Retired Intelligence Officer, Stamford Man Finds 2nd Chapter In Life
STAMFORD, CT — After retirement, not many people get the chance to embark on a second career. For one North Stamford resident, not only has he established his second chapter in life, he’s also brought his family and friends closer together.
Throughout Harris L. Kligman’s military career in the United States Army, which spanned from 1958 to 1979, and his civilian career, he was often traveling the world and interacting with different military governments and business entities throughout the Far East, Africa and South America.
After becoming a U.S. Army intelligence officer in the 1970s, Kligman’s excursions meant leaving his wife, Nancy, at home in North Stamford, to raise their two sons, Rob and Marc.
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Kligman needed a way to bond with his kids. He always enjoyed writing, so on flights over some foreign country, he’d put together short stories geared toward children and read them to his boys whenever he made it back home.
About 10 years ago, Rob, who is also a North Stamford resident, approached his father with a simple request.
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“He said to me one day, ‘Dad, you’ve written a lot of stories. You’ve traveled a lot, you were never really around and mom was kind of raising us. I don’t really know what you did or where you did it. Could you kind of write a couple pages and give me some background?” recalled Kligman, now 86.
So Kligman trekked down to his basement — aptly nicknamed “The Downstairs Dungeon.” There was one window, a rickety chair and an old desktop Windows computer which was in need of an update that couldn’t be found.
Among the cobwebs and some basement insects, Kligman began to punch the keys.
He would spend a few hours in the “dungeon”, and return the next day to pick up where he left off. Kligman had no outline or plan; he would think of a title, remember some of the people he’s encountered in his life and the experiences he went through, and start writing.
A few pages turned into a 370-page novel. A 370-page novel turned into several spy, mystery and historical titles.
“I would pass them around to friends, and then after they were bound at an office supply house, I would throw them in a cardboard box up in my office in my bedroom, and that was the end of that,” Kligman said.
It wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic hit that Rob suggested it was a good time to perhaps publish one of the novels. With all the negative news surrounding the pandemic, Rob thought it was the right time to bring some happiness to people through his father’s work.
“Rob said pick one out, let me see what I can do with it. As they say, from that point on, it’s history,” Kligman said.
Since then, eight finished novels have been modified and published, and Kligman has some new work.
Kligman’s 10th book, “The World Of Nicholas Lord,” was recently released, and an 11th book, “Life On The Dark Side,” is due out in the fall. Kligman has also released two illustrated children’s books, and a third is on the way.
All of Kligman’s stories are based on people, circumstances and situations he found himself in over the years.
For example, in the book “Kill Alexis Markovic,” the main character is based off a woman Kligman met and came to know in Brazil, where she was an enforcer for a drug gang.
In the book, the woman is Russian, and she lives in America as an enforcer for a local Russian mob.
“The most fascinating characters have been women. They’ve been hard-nosed people that I’ve met in circumstances most people wouldn’t believe, because they haven’t lived the life I’ve lived, or been to the places I’ve been,” Kligman said. “I embellish where necessary to fit the storyline, but these are characters that triumph through adversity, whether men or women, and do things most people could not believe.”
Kligman also likes to intertwine historical facts into his novels in order to enlighten the reader.
“What I try to do is when the reader ends the story and reaches the last page, he or she says, ‘Wow, time well spent,'” Kligman said. “I’ve always wanted to take the reader to a situation, a country, and meet people they would never or rarely meet in actual life. That’s the essence of my story.”
When a story is complete, the family will huddle over it and have conversations about things like grammar, punctuation and spelling.
Nancy, Rob and Kligman work as a team to approve a cover, then Rob works on the manuscript and sources a narrator for the audiobook version. He later puts on his public relations hat to market his father’s work.
Rob called it a “flooring experience” to work with his family on his father’s career as an author.
“It came full circle. The fact that we can do it together as a family was really the most important part for us… To see his second chapter come to life, I can’t put it into words because it has meant so much to me to be able to bring the family together,” Rob said. “The journey has just been something I think every son wishes he could do with a family member… It’s given me more insight into who my father is and that’s something I’ll take with me forever.”
Kligman’s books are distributed globally, and can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million.
Audiobooks are also available on iTunes and Amazon.
You can follow Kligman on social media on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube — or check out Kligman’s website.
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