~Janet Schwind, editor, interviewer
Retired real estate investor Walter Danley didn't always think about killing. An Indiana Hoosier native, Walter was uprooted early in life when his dad took a job as a machinist in a World War II defense plant when Walter was just a peanut. Much later he served his country as a Navy hospital corpsman, then in the Fleet Marine Force as a medic. Following his honorable discharge, Walter sold wood products to the construction trades, attending college at night until a developer client recruited him into commercial real estate, where he spent his working career on the investment side of the business—and obviously multitasking as he began brewing twisted mystery plotlines. Walter now lives in the Texas Hill Country, where he works on the sequel to his suspense thriller, The Tipping Point, as well as a third novel, which he describes as a historical western with a fantasy twist.
What genre is your book?
My novel THE TIPPING POINT is a thriller/suspense story.
Tell us about your book—your first--The Tipping Point.
The story follows Garth Wainwright as he transitions from a contented, wealthy executive into a person forced by circumstances to become a detective, chasing an unknown killer of his partners while, at the same time, trying to figure out which of his partners embezzled millions of dollars from the firm. Are the murders connected to the fraud? Is one of his partners a killer? Which one? Who can he trust? I know all of the twisted, juicy answers.
How did a guy like you make the leap to become a fiction writer? In an interview last week, I was asked what was it that made me think I could write fiction. That was one I’d never been asked and it took a beat to answer. Often, your first reaction is the best. I gave the interviewer my first, which was, “I never considered that I could not write fiction.”
I guess that must have come from my past career in investment real estate. I’d never done that either, before I started. I studied the profession, asked a bunch of dumb questions, went back to school for some formal training, and then just did it. It worked out pretty well for me over the next forty years.
You did something interesting with the viewpoints of the characters in your novel—tell us about that.
Gee, Janet, I wish you hadn’t brought that up. Sorry. Let’s let your readers in on what you and I are referring to.
In THE TIPPING POINT, when a new character appears in the story, I had them introduce themselves in the first person. When that scene concludes, the narrator takes over again in third person point-of-view. Each new character appears and speaks in first person. There are two problems with that; I have too many major characters to have the POV moving back and forth. While this technique, which I stole from F. Scott Fitzgerald, worked really well for him, for me it did not work.
Janet, as you know, I’m about to publish the second edition of THE TIPPING POINT. If you will allow me the courtesy of a small digression, one of the things that is being changed is the shifting POV. About half of the reviews (including the two “two stars” it got) thought this was confusing. Most didn’t even bat an eye at the subtle shift. There were other issues that a few kind souls pointed out, but my primary reason for making significant changes was the sequel. The story line for the sequel just didn’t work unless I changed parts of the original story.
All in all, like every other writer, you want your novel to be the best that you can make it. You want the reader to have the highest quality product that you can produce. So, as long as I was going to go to the expense in time and money to rewrite the book, I wanted to address the comments made about it, at least those that I agreed should be changed. That is why there will be a second edition of my first novel. I appreciate your respect for the reader. Also, your ability to entertain with such intriguing characters and inspired plot twists.
Have you always had murder on your mind?
You ask a person who has survived four divorces such a question. No, I’m kidding. I have always had an excellent post separation/divorce relationship with my exs. While there were four property settlements, there have been only three women. The mother of my five sons, the late Valerie Gay Wolford Danley, was both my first and second marriage. Lorraine Marcia Ramones Danley was next and Christopher Wyndon Norris Danley, who tolerated me for more years than the combined first three marriages. We stay in touch and are good friends. They are wonderful women that I admire and care about.
Oh, MURDER! No I have not. In fact, one of the hardest parts of writing the novel was coming up with plausible but inventive ways to kill a person. Which must be fun for a non-murderer like yourself. Four of Wainwright’s partners get knocked off in the story, so I worked to make that interesting.
How did you develop your story? (Did you outline it start to finish, know the end first and work toward that, or did you just write and let the idea develop as you wrote?)
Some of all the above. I had most of the plot in mind for more than twenty years. I lived with some of the characters (or reasonable facsimiles) during my investment career. None of the story I wrote actually happened and the characters are all fictional, but the unique situations that I wrote about were symbolic of real-life people and events I experienced during that career. Truth be told, some real-life stuff that did happen, I couldn’t include because nobody would have believed it! I don’t want to lose my credibility, ya know. You're totally legit.
When I first contemplated writing THE TIPPING POINT, I did outline the story in a general way, not chapter by chapter, but the basic plot that I’d been thinking about for those many years. That was easy. When I began to expand the outline, getting to the chapters was difficult enough, but to outline down to a scene level, well, I found that to be impossible for me to accomplish.
The solution for me was to let the characters run wild, wherever they wanted to take the story. In the end, we got a terrific story, interesting characters and an ending that no one saw coming. It is a real thriller and I am very proud of both the first and second editions of THE TIPPING POINT.
What else about the book might pique the readers’ attention?
Hey, Janet. When do you ask the easy questions? What’s your favorite color? Let’s see, you already know that there is a sequel, so that isn’t any news. What happens to the Wainwright during THE TIPPING POINT changes him in the sequel, INSIDE MOVES. He is the same guy, but not the same person that he started out in the first novel. It’s true, we all change with time, but time did a number on Garth Wainwright. You’ll have to read the first to appreciate his metamorphosis in INSIDE MOVES.
Something that has been a major surprise to me is that so many people have found the character I call The Assassin so interesting. I can’t do too much explaining about why, because that gets into the spoiler syndrome, but the number of his fans has blown me away. With a name like Assassin, you wouldn’t expect that there would be a following, but there sure is. People are dark, so dark.
What actors would you choose to play the characters in the film version of your book?
Since your serious question is based on a fantasy premise, I’ll answer in kind. Wainwright would be best played by Robert Redford, but not as he is today. It turns out that Redford was born in 1936 and in my story, Wainwright was born in 1938, so they are about the right age. THE TIPPING POINT takes the entire year of 1978 to tell the story. Wainwright was just forty years old at the start of the story.
So think about Redford, as Garth Wainwright, when he filmed Three Days of the Condor (1975). The popular and acclaimed All the President's Men (1976)—that Robert Redford is a perfect Wainwright.
As for the Assassin, the mental picture of him that I have is not going to be the same as the next person’s, so I won’t share it with your readers. This is a very unusual character and it would be unfair for me to substitute my picture of him for theirs. One of the other major characters is very easy. That would be Lacey Kinkaid.
While there are many wonderful actors who would deliver a credible job with this role, it was written with my ex-wife, Christopher Norris, in mind. Christopher is a veteran actor and has a stage presence that speaks to the fact that she began on the Broadway stage at five years old and has worked in theater, film, television, and voice acting until she retired a few years ago. Your readers will remember her best as nurse Gloria Brancusi or Ripples on the TV series TRAPPER JOHN, MD. That ran on CBS for seven years.
Physically, Lacey is the opposite of Christopher—a black haired, brown eyed Lacey as compared to the real-life Christopher Norris who Billy Joel sang as BLONDE OVER BLUE. It was Christopher’s emotional make-up that I tried to capture for Lacey. She is complicated, yes, but smart, clever, and daring. This is what I wanted Lacey to be.
What has been your biggest challenge as an author?
The marketing process is daunting. I wish I could write all the time and somebody else would make the novels best-sellers. There are so many marketing and sales responsibilities that fall to the author and that takes away from the writing. No matter who you are, there are no more than twenty-four hours in the day.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I didn’t keep a diary, I wish I had, but the time of actual writing was less than six months. It was the research that took the time. Logistics are a funny thing. You wouldn’t take notice of a statement or action … unless it was wrong, then it sticks out like the red nose on a circus clown.
I hinted that the characters did much of the writing for me. I was the instrument, the guy on the keyboard, but they drove the story. I’ve read that other writers had this experience, but never expected to have it myself. This qualifies as one of the amazing discoveries I’ve made as a new author. Too bad they can’t do the marketing for you too.
What’s been your biggest joy in becoming a novelist?
That is an easy one. I love making up a world that actually works. In my novels, the political stalemates are controlled and always go in the right directions. Oops, did I give away my personal political affiliations?
What’s your writing process like?
Depends on what part of the process you are asking. If I have an idea or theme for the story, I spend a lot of time with a glass of scotch and a cigar on my deck. I play some Billy Joel and allow my mind to drift where it will. When something from my subconscious surfaces and it always does, I make notes on the pad I always have with me. Sometimes it is a few lines, and, if I am in tune with my muse, I can fill page after page with it. If it is flowing, go with it!
After several sessions on the deck, I usually have enough to begin an outline. With me, that is a two-stage process. I take several days to transcribe my notes into the outliner mode of Word. As I write, I have additional or expansive thoughts that get included. When I’ve done as much damage as I can to the outline, I transfer it to Scrapple, which is Scrivener (one of my writing tools) capable mind map software.
I’m visual and seeing the relationships of the characters, the scenes, and the action really helps me flesh out the rest of the tale. I take the notes in Scrapple and modify the structure. I absolutely believe that telling a story is like building a structure. You have to set the foundation in place, erect exterior walls, represented by the objective of the protagonists and the barriers he must overcome to achieve his goals. Then you must tie the walls in place with a substantial roof, or the plot. The interior partitions are the sub-plots in your house, and your characters move from room to room as the story progresses.
When I’m finished, I give it to you to polish and make it acceptable. Thanks! I’m glad you do.
What did you learn through the process of publishing your first book that you will apply to your next one?
You don’t have room here or time to list all I’ve learned about the process. But let me say this, about that. When you have your head down and are writing as fast as you can, you must also be thinking about the marketing of the book. It is the very last thing you want to be conscious of, but it is probably more important than the writing itself. That is, if you intend to be a commercial success.
None of us start that process soon enough. It wouldn’t be too soon to start promoting the novel even before you have written it. Sounds crazy, but that is the optimum time to start the marketing process. You’re not just a good writer—you’re a smart guy.
Will your book be Indie published, self-published or represented by an agency and sold to a traditional publisher?
You know, Janet, I spent the first year studying what was happening in the publishing industry. I think with the data I accumulated, I have enough for another Master’s thesis. Bottom line is that I don’t have time to do the dance with literary agents, publishers and there very one-sided contracts. It just doesn’t make sense to me. I’m not a twenty-year-old who has time on his/her side. Besides, I hate rejection and a lot of that is part of the dance, so I went out with my first novel, as Guy Kawasaki calls it, artisanal publishing, which is independent publishing. I am very happy with the results and intend to continue. Should I be so fortunate, as was Hugh Howey, I would be most happy to consider a traditional publishing contract. But since that is not likely to happen within the years I have remaining on God’s green earth, I’ll just keep on being artisanal.
What are you working on now? (job and next novel)
I have three important things I do each day; I run, I eat and I write. That is my life. Oh, occasionally I catch a ball game or take a lady to dinner on San Antonio’s wonderful River Walk, but after six miles and a shower, I’m ready to write.
I have two open projects that I’m writing now. I will finish the sequel, INSIDE MOVES, after THE TIPPING POINT, 2ND Edition is published. I have about half of an untitled work-in-process completed. That should come out early 2015, if all goes well. This one is a change in genre for me, however, and it is hard to describe. I call it an historical western with a fantasy twist. Got it? No, but it sounds interesting!
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
None. I wouldn’t be so presumptuous as to give anyone advice. I’m going to take that good advice.
Where do you see publishing going in the future?
I am confident that artisanal publishing will continue to grow. One of the reasons for that will be the worldwide growth of eBooks. While the USA and UK have a head-start in retailing of eBooks, the rest of the world will soon catch up. Let me give you an example. India is only now starting to establish retail eBook sellers. There are 125 million English-speaking people in India, about half as many as in the United States. There are 20 million more English-speaking people in Nigeria than in the UK. So demand for English eBooks is a vast and expanding market for authors.
Then you have the traditional publishers (now only the big five) doing all the wrong things. They have distribution dominance with retailers in most of the world, but treat them poorly. As an easy example, consider that the traditionals charge a library more for a book than the price a retailer would pay. Many of their policies and practices are like a boat ramp for indie (sorry, artisanal) publishers. This is a golden time for artisanal authors.
Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven’t included?
Oh, you clever little dickens! You’ve done a terrific job on this interview. Well, thank you, I’ve enjoyed learning more about you and your process. I hope that with my answers, I’ve given back to you a small measure of the thought and effort you have invested in developing the questions. I want to thank you for the opportunity to chat with you and to meet your readers. Thank you, Janet. I appreciate being asked to be join you today.
How can readers discover more about you and your work?
WalterDanely.com
Facebook 1 and Facebook 2
LibraryThing
Lnkedin
Google Plus
Pinterest:
Amazon Author Page
Goodreads
Smashwords--With publication of 2nd Edition, Smashwords will distribute this title
Book Links: (* American, UK, etc.) All of Amazon foreign stores