I’d like to welcome Dave Pratt to the blog for #WriterWednesday!
Hardest thing about being a writer: Surrendering the outcome of my writing efforts to God, knowing he’ll take them where He wants them to go, to the people I need to reach, whether by traditional publisher, independent publishing, magazine article, and so on.
Easiest thing about being a writer: Writing the first draft of a story, article or novel.
Words that describe you: Christian, husband, friend, writer. Quiet, unless I believe in a cause or concept that needs defending or teaching to others. Addicted to writing.
Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Not always as good, humble or nice as I’d like to be. I very often lack self-confidence, although that’s not always apparent to others.
Last best thing you ate: My wife’s made-from-scratch, everything-left-in-the-fridge breakfast scramble. It is always amazing.
Last thing you regret eating: Three double chocolate truffles over within 5 minutes. But they tasted so good!
Things you’d walk a mile for: A forest scene with rushing water, mountains, old-growth trees, deer, fox and birds.
Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: A group of people too interested in hearing themselves talk to listen to input from others – in business and in writing groups.
Things you always put in your books: Positive, satisfying endings, conflict, martial arts, and a little romance.
Things you never put in your books: Profanity and gratuitous sex scenes.
Most daring thing you’ve ever done: At 16, on a State Department sponsored People-to-People Student Ambassador tour to Rumania, then behind the Iron Curtain, I played sick, skipped a supervised tour, snuck down the hotel’s fire escape and went to the sections of the city we were told we were not allowed to visit. I was followed but not caught and saw things that changed my perspective on life. That evening at our restaurant, a waiter attempted to attack me with a knife, presumably because of what I did. Our group’s male chaperone intervened and guarded my door that night and we left the country the next day.
Something you chickened out from doing: As a gymnast through junior high, high school and college, I elected not to do the high-bar event and became a pommel horse specialist. Doing giant swings terrified me back then.
The nicest thing a reader said to you: That my writing was similar to Cussler and Ludlum.
The craziest thing a reader said to you: That a simple event where my character fell off his horse on purpose, to escape his captors, had deep social meaning. That was an important lesson for me, however.
Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: At a time when I was not looking for a relationship with a woman, I met my wife, Rafaela. In the first book in my Home Team series, the main character, Sam Anthem, trips across Consuela during a mission. She changes his life in many ways; helps him realize his faith in God and find the self-confidence he needs to do what he needs to do as a military/covert operator.
Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: They believe the character of Sam Anthem, in the first book in my series, is me, with all his emotional and spiritual wounds from a past operation gone bad, the covert operations work, expertise in empty-hand martial arts, and not finding Jesus until later in life, which helped him reconcile his jog with his faith and saved him. I certainly didn’t intend that.
The first 8-track, record, cassette, or CD you ever bought: One, by Three Dog Night.
A type of music that’s not your cup of tea: Symphony and Opera. I fall asleep during performances.
My favorite book as a child: Any of The Hardy Boys books.
A book I’ve read more than once: A Wizard in Spite of Himself, by Christopher Stasheff. Also, all of Louis L'Amour western novels – some many more times than once.
Your favorite movie as a child: Lt. Robin Caruso, U.S.N. with Dick Van Dyke. Funny, positive, silly, foolish, and I was certain I wanted to find someone like the character Nancy Kwan played when I got older. A big crush!
A TV show or movie that kept you awake at night as a kid (or as an adult): The Haunting, starring Julie Herns and others. Kept me scared for years.
