Today’s author interview spotlights David W. Huffstetler.  Author of the Crime Fiction/Mystery Novel, Blood on the Pen.

WCP: What was your inspiration for Blood on the Pen?

Like many (most) aspiring authors, I endured one rejection letter after another before someone chose to read one of my manuscripts.  Rather than continuing to pull my hair out, I decided to use that frustration as the premise for Blood on the Pen.  The plot involves an unpublished author who gets one rejection letter too many and starts killing literary agents.

WCP: Do you have any other genre you’d like to try your hand at?

I have toyed with historical fiction, taking actual events and adding the kind of dialogue I believe the characters may have had.  I enjoy history, and trying to capture the personalities of those people in dialogue can be a very challenging proposition, and fun. 

WCP: Does Jack Harden share any of your characteristics?

Certainly not physically.  He is a big, strapping Texas Ranger, but we do share the experience of losing a loved one to a drunk driver.  Jack is haunted by the loss of his wife, tortured with whether to kill the man who killed Jenny or just kill himself.  No, I’ve never reached that point, but I can relate to the deep sense of loss he has. 

WCP: Before we move onto other questions, would Jack like to add anything?

“My life has been a mess, since I lost Jenny, and I’ve tasted the barrel of my pistol more than once.  Every time I walked that ragged edge, my job called me back, and now I have this young reporter, Elsie, to deal with.  What am I supposed to do with her? She’s starting to get under my skin, but she also, well, never mind about that.”

WCP: Do you have anything else in the works?

Yes.  I contracted with Wild Child Publishing for Blood on the Cards, and it is in the edit queue.  I didn’t intend to write a sequel, but Jack and Elsie weren’t through with me.  Blood on the Cards centers on a game of Texas Hold-em that goes terribly wrong.  Jack faces off with a self-proclaimed, modern-day prophet, who worships an ancient goddess.  It’s a little different.  I’m also working on a manuscript called Thread of Life, about a ten-year-old who inherits billions when his elderly father is murdered.  Yes, I said elderly father, and that is part of the plot.  It has a hint of the paranormal and science fiction, but not enough to be called either of those genres. 

WCP: Now for some fun questions: What about writing life/being an author took you by surprise?

It can be quite consuming, not only when I look at the clock and realize that I’ve been writing for hours, but also in developing a very real relationship with fictional characters.  When I proofread a manuscript, I find things I don’t remember writing.  That’s when I think they took over.

WCP: If you could be any man, living or dead, who would you want to be? Why?

I have enough trouble being who I am.  Seriously, there are people I would like to meet, but I don’t want to be any of them.  It would be interesting to talk to some of the men at the Alamo to ask what drove them to stay there, but they had their role to play and I have mine; although, my role pales by comparison.

WCP: Any last words? Um, for the interview, that is. (grin)

Let me borrow a line from Ed Ames and his recording of Try to Remember.  He says, “Without the hurt, the heart is hollow.”  If that is true, then Jack Harden’s heart is far from hollow, and Blood on the Pen is my attempt to share his struggle and how Elsie tries to pull him back to life.  I hope readers can relate to that.

Author Website: www.davidhuffstetler.com 

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