Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Born in 1946, I grew up in Arlington, Massachusetts, graduating from Arlington High School in 1964.
I attended Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, majoring in English literature. During my junior year, I studied English Literature at Oxford University.
After graduating in 1968, I enlisted in the Air Force one step ahead of his draft board’s invitation to join the army. I married Susan, my high school girlfriend, during leave between tech school and my posting to the Philippines at Clark Air Base. During my final two years in the military, my wife and I lived near Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington D.C.
Discharged from the military in 1972, I attended Boston University on the GI Bill for a Master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism. The following summer I was hired by the University of New Hampshire to script and film videotapes about government social programs for the elderly.
My videotape grant ran out in 1976, but luckily at that time, companies were eager to hire people for their IT departments. With no computer experience, I was hired by Liberty Mutual Insurance to attend their three-month training course. I learned later that the major reason I was hired was my writing and communications background. I’ve often said, “This goes to show you that an English degree is a valuable asset!”
During my 35 years in information technology, the industry evolved from mainframes to personal computers using the internet. “Computers have been very, very good to me.” I retired from Massachusetts Financial Services in spring of 2012.
My wife and I live north of Boston. Our daughter lives in Ireland with her husband. Our son and his wife are both pediatricians working in Rhode Island. We have four grandchildren.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Echo from Mount Royal, published in January 2015, is my first book.
Before going to work, I’d often meet an elderly Jewish woman in the coffee shop downstairs from my office. We talked ‘books,’ sharing a similar taste in fiction. When she learned that I was a writer, she told me many stories about her experiences growing up in Montreal before and after WWII. Her story about her engagement as an 18-year-old girl astounded me. She invited me to ‘write it up,’ thinking it would make an interesting short story. Over the next ten months, I gave her chapters to read. When the 300-page manuscript was finished, she hefted the pages laughing, “This weighs more than a short story!”
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I almost never write at home. I’m distracted by the telephone and I’m always thinking of something else I need to do before I start writing.
I hang out at a local coffee shop or the library. The sounds of customers become ‘white noise’ but when I need to come back to reality, there are other people around.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love to read novels and short stories by Irish authors, such as William Trevor, John Banville, Sebastian Barry, Roddy Doyle, John McGahern, Colm Toibin, Jamie O’Neille, and Frank O’Connor. There’s nothing like an Irish storyteller.
What are you working on now?
Authors are superstitious about discussing their next project. They may discover after six months of writing that the novel or memoir isn’t working and abandon it. Inevitably, when people learn you’re a writer, they’ll ask, “Who’s your agent?” and “When will it be published?” and “Is it about anyone I know?” The writer often underestimates the time required to finish the work (I needed an extra year), then feels compelled to justify why the book is taking so long to complete. These discussions never end well.
Nevertheless I often ignore my own advice. I’ve started a fictional memoir based on the last years in the lives of my parents when I faced the fact that they will not be with him much longer. Watching them fail both physically and mentally caused me to confront my own mortality. The novel will explore how memories change over time to reveal my parents in a different light. Of course, there will be family secrets. I hope to show how memories both deceive us and encourage us to reexamine our lives.
And, no, I do not know when it will be finished.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m only just starting to promote my book so I don’t know what method will work best. I hope getting the word out about my free download from Kindle will help get the book read and reviewed
Do you have any advice for new authors?
When asked how she wrote so many books, Nora Roberts answered ‘Ass in chair.’ That’s the best advice for aspiring writers. Spend time each week and write. Not thinking about writing. WRITING.
Keep a journal to record thoughts and impressions. It’s amazing how those little notes can inspire you years later.
Edit, edit, edit. Don’t show anyone your work until you’ve gone over it carefully 5 times. Better yet 10 times.
Develop a thick skin. Don’t argue when someone offers criticism. Some of ‘my’ best ideas have been suggested by other writers.
Take writing classes at adult education centers. Join a writer’s critique group. You’ll learn as much critiquing others’ work as you will from their reviews of your work. Join Facebook and LinkedIn groups for writers.
Send out your work to websites that publish new authors — not to make money, but to get your work out there and gain self-confidence.
Never give up. Don’t panic if you think that you’ve got ‘writers block.’ Sit down and write whatever comes into your head. You are a writer as long as you write. Publishing doesn’t make you a writer.
Take time to live your life. You don’t know everything when you’re 25 or even 40. I’m still learning at 68.
Read, read, read. Everything. Never be without a book. Take two with you in case you finish one while you’re away from home.
Observe, listen, and daydream. Good luck.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Sit down and write. No matter how bad your writing seems to be today, it ALWAYS looks better the next day. Don’t correct spelling, punctuation, or grammar. Just write and get your ideas down. The book is created when you edit it.
What are you reading now?
I am reading the Booker Prize winner, The Luminaries. It’s a long book – 800 pages!
What’s next for you as a writer?
Learn more about social media. Hopefully an old dog can lean new tricks.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Something by Dickens, say Bleak House. House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. Amongst Women by John McGahern. Dubliners by James Joyce. Atonement by Ian McEwan.
Author Websites and Profiles
Dave Riese Website
Dave Riese Amazon Profile
Dave Riese’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile