Welcome back Tough Luck Lounge Peeps! 

We're hanging here with David W. Thompson, author of "Sister Witch" now available on Amazon and... (fill me in here again please)

Is this your first book, Dave? It is- my debut…well first published anyway

How did you come to be published?

       I started Moll’s story right after retirement several years ago. I honed it over and over until I thought I had it where I wanted it. I sent it out to a dozen or more folks, and received a dozen or more rejections. One response, and the only one that did not appear to be a form letter, said they loved it, but modern readers needed a kick start at the beginning with minimal backstory. Back to the computer I went! I did rewrites until I was again satisfied with the manuscript, then sat on it for 2 years! Well, I don’t know how much stock you put in dreams, but when my deceased Mom told me I needed to submit it again, I didn’t argue!

Who is your publisher?

      Solstice Publishing

Why did you go with them?

       After my Mom set me straight, I sent my manuscript to four small to medium size publishers, and received three acceptances. At that point I went on Amazon to look at the different authors each published. I did the “take a peek” option, and went with the publisher I thought had the best authors.

What makes Sister Witch "special" to you?

The story of Moll Dyer has always been special to me. It’s a story of love over hate, good triumphing over evil, and the strength found in family even in the face of devastating loss. It’s the life of a woman pushed to her limits, and forced to accept an aspect of herself she’d rather ignore in order to save all she loves.

            For me, the Tough Luck world is as real as the 3D world we live in today. I love going there and hanging with the Tough Luck peeps and finding out what happens next. I love the beach, the bar where Stacey bartends, and the cast of characters. The villains are deadly and justice is swift.

         Tell us a bit about Moll Dyer...?  Moll is a stubborn, hard as nails (to all outward appearances) woman not afraid to buck the social injustices of her time. Usually a bit of an introvert, she will climb up on her soapbox if circumstances require it with no holds barred. She is loyal to a fault, and a thorn in the side to those who make her their enemy. Sadly, most colonists chose to be the latter.

What other genres have you written in?

       Paranormal romance under a pseudonym, and I’ve had short stories published with Solstice, and with outdoor magazines.

What is your favorite form? & Why? Story, Short Short, Novella, Novel, Series....

       I really like the e-book length novels that are popular now. It gives you time to develop the characters, and set the landscape without getting weighed down too heavily with narrative.

What inspires you to write? (I people-watch & get a lot of ideas from that)

       I listen to people to pick up on dialogue flow, but stories? Wow, some from newspaper clippings, or as with Moll- legends of old, and of course those pesky ones that attack when you’re trying to sleep! There’s no shortage of ideas keeping me up at night.

 

How do you write?

     I start out with a vague outline, but as the characters tell me stuff (mostly when trying to sleep), I have to reevaluate the direction I thought the story should go. My outline ends up looking like a toddler’s hen’s scratch before I’ done. Strange how characters become almost real to you, isn’t it?

With the Tough Luck novels, I'll roll the characters & scenes around in my head until they're crystal clear then will sit down and write them out.

Did you just sit down and create Sister Witch by the seat of your pants or was it a process and how did you do it?

     I’ve had a pretty good idea about Moll’s character for a long time, and I jotted down notes of how I thought Moll would see each one. The story’s told almost entirely through her eyes (via her quill). There were so many conflicting myths about her, so I needed some prep work to answer the “what if?” and “How could this happen?” questions, and weave it all together.

What else is in the works?

       # 2 and 3 in the series! The second will be set around 1810 and the final book in modern times.

What do you like to read & what are YOU reading right now?

       Poe, Thoreau, Camus, Straub, Tolkien, some Stephen King...yeah, I’m pretty much a mixed up fellow. I’m currently reading “The Sequel” by fellow Solstice author Dina Rae. Concurrently reading “Discovery of Witches” by Deborah Harkness. Big plus about getting published is getting a lot of books to read.

Tell us, again, how we can find you?

https://www.dthompsonwrites.com/

https://twitter.com/Thompson_DavidW

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorOfParanormal/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15425511.David_W_Thompson

Best Luck Dave! And thanks for taking a moment to hang with us at the Tough Luck Lounge! Let's down these drinks and get back to storytelling...

Thank you, Lois! I’m in with the storytelling, but definitely your turn. I’m rather parched!