Interview with Allen Malnak, author of ‘Hitler’s Silver Box’

After completing his medical residency and liver disease fellowship, Dr. Malnak practiced as a board certified internist. He served as Chief of Internal Medicine at the US Army Hospital, Fort Sill, OK., and was medical director of several organizations. Dr. Malnak was also a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Stritch School of Medicine of Loyola University.

Dr. Malnak’s father emigrated to the US from Lithuania when he was sixteen, leaving behind a large family. They were all subsequently sent to a Nazi death camp during World War II and were exterminated. As a result of that tragic familial history, Dr. Malnak developed a keen interest in the Holocaust and has read widely on the subject. He and his wife, Patricia, live in Florida with their whippet, Paige, and parakeet, Kiwi.Hitler’s Silver Box is his first novel.

Purchase the book on Amazon and B&N.

Q: What’s inside the mind of a historical thriller author?

A: Historical thrillers are even more difficult to plan and carry out than thrillers. I had a strong motive for writing Hitler’s Silver Box. My father’s entire large family was murdered by the Nazis. I realise that this happened a long time ago, and many people only have the vaguest idea as to what happened and more to the point how dangerous present day Nazis are. By integrating some of this into a current historical thriller, I was able to bring out these points. It’s important that the author find ways to put the protagonist in jeopardy while making the villain have some redeeming qualities—a complex balance. During the writing process I constantly focused on how best to put my readers into the story, i.e. to get them to smell the smells, to feel the heat on their face.

Q: Tell us why readers should buy Hitler’s Silver Box. 

A: Hitler’s Silver Box is a historical thriller revealing a worldwide Nazi resurgence is inevitable unless a young physician finds and destroys an old document hidden in a silver box that his Holocaust survivor uncle was forced to make in a Nazi concentration camp and secretly buried in a Czech forest fifty years ago. The nephew and an attractive Israeli female companion with a military background are pursued and attacked by present day Nazis intent on reviving the Reich.

The novel gives a fresh look at a topic frequently covered in historical thrillers, will appeal to fans of Robert Harris, Alan Ensler, Elie Wiesel and Tadeusz Borowski and is smartly plotted with engrossing, believable characters. The book contains the complete journal of the Holocaust survivor, which greatly adds to the novel’s value.

Q: What makes a good historical thriller? 

A: Any thriller much grab the reader’s attention and hold it through often frightening twists and turns, as the protagonist faces increasing odds. The author of a historical thriller must accurately integrate historical facts into the story. This requires not only careful research but close attention to the smallest details. What kind of handgun would a Nazi SS officers carry during the Second World War? Some careful reader will know, and if the author has simply guessed wrong, well the reader loses faith in the accuracy of the rest of the story.

Q: What is a regular writing day like for you?

A: I’m a morning person, so I try to get in an hour or more writing before breakfast with a steaming cup of coffee at hand. I start by editing my previous writing and then just let go, trying to exclude my censor. I always say I’ll wait until the story or novel is complete to edit it, but my compulsive nature just won’t allow that. My mantra all the time is “write, rewrite, get it right.”

Q: What do you find most rewarding about being an author?

A: Hearing praise for my work, especially from fellow writers.

Q: How did you celebrate the completion of your book?

A: Took my wife and some friends to dinner. Toasted the completion with a fine Champagne.