Recently, I had the privilege to interview author David Wood. He has written many books including "You Suck", "Quest" & the soon to be released, "Atlantis"!
Interview is posted below my review and includes a link to his site!
You Suck! 4 out of 5 stars
What a great title for a young adult paranormal book! The story centers around teenager Dunn Kelly, who balances high school, bullies, sports, keeping his alcoholic father in line and covering for him at his job as a Paranormal Police Officer. When a teen celebrity chooses to film a reality show in Dunn's small town, Dunn is drawn in to investigate a series of brutal murders that occur to the contestants. Each of contestants vying for the teen sensation's life are vampires, and while this is commonplace in the story, their deaths are anything but! Dunn finds himself juggling his already complicated life with the grown-up responsibility of solving the murders and trying to handle the popular star's affections! Will Dunn be able to keep his head above water, or will he crumble? The outcome is quite surprising!
The suspense in this book was perfect and kept you wanting to read on. It is stories like this that will keep your teen reaching for a book instead of their iPhone. And at a Kindle price of only $2.99, you can go wrong!
You Suck: A Dunn Kelly Mystery
http://amzn.com/1478353287
1. You didn't start writing until 2004 - why did you wait so long?
Lots of little reasons, but nsecurity was the big one. I'd always wanted to be a writer but couldn't believe anyone would actually want to read anything I wrote. In retrospect, I wish I'd started much sooner.
2. You are quite accomplished, having several degrees under your belt - what made you want to achieve so much?
I'm one of those weird people who is interested, and at least competent, in a lot of things. I enjoyed my pre-publishing careers a great deal, but I'm happy to be writing.
3. Why do you root for the Atlanta Braves?
I love baseball. The nature of the sport, the structure of its season, and the way it values its own history lends itself to narrative. Baseball teams and players have great stories, and each season is a story in itself. It's also a conversational sport that moves at a leisurely pace so the fans can discuss and analyze the game as it's happening. The reason I love the Braves is I grew up in Atlanta and suffered through the misery of the 1970s and 1980s, and stuck with them through it all. Now it's a love/hate relationship, as I wait for the inevitable late season or playoff collapse.
4. What inspired you to write "You Suck"?
I was signing books alongside my friend, Jim Bernheimer (a fantastic author), and envied the way he kept hooking people with the hilarious premises of some of his stories. I wanted to try my hand at something with a humorous premise, so I mulled over what things I'd like to make fun of, and settled on vampires, teen pop stars, and reality shows.
5. Are any of your characters in "You Suck" based on people you know? Can you share some details?
Oh, yes! I'm a former middle school teacher, "You Suck" is dedicated to my old school, and many of the characters are inspired by, or at least named after former colleagues or students. One of the detectives was my Assistant Principal, the CSI, Dunn's "hot" teacher, his swimming coach, and the custodian are all former colleagues, and Abriel and Parker are named after former students who've kept in touch with me. Even Dunn Kelly himself is named for two teacher friends.
6. What genre do you prefer to write? You write quite a few!
I can only choose one? Bummer. I suppose Action-Adventure, because I get to solve ancient mysteries and see the world through my characters, though I have a blast writing YA and fantasy, and would like to try a few more genres some day.
7. How much research on vampires did you need to do before writing "You Suck"?
Not a great deal. I chose the various vampire stereotypes I wanted to spoof, and did some reading on the ways to kill vampires, but the book is really about a teenager and his struggles, so that was my focus.
8. What advice would you give writers just beginning their craft?
Have fun and don't worry so much about whether or not what you're writing is marketable. If you're serious about publishing, get involved in some sort of writers' workshop where you can get honest critique of your work. Finally, be patient. Whether you go the traditional or independent route, it's going to take time to achieve your goals. Don't make hasty decisions that come back to bite you and don't give up.
9. Do you blog? Has that contributed to your success in sales and how so? Please share your blog website with us.
You can find me at www.davidwoodweb.com. I don't blog frequently, but lately I've been posting a weekly pulp adventure serial on my blog every Monday. Feel free to check it out if you like Indiana Jones or Doc Savage.
I don't think the blog has impacted sales, but I do think my Facebook page, in particular, has benefited me because it's such a great vehicle for interacting with readers. You can find me there atwww.facebook.com/davidwoodbooks
10. What is your favorite book you've written and why?
I'll answer that question right after I tell you which of my children is my favorite and why. But I kid...
Honestly, I can't choose one. Quest is special because it's the one that really took off and confirmed that my decision to write full-time was the right one. I love You Suck because it was so much fun to write and so many of my friends have read and enjoyed it. Ultimately, though, I love whatever I'm working on at the time.
11. How long does it typically take for you to complete a book?
I juggle so many projects that I seldom work straight through a single book without interruption, but four months is probably about right. I brainstorm, research, chart out the main scenes and settings, let it simmer in my brain for a couple of weeks, and then dive in. Typically, I write a chapter a day, and take weekends off, so six to eight weeks for a first draft, followed by revisions.
12. Tell us about your favorite author moment.
Any time someone tells me they enjoy my work, I'm ecstatic, but I guess my favorite moment (or set of moments) was this year's Thrillerfest. I kept having "pinch myself" moments while hanging out, even having dinner with, authors whom I've long admired. Such a great feeling!
13. Who would you choose to have as a mentor? Any of the greats?
Neil Gaiman. He's one of those rare writers whose prose and storytelling are first-rate, and can write in a variety of genres.
14. What are you currently working on?
I'm mostly working on Atlantis, the next book in my Dane Maddock Adventures series, but I take a break with The Gates of Iron, the next installment in the fantasy series I write under my David Debord pen name, and The Impostor Prince, which I'm writing with Ryan Span. I'm also in the planning stages of three future collaborations. Never a dull moment!
15. Give me three great facts about you!
Great facts? Nothing like ratcheting up the pressure. Can we make it "interesting" instead? I'd hate to let your readers down.
I'm a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
I co-host the ThrillerCast podcast, a podcast for readers and writers of thriller and genre fiction, with my friend Alan Baxter.
Prior to writing full-time, I worked as a landscaper, pizza guy, newspaper deliveryman, warehouse worker, injection molding technician, martial arts instructor, recreation director, youth minister, pastor, and teacher.
You Suck! 4 out of 5 stars
What a great title for a young adult paranormal book! The story centers around teenager Dunn Kelly, who balances high school, bullies, sports, keeping his alcoholic father in line and covering for him at his job as a Paranormal Police Officer. When a teen celebrity chooses to film a reality show in Dunn's small town, Dunn is drawn in to investigate a series of brutal murders that occur to the contestants. Each of contestants vying for the teen sensation's life are vampires, and while this is commonplace in the story, their deaths are anything but! Dunn finds himself juggling his already complicated life with the grown-up responsibility of solving the murders and trying to handle the popular star's affections! Will Dunn be able to keep his head above water, or will he crumble? The outcome is quite surprising!
The suspense in this book was perfect and kept you wanting to read on. It is stories like this that will keep your teen reaching for a book instead of their iPhone. And at a Kindle price of only $2.99, you can go wrong!
You Suck: A Dunn Kelly Mystery
http://amzn.com/1478353287
1. You didn't start writing until 2004 - why did you wait so long?
Lots of little reasons, but nsecurity was the big one. I'd always wanted to be a writer but couldn't believe anyone would actually want to read anything I wrote. In retrospect, I wish I'd started much sooner.
2. You are quite accomplished, having several degrees under your belt - what made you want to achieve so much?
I'm one of those weird people who is interested, and at least competent, in a lot of things. I enjoyed my pre-publishing careers a great deal, but I'm happy to be writing.
3. Why do you root for the Atlanta Braves?
I love baseball. The nature of the sport, the structure of its season, and the way it values its own history lends itself to narrative. Baseball teams and players have great stories, and each season is a story in itself. It's also a conversational sport that moves at a leisurely pace so the fans can discuss and analyze the game as it's happening. The reason I love the Braves is I grew up in Atlanta and suffered through the misery of the 1970s and 1980s, and stuck with them through it all. Now it's a love/hate relationship, as I wait for the inevitable late season or playoff collapse.
4. What inspired you to write "You Suck"?
I was signing books alongside my friend, Jim Bernheimer (a fantastic author), and envied the way he kept hooking people with the hilarious premises of some of his stories. I wanted to try my hand at something with a humorous premise, so I mulled over what things I'd like to make fun of, and settled on vampires, teen pop stars, and reality shows.
5. Are any of your characters in "You Suck" based on people you know? Can you share some details?
Oh, yes! I'm a former middle school teacher, "You Suck" is dedicated to my old school, and many of the characters are inspired by, or at least named after former colleagues or students. One of the detectives was my Assistant Principal, the CSI, Dunn's "hot" teacher, his swimming coach, and the custodian are all former colleagues, and Abriel and Parker are named after former students who've kept in touch with me. Even Dunn Kelly himself is named for two teacher friends.
6. What genre do you prefer to write? You write quite a few!
I can only choose one? Bummer. I suppose Action-Adventure, because I get to solve ancient mysteries and see the world through my characters, though I have a blast writing YA and fantasy, and would like to try a few more genres some day.
7. How much research on vampires did you need to do before writing "You Suck"?
Not a great deal. I chose the various vampire stereotypes I wanted to spoof, and did some reading on the ways to kill vampires, but the book is really about a teenager and his struggles, so that was my focus.
8. What advice would you give writers just beginning their craft?
Have fun and don't worry so much about whether or not what you're writing is marketable. If you're serious about publishing, get involved in some sort of writers' workshop where you can get honest critique of your work. Finally, be patient. Whether you go the traditional or independent route, it's going to take time to achieve your goals. Don't make hasty decisions that come back to bite you and don't give up.
9. Do you blog? Has that contributed to your success in sales and how so? Please share your blog website with us.
You can find me at www.davidwoodweb.com. I don't blog frequently, but lately I've been posting a weekly pulp adventure serial on my blog every Monday. Feel free to check it out if you like Indiana Jones or Doc Savage.
I don't think the blog has impacted sales, but I do think my Facebook page, in particular, has benefited me because it's such a great vehicle for interacting with readers. You can find me there atwww.facebook.com/davidwoodbooks
10. What is your favorite book you've written and why?
I'll answer that question right after I tell you which of my children is my favorite and why. But I kid...
Honestly, I can't choose one. Quest is special because it's the one that really took off and confirmed that my decision to write full-time was the right one. I love You Suck because it was so much fun to write and so many of my friends have read and enjoyed it. Ultimately, though, I love whatever I'm working on at the time.
11. How long does it typically take for you to complete a book?
I juggle so many projects that I seldom work straight through a single book without interruption, but four months is probably about right. I brainstorm, research, chart out the main scenes and settings, let it simmer in my brain for a couple of weeks, and then dive in. Typically, I write a chapter a day, and take weekends off, so six to eight weeks for a first draft, followed by revisions.
12. Tell us about your favorite author moment.
Any time someone tells me they enjoy my work, I'm ecstatic, but I guess my favorite moment (or set of moments) was this year's Thrillerfest. I kept having "pinch myself" moments while hanging out, even having dinner with, authors whom I've long admired. Such a great feeling!
13. Who would you choose to have as a mentor? Any of the greats?
Neil Gaiman. He's one of those rare writers whose prose and storytelling are first-rate, and can write in a variety of genres.
14. What are you currently working on?
I'm mostly working on Atlantis, the next book in my Dane Maddock Adventures series, but I take a break with The Gates of Iron, the next installment in the fantasy series I write under my David Debord pen name, and The Impostor Prince, which I'm writing with Ryan Span. I'm also in the planning stages of three future collaborations. Never a dull moment!
15. Give me three great facts about you!
Great facts? Nothing like ratcheting up the pressure. Can we make it "interesting" instead? I'd hate to let your readers down.
I'm a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
I co-host the ThrillerCast podcast, a podcast for readers and writers of thriller and genre fiction, with my friend Alan Baxter.
Prior to writing full-time, I worked as a landscaper, pizza guy, newspaper deliveryman, warehouse worker, injection molding technician, martial arts instructor, recreation director, youth minister, pastor, and teacher.
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