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David Wind on Persistence and Inspiration in Prolific Writing

Piper Templeton
March 12, 2018

David Wind
David Wind has published thirty-nine novels including Science Fiction, Mystery, Suspense Thrillers and Contemporary Fiction. He lives and writes in Florida, and shares his house with his wife, Bonnie and dog Alfie, a Moyan poodle.

His newest novel is A Better Place To Be based on the Harry Chapin song of the same name. Not his usual genre, this is a story of love, loss and facing to the worst life can throw at you and still be standing.*

David Wind interviewed by Piper Templeton
You write in many genres: sci-fi, mystery, contemporary, to name a few. Do you have a favorite genre to write? If so, why?

My biggest problem with picking a specific genre is that I love the diversity of reading almost all fiction—which is the primary reason I went from traditional publishing to indie publishing, because the publishers all wanted me to write in a single genre. But I grew up reading classics, sci-fi and noir mysteries and historical novels like Frank Slaughter’s (I stole the Chandler and Spillane books from my parent’s dressers) So, my favorite genres? Mystery, Thrillers, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, and Contemporary fiction.

What inspired you to become a writer?

The books! It was always the books. I loved reading, loved going to different places and different worlds, loved being someone else for three hundred pages, and I wanted to be a part of someone’s world who wanted the entertainment, escape, and enjoyment of becoming part of my stories.

Where do you get the ideas for your novels?

My ideas come from everywhere. The Hyte Maneuver came to me on a plane. I was watching a man who looked… wrong, like a terrorist. As I watched him, I realized I had an entire novel come to life in about 5 minutes. The Hyte Maneuver became an airplane hijacking that morphed into a serial killer thriller as the freed hostages were murdered week after week. My newest novel, A Better Place To Be, is based on the Harry Chapin song of the same name. When I heard the song, I saw the backstory. It took me forty years to finally sit down and write it.

Your latest novel, A Better Place to Be, is based on a Harry Chapin Song. Are you a huge fan of Chapin? Do music and songs inspire any of your other work?

I am a huge fan of Harry’s, because he was a phenomenal storyteller as well as an entertainer. While A Better Place To Be wasn’t one of his super sellers like Taxi or Cats In The Cradle, it was a very well-received song. And no, that’s the only book I have written based on a song.

You’ve written an impressive 39 novels. How do you manage to be so prolific?

Time… All it takes is time, desire, and motivation.

What do you like to do in your free time, besides write?

Explore my new home: my wife and I moved to South Florida this past May, so it’s a new land and we are discovering everything.

What were your favorite books as a child?

So many, and it depends on the phase, but in general, books by Edgar Rice Burrows, Andre Norton, Doc EE Smith, Frank Slaughter, Alexander Dumas, Thomas Chastain, Twain, and the list goes on- I even ‘borrowed’ historical romances from my mother’s bed table.

Who are your favorite authors currently?

This is a tough question, and because there are so many of them, I can’t name just one or two and leave the others out, so I’ll pass on this question.

What are you reading now?

I’m working along the list of the Hank Phillipi Ryan novels.

Can you describe your writing process? Do you set aside time each day? Do you stick to any kind of schedule?

I write every day. After breakfast and a walk with the dog, I’ll sit down, go over the marketing for the day, read my emails, answer them, and then shut everything down internet-wise, and write for three to five hours, depending on how I’m doing. Then, later, I’ll print out what I’ve written, do some editing, and fix it up. I work five-six days a week.

Any advice for writers trying to get their work noticed?

The same advice that most writers will give: Working hard is part of it, writing every day is part of it, but the biggest part of becoming a writer who gets their work noticed is to DO NOT GIVE UP, no matter what, and look for your motivation within yourself. It took me six years of trying to get my first book published.

*Quoted from David Wind’s Amazon Author page.

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Piper Templeton writes fiction from the heart. She published her first book, Rain Clouds and Waterfalls, in May of 2014. She followed it up with a women's fiction/mystery set in her hometown of New Orleans, Beneath the Shady Tree. Last year she published a small collection of short stories, The Potting Shed and Other Stories. Piper volunteers for a reading program for second graders, hoping to instill a love of reading in them. She is working on her third novel, a drama/mystery (with a touch of humor) set against the backdrop of Hurricane Katrina.

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  1. Leilani SquireLeilani Squire says

    June 12, 2018 at 12:43 am

    Thank you for the wise words: DO NOT GIVE UP. Sometimes that seems like the only option, but then the writer kicks in and I sit at the desk and dive in. I also am glad to read that David prints out at the end of his writing session. I do the same. There’s something wonderful about the feel of the paper, the look of the black ink, the weight of the words on the pages.

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