Today my Gentle Readers, I have a fantasy author for you to meet. David Pauly has several books available on Amazon for your enjoyment. In the style of my previous interviews, I will put my comments/questions in BLUE and Lyons will be GREEN.
Thanks for stopping by, David. Let’s start with a good get to know you question. Since most writers are readers, can you tell my readers what brought you into the world of literature?
I learned to read initially due to my mother’s love for reading, which allowed her to ignore her children as much as possible. I then learned to escape from life as well through reading.
So what genre helps you escape?
My favorite genre is currently espionage thrillers or adventure style books.
Is there someone or something that inspired you to become a writer?
I was inspired to write due to wondering what would have come after the Lord of the Rings ended. Frankly I was highly disappointed that the books ended, and later during my divorce, I began to type a few lines about what I thought might happen. Soon, the lines became pages, which became chapters, which became a book. Then, once I did some research and found that the Tolkien estate adamantly refused to consider any writer’s attempt at a sequel, I began the really difficult task of re-writing the novel as my own work. The most challenging part was creating my own original world, and unique magical elements, so that my work was not simply a bad steal of other author’s material.
Fan Fiction can be difficult when it comes to copyrights. Glad you were able to repurpose your idea into something unique to you. Would fantasy then be the genre you prefer to write?
I prefer to write fantasy as my day job is solely based in reality, more about that later.
Let’s hear about your publishing journey. Any interesting stories there?
My original novel, was published as “Icarus Rising” in trade paperback by a really horrible publishing company called Black Rose Writing. I did not realize when I signed up with them, that they are a glorified self-publishing company where you have to fund a certain number of books. They have virtually no distribution networks, and their only promotions are tied into a continuous self-promotion by their owner Reagan Rothe and his books. But, that being said, Midwest reviewed Icarus and gave it 5/5 stars, so that was gratifying. Sending out query letters only resulted in silence or rejection slips, so I asked an agent in New York, Paul Witcover, to have a look at my QL. He did so, but then asked to read the first chapter of Icarus, which he tore to shreds in a good way. I engaged him as an editor and spent 2 years re-writing Icarus from the beginning. I kept the character names and much of the basic storyline, but edited ruthlessly and added chapters that Paul thought were necessary. Paul was absolutely instrumental in helping me craft a much better book. Now, as The Fourth Age, Shadow Wars, it is in my opinion a much better story, tighter, richer and stronger than Icraus was. I have sold about 100 copies of Shadow Wars, either as a complete novel, or in 3 smaller pieces that a local marketing guru said would be easier to sell.
Sounds like you had some bad luck and some really good luck. When you are not writing, what keeps you occupied?
My day job for the past 23 years is a trial lawyer, where I am paid to clean up other people’s mess. I have a culinary degree from Cordon Bleu–Paris and am a dedicated hobby chef. I collect Antique Japanese swords, and train in martial arts. I am re-married and we have a 4, soon to be 5 year old precocious daughter, named Melissa. We recently abandoned Albuquerque, New Mexico as too horrible to stand anymore, and Breaking Bad was literally filmed in front of my office and is much closer to the truth than people who live there like to admit. We have re-located to Australia.
A move to Australia sounds exciting. I hope it inspires some great stories for you. Thank you again for stopping by and chatting with me so I could introduce you to my readers.
If you want to find more about David or his work, please check out the links below.
David Pauly’s Website
Find his work on Amazon
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