David W. Thomson
Loveville, Md. USA
Good morning, David, and welcome to Vision and Verse, the site for new artists and Indies authors, as well as the old masters. What have you written?
My first novel was also the beginning of a trilogy —” Sister Witch, The Life of Moll Dyer.” It is the story of the infamous accused witch Moll Dyer (AKA the Winter Witch). I grew up listening to tales about her around childhood campfires and it always touched my heart. Moll met a tragic end after a severe draught and disease ravaged the land in the late 1600s. Moll was “different” and as is too often the case for folks not conforming to a mold, she was blamed for the colony’s despair. A mob burned her shack to the ground as Moll fled to the surrounding woods, only to freeze to death in that bitter winter’s night. The book is based on her life and garnered from local oral tradition. It’s set in a historically accurate timeline.
Two books followed in the series, each approximately a hundred years apart, involving her descendants and the demonic enemy they all shared. Book 2 is “His Father’s Blood” and the final installment is “Sons and Brothers” which brought Moll’s bloodline into modern times After the trilogy, I wrote an end-of-times novella titled “Call of the Falconer. It provides a different scenario for both the world altering cataclysm as well as what might happen after...
I also wrote “Haunted Southern Maryland” for the History Press. It is a compilation of haunted buildings and places throughout the area, (called the most haunted region in the US). It is interwoven with the historical events that likely began the spectral activity. Finally (and most recently), “’Possum Stew” was published this past Spring. It’s a collection of dark fiction short stories that involve the year’s major holidays.
What is your favorite genre to write?
Hmm, I always say “dark fiction” when asked this question, even while realizing that covers a lot of real estate. Most of my fiction has paranormal or dark fantasy leanings, but I can never resist twisting in some historical flare.
Favorite food.
I can’t pick just one, even for you Carol.
Top five works. I love seafood, meatloaf, home-made salsa, fresh out of the garden sweet corn and cheesecake...yeah, cheesecake!
Tea or coffee?
Coffee
Pizza or ice cream?
Ice cream
Wine or beer?
Well, I make home-made wine from native fruits, but on a hot day a cold beer is not out of the question (or while eating hard crabs).
Where would you like to visit?
Ireland, Scotland and Germany again.
Favorite musical artist.
Probably Zeppelin, or Fleetwood Mac or Heart... maybe Foreigner? Decisions, decisions.
Do you listen to music when you write? What?
Not very often as I get carried away whenever one of my favorites
come on. The old air guitar comes into play and my desk becomes a
set of drums.
What makes you laugh?
My grandkids. With regularity.
Favorite work of art or sculpture.
Everything by Thomas Kincaid
How old were you when you started writing?
As soon as I could hold a #2 pencil. I believe it was a “Dick and Jane” fan fiction. LOL. I had a few short stories published over the years while pursuing an alternate career. That helped to keep the creative monkey off my back for a time. I really got serious with it and with writing novels in 2015.
Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards?
Or just write?
I do a little of both. I start out with a really basic (read vague) outline. It may be no more than the major plot points I want to hit. From there, as the story evolves (and the characters invade my sleep to tell me where I went wrong with “their” story), I add to my outline what needs to happen to pull it all together. As you know, the story can take on a mind of its own and a well thought out outline become outhouse fodder.
Describe your perfect evening.
Home with my wife—whether taking a walk, sipping a glass of wine together or just enjoying the view across the farm. I also love evenings in the woods, that’s my quiet alone time. I’d add in time with the family, but as you said evening...
Where do you get your inspiration?
I adhere to the truism about writing what you know, except for me, it’s writing about what I love. The oddest things can spark a story idea: a human-interest story on the news, a child’s smile or the heartache you see in someone’s eyes at losing a loved one for example. They all make me wonder what inspired that smile, or to wonder at another’s emotional pain. Many beg the question “What if...” and as Vonnegut said “so it begins.”
What do you do when you get a writer's block?
I’ve been blessed with avoiding that so far. For the small bumps in the creative flow, writing followed by some more writing does the trick for me. A lot of what’s written at such a time may be delegated to the trashcan, but it gets me going again.
Who is your favorite author?
Hmm.
Best book you ever read.
Here I go again. How about my top 3?
Walden (Thoreau)
The Stranger (Camus)
Flowers for Algernon (Keyes)
Last book you read.
“Dark Bliss” by Shay Mills, a very promising Indie author.
I’m also a woodcarver, but if I was not literarily inspired, I’d certainly devote more time to that pursuit.
Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?
I have to say my parents (I know- you said one person, singular).
My father loved literature and stocked a library that would be the envy of many small towns.
My mother inspired a belief that I could accomplish whatever I set out to do.
If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?
OK, I’ll stick with one this time. I’d have to say Henry David Thoreau. His desire to lead a well-rounded life that cut to the bone of what life is and should be, greatly influenced me in my formative years. Some might say to my detriment, but he was a kindred soul who also fit no mold. Many of his thoughts and quotes are emblazoned on both my mind and on plaques on my walls, reminding me of what’s important.
What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?
I mentioned this before, but I feel a writer must write what they love. Embrace the things they are passionate about and weave your tales around that stout foundation.
Do you have some links for us to follow you?
David W. Thompson
Author of:
Legends of the Family Dyer:
I) Sister Witch: The Life of Moll Dyer
II) His Father's Blood
III) Sons and Brothers
***
Call of the Falconer (dystopian novella)
Haunted Southern Maryland
'Possum Stew (Short Story Collection)
https://amzn.to/2XTSrlg
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