Do you tend to write about places you’ve been to, or places  you wish you could go to?

Well, a little of both! I find traveling to the settings of my novels extremely inspiring, as well as helpful to my work. I love to travel as a way of sparking my senses, triggering my imagination, and informing my understanding of the way places work. Writing historical fiction presents an amazing opportunity for me to put myself in places of historical significance.

The part that’s missing when traveling in the here-and-now is the historical context. New York of 1941 is not the New York of today, and while some things remain the same, many others have changed. So, travel must be paired with research—at least in my way of thinking. I admire writers who can write convincingly about places they’ve never been, but I like to use my writing as an excuse for travel.

Last year, I returned to Northern Ireland where I’ve traveled before, to reignite my love of the northern coast, to visit the lighthouse that is one of the settings in my next book, to eat the food, to hear the local dialect and colloquialisms, to ask people who live there a million questions, and to immerse myself in the same way I hope I can immerse my readers.

On the same trip, I also visited Germany—another location in my next book—and climbed aboard one of only four remaining German U-boats from WWII. There’s nothing more informative to me than being literally surrounded by the world I hope to dramatize. I can imagine a great deal, but to actually experience it gives me far more fuel for telling a compelling story. I hope my readers will feel everything I did when I bring those experiences to the page.

 

 

What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?

This is a great question because it frames writing expenses as investments rather than costs. I’d say there have been at least four great monetary investments I’ve made.

The first was purchasing a fantastic laptop. It goes everywhere with me, has a great, smooth keyboard, and is fast when I’m writing, researching, and listening to music all at the same time.

The second investment was in my education. Early in my writing career, I paid for courses in both screenwriting and novel writing and received certificates in both. These experiences helped me hone my craft, learn my tools, and build a network of other writers who still support one another today.

The third investment was in travel. As I mentioned before, I find travel—particularly to the places I’m writing about—to be worth every penny and I’m told that it translates to the final work.

And the fourth important investment is in the publishing process itself. As an indie author, it is important to me that my readers feel every bit of the quality and enjoyment they deserve. For me, that means investing in professional story and copy editors, book formatting, cover artists, and sales platforms that help me reach my audience with the best books possible. It also means supporting and maintaining both a fun website and engaging reader newsletters. These are things I didn’t think about when I first decided to be a writer, but they are necessary parts of the process—and worth the investment.

 

 

What’s the best compliment a reader has ever given you?

I’ve often been told my books read like movies, which I take as great praise. Today’s readers—even those who love historical fiction like I do—have modern sensibilities. We all grew up seeing movies, so the pace, the stakes, the rising action, and the dialog that characterize our favorite films are often expected in our favorite books, and that means writers have to deliver on those expectations.

Books, of course, offer additional opportunities for writers to include characters’ inner thoughts, emotions, rich details, and historical context that can’t feasibly make it to a movie screen. Since I’m also a trained screenwriter with a few screenplays under my belt, I try to practice a little alchemy by bringing cinematic sensibilities to my novels. It gives me great joy when I hear that readers feel that and appreciate it.

 

 

Do you collect anything? If so, what, why, and for how long?

I’m proud to say that I’m an AFOL—and Adult Fan of Lego. My father was born in Denmark, where Lego was invented, so Lego has been in my home for as long as I can remember. I’ve been building since I was a child. Now, as an adult, I still love to build Lego and have done so with both of my children and, now, my grandchildren. Though, truth be told, I build a lot on my own, too!

I have a theory that Lego draws from both sides of the brain: the creative side and the analytical side. While the sets are marvels of engineering, they are also toys that spark the imagination. It’s a labor with an immediate reward, which is gratifying. I find building Lego sets therapeutic—calming me when I’ve had a bad day, or building upon my joy when the day has already been great. And when I play, it puts me in a wonderful mindset.

 

 

What brings you great joy as a writer?

So much of the writing process brings me joy. I love the quiet solitude of building my story and characters, the surprises that I uncover during my historical research, the active feeling of collaboration when working with story and copy editors or cover artists, and the sense of accomplishment when the book is finally available to readers.

But the greatest joy is the privilege of having others read my work. There’s something truly fulfilling about letting others meet the characters I’ve been living with for months and experience the stories I’ve been nurturing and toiling over. And, if I’ve done my job well, I hope to leave them with a feeling of satisfaction and inspiration—the same feelings I seek when I sit down with a good book.

 

 

Herb Williams-Dalgart is an award-winning author and screenwriter known for crafting unforgettable stories with rich characters, sharp dialogue, and immersive historical detail. Recognized by national and regional writing competitions, his work spans multiple genres but often returns to a defining era—World War II.

​The grandson of a WWII veteran for whom he was named, Herb has a deep respect for the Greatest Generation and a passion for uncovering the untold human stories of war. His novels bring to life the heart, humor, sacrifice, and resilience of those who lived through history’s most pivotal moments.

His debut novel, The French Girl’s War, was a quarter-finalist in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Award contest. His second novel, Jingle Boys, earned five stars from Readers’ Favorite and was a Finalist for the prestigious Page Turner Award.

​A graduate of UC Santa Barbara with a degree in English and a concentration in creative writing, Herb also holds a screenwriting certificate from UCLA’s Writer’s Program and studied at England’s Birmingham University and the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon.

​When he’s not writing fiction or screenplays, Herb enjoys life in Southern California with his wife, their children and grandchildren, and his quirky, neurotic, but loving family dog.

Website: www.herbthewriter.com

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