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This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and readability. Filler words, false starts, and minor verbal tics have been removed, and punctuation/paragraphing has been adjusted. The meaning and intent of the conversation have been preserved.
Henry Harrison:
Today we’re very fortunate to have on the show Harry Hunsicker, bestselling author of crime thrillers. Welcome to Entrepreneurs Business and Finance, the Henry Harrison podcast.
We’ve had another author on the show—Dianna Booher—but she’s a business author with a consulting company. Harry’s work is very different, and this is at least a second career for him. He’s in the business of becoming an author. I’m not sure he’s comfortable calling it a business, so that will be an interesting topic.
But to get published and sell books, there’s a business side to it. Hello, Harry.
Harry Hunsicker:
Hello, Henry. Thank you for having me. Henry Harrison and Harry Hunsicker meet on Zoom. I’m happy to be here.
It might be your second nonprofit. I don’t know how profitable writing is, but it pays a little bit. I have a good time doing it.
Henry Harrison:
We know each other through mutual friends. We go to a regular lunch in Dallas, and we’ve been to a couple parties together. I’ve always been intrigued, because outside of Dianna Booher, I haven’t had fiction authors on the show.
A lot of people dream of becoming an author, and just the idea of writing a whole book feels challenging. You’re a bestselling author and you’ve published your ninth book. It’s right behind you.
Harry Hunsicker:
It just came out in October. Number nine. It’s available on Amazon and all the major places you can buy books.
Henry Harrison:
I’ve read it—and I have a complaint.
Harry Hunsicker:
What’s the complaint?
Henry Harrison:
I couldn’t go to sleep because I wanted to read more chapters.
Harry Hunsicker:
That’s a good problem to have. I’ve got eight more—you can wean yourself off or get more of the drug of your choice.
Henry Harrison:
This latest one is really exciting. The way the pieces fit together is interesting, and it kept me intrigued all the way through.
So, how do you get someone to publish it? How do you get people to buy it?
Harry Hunsicker:
It’s challenging—very challenging.
A lot of people want to write a book. Many start, fewer finish, and fewer still find someone to publish it. It’s a pyramid.
I always wanted to be a writer. I grew up in Dallas. I was an only child, before the internet and social media and video games, so I read a lot. I was always drawn to fiction, not nonfiction.
When people say they want to write a book, I ask whether it’s fiction or nonfiction. There’s often a discussion about the difference.
I make things up. None of the stuff I write is true. Getting fiction published is different than nonfiction.
My family knew I wanted to be a writer. When I was 10, someone gave me a typewriter for Christmas—an old clickety-clack kind. I thought it was the greatest thing in the world.
I decided to write a story. I didn’t know what I was doing. I wrote about Mary and Joseph and the birth of baby Jesus—except in my story, they come to Dallas, and after the birth they go shopping at Neiman Marcus. That was my first stab at writing at 10 years old.
Henry Harrison:
That’s unexpected—and in your book, there are a lot of unexpected twists and turns, which is part of what makes it a thriller.
You didn’t become a writer right away, though.
Harry Hunsicker:
I didn’t. I didn’t know what to do. I thought about law school. I was a history major, not English or journalism. Back when I went to college, creative writing at the college level wasn’t really a thing.
I ended up becoming a commercial real estate appraiser—which, for those who don’t know, is for people who find accounting too exciting.
It’s a great career and steady. I did that for a long time.
Henry Harrison:
So that was your working career, and writing became a second career?
Harry Hunsicker:
Yes. Most fiction authors have a day job. That’s the reality of the economics, unless you’re at the very top.
I started writing seriously—my first book came out 20 years ago this May. So for about 20 years, I did both careers simultaneously.
Henry Harrison:
Did you take courses initially to help?
Harry Hunsicker:
I devoured “how to write” books. Then I hit a moment when I realized I needed to pursue this dream. We all get to a point where we realize there’s only so much runway left.
I took continuing education classes in creative writing at SMU in Dallas, and that started me on the path.
Henry Harrison:
I noticed Lee Child’s name connected to your book—Jack Reacher, huge author. How do you get someone like that to endorse you?
Harry Hunsicker:
Lee is a friend. He’s approachable. He used to go to conferences I went to. I asked him and he agreed.
I’m eternally grateful because it helped my career.
Henry Harrison:
Do you use AI in any way?
Harry Hunsicker:
I love AI. I love ChatGPT. I don’t use it for writing or storytelling.
But it’s supplanted Google for me. I use Google radically less than I did a year ago. You can just talk to ChatGPT and get answers more naturally.
It’s a phenomenal resource.
Henry Harrison:
You thanked a lot of people in the book—people who helped with research. Is research a big part of your process?
Harry Hunsicker:
My whole life has been research. I’m an information sponge. I consume news, documentaries, magazines back in the day—now the equivalent online.
When I’m writing, I pull from things I’ve absorbed over years. I don’t research constantly for every book—but for this one, there’s a strong police procedural and court element, so I wanted to get it right. I had people I could ask questions, and that helped.
Henry Harrison:
Even in fiction, you don’t want the court system details to feel fake.
A lot of the story takes place in Dallas, and that makes it feel real. It’s not a made-up city.
Harry Hunsicker:
Right. All of it is set in Dallas. I could make up a city, but I don’t. It’s Dallas.
Henry Harrison:
You’ve got deep Texas roots—sixth generation.
Harry Hunsicker:
Fourth generation native of Dallas, which is kind of strange. Not many of those.
My great grandmother was born in 1868 in what is now East Dallas. Her family name was Fisher. They started a little village called Fisher, and Fisher Road still exists.
Henry Harrison:
So when you decided to write, you were going into fiction. Not poetry, not history.
Harry Hunsicker:
I wanted to write fiction from the beginning. That was always the dream. Crime thrillers, broadly speaking.
It depends who you talk to whether they call them mysteries or thrillers. A mystery is “who did it.” A thriller is “who did it and can you stop them from doing it again.” There’s overlap, so I call them crime thrillers.
Henry Harrison:
You outline your stories?
Harry Hunsicker:
Yes. Over the years, I’ve learned I need to outline. It’s better for me—and the people around me—if I outline before writing.
If I don’t outline, I tend to get moody and unpleasant to be around. At least my wife says that.
So I spend time thinking about twists and turns and characters before I start.
Henry Harrison:
What about the craft—writing sentences, rewriting?
Harry Hunsicker:
Writing is rewriting. It takes an enormous amount of going back over and over, polishing and improving.
Even after this long, I’m still doing that. You never write anything perfectly the first time. The more I write, the more I realize how little I know—and that keeps it challenging.
Henry Harrison:
What would you say to people who want to go for their dream?
Harry Hunsicker:
If you’ve got a dream, go for it. You’ve only got so much time left, no matter your age.
Henry Harrison:
What were some challenges you had to overcome early?
Harry Hunsicker:
The pyramid—many people want it, fewer finish.
If you want traditional publishing, you need an agent. You need a query letter. Then you deal with rejection.
I sent out 117 query letters and got rejected well over 100 times before I found someone who took me on. That was almost a two-year process.
You learn persistence and resilience. It’s like sales: knocking on doors, cold calling.
Henry Harrison:
How would you describe your writing style—what makes it distinct?
Harry Hunsicker:
I try to write a book I would like to read. I try to finish it, which is a big step.
It’s a hard road: start a book, finish it, revise it, find a publisher. You have to really love it.
I’m proud of the books, but I’m also very critical. I look back at the older ones and think, “What was I thinking?” You try to get better with each one.
Henry Harrison:
For anyone who wants to start, The Life and Death of Rose Doucette is available wherever books are sold.
Harry Hunsicker:
If anyone wants it, I have a list of where it’s available on my website. You can visit HarryHunsicker.com and sign up for my newsletter or reach out.
Henry Harrison:
This was terrific. I think people will be interested to hear what it’s like to become a successful, published author of nine books—a bestselling author—and someone who wanted it since he was a kid and made it happen.
Thanks a lot, Harry.
Harry Hunsicker:
Thanks for having me.
Henry Harrison:
Thank you.
