Appassionata,” won the Grammy that year. I did over a hundred concerts to promote my second album, “Tonight and Forever.” Being responsible for all my travel, I went into serious debt. Life as a D-list concert pianist was sort of a nightmare, and since I couldn’t afford to play, I planned to just sit out my four-year contract. I then wrote my first play, “Playing with Fire,” which was picked up by Earl Graham of the Graham Agency and optioned for Off-Broadway by Lois Deutchman. I never went back.
My second play, “Sweet Deliverance,” received some great reviews from regional productions and was the last play optioned by legendary Broadway producer, Alexander Cohen. When Alex suddenly died it was held up in two-year contracts. Gerry Cohen, the brilliant TV director, then produced and directed my next play, “Becoming Adele,” which had won the Key West Theater Festival Award. He did an amazing job. It got raves in LA and was optioned by Warner Bros. Television.
I then worked in Hollywood for a bit, but my father was diagnosed with lung cancer. In order to move back to New York City to be closer to family, I began ghostwriting. “The Lost Artist: Love Passion War (Part 1)” is the first book I’ve written in my own voice and name.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“The Lost Artist: Love Passion War (Part 1)”
Having escaped Nazi Germany by going along to Palestine at the age of thirteen, my father became a WWII war hero in the British commandos, but his passion was art.
I knew he had a remarkable story, but I felt too far removed to write it. Besides what he told me, what did I know about the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany, Palestine before the State of Israel, WW II’s North African Campaign, the No. 2 Commando, etc.? I’m used to researching a subject until I’m comfortable enough to write about it, but this seemed overwhelming.
Then in 2010, I received an email from Einat Amitay, a top computer scientist with a chair at IBM Israel, saying, “You may not know this, but your father is very famous in Israel.” At first, I thought it was a scam, but as I read on, she talked about a children’s book that my father had illustrated, “And There Was Evening” (Vayehi Erev) (ויהי ער). I knew the book because my father had brought it back from his one trip to Israel in the early 90’s. In early 1948, he had turned in the illustrations right before leaving Palestine/Israel for New York City and never gave it any more thought.
He showed me the book in disbelief. “It’s a miracle. The book was actually published, and this one little bookstore somehow got the leftover copies from the 1950’s printing.”
I told Einat that during our first Skype conversation. She laughed, saying, “He could’ve walked into any bookstore and found it. It’s everywhere.” It never crossed his mind that the book could have had more than one printing, much less become a bestseller and timeless classic, now in its 42nd edition, referred to as the pearl of Israeli children’s literature. After a sixty-year ongoing search for the artist, Einat, while dying of breast cancer, had joined the mission and, against all odds, finally solved the mystery.
The story was now too much for me to resist. Einat was a great support. I was very moved by her story of finding my dad and wanted to tell it as a present-day backdrop to telling his story. We became close friends as we chatted often on Skype. Though she made it clear that her chances of survival were slight, she was so vital, such a wonderful person, and had such determination that it was hard for me to accept. How many people dying of breast cancer would have the determination to join a 60-year search for a lost artist of a favorite children’s book and be the one to actually succeed?! I will always be incredibly grateful to her. On her blog, you can see how much she did for so many, especially for children. I can’t say how much her search for my father has meant to my family and me. I only wish my father could have known her, but he died a few years before. She felt his spirit was pushing her, so maybe they know each other now. I hope so.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I strive to write shitty. I don’t recall anyone ever recommending that. That’s something I though up all on my own. But it really helps me get down those first paralyzing words. Once down I’m then driven to improve them.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Many writers inspire me: Jane Austen, John le Carré, Daphne du Maurier, Graham Greene, and Moss Hart, to name a few. Some I’ve recently discovered: Dov Zeller, Lara Lillibridge, and Jennifer Haupt.
What are you working on now?
“The Lost Artist. Part 2,” which will complete Einat’s mission of finding my father as a present-day backdrop to telling his story of becoming a British commando and highest decorated WW II Palestinian soldier in the British Army, his love affair with a beautiful English professor while recuperating from critical injuries in Italy, and his tumultuous years in Palestine after the war up until the formation of the State of Israel. As with “Part 1,” the research is overwhelming.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I haven’t done much other than promoting “The Lost Artist” on Amazon and boosted posts on “The Lost Artist’s” Facebook page. The boosted posts on Facebook have gotten a good reaction, but for the money, I believe the Amazon promotion generates the most sales, though it’s hard to tell.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Again, write shitty. Trying to write brilliantly can be paralyzing. Keep the bar low. Take the pressure off. Write shitty, and if you’re good, you’ll work at it until it’s done. So write shitty and you’re sure to succeed.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A wise, older friend once confided, “I’m going to tell you the secret of life. Someone had to tell me because it’s too simple for idiots like us to figure out. The secret of life is, just do what’s in front of you. That’s it.” Now, whenever feeling overwhelmed I try to remember to just do what’s in front of me, and it usually helps. I think “Just do what’s in front of you” should be stamped in big letters on every crib.
What are you reading now?
“Commando: Winning WW2 Behind Enemy Lines” by James Owen and “Indianapolis” by Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic, about the sinking of the great American battle ship. As I said, research is overwhelming and everything’s WWII. But I also recently had the chance to read two wonderful new writers: Dov Zeller’s “The Right Thing To Do At The Time” and “Book of Hats” and Lara Lillibridge’s “Girlish.”
What’s next for you as a writer?
There are so many books that I want to write, but right now I’m trying to just do what’s in front of me and focus on Part 2 of “The Lost Artist.” After that, I really want to write my mother and especially my aunt’s story. In 1938 Vienna, immediately after the Anschluss, the Nazis placed my mother’s family under house arrest. My mother was only a child at the time, but my aunt was a beautiful 16-year-old. I think it’s amazing what she did to save her family, and I hope to have the chance to tell it.
What is your favorite book of all time?
It amazes me that Jane Austen wrote “Pride and Prejudice” over 200 years ago. There are so many reasons why it’s a timeless masterpiece: perfect three-act structure (not coined until 1979 by Syd Field), compelling drama with characters you care about in unfair situations, brilliant dialogue that is always true to the characters, and, of course, her timeless sense of humor that flows so naturally from the characters.
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