Sunday, November 2, 2008

David Boop


Author Pen Name: David Boop

CA: How did you choose your pen name?

DB: No pen name. I was born that way. No, my mother’s name is not Betty, nor is my sister’s, my daughter’s, or my wife’s. I did have a great aunt Betty, so who knows? Maybe she’s the inspiration. I could be a billionaire and don’t know it.

CA: What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?

DB: I write across the board. I have science fiction, fantasy, mystery, horror and children’s stories. However, I seem to get my cross genre stuff published the most; sci-fi noir, ghost westerns and such. She Murdered Me with Science is a science fiction mystery.

CA: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

DB: I’ve been writing my whole life, but hated the process of revision. When I first started, everything was on typewriters, which meant rewriting whole pages when you edited. It turns out that I have ADD and that’s a trigger; repetitive actions. Along comes the word processor and now I can write like a dream.

CA: Who or what was your inspiration for writing?

DB: I don’t sleep. I get most of my ideas from a half-dreamlike state. The idea for the novel came from there. I dreamt of a hairless man running down an alley in the rain, pursued by something. He escapes into a crowd of partiers and thinks he’s escaped when his head explodes. I woke up and wanted to know what killed him, so I invented someone to solve the crime. Other times ideas come from the everyday. I wrote a children’s story after watching fireworks over a lake one 4th of July. My son also inspires me. He’s got a great imagination.

CA: What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

DB: I write whenever I can. I work a 50 hour week, go to school part time and am a single parent. I write during lunch breaks, at night, on weekends, wherever I can.

CA: Your book is about to be sent into the reader world, what is one word that describes how you feel?

DB: My novel came out in August. My shipment was late, so people got it before I do. It was weird thinking other people were holding my book, reading it, before me. I think because of the galley process, I was already over the awe by the time it came out. It’s seeing it on shelves that still gives me a chill.

CA: What was your biggest challenge in writing your book(s)?

DB: The 100th revision! LOL! I get numb during the revision process, even if it is easier. My mind fills in a lot of blanks, and while I think I’ve caught every mistake, I don’t. It’s those deeper details, the ones that paint such a colorful picture that I need to spend the most time on. I think I’ve explained everything, but my first reader always asks me for more. Heh, heh.

CA: What do you like to do when you're not writing?

DB: Spend time with my son, play video games, travel, camp, watch movies/television, art shows, theater and read.

CA: How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

DB: I have one novel out, so it’s my first child. It’ll always be my favorite. I also have three anthologies coming out. The first, Space Pirates, is already out. It’s part of a series I came up with called Full-Throttle Space Tales, a harkening back to the old style of sci-fi story telling where there was still a sense of wonder in the writing. I wanted authors to write the type of stories that inspired them.

CA: Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?

DB: Both. Some characters are amalgams, bits of one person, a smidgen of another. Some are straight out of the truth. I use real historical people in SMMS. I wanted the reader to feel as if this could have really happened, so I name dropped. My favorite was Art Shay, the famous photojournalist who showed us the real Chicago for the first time. I saw an exhibit of his at the Chicago History museum and it blew me away.

CA: Do you have any advice for the aspiring writers out there?

DB: Surround yourself with people who will give you good critical feedback. Learn how to take it. Nothing in your story is so precious that it can’t be edited out. Remember, once you remove the bad stuff, the good stuff can be seen clearer.

CA: How can a reader contact you or purchase your books?

DB: My books can be bought at Amazon, BN.com or directly from the publisher. They can be special ordered through almost any store. I have a myspace: www.myspace.com/shemurderedmewithscience. Add me as a friend, then send me a quick hello, and I’ll send you a discount code to save 20% off the publisher’s price.

CA: Is there anything you would like to add?

DB: I’m touring throughout 2008/2009. If you’d like me to come to your town/convention/ or school, drop me a line. I love this stuff!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

love the interview
i added u as friend yo my myspace

blackroze37@yahoo.com

LeighSavage said...

Loved the interview I also sent a invite for myspace...wish you the best...blessed be...Leigh Savage

Anonymous said...

Awesome! Thank you both and thank you Crystal!

Dave