Questions
1. How is David’s last name pronounced?
2. When will we see David’s next book?
3. How did David become a writer?
4. Where does David get his story ideas?
5. What authors does David admire?
6. What is David’s writing process? Does he write every day?
7. How can I find out if David’s novels are published in my language?
8. I have a great story idea for David. Will he consider writing it?
9. Will David read my manuscript and give me his opinion?
10.Does David have any advice for aspiring writers?
11.Can David suggest a good agent/good publisher?
12.When is the next book signing event?
13.May I send David a book to be signed?
14.How many books may I bring to a book signing?
15.When does the website post updated appearance dates and locations?
16.Why hasn’t David visited my city?
17.Is David working on any television and/or movie projects?
18.How can I contact David?
19.Does David read his email?
20.What is the Wish You Well Foundation?®
21. How do I book David to speak at an event?
22.Where can I find a list of David’s novels in chronological order?
23.When will we see Oliver Stone/John Puller/Will Robie/King & Maxwell again?
24.I have a book that’s missing/repeating pages; what do I do?
25.What’s next?
Answers
1. Ball-DAH-chee.
2. Will Robie is back! Look for THE HIT now wherever books are sold. And then get ready for another adventure with Sean King and Michelle Maxwell this fall.
3. David’s wise mother gave him a notebook in elementary school (to keep him quiet, we’re told), but it wasn’t until high school that David started writing seriously; he continued writing through college and law school. While practicing law, he wrote in the late evening and the wee hours of the morning – whenever he had a spare moment.
4. Everywhere. In an airport, on a train, in a car, at a book signing, walking his dogs, taking out the trash – we can guarantee that wherever he is, he is thinking about characters and plot points. (Although when he’s taking out the trash he’s also probably thinking, “Why isn’t someone else in the family doing this?”) He says, “As a writer, you can never ‘turn off’ your passion for the written word and love of a great story. So I watch life, listen intently, and basically drive everyone around me a bit crazy as I absorb my environment. When you’re naturally curious you uncover storylines everywhere.”
5. David admires many of the traditional southern scribes: Flannery O’Connor, Lee Smith, Eudora Welty, Harper Lee, Walker Percy and Truman Capote are among his favorites. He says, “Since college I have been reading and re-reading works by Anne Tyler and John Irving. I’ve also been reading Graham Greene and Patricia Highsmith and am a big fan of David McCullough. And I am never far from a well-read copy of Mark Twain.”
6. David’s days are typical for being atypical. When he is finishing a novel he can write for 10-15 hours straight. Some days he’s so busy with other stuff that he only writes for an hour or two. When he’s not writing at a sufficiently productive pace (we receive numerous requests for him to “write faster”) we lock him in his office and tell him that he can’t watch another episode of NCIS until he produces additional pages.
7. Please visit the International Editions page. David’s novels have been translated into more than 45 languages and sold in more than 80 countries. (If you are a publisher and would like to inquire about rights to David’s novels, please contact Nicole James at the Aaron M. Priest Literary Agency.)
8. David does not read story ideas submitted by others. He already has numerous ideas of his own and will never have time to write about all of them.
9. For legal reasons, David does not read unpublished material.
10. David says, “Write about what interests you. You need to sustain the passion as you work. Writing is hard. It’s easy to give up. Set yourself up for success instead of failure by building on that passion.”
11. Writers Market and Writers Digest are excellent resources for writers seeking agents. Start there, or ask your local librarian for assistance.
12. Visit the Author Events section of the website for news about upcoming appearances.
13. David does not accept books for signature and has had to discontinue the practice of providing autographed bookplates and photos. While he loves to sign books for fans – and is happy to do so at signings and other public appearances – the number of requests for bookplates and photos has risen exponentially, and he can no longer accommodate them. We hope you’ll agree that his time is better spent writing! Looking for a signed book? Visit VJ Books.
14. David does not limit the number of books he will sign at events. However, since some bookstores have policies about what you can bring to their store, always check with the store first. And as a courtesy to the store holding the book signing, we ask that you purchase at least one of David’s novels from that store.
15. We post appearance dates as soon as we’ve confirmed them. David generally publishes a novel each spring (March or April) and fall (October or November), so if a tour is scheduled, it will likely take place during that time period.
16. David would love to visit every city where he has a fan, but publishing two novels each year means he has to spend the bulk of his time writing and researching. For many years David toured extensively, but now he’s focusing on other projects as well, including promoting efforts to improve literacy (through his own Wish You Well Foundation) and reduce hunger (through his Feeding Body & Mind initiative).
17. David wrote the screenplay for the feature film WISH YOU WELL; the independent production was shot in November 2012 in southwest Virginia and post-production is now complete. “King & Maxwell,” a television series based on David’s characters, is now filming; starring Jon Tenney and Rebecca Romijn as Sean and Michelle, the series will premiere on TNT on June 10, 2013, at 10 pm ET/9 pm CT.
18. If you have a specific question or comment for David, use this form. Constructive criticism is welcome, but we delete mean-spirited and inappropriate correspondence before it even gets to David.
19. Because of the sheer volume of mail David receives, he can no longer read it all. (We’ve not yet figured out how to clone him.) David’s staff members respond to correspondence, but please be patient, as David receives hundreds of emails each week.
20. David and his wife, Michelle, established the Wish You Well Foundation® in 2002 to foster and promote literacy programs. Please visit the Philanthrophy section of David’s website for information about the foundation.
21. Visit the Contact page for information on Keppler Speakers Bureau.
22. ABSOLUTE POWER (1996), TOTAL CONTROL (1997), THE WINNER (1997), THE SIMPLE TRUTH (1998), SAVING FAITH (1999), WISH YOU WELL (2000), LAST MAN STANDING (2001), THE CHRISTMAS TRAIN (2002), SPLIT SECOND (2003), HOUR GAME (2004), THE CAMEL CLUB (2005), THE COLLECTORS (2006), SIMPLE GENIUS (2007), STONE COLD (2007), THE WHOLE TRUTH (2008), DIVINE JUSTICE (2008), FIRST FAMILY (2009), TRUE BLUE (2009), DELIVER US FROM EVIL (2010), HELL’S CORNER (2010), THE SIXTH MAN (2011), ONE SUMMER (2011), ZERO DAY (2011), THE INNOCENT (2012), THE FORGOTTEN (2012) and THE HIT (2013). For a printable list of David’s novels – by title and series – click here. For additional information about David’s novels, visit the Books page. Looking for the exact dates of publication? Visit Hachette’s website.
23. Robie, Puller, King & Maxwell, Oliver Stone & Co. — they’ll all be back! Will Robie is currently starring in THE HIT. Look for more adventures with the others in 2013 and 2014.
24. Take the book back to the store from which you bought it; the store will gladly exchange the defective book for a new, good copy. You do not need a receipt to exchange a misprinted book.
25. David is hard at work writing his fall novel, KING AND MAXWELL, working on the distribution of the independent feature film “Wish You Well,” and looking forward to the premiere of “King & Maxwell” on TNT (June 10th at 10 pm ET/9 CT). We don’t know when he sleeps.
