Grown Men Cry Out at Night by Karl Wegener

4/16/2023

Debut author Karl Wegener introduces us to his dramatic novel set after WW 2:
Grown Men Cry Out at Night is set in 1946 and it is a story about three people whose lives are thrown together in post-war Germany as they work together to track down a Gestapo officer accused of war crimes.

Caspar Lehman is a battle-weary U.S. Army Counterintelligence agent assigned to lead a counterintelligence detachment in Bremen Enclave. His service during the war has left him emotionally scarred. He suffers from what today we would call post-traumatic stress, but in 1946 was called "shell shock" or "battle fatigue." Upon his arrival at his new unit, Lehman is given orders to capture the Gestapo officer responsible for the death of thousands of POWs who worked under horrific conditions at the Valentin Bunker, a massive U-boat construction facility located in a nearby Bremen suburb.

Ludmilla Haas is a Polish woman from Gdansk and former British SOE agent who is now searching for her husband, a Polish resistance fighter who was last seen being herded onto a cattle-car outside the Valentin Bunker. Haas was a hero during the war and fought to liberate not only her native Poland, but France as well. However, she has struggled to find meaning and a place for herself after the war. She is a woman who has lost everything. She's lost her husband, her family, and her country, which is now under Soviet control.

Lehman discovers his own family is complicit in carrying out the war crimes he seeks to avenge. He discovers a cousin named Therese Weber who still lives in Bremen and who was the chief accountant for the civilian construction company responsible for building the bunker. Weber has the detailed knowledge necessary to help Lehman and Haas capture those responsible for the deaths of thousands and hold them accountable. She literally knows where the bodies are buried, and who buried them.

The question is, will she cooperate?

Historical fiction is my third favorite genre. I particularly enjoy stories with a wartime setting. This story hits my hot buttons quite well.
The author wove three different storylines into one and did a masterful job considering this is his first book. I am really impressed!
Cap is my favorite character because he is so methodical and egalitarian. I like Luba a great deal for her resourcefulness and quick thinking under pressure. They make a great team.
Even better, there is the hint of a larger conspiracy and more to come. I certainly hope so! This story deserves to continue.
I give this story 4.8 stars!

You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Grown-Men-Cry-Out-Night-ebook
https://www.goodreads.com/grown-men-cry-out-at-night
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/grown-men-cry-out-at-night-karl-wegener
https://www.walmart.com/Grown-Men-Cry-Out-at-Night-

You can follow the author:
https://twitter.com/KWegenerAuthor
https://www.instagram.com/kfwegener
https://www.facebook.com/karl Wegener
https://www.goodreads.com/Karl_Wegener

War, combat, spies, political intrigue
Copyright @ 2023 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction

13 Comments

Karl Wegener link

4/17/2023 02:46:08 am

Thank you so much for taking the time to review my novel. I look forward to answering reader questions and the interview.

Mark

4/17/2023 07:54:28 am

You are welcome. I enjoyed your story quite a bit.

First question.

Please, tell us more about yourself. Perhaps something a little bit beyond your bio.

4/17/2023 07:58:06 am

I am an avid home cook. I love to cook meals for friends and family. My favorite cuisine is Vietnamese and I make a mean Pho.

4/17/2023 08:20:38 am

Fantastic! We would make a great team because I love to eat and enjoy trying foods from other countries.

New question.

Are you a full-time or part-time writer?

Karl Wegener

4/17/2023 10:05:06 am

I retired at the end of 2021. I had been a freelance copywriter and editor for about 15 years. I ghost wrote for CEOs and corporations. After I retired, I decided I wanted to write for myself and not for others. So, writing novels has become my new full time gig.

4/17/2023 10:41:20 am

It is wonderful to work for yourself and scary at the same time because there is no one else to pick up the slack but you.

Ghost writing is an interesting topic and I know some authors try and do some of that to augment their income.

New question.

How does a writer get started in that part of the business?

4/17/2023 05:22:39 pm

The way I got into was when I started copywriting for an ad agency. For me, one thing led to another. I was asked to write articles for corporate blogs and then I moved on to editorial content that was published in various trade journals. I worked mainly in the field of education technology.

4/17/2023 05:24:11 pm

I was very fortunate. I never lacked for clients and in the end, I could pick and choose clients.

4/17/2023 06:54:30 pm

You were a lucky guy. No doubt about that. You probably didn't think about ghostwriting when you were writing ad copy. They seem like two separate things to me.

New question.

If a person wanted to be a ghostwriter, how would they start?

4/17/2023 08:41:38 pm

The most important thing is that you have to be both a good writer and a good listener. You have to be able to capture the voice of the client for whom you are writing. So having experience in the advertising industry, or journalism, or publishing is helpful.

From there it’s a matter of networking and getting your name out there. Having a good set of references is important. 100 percent of my work came from referrals. Once you develop a reputation as a good writer, that you can write and work on deadline, work tends to find you.

4/18/2023 08:52:17 am

Being a good listener is not as easy as it sounds for a lot of people. Everyone thinks they are an above average driver. It simply isn't so.

Networking is very important. Many authors neglect the networking and promoting their book until after it's written. I have recommended that they are parallel activities. When the first word is written is when networking and promoting should start. I know it's hard for a lot of writers because writing the first draft is such a solitary activity. After that first draft is done then the team needs to start growing. Alpha and beta readers at first followed by a critique group or a writing partner. An editor followed by a proofreader will have the manuscript in good shape.

New question.

What inspired you to write this book?

4/18/2023 09:04:11 am

I never intended to write it, but when I heard the story of “The Ritchie Boys,” a group of 20,000 men, and 200 women who were trained in the “dark arts” of war at a secret location in Maryland at the start of WW2, I became interested. Not many people had ever heard of their service, so I thought it would make a good story. There were many notable Ritchie Boys, including J.D.Salinger, whose wartime service formed the basis of my character Caspar Lehman.

I also learned about a secret Bunker, named Valentin, which was built as an assembly line facility for a submarine that had it been produced, could have possibly changed the outcome of the war. It is located in Bremen Germany, a city I have visited many times, yet I had never heard of it.

Between 6000-15000 men died during construction. They were worked to death. So, I wanted to tell their story.

4/30/2023 02:37:09 pm

I have never heard of the Ritchie Boys either. Asymmetrical warfare and spying are necessary most of the time to ensure victory.

I think your military experience helped to flesh out your main character, Caspar, also. Being a military interrogator is a little-known specialty. I never encountered anyone in that field when I was serving in the Air Force.

I want to thank you for being a great guest, Karl, on the Word Refiner channel. I have another promotion to attend to so this one must come to an end.

Until next time, keep on writing.

Grown Men Cry Out at Night by Karl Wegener

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