Interview with David Temple, Author of The Poser

by grant

in Author Interviews, Mystery, News, Thriller

01 Sep 2020

What can you tell us about your new release, The Poser?

The Poser is my first mystery thriller. It stars rookie Detective Patricia “Pat” Norelli who has a chance at cracking her first big case. She’s smart, beautiful, and lives in the shadow of her very successful older brother—also a cop, and her father—an LA Circuit Court Judge. She has a lot to prove. So when a case pops up that is called a suicide, she sees it differently…and puts her job on the line to prove it. Pat is divorced, a single mother with a daughter soon off to college, and has a bit of a swinging door of boyfriends, when it comes to relationships.

For readers who enjoy Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch, or John Sanford’s Lucas Davenport, they’ll enjoy my Pat Norelli.

As a bit of background, I use LA, and Hollywood specifically, as a backdrop because I lived there on three different “tours,” working as a radio host, an actor, and a VoiceOver talent. The city pulls you in, making you—along with everyone else, think they’re a star.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I’ve always loved the art of story. And thanks to my mother—an insatiable reader, I’ve always enjoyed the escape of a good book. I’ve been a storyteller for most of my life; working as a Radio Host for nearly 25 years—mostly as a Morning Man, being a VoiceOver actor for over two decades, and acting in Television and Film for nearly a decade. Each of those jobs involved telling stories and/or selling products/services.

So when it was time to move along—after Corporate Consolidation killed the radio star —I turned to my next love: writing. Now in my “third chapter of life,” I want to spend my next career writing books and turning them into television shows and/or feature films.

What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?

Tough question, I have so many. I’ll just toss out the first 5 that come to mind: (1) Don Winslow’s THE FORCE, (2) Lou Berney’s NOVEMBER ROAD, (3) Jack Carr’s SAVAGE SON, (4) Tom Wolfe’s BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES, and (5) TALE OF TWO CITIES by Charles Dickens.

Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask

It’s a toss-up between Henry David Thoreau, because I admire the simplicity of his inspiration, and Elmore Leonard, as I have always admired his supreme craft of concise storytelling. They are both fascinating and highly creative individuals. If I could have them both of the show, I’d ask them where they found “the magic” that sparked their imaginations. I’m certain the conversation would take on a life of its own!

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

Creating people and their conversations from thin air. It’s amazing to me, to this very day, to have characters “come alive” to me as they do, as well as the way they stay with me long after the story is complete.

What is a typical day like for you?

I am up at 5 AM, six days a week (I’ll sleep until 6 on Sundays). I get a coffee, gather my thoughts, and usually begin working around 5:30. The earlier I begin my creative work, the better off I am, as the quiet is truly the best place to create with reckless abandon.

I’ll work until 10, take a 15 minute break to stretch, coffee and such, then work until Noon, where I’ll stop for an hour to eat and relax, usually in my back yard with my dog. I’ll work until about 3 where I’ll take either a 15-min cat-nap, or a double-espresso— depending upon mood, and usually wrap sometime around 5.

Note: I like to create new work in the first half of the day, using the latter half for either brainstorming, or for social/admin work. I’ll work out every day, somewhere in between.

What scene from The Poser was your favorite to write?

While I thoroughly enjoyed creating the character of Pat Norelli, I particularly enjoy crafting bad guys. And in Chapter 77 “Handy Work,” you get to experience the crucial turning point of the story when you learn who the bad guy is (if you haven’t figured it out yet), and see first hand just how evil his dark side is.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

I try to be kind to everyone I meet. Kindness takes such little effort, yet creates such deep goodness.

As for quotes, I have a few faves: “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm,” by Emerson.

And Thoreau said, “What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.”