David Armstrong was born and raised in Natchez, Mississippi. A former mayor and recovering attorney, The Rising Place is David’s debut novel. The book has already been made into a film and is currently available on DVD. David has written two other novels, one of which, The Third Gift, will be released this summer, in addition to four screenplays. When he isn’t working his daytime job as the COO for the city of Columbus, Mississippi, David is working on his fourth novel. He is the father of two grown sons, William and Canon, and he lives in one of the oldest and most haunted antebellum homes in Columbus with a snarky old cat named Butch.
Q: What’s inside the mind of a historical romance author?
A: Well, first of all, I really don’t consider myself a historical romance author. My other two books are coming of age/YA novels, but I also don’t consider myself a Bildungsroman author. My fourth novel is…actually, I’m not too sure what genre it would fall under. With this one, I’m still deciding who/what my audience is, and that’s something I’m really struggling with. Not an ideal place to find yourself in when you’ve written almost two-thirds of the first draft. Anyway… if an idea comes to me, in whatever genre, or a character appears in my head—which is what happened with The Rising Place—then I try to develop it into a novel. Better yet, I let that character inside me tell me his/her story, and I just write whatever they tell me.
Q: Tell us why readers should buy The Rising Place.
A: The story is based on an intriguing premise: What if you found a hidden box of love letters from World War II that belonged to a reclusive old maid who had just died—would you read them? And what if you did read them and discovered a compelling story about unrequited love, betrayal, and murder that happened over seventy years ago in a small, southern town? The novel is written in epistolary form, as the letters tell the story. And it’s a deeply moving story, with unforgettable characters that will escape the reader to another time—an age of innocence, prior to, during, and after World War II America, when life moved more slowly, and more emphasis was put on values like true friendship and forgiveness. And for anyone who’s ever loved someone who didn’t return their love, The Rising Place is definitely for you.
Q: What makes a good historical romance?
A: I think setting is just as important as the story—to some readers, maybe even more so. For the setting of The Rising Place, I chose a small, Mississippi town in the 1940s. Growing up in a historic, old town like Natchez, Mississippi, I heard a plethora of stories (what southern writer hasn’t?) about life and love. I’ve always been fascinated with anything World War II, so I didn’t have to do a great deal of research on the period, which, obviously, is critical for this particular genre. I also think what makes The Rising Place a good, historical romance novel is that it makes you both cry and laugh. And, after all, isn’t that what love is all about?
Q: Where can readers find out more about you and your work?
A: The website for the book is therisingplace.com, and the Link to the book is The Rising Place by David Armstrong. I can be contacted at dmatyro@outlook.com.
Q: What has writing taught you?
A: First of all, it’s very hard and consuming work. But when I write, I’m “in the flow”— totally immersed in what I’m doing and basically oblivious to everything and everyone around me. I remember writing the last thirty pages of one of my screenplays, sitting at the bar of a loud and busy restaurant in Jackson, Mississippi. Yes, the bartender and patrons all thought I was totally nuts, and they were probably right. Writing has also taught me to never give up—despite the hundreds of rejections I’ve received over the years—and to listen to my inner voice, which all of us have. Mainly, though, it’s taught me about true friendship. Sadly, I think some people never know true friendship because they’re afraid to reveal who they really are to others. Writing has taught me how to reveal myself to others.
No comments:
Post a Comment