Interview: David J. Sherman

David J. Sherman has been writing for more than twenty years. He has had short stories and poetry published, both in America and abroad. The Dark Side (ISBN 1-932-30651-X) is his first mystery novel. David has held a variety of jobs, including computer programmer, warehouse manager, truck driver, dispatcher, safety consultant, and record store owner. He has been writing fulltime since October 1998, and is an active member of Mystery Writers of America, National Writers Union, Sisters in Crime, Private Eye Writers of America, and the American Crime Writers League. When not writing or promoting, David spends his time at home with his family. He loves to cook, read mysteries and question life itself by contemplating the works of masterful lyricist Greg Graffin, Nietzsche, Descartes, the Buddha, and Steven Hawking. David was born in Racine, Wisconsin, and currently lives in Southern California with his wife, daughter and a black Labrador named Emily. Visit David J. Sherman's website: http://www.davidjsherman.com Interview by David Boyne

WM: When you meet people and they ask what you "do", do you admit to being a writer of mystery novels? Or do you tell them you're a tree surgeon, forklift operator, currency trader—anything but a writer?

DAVE: Now, yes. Unless I really want to impress them, in which case I tell them I’m an International spy.

Before my book deal, though, I often simply said I was self-employed. I got so tired of people asking the question that inevitably followed—are you published? Many people who aren’t writers feel that being published is the difference between a real writer and a wannabe.

WM: The Dark Side is dialogue intensive. Why?

DAVE: Larry (Lawrence Block) taught me that you show more and tell less with dialog, if executed properly. Lucky for me, dialog is what I find the easiest part of writing. Rather than being told that John and Jane are fighting in the kitchen, let the reader hear the venom they spit at one another. Written correctly, dialog is the most intimate and effective way of showing emotion.

WM: The hero in The Dark Side, Jack Murphy, seems fully developed. Do you have plans for Jack Murphy in other books?

DAVE: I’ve been writing for more than twenty years, and Jack has been with me for more than fifteen, in one form or another. Now that he’s come alive, he’ll be with me a while. I’m writing the second novel in the series now, and have three solid ideas beyond that. So you’ll be seeing lots of Jack Murphy. Oh, did you want me to give you some inside secrets? Sorry, you’ll have to wait for the novels …

WM: For aspiring writers, what advice can you offer?

DAVE: First and foremost, reflect on why you want to be a writer. This is paramount. If you’re in it for fortune and fame, pack your bags and go home. Sure, it might happen. More likely, though, you’ll find your participation in this self-imposed masochistic industry an emotional rollercoaster that isn’t worth the price. Your heart must be in it. I write because I’m unsatisfied doing anything else. And whether I make money or not, I will write until the day I die.

Second, don’t listen to non-writers tell you writing isn’t a business, or that it’s not work. I’ve held many jobs and I can tell you without doubt, writing is the most difficult. But it’s also the most rewarding. People who aren’t writers (or at least artists in one form or another) don’t know what the hell they’re talking about. Maybe they’re jealous, ignorant, or both. And they probably have no idea how crushing it is for a writer to hear that they need to pull their head out of the clouds, or get a real job, or whatever. Listen to your heart, not others’ ignorance.

Last, build yourself a steel cage to wrap around your heart, because you’re going to need it. Rejection is as much a part of writing as your time at the computer. I guarantee you will be rejected. Again and again. You can either stick your head in the sand, use the nifty rejection letters and cards to wallpaper your living room, or, as I did, save them all in a photo album. Every time I put another card in there, I say someday so-and-so will regret having not published my story, novel, whatever. Rejection is something you get used to, and it gets a little easier to deal with over time. But don’t let anyone fool you, rejection always hurts.

WM: Tell us about your writing routine and habits.

DAVE: I use my computer for my novels. Sometimes, I’ll write a poem or a piece of short fiction with pen and paper. As far as where and when I write, it depends.

I wrote most of The Dark Side in late morning and late evening hours in front of a coffee house near my home.

To avoid feeling that I can only write under certain conditions, I try to vary time and place as much as possible. I have set a goal for myself to write 5 pages a day, every day (1,250 to 1,500 words typically). It doesn’t always happen, but I try. This works better for me than writing for a certain period of time.

WM: Tell us about your journey from truck driver/warehouseman/etc. to full-time writer.

DAVE: The scope of my journey goes deeper than the act of quitting my last "day job" to write fulltime. I wrote my first piece of fiction at thirteen. My heart called out, but I wasn’t well-versed enough in language or real life to listen. Subsequently, every job I held quickly became tedious. No matter how I felt going in, I wasn’t satisfied.

Over the years, I still wrote poetry and short fiction, but allowed myself to be talked out of writing fulltime by listening to people I shouldn’t have. After a long discussion with my wife and daughter (my black Lab Emily was present, though she didn’t contribute much to the conversation), I quit my last "day job" in October 1998 and became a fulltime writer.

Financial difficulty we expected but my emotional evolution we didn’t. I’d finally given in to my desire. And I had no idea what to do next. It was scary. I wondered whether I had made the right choice. As I said, in one form or another, Jack has been part of me for a long time. As if he heard his calling, he suddenly became vivid, alive in my mind. And I sat down and started The Dark Side.



WM: You designed the cover for The Dark Side. To what extent are you involved in the marketing/promotion of the book?

DAVE: Intimately. I have a publicist who does much of the legwork, but I’m involved in promotions on a daily basis. I strive to make myself as accessible as possible not only to booksellers and media but also to my readers. If it were possible, I’d meet every single reader and thank them for devoting some of their precious time to reading my work.

WM: Your daughter's eyes are featured on the book cover. Is there a story behind this?

DAVE: The idea for The Dark Side’s cover art came to me one day when I was writing a scene where Jack doubts he’ll ever find the missing girl. A lonely young girl in a huge city. All alone, scared. What I wanted suddenly became clear—a pair of sad, young eyes superimposed over a shot of the downtown Los Angeles skyline.

Finding the perfect skyline was fairly easy. The eyes, however, were not. I couldn’t capture the emotion I wanted. So I reflected on what saddens me the most, and that’s seeing my daughter miserable. So I asked her to give me "that look". She did, and I captured it on film.

By the time I got to the point of discussing cover art with my publisher, I told them what I envisioned and showed them a sample. They loved it, and now it’s the cover of my book.

WM: Your website is www.davidjsherman.com
Do you do your own website? How does your website help in your career?

DAVE: Yes, I do my own website.

My favorite use for the website is the ability to interact on a personal level with my readers. I operate the website myself. I also answer all emails myself (unless the screener has removed them in cases where the message could cause legal trouble, such as someone passing on story ideas).

In addition, my website has allowed me to take preorders for The Dark Side (the number of which exceeded all expectations), and I intend on using it to give readers extra material not found in my books, like pencil sketches of my main characters and their bios.

However one decides to use their website, in today's world it is essential. Today's authors, like my dear friends Jan Burke and Robert S. Levinson, Lawrence Block, and countless others, have a website at theirname-dot-com.

>>Back to top<<

From San Diego Writers Monthly publishes California Writers, California authors, new writers, offering readers info on how to get published, from literary agents, writing coaches, San Diego editors on editing, self-publishing how-to, publishing chap books and short-run books, book doctors, ghost writers, San Diego authors events, interviews of writers, book reviews, free readings, book signings, free stories, online fiction, poetry workshops, free novels, free essays, free ideas, science fiction, humorous stories, rants, funny essays, copywriting, freelancing info, and musings about living on this lonely planet circling a lonely star.