Asking Better Questions: Why I Write About Secrets

Why do certain stories refuse to let us go?

In Asking Better Questions, author Gene Uhlig steps behind the curtain of his novels, poetry, and historical works to explore not what he writes - but why he writes the way he does.

Blending humor, reflection, and creative honesty, this book traces the questions that sparked espionage thrillers, archaeological adventures, interviews with long-dead historical figures, and poetry about memory, anxiety, and teaching. Along the way, Uhlig examines how curiosity shapes stories, how truth is negotiated rather than discovered, and why imagination is often the safest place to explore uncomfortable ideas.

This is not a guidebook.
It is not a manifesto.
And it is not a catalog of titles.

It is a conversation about storytelling itself - about the messy, unplanned, occasionally absurd process of following questions wherever they lead, even when they cross genres, challenge assumptions, or refuse to resolve neatly.

Whether you are a reader curious about how stories come into being, a writer navigating your own creative process, or someone drawn to history, mystery, and the spaces between facts, Asking Better Questions offers a thoughtful, engaging look at why stories matter - and why asking the right questions may be more important than finding the answers.