David E. Daigle Interview

1: What is the most productive time of the day for you to write?

I did most of my writing when I was still a Registered Nurse in a small hospital.  1 am to 5 am could be very slow, and I used the time writing to stay awake! Sad but true.

2: Do you start your projects writing with paper and pen or is it all on the computer?

Originally, I could not create and write on the computer. I wrote long hand, though this was difficult, as my penmanship is bad, and I could hardly read my own writing. I now can create while typing.

3: What do you draw inspiration from?

Much of what I wrote, I read as it came off the pen.  Much of what I wrote comes from my life experience and my ‘insanities’ – what I call ‘Davisms’. For those who know me, when they come across these, I’m sure that they roll their eyes and say, “Yup. That’s Dave all right.”

When I go back, I see much of Terry Brooks’ and Tolkien’s influence – to the point that sometimes I think that I’m a total hack, even if I had no thought of their work as I wrote. I had no idea where it was coming from. I realize that if I were giving advice to an aspiring author that this would probably get me a ‘roll of the eyes’. It has no practical use as advice. It is what I experienced.

Book IV of The Frontmire Histories was inspired as I listened to the music of Journey on Behzad’s Gypsy Renaissance album. There are no words, just music. I was coming home from a 12-hour night shift, listening to the album. The story unfolded in my mind as I heard the specific song. I pulled the car to the shoulder of the road and wrote two chapters, at 7 am.

My book, Magic Kingdom – Foreclosed! was inspired by Terry Brook’s Magic Kingdom for Sale.

I was thinking of the series, and thoughts of how to corrupt the original started coming to mind.

I have some short stories and a play that were the results of dreams I had. I awoke in the middle of the night and had to get up and write a basic outline and a chapter or two just so I could get back to sleep.

4: Do you set goals for yourself when you sit down to write such as word count?

No, I let it happen when it wants to. I seem to have little control over when I can create or not. When I am not in the flows of creativity, I go back and edit my work.

5: Are you a published or a self-published author and how do you come up with your cover art?

I am self-published.

Book I of the Frontmire Histories’ cover was created by a 16-year-old local high school student. It is a pencil sketch that was converted to a negative. The three other covers of The Frontmire Histories were done by Jerry Halkyard /Dragonfrog of Renderosity.com under my instruction.

My cover for my Magic Kingdom  - Foreclosed! (available on kindle only) was a cut and paste cover I did to send to Jerry as an example of what I wanted. I think the cut and paste version may remain as the official cover, as it seems to go with the tone of my story.

6: What drives you to choose the career of being a writer?

Chiropractor by day; author by nightshift. I haven’t quit my day job yet. If I were to write full-time, I would need a bare studio where I go for writing purposes alone. It would have to have no possible distractions available. No phone. No books. Yes music.

7: Do you own an eBook reading device?

No. I like paper books. I love book bindings. I like paper. I don’t go quite as far as one reader said, “I like the smell of the ink on the pages.” But I have for many years simply loved paper books.

8: Who are some of your favorite authors and what are you reading now?

I adore Tolkien. I like Terry Brooks, Glenn Cook (I was riveted by The Chronicles of the Black Company), Robert Jordan in the first 4 books of The Wheel of Time, Mercedes Lackey, Steven Donaldson, though I skip much of his “meandering river contemplating itself” stuff. And many others.

Presently, I am not reading. I am thinking of returning to The Cat Who… by Lillian Jackson Braun.

I am also considering reading CS Marks’ books and others I have encountered on Kindleboards. I’m sure they must be available in paperback.

9: What do you think of book trailers and do you have any plans to have any?

Many trailers turn me off. They seem to make the book uninteresting to me. No plans for trailers for me now. Wouldn’t know what to do with them or where to put them; I had one on a local radio. I didn’t see any results in my sales from them.

10: How did you come up with the title of your latest book?

Like much of my writing, I don’t know where they come from. It just happens… I don’t seem to have immediate control over what happens when I write. Some have offered the theory that there are beings in another universe who use us to write their stories. It works for me.

11: What are you working on now that you can talk about?

I have a storyboard for Book V of the Frontmire Histories. I stare at it. I don’t have a good writing atmosphere at this point in time. I need time where I have NO distractions. It’s almost like when I was in college; the night before an exam, I cleaned my room, did the laundry…anything but study. I need to have absolutely no distractions available. I almost need boredom and monotony to be able to write.

I often do write when I’m vacationing. My wife and I took a trip up the Rogue River in southern Oregon. The scenery was most inspiring and laid the background for much of the imagery in Book I, as well as the path that my main character was to follow.