Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been a restaurant worker, a soldier, a snowmaker, an exterminator, a college student, a CPA, a middle school teacher, and now teach fourth grade.
I am a husband of 32+ years and a father of two young men who have grown to be successful in their chosen fields of endeavor.
I am also an indie writer. I have written and self-published 9 MG/YA/NA novels including the River Dream Series and the Buzby Beach Novels.
My books are based on my experiences growing up in my favorite part of the world – Southeastern North Carolina. The people I met, friends I made, and experiences I had while coming of age at the beach help shape my characters and my stories.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is BUZBY BEACH HOMECOMING. It was inspired by the idea of a soldier, estranged from his parents by his decision to join the Army, coming back to the island he grew up on and trying to pick up his old life. My own experience of coming home and readjusting to civilian life, trying to reconnect with friends and old girlfriends, gave me the idea.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I seem to write best after everyone else in the house has gone to bed. There is something about the quiet and the darkness that helps me get into the zone where the story flows more effortlessly.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have an eclectic taste in books. When I was young, I read every Hardy Boys book there was. As I grew, I developed an interest in science fiction. Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, and Robert Heinlein became three of my favorite writers. Asimov’s Foundation Series is one I have reread countless times. If there is one book that influenced me most as a teenager, though, it would be Heinlein’s STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND.
For a short while, I was heavily into reading Stephen King. He was the only horror writer other than Poe whose work I enjoyed. Other authors who influenced me are WEB Griffin, Larry Bond, Tom Clancy, and Brad Thor. More recently, books by young adult authors Sarah Dessen and Ally Carter, and novels by Wily Cash have influenced my writing for the better.
What are you working on now?
I currently have three projects in the works. This year’s NaNoWriMo project is about a military retiree who never married starting college as a freshman. The time is summer and fall of 2019, and the pandemic is just over the horizon and will impact my main character before the book ends.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Because I am a self-published indie author, my promotional budget is limited. Most of my promotion is done online via social media with the rest being word of mouth. So far, Facebook and Twitter (with the help of askdavid.com) have been my primary method of advertising my books. I am hopeful that Awesome Gang will become a successful part of my promotional efforts.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing. I know this is cliche, but cliches are cliches because they are usually true. Write what you want to read. Find a trusted friend or family member who will give you honest feedback. Never self-edit, always find/hire someone to proofread your work for conventions and content. Utilize betareaders and respect their feedback, even if you disagree with their comments and don’t follow their advice. Oh, and keep writing.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Honestly, never judge a book by its cover. In a much more global sense, get to know about something or someone before you decide how you’re going to feel about them. My father taught me that.
What are you reading now?
At the moment, I am reading THE MARROW OF TRADITION by Charles W. Chesnutt about the November 10, 1898 coup against the duly elected African-American leaders of Wilmington, NC by a group of white supremacists.
What’s next for you as a writer?
In the next year, I want to branch out and write more directly about social issues and their effects on the students I teach.
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?
The first book I would want with me is the US ARMY SURVIVAL MANUAL.
A copy of STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND would be next.
A Bible.
A Spanish/English dictionary so I pass time learning another language.
Author Websites and Profiles
DW Davis Website
DW Davis Amazon Profile
DW Davis’s Social Media Links
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