Q. Did your father own a hot rod or a classic/antique car?

Holly:  He owned a lot of cars that would be considered classics now.  I remember his 1952 Lincoln convertible.  It was yellow with a black top.  He used to drive beauty queens at the Iowa State Fair parade.  I got to ride along, and thought we were all pretty important!

Q. Was he an auto racing fan?

Holly:  He was!  My brother, Dan, remembers going to the fairgrounds to watch the sprint car races when he was about six.  They stood outside the fence, by turn two, and ducked the dirt clods.  When Dad was writing Fever Heat, he went to the Pioneer Raceway every Saturday night. He also went to the Hawkeye Futurity, and the Iowa International but the only thing that really held his interest for long was writing.

Q: Do you have any special memories of your father that you would like to share?

Holly: My memories of my dad were the things we did together.  He and I loved baseball.  Since Dad was from New York, we were Yankees fans. When I was in fifth grade, we went to a Yankees game in Chicago.  Dad made reservations at the same hotel where the Yankees were staying.  I got to see all my heroes and get some autographs.

Q: Tell me about the release of Hot Rod – when will it be available, and where can we purchase it?  Will it be available on Amazon?

Holly: Hot Rod should be released early this summer.  I will be posting information at http://www.henrygregorfelsen.com.  We are going to send out postcards announcing the book.  Anyone wishing to receive a postcard should send me their address hfwelch@me.com

Q: The 1990 boxed set, the Henry Gregor Felsen Collection sells for $200-500 online.  Many collectors would love to have it, but it is just unaffordable for most on the secondary market.  Do you have any plans to release the set?

Holly: I would love to release the set again.  It will depend on how well Hot Rod is received, but we are already discussing it.  I have had many people tell me they would love to have it. 

Q: Is there anything you would like to add?

Holly:  I have been overwhelmed by the comments of fans I have heard from lately.  They remember the books and the impact they had on their lives.  I’m glad we have this opportunity to bring the books back.

Read our original article about the collectible books of Henry Gregor Felsen here