Local author has many more stories to tell

“I love to tell stories,” local author Terry Eckstein said. His mind is full of plots that twist and turn in and around Mantorville and he’s anxious to get them written down. He has a “day” job that pays the bills with remote staff under his employ but Eckstein yearns for the day when he can leave this business behind and the typing of tales becomes his full-time job.
Two pen names
The author has two very different book series and he uses a different pen name for each. The Thomas short stories are about a little dog with a big heart and in his HR (Human Resources) novels Eckstein writes about things he encountered throughout his 50-year career in Human Resources. Both series are fiction but readers from the area will enjoy the local references.
The Thomas tales have the pen name, Hank Thorson. “That’s my grandfather’s name,” Eckstein explained. “Hank’s stories can be read by the whole family with some lessons about life.” For the HR books, he uses his real name Terry Eckstein. The first book, HR: Behind Closed Doors “… is only suitable for adults,” Eckstein said. “There are situations that include sex, violence and profanity.” The book also has life lessons, some reflect what Eckstein learned the hard way; he hopes that in reading the book others won’t make the same mistakes.
Next novel to take new direction
Eckstein hopes to have the third Thomas book out before Christmas and his second HR book is in the works. The next HR book will bust open the door and go in a different direction, he said. More will be learned about the characters from the first novel, their challenges and the obstacles that lead to unexpected adventure. This and subsequent HR books will contain intrigue, Sci-Fi and the supernatural. “… and very little sex or profanity,” Eckstein added.
Customer’s concerns about cover
After publishing HR: Behind Closed Doors, Eckstein got some pushback about the cover which shows a woman in a tight red skirt about to open a door. The novel speaks against women being sexualized in the workplace but the cover contradicts that message. People also said they were uncomfortable reading the book in public.
After hearing these concerns, Eckstein has changed the cover and is introducing it during Marigold Days. He will have a booth in Riverside Park in Mantorville September 7 and 8. There will be a close-out price on the original cover.
Eckstein’s books are also for sale at Johnson’s General Store in Kasson and on Amazon.
In addition to print and Kindle, an audiobook of HR: Behind Closed Doors will be available soon.