Author Interview Dave Donelson

Dave Donelson Mini-Bio:

Dave Donelson’s career as a broadcaster, entrepreneur, and writer has taken him from the jungles of Australia’s Cape York Peninsula to the minarets of Riyadh. He’s climbed the spire of the Empire State Building, floated the Usumacinta River to the Mayan ruins at Piedras Negras in Guatemala, and photographed the tree-climbing lions and mountain gorillas of Uganda.

Dave’s inquisitive, active lifestyle finds its way into freelance writing and photographic assignments for magazines like Disney’s FamilyFun, Woodworker’s Journal, and Las Vegas Magazine. Closer to home, he writes features for Westchester Magazine as well as a regular column on golf. He is a member of the prestigious Metropolitan Golf Writers Association.

His first novel, Hunting Elf, began as an audio book at www.huntingelf.com and was published as a trade paperback in 2006. K9 Perspective called it “…a delicious romp through the suburbs of New York.”

Dave’s first book was Creative Selling (Entrepreneur Press, 2000), a non-fiction prescriptive described by Brian Tracy as “…a terrific book on selling.” As a business journalist, he writes for The Christian Science Monitor, Family Business Magazine, and dozens of trade publications serving industries from the automotive aftermarket to sporting goods retailing.

Dave has a BA in Rhetoric and Public Address from Missouri Western State University. He serves as a Trustee for the Westchester Library System, a consortium of 38 public libraries serving Westchester County, NY. He lives in West Harrison, NY, with his wife, Nora, and an ever-changing roster of dogs and cats.

Visit www.davedonelson.com for a selection of Dave’s work. You’ll also find him on MySpace, Facebook, Gather, and Amazon.

Dave Donelson Author Interview:

I am a writer by trade and obsession. I do freelance feature writing for about three dozen magazines and newspapers, blog all over the place, and have three books to my credit (or blame) so far. My most recent novel, Heart of Diamonds, is a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo.

Writing is actually my third career. I was in the television business for many years, then took an entrepreneurial turn and did quite well. I’ve always been a writer, though, it’s just that I didn’t start making a living at it until about ten years ago.

What I love most about writing is the discovery process. I’m insanely curious about just about everything: people, places, events, what makes things tick and why do people do the things they do. Writing gives me an excuse to pry and nose around. I’ve written about everything from the role of illegal immigrants in our economy to the sex habits of NY suburbanites; the battle between real estate developers and environmentalists to the horrible effects of endless war on the people of the Congo.

I also devote a great deal of time to libraries. I am a trustee and past president of the Westchester (NY) Library System, a consortium of 38 public libraries serving about a million people north of New York City. I lobby for funding, advise the director, and help set the system’s policies and direction. It’s very rewarding work that allows me to give back to my community.


It's rare today to find an author who does nothing but write for a living. Do you have a 'real' job other than writing, and if so, what is it? What are some other jobs you've had in your life?

Dave Donelson: I’ve always been a writer, but have made a living at it for only the last ten years. My career arc, if you want to call it that, is kind of like James Patterson’s. I had a very successful career in the advertising sales end of television, then a second one as an entrepreneur where I started, ran, and sold some related businesses. I’m a full-time writer now, though.

What compelled you to write your first book?

Dave Donelson: My novel, Heart of Diamonds, was inspired by the story of televangelist Pat Robertson’s bizarre relationship with Mobutu Sese-Seko, the dictator who raped the Congo for thirty years. I first heard about it in a Time Magazine article I ran across. Robertson, the founder of the 700 Club, one-time Presidential candidate, and probably the most successful “man of God” on the planet, also owned diamond and gold mines, rain-forest timber concessions, and other very lucrative natural resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo thanks to his buddy Mobutu, who was the archetype of the brutally oppressive African dictator who stole billions of dollars from his country. When I read about what Robertson did in the Congo in the name of Jesus Christ, I had to write a book.

Tell us a little bit about your book/s.

Dave Donelson: Heart of Diamonds is my third book, but I consider it my most important. It addresses several themes including how important it is for individuals to stand up for what they think is right. It’s not a polemical book by any means, but I tried to make sure there was some depth to the characters and their feelings about the world they live in. Valerie Grey is more than just a beautiful TV correspondent; she’s deeply moved by the events she witnesses and the plight of the people around her. They make her question her own motives, which gives her character some heart.

What inspires you and motivates you to write the very most?

Dave Donelson: I need a good story idea, something with an unusual hook like the Robertson-Mobutu connection. I read a lot, the NY Times and Wall Street Journal every day, a dozen magazines and two or three books a week, and that’s where I find them. Fortunately, the world is full of story ideas.

What about your family? Do you have children, married, siblings, parents? Has your family been supportive of your writing?

Dave Donelson: I have two grown children of whom I am very proud. Then there is my wife, Nora, who is a tremendous help. In fact, I couldn’t do what I do without her support. It’s tough to live with a writer like me—I’m very selfish. I have a huge need for big blocks of solitude followed by a desire to have hours of conversations where I try to talk through various characters or plot problems. She went with me to Africa to research Heart of Diamonds. She was not only a great companion on the trips, but she kept me out of trouble, too.

The main characters of your stories - do you find that you put a little of yourself into each of them or do you create them to be completely different from you?

Dave Donelson: Every character has a little bit of me in them simply because I have to imagine them in the context of my own life experiences so I can decide what they would do in theirs. On the other hand, I tend to pick and choose personality traits and even bits of life stories from other people to make up my characters. Valerie Grey, the protagonist in Heart of Diamonds, goes through a career jolt similar to one experienced by a friend of mine in television news, for example. Pat Robertson isn’t the model for the Reverend Gary Peterson, the televangelist in my novel, but I suspect his mental makeup is pretty similar.

Bring us into your home and set the scene for us when you are writing. What does it look like? On the couch, laptop, desk? Music? Lighting, handwriting?

Dave Donelson: There’s no question I have an office setup most writers would die for. I work in a cottage about fifty paces from our house, complete with kitchen, bath, and bedroom. I use the entire living-dining room as an office, with my computer set next to a window where I can stare into the woods. There’s also a worktable on the other side of the room where I can spread things out. The room is lined by half-height book cases and the walls above them are covered with my photos and paintings. I disappear there every morning about five AM and don’t come out except for meals.

What about movies? Any favorites?

Dave Donelson: I don’t watch much television, but I like movies. My books tend to be very cinematic. It was kind of funny, but when Blood Diamonds with Leonardo DiCaprio came out, I had just finished Heart of Diamonds. Nora and I sat in the theater agog at the opening scenes, which could have been lifted almost verbatim from my novel.

Focusing on your most recent (or first) book, tell our readers what genre your book is and what popular author you think your writing style in this book is most like.

Dave Donelson: Heart of Diamonds is a romantic thriller with overtures of Ridley Pearson, John le Carre, and Frederick Forsythe. There’s a high-concept plot about a diamond smuggling scheme that involves the White House, an American televangelist, and the President of the Congo. TV reporter Valerie Grey uncovers the scheme and fights to tell the world about it. She’s also wrapped up in a big romantic love triangle and struggles to resolve that conflict throughout the book. Heart of Diamonds is set in the middle of the civil war in the Congo, which is the root of the humanitarian crisis that country is experiencing today.

Now, to tell us more about who you. Anything you want your readers to know?

One of the most rewarding things about publishing a book these days is the opportunity presented by the websites and blogs like this one to have a dialogue with readers. You can buy Heart of Diamonds at any bookstore or online, then learn more about the book, me, and the people of the Congo at www.heartofdiamonds.com or one of my blogs like heartofdiamonds.blogspot.com. I love to talk to readers, so please leave a message if you visit.