We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Denny Hamann a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Denny thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

I wish I had started writing sooner. When I was younger, I allowed life to get in the way. I wish I had realized there was time to do it all.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

After careers in marketing, sales, and construction, life tossed me a new challenge: parenthood. Since I was late to the game, my daughter wasn’t around during my career-building years. I decided to write short stories that chronicled highlights of my life and hers. Before long, I realized I couldn’t tell my story without my family’s story. That’s when I began to research my family tree. Within a few short months, I was fourteen generations back. I read everything I could find about these people. There’s one thing everyone needs to know before beginning their genealogical research journey. You never know what might fall out when you shake that family tree. There are bootleggers, bandits, and brawlers. I also found teachers, preachers, and prostitutes. There’s the law and the lawless sprinkled in among the dolts, drunks, and philanderers. Stories of triumph and stories of tragedy abound. One of those accounts became the genesis of my first historical fiction novel, Cryin’s For Hungry Babies. My second great-grandfather enlisted in the Confederate Army at the age of forty-three. He had a wife and a house full of kids. In 1862 by any measure, he was an old man. Why would he do that? Money, that’s why. I used that little kernel of fact and weaved a story around it. Cryin’s For Hungry Babies is that story.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I learned a valuable lesson early on. Know your audience. Seventy-eight percent of readers are women. My novels are set in the North Carolina county I grew up in. I make myself available to speak to book clubs, senior citizen groups, local bookstores, and art galleries. It’s very important to get to know your readers personally. They become invested in your success. Word of mouth and social media posts have yielded excellent results. I have several readers who have contacted newspapers and local magazines, asking them to feature me in their publications.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

Every time I make a public appearance, I ask everyone for their email address. Many people are hesitant about giving that information because they fear being bombarded by one more marketeer. I understand their concerns, so I limit my correspondence.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dennyhamann.net
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dennyhamannwriter
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/author/dennyhamann https://www.dennishamann.com