Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
After many years writing and editing for various newspapers, I wrote my first novel, Between Lives, as a requirement for a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Pittsburgh. I finished that program in 2007, but it took until September of 2013 to get the book published. I am in my 60s, which shows it is never late to start publishing. In addition to my work in newspapers, I have taught high school, written grant proposals for the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, and written grant proposals and edited books as a freelancer.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The novel is titled Between Lives. It was inspired by my obstacle-fraught search for work after I lost my job at the Akron Beacon Journal in the withering economy brought on by the attacks of September 11, 2001. I learned that all the rules had changed; that older workers were not just undervalued, but not at all valued; and that the world cared not one whit about what I knew or had accomplished. Only a few years before, I had been sought after as a journalist, but, as I reached my 50s, I was abandoned by my industry. Between Lives is a story about that time and the problems than an increasing number of older Americans have encountered, especially since the crash of 2008.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
At the moment, I do most of my writing when I am a substitute teacher. I much prefer interacting with the students, but some teachers prefer that a sub hand out a worksheet and collect it at the end of the period. In some cases, such as when I am called upon to sub for a math, science or French class, that’s really best for the students. I do like to experiment with writing structures, not always with happy results.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
John Steinbeck, Roger Kahn, Ernest Hemingway and Alice Adams have all had some influence on my writing. I think The Grapes of Wrath is the most perfectly construction novel in American literature, and I think Kahn’s The Boys of Summer is the definitive book about transformation from one career to another. Because I worked for so long in newspapers, I think I have adopted a journalistic voice. I think my sentence structure is fairly simplistic, as a result.
What are you working on now?
I always have a few short stories working, but most of my energy right now is devoted to a novel about a man battling depression, alcoholism and the deterioration of his marriage and professional life.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have only recently started to promote my novel, so I’m not certain what works and what does not. But I have promoted my book on Facebook and LinkedIn, but that’s a fairly small audience, limited to people of my acquaintance and in my professional world.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t become discouraged when people you respect don’t like your work. That is more easily said than done. I presented the first 100 pages of this novel to a writing workshop class at Pitt and, while my classmates liked it, my professor had harsh words for it. I was devastated and had to put the work aside for several months before I could go back to it. The whole time I failed to write, however, I thought about what my professor had said and realized he was 100 percent correct, so I went back to it with a vengeance when I was able to.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It came from my sixth-grade English teacher: “Write, write, write; and read, read, read.
What are you reading now?
Two books of nonfiction, one about the Roosevelt clan and another titled Army at Dawn, by Rick Atkinson, about the beginning of U.S. involvement in the European Theater in World War II.
What’s next for you as a writer?
More writing.
What is your favorite book of all time?
Probably The Boys of Summer.
Author Websites and Profiles
Earl McDaniel Amazon Profile
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