World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware: Interview with Historical Nonfiction Author James Diehl

James Diehl is an award-winning journalist who has covered Sussex County, Delaware for various media outlets since 1998. Since 2007, he has owned and operated a freelance writing company based in Seaford, Delaware and is also a partner in a Lewes, Delaware-based public relations and marketing firm. He is the author of one other work of non-fiction – Remembering Sussex County, from Zwaanendael to King Chicken, published in 2009 by The History Press. James can be found online at www.twitter.com/sussexwriter, at www.facebook.com/sussexwriter or via www.ww2-heroes.com.

Thank you for this interview, James. Can you tell us briefly what your latest book, World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware, is all about?

World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware is a book profiling 50 brave Americans who fought for our country during World War II. These are men, as well as a couple of women, who today call southern Delaware home, but it is certainly not about the nation´s first state. These are stories from Europe, Asia, Africa and North America, very personal and emotional stories from the grandest war the world has ever seen. They are all heroes, and I hope I have done their stories justice during this two-year project.

Can you tell us who or what was the inspiration behind your book?

When I was a young boy, I remember listening to my grandfather tell stories about the years he spent overseas during World War II. They were fun to listen to, but didn´t carry a whole lot of deep-rooted meaning for me until I was old enough to comprehend the sacrifices he and thousands of other men and women made during the 1940s. When a longtime family friend and newspaper man in my hometown approached me in the fall of 2007 and asked if I would be interested in documenting some of their accounts, it was a no-brainer. I jumped at the chance and began delving into these stories, one week at a time for nearly a year. I later decided to publish these stories in book form so they could be treasured forever and introduced to a much wider audience.

Is this your first published book and if so, can you tell us your experiences in finding a publisher for it?

This is actually my second published book, but the first that I´ve published through my own freelance writing company. My first book, Remembering Sussex County, from Zwaanendael to King Chicken, was published in the spring of 2009 by The History Press. I decided to publish Heroes myself because I wanted to retain control over every aspect of the publishing process. These stories are very important to me and I wanted to have control over how they were presented.

How has The DNB Group been to work with?

Well, since I´m the sole owner of the company, I would have to say that the group has been absolutely wonderful to work with. I´m a great guy, I tell myself that all the time.

Do you have an agent?

No, I have never worked with an agent. I´m not saying that I wouldn´t, I just haven´t gone down that path to date.

Can you tell us how long it took you to write your book and also how long it took from the time The DNB Group sent the contract and the time it was released?

World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware took two years from the first interview to the day it was published. It was a long and winding road, but one filled with much emotion and historical significance. From the time the design of the book was started through my freelance writing company, it was about 6 months until the book was released and ready for retail sale.

Do you have any words of inspiration from other writers who would like to be wearing your shoes?

Just never, ever give up. No matter how dark the road may seem or how futile the journey, you must believe in your abilities and stay true to yourself. Keep doing what you do, listen to those around you who have accomplished more in life than you have and always be willing to accept constructive criticism. After all, the people who are giving you advice are likely people who have been down the very path you are now heading. Keep an open mind and good things are sure to happen for you.

I understand that you are touring with Pump Up Your Book Promotion in November and December via a virtual book tour. Can you tell us all why you chose a virtual book tour to promote your book online?

I am a partner in a marketing company in coastal Delaware and have been using traditional marketing methods for some time. But I came across a couple of articles recently about virtual book tours and I immediately recognized the potential for reaching out to a greater number of interested readers through this method. I am very interested in the educational value my book holds; I want as many people as possible to read about what these brave souls went through in defense of our country so many years ago. To that end, I´m hopeful a virtual book tour will allow me to expose my project to many more people than I would have been able to otherwise.

What´s next for you?

I would like to build on the success of World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware and write a couple more books profiling these brave men and women. The window is obviously closing pretty rapidly on doing such a project, so I need to move rather quickly. I´m hoping to dedicate a good deal of time to such a project over the next couple of years.

Thank you for this interview, James. Can you tell us how we can find out more about you and your new book?

Thank you for allowing me the time and the space to talk about myself and my book today. You can learn more about me and this very important project by visiting my Web site at www.ww2-heroes.com.