David Soper

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, I’m David Soper. My wife and I live in Seattle, Washington, and I hope you’ve enjoyed my picture book and some of my favorite bulbs in bloom.

We’ve been gardening for nearly 50 years, a fact I find difficult to believe but true. Over the years, I have served on the Boards of Directors for the Northwest Perennial Alliance and the Seattle Rose Society.

It has been my privilege to meet many truly expert gardeners all across the nation. They have been very generous in sharing some of their very best tips.

Now, you can find many of their ideas and advice in my first bestselling book, Garden Magic in Your Backyard.

Here’s one of many favorable reviews: This well-written book is like having a next door neighbor who generously shares gardening wisdom gained from many years of experience. David Soper is opinionated, funny, and describes what works and what doesn’t in a way that is easy to apply to your own garden. Experienced gardeners as well as newbies will enjoy this book.

It is available on Kindle at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003J35K00/

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I was more inspired by the absence of descriptive bulb books, so I created a picture book on the subject. That book is a Kindle book named “A Pictorial Guide to Beautiful Bulbs.”

I wrote the book because I feel strongly too many gardeners can’t seem to get past tulips and daffodils and forget or don’t know about the lesser bulbs. I am thrilled when readers tell me this year they are planting several new bulbs in their gardens.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am retired so I pretty much write whenever the muse shows up.

What are you working on now?

I writing a memoir entitled “Long Black Stockings”. It is about a teen growing up on the prairies of North Dakota and Saskatchewan in 1900-1914.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I wish I knew “best” since success has been a bit limited.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write to please, entertain or share information and not to make a buck.

Do the first well and the $$$ will follow.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never, ever lose faith in your own abilities to succeed.

What are you reading now?
Doing research mainly on my coming book “7 First Steps in Training Your Puppy.” I just finished “Wired”, a NYT bestseller in the Sci-fi genre.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I love writing, sharing the written word and interfacing with my readers

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?
Winston Churchill’s books, A comprehensive history of the world and the best survival guide I could find.