Herb Nordmeyer is a brand new member of the Writers’ League having just joined last month. He near Castroville, TX.
Scribe: In what genre(s) do you write?
Herb Nordmeyer: Nonfiction ranging from construction books to life lessons.
Scribe: What authors would you like to have coffee or a beer with and which beverage?
HN: The closest author around because that saves traveling time and all authors are interesting. Hot tea would be the beverage of choice.
Scribe: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what book would you want to have with you to keep you sane?
HN: The Bible, preferably the 1984 version of the New International Version in large print.
Scribe: What have you learned from your association with the Writers’ League?
HN: Get to the Third Thursday gatherings early and sit on the front row so I can hear.
Scribe: Where do you see your writing taking you (or you taking it) in the future?
HN: 1. Back to Haiti. I’m working on a series of books concerning ultra low-cost earthquake and hurricane resistant technology. We refined the technology in one of the worst slums in Haiti and hope to spread it throughout the world.
2. Back to construction to work on a building façade series.
3. Back to my failures. Jack Canfield told me to list my successes if I wanted to be a success. I have listed my well over 150 major failures and added notes concerning what I learned from them. This is enough for a series of books, if I decide I have time to chase it.
Scribe: What’s one Texas-related book that has come out within the past year that you couldn’t put down?
HN: Shin Oak Ridge by Hollis Baker. It came out in late 2014 and was full of typos and grammar errors, but Hollis is one of the best story tellers I have ever known. My wife and copy editor, Judy, could not stand it because of all of the errors.
Scribe: Is there anything else about you that you would like to share with the world? An opportunity for blatant self-promotion!
HN: 1. My 4th grade teacher said that I would never be able to write a complete sentence – now I write books.
2. I never planned on going to Haiti but now thousands of residents of one of the worst slums in Haiti call me Grandpa.
3. I’m considered a world-class expert in my field but I have more questions than answers.
4. When giving depositions as an expert witness, I freely admit to having an 8th grade diploma. Also, I testify with a smile on my face. This drives attorneys trying to discredit me wild and extends cross-examination, sometimes, for hours, as they inadvertently dig out my qualifications. I get paid by the hour.
5. Books: Stucco Handbook for Builders (out of print), The Stucco Book: The Basics, Animals I Have Hated: Howl-arious Life Lessons Taught by Animals, Grandpa, Help!: Answers to Questions a Young Lady Would Never Ask Her Parents, Living with Cancer: That Intense Houseguest, Grandpa Helps Grandparents: The Ultimate Guide to Grand Parenting with Love.
6. Forthcoming books (2017): Homes for Jubilee: A manual for Building Disaster Resistant Homes for Those Who Have Nothing, Kay pou Jubilee: Yon dokiman pou batik ay ki ka reziste anba dezas pou moun ki pi pòv yo (Haitian Creole), The Stucco Book: Forensics and Repairs.
