We recently had the chance to connect with Michael Haspil and have shared our conversation below.
Michael , we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
I am trying to walk a path. And it can be difficult. We have so many temptations and distractions vying for our attention. Beware the threshold guardians in your life who wish you to stray from the path. They aren’t always hostile, and the most effective ones are often close friends. Of course, that’s easier said than done. I don’t want to admit it, but I wander a lot too. Set a goal and achieve it, if it is at all possible. What will get you into trouble is switching goals before you complete them. Ask me how I know.
One thing I would throw out there for folks to keep in mind, is this little axiom. Don’t let what you want NOW get in the way of what you really want.
Also, walking the path is really more important than actually getting there. Journey before destination, right?
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Certainly. I’m Mike Haspil and I write fiction under the name Michael F. Haspil (the “F” stands for Frantz, which often throws people for a loop, because it isn’t what they expect). I’m younger than I look and older than I pretend to be. Fiercely Gen X. I have too many hobbies, all of which are too expensive. The biggest one is probably my love for tabletop miniatures wargaming and the surrounding sub-hobbies of assembling models and painting them to a high standard. I used to be a huge movie buff but that passion has waned quite a bit over the last decade. But I still create and collect replica movie props from films that affect me, and they give me another way to deeply connect with a story that resonated with me. For example, I’ve built my own proton pack from “Ghostbusters”, M-41A Pulse Rifle from “Aliens”, and even painfully recreated a “Novem Portis” copy from the film “The Ninth Gate”.
I did mention I write fiction, though that has been difficult of late due to my day job writing business proposals (which I suppose might be a different kind of fiction, if ill executed). I have one published novel under my belt, “Graveyard Shift”, a tale about an immortal pharaoh battling an ancient vampire conspiracy in modern-day Miami with the help of his Roman vampire partner. It’s fun, if a little dark. Lately, I’ve had much more success with short stories. I’ve penned quite a few: a sci-fi/western entitled “The Penultimate Stand of Pina Gracchi” about two guns-for-hire who find out the job isn’t exactly what they were told. A spinoff story about my immortal pharaoh, Menkaure, titled “Storm Surge”, which appears in the “No Game For Knights” anthology from Baen. I even managed to contribute to the Horus Heresy, a sprawling saga the likes of which are seldom seen in the world of literature. My two meager contributions there, “To the Last,” a tale of a starship captain who must overcome overwhelming odds to do her duty, and “Amor Fati,” told from a villain’s point of view, which managed to make a deep impact on some readers, make me extremely proud. My latest outing, “The Long Hot Summer”, is a story featuring none other than The Green Hornet and Kato! Due to be released in a new anthology in the coming year.
I’m working on a new novel now, one involving the UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) situation. As is expected, I can’t talk much about that subject in this setting and must keep details close to the vest. But it leans toward military science fiction as far as the genre goes. I’ve got about another dozen projects in the hopper, if I can ever find time to get to them.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The soldier. In my being, I’ve been many things. We all do this; myriad roles compose who we are as persons. Myself, I am at once a Man, a Student, a Teacher, an Artist, and a Warrior. But you’ll note I said that the soldier has served his purpose and must now be released. A soldier, in my estimation, is different than a warrior. I’ll explain.
(No, there is too much. I will sum up.)
I attended military school from a young age (New York Military Academy), and when I graduated high school, I joined the Air Force and went to the Prep School and then on to the Air Force Academy. When I separated from the Air Force, that left a gigantic hole in my psyche. From sixth grade, I knew exactly what I had to do, what I had to wear, where I had to be. I knew the mission and my duty. All that was suddenly gone. I floundered for a long time. But I came to realize all that stuff were the “soldier” bits. Not the Warrior parts.
Honor, Duty, Patriotism, Loyalty, and the urge to Excel. Those were the Warrior parts. I’ll never be rid of the Warrior, for he is me. As I grow older, I might not be able to participate to the same level of martial arts I used to undertake (I studied Ninpo Taijutsu, Aikido, and boxed for a time). But I’ve undertaken new martial arts more suited to my current physical abilities. I will keep striving to be the warrior-poet in my life. It’s who I am.
The “Yes, sir. No, sir. Three bags full, sir” part of the Soldier. Yeah, I’m done with that. And now I’m too old and ornery for that to ever come back.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Oh yes. Very recently, in fact. I’m going to have to skip over some details to protect the innocent, but I have spoken of this before in different venues, and it is no secret. Yet, trying to distance myself from these wounds and revisiting them with increasing specificity is not constructive.
Recently, I was given a unique and incredible opportunity for a tie-in franchise, which I adore. In my mind, this was going to be my big break. I could make quit-your-day-job money and then, in fact, write full-time, which was my ultimate goal and dream. (Never mind that I was delusional. Reality stands undefeated).
Anyway, long story short. I screwed it up. I gave that project all that I could give, but it seemed the universe conspired against me. At home, the demands increased. Family obligations cropped up that would not be staved off. I’ve never been busier at the day job than I had been during this period (and to add insult to injury, we lost the proposal as well). The end result is that the project got canceled. I was heartbroken, and it has taken me years to get over it. Some might say, I’m still not over it.
I nearly quit then. It would be so easy to just walk away.
But I am a devout student of Joseph Campbell’s monomyth. And I turned that lens to my own life and realized exactly where I was in the Hero’s Journey. To quit then, meant death. There was only one path and one decision to make along the way.
Onward.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
Bottom line, up front: smart people aren’t as smart as they think they are. I’ve got enough grey hairs, I can be allowed to pontificate for a bit.
There are a lot of smart people. Really intelligent and well-meaning people just being bamboozled and taken for a ride. And they let ego and ideology blind them to reality. Keep in mind, reality never loses. Never. It’s got a 100% win-rate.
Without devolving into a rant, if I can distill it down to one question, it would be this. “How many times does someone have to lie to you before you stop believing them?” Think about that. Mull it over in your mind like a koan. Because it is probably the single most important question of our time.
Yet time and time again, I see the intelligent and well-meaning people, throw any kind of caution and skepticism to the four winds and go down the wrong path again and again. A path of hate and fear and intolerance. Yoda talked about this in pop culture and we know where that leads. Often the people who claim to be the most tolerant are the quickest to seek and destroy anyone whose beliefs deviate one iota from theirs.
As an example, people will lie to you about a subject for years. Then the same people who lied to you will now claim to tell the truth now that they have a lucrative book deal and can tell you all about it. And people fall for it, over and over and over. And worse, when the signs are right in front of them, they fall for the same scam again.
Look up the Gell-Mann amnesia effect for more on this topic. Basically, smart people are better at rationalizing to themselves that they are right and won’t budge from their positions. The world would be a better place if more people embraced the concept that they don’t have to be right all the time.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What will you regret not doing?
Probably, having children. It’s not a massive regret, but it is something of the human experience, which my wife and I won’t experience. Too many competing loyalties. Too many deployments. Too much time apart and time taken to rebuild relationships afterward. Too many duties to attend to. Too much of being a Soldier and not enough being loyal to oneself.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: michaelfhaspil
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhaspil/
- Twitter: @MichaelHaspil
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelFHaspil
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Rogue428
Image Credits
Graveyard Shift – TOR Books
No Game For Knights – Baen Books
Gunfight on Europa Station – Baen Books
Cthonia’s Reckoning — Black Library / Games Workshop
Amor Fati – Black Library / Games Workshop
World of Tanks – wargaming.net
As far as certifying that I have the rights and permissions to use these, I’m genuinely not sure. Reach out if you can’t use these and I’ll take photos of me in the picture that I know we can use.
