Interview with David Burnsworth, author of 'Southern Heat'
David
Burnsworth became fascinated with the Deep South at a young
age. After a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee and fifteen
years in the corporate world, he made the decision to write a novel. Southern
Heat is his first mystery. Having lived in Charleston on Sullivan’s
Island for five
years, the setting was a foregone conclusion. He and his wife along with their
dog call South Carolina home.
His
latest book is the southern noir/mystery, Southern
Heat.
Visit his website at www.davidburnsworthbooks.com.
About the Book
Gunshots
echo down an antebellum Charleston alley. Brack
Pelton, an ex-racecar driver and Afghanistan War veteran, witnesses the murder
of his uncle, Reggie Sails. Darcy Wells, the pretty Palmetto Pulse reporter,
investigates Reggie's murder and targets Brack.
The
sole heir of his uncle's estate, Brack receives a rundown bar called the
Pirate's Cove, a rotting beach house, and one hundred acres of preserved and
valuable wetland along the Ashley River. A member of Charleston's wealthiest
and oldest families offers Brack four million dollars for the land. All Brack
wants is his uncle's killer.
From
the sandy beaches of Isle of Palms, through the nineteenth-century mansions
lining the historic Battery, to the
marshlands surrounding the county, Southern Heat is drenched in the humidity of
the lowcountry.
Purchase your copy at AMAZON
Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life! Now that your book has been published, we’d
love to find out more about the process.
Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning? Where did you come up with the idea to write
your book?
Southern Heat came about after I’d lived in Charleston, S.C. on Sullivan’s Island.
Thanks to that experience, I had a great setting. My favorite authors are James Lee Burke,
Elmore Leonard, and Mickey Spillane.
Throw their influence in a blender along with the lowcountry location
and a slightly bent imagination, and I had the makings of a book.
Q: How hard was it to write a book like this and do
you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier
for other writers?
I read that Robert
B. Parker could write a novel in one shot with minor editing. I am not Robert B. Parker. Southern
Heat took six years and six drafts.
What I had going for me was a very supportive wife who taught me
persistence.
Q: Who is your publisher and how did you find them
or did you self-publish?
Five Star / Gale is
my publisher and they have been great to work with. I found them through Deni Dietz, their
acquiring editor, at a writer’s conference called Killer Nashville. For the writers reading this, I would say
that Killer Nashville should be on your list to check out. They are truly interested in helping writers,
no matter which stage of the process the writer happens to be.
Q: Is there anything that surprised you about
getting your first book published?
What has surprised
me the most is feeling sometimes that it isn’t really real. Except that it is.
Q: What other books (if any) are you working on and
when will they be published?
I am currently
working on a second book in the series.
Because I like to read series and I love the characters that came out in
Southern Heat, I want to spend as
much time with them as I can.
Q: What’s your favorite place to hang out online?
I usually start
with Yahoo News and work from there to see what’s trending. Stories about the latest new car will peak my
interest first, along with world events.
I also try to be cognizant of what people are reading and spend time in
Goodreads.
Q: Finally, what message (if any) are you trying to
get across with your book?
Like most folks, I
have strong beliefs. However, I didn’t
want Southern Heat to end up being a
soap box of them. I don’t think I would
have been able to sell it, and surely no one would have wanted to buy it. I just wanted to write a book that had things
I love about life: the lowcountry, cars, and intrigue.
Q: Thank you again for this interview! Do you have any final words?
Look for the
sequel, which I think I’m going to call Burning
Heat. And make sure you support your
local indie bookstore!
I love reading about what authors are up to! Thanks for sharing!
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