Open Book Society is happy to collaborate with Author Blog Tours and author Daniel Lance Wright to bring you his new romance/fiction book, One Day In Lubbock. Be sure to keep reading to know more about the book, the author, and don’t forget to read our review here at OBS!
About One Day In Lubbock:
William Dillinger believed the only way to live was unmarried and unencumbered. That is, until he reached the age of seventy two with a criminal history. Regrets over a lifetime of mistakes mires him in daily doldrums until his high school girlfriend suddenly reappears in his life. Hope is seeded that the remainder of his life does not have to match his past. But, he only has one day to find out.
About author Daniel Lance Wright:
A lifelong Texan, Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright is a freelance fiction writer and novelist residing in Clifton, Texas. He lives with Rickie, wife of 42 years and has two children and three grandchildren.
Having spent the first nineteen years of his life on a cotton farm on the South Plains and the next thirty-two in the television industry, he has seen the world from two distinctly different angles.
Daniel has received recognition for writing skills from The Oklahoma Writers Federation in 2005, 2006, 2010 and 2011; from Art Affair in 2008; from Frontiers in Writing in 2004 and 2010; from Writer’s Digest in 2008, and the Abilene Writer’s Guild in 2004; Canis Latran of Weatherford College in 2011. Most recently, his novel “Phobia” was a finalist in the suspense category of the National Indie Excellence Book Awards.
Novels available by Daniel Lance Wright:
- “Six Years’ Worth”/mainstream/Father’s Press/print & ebook
- “Paradise Flawed”/action-adventure/Blue Publishing/print & ebook
“Where Are You, Anne Bonny?”/Rogue Phoenix Pres/historical drama/print & ebook - “Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”/All Things That Matter Press/soft science fiction/print & ebook
- “Helping Hand for Ethan/middle grade/Rogue Phoenix Press/print & ebook
- “Phobia”/suspense-thriller/Booktrope/print & ebook
- “Defining Family”/Whiskey Creek Press/young adult/print & ebook
- “The Last Radiant Heart”/Sagewords Press/science fiction/print & ebook
- “One Day in Lubbock”/autumn romance/Booktrope/print & ebook
Interview with author Daniel Lance Wright
1. Tell me about yourself
I am a freelance fiction writer and novelist residing in Clifton, Texas. I’ve been writing since 1998 and full time at the task since 2002. I live with Rickie, wife of 42 years have two children and three grandchildren. Having spent the first nineteen years of my life on a cotton farm on the South Plains and the next thirty-two in the television industry, I have seen the world from two distinctly different angles. Here is a quick list of other published works:
“Six Years’ Worth”/Father’s Press/mainstream/print & ebook
“Paradise Flawed”/Dream Books LLC/action-adventure/print & ebook
“Where Are You, Anne Bonny?”/Rogue Phoenix Press/ historical drama/ print & ebook
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX/print only
“Dancing Away”/ short story/romance/Untreed Reads/ebook only
“Phobia”/Booktrope/suspense-thriller/print & ebook
“Defining Family”/Whiskey Creek Press/young adult/print & ebook
“The Last Radiant Heart” (re-release)/Sage Words Publishing/science fiction
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”/ATTM Press/soft science fiction/print & ebook
“Helping Hand For Ethan”/Rogue Phoenix Press/young adult/print & ebook
“One Day in Lubbock”/Booktrope/romance-general adult/print & ebook
“One Day in Lubbock” is a love story. I’m hesitant to call it a romance because it is more the search for it than the experience of it. Although, it would be under the genre heading of romance, sub-genre: autumn romance. Seventy-two-year-old William Dillinger is a victim of his own bad choices. After a stint in prison as a result of those choices, he now has a menial job in a hospital and sees the only true love of his life, his high school girlfriend while at work one day. William’s dormant desire to live is suddenly reawakened as he explores future possibilities while remembering a past that leads up to this point in time.
One day, we all will come to a point in our lives we examine the paths we took to get where we are. If we are lucky, there will be no regrets but, I believe, most of us will wonder what might have been waiting down one of those other paths. “One Day in Lubbock” is such a reflective journey for one elderly man.
I have a sequel to “Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy” in the can and waiting on me to self-edit again. I usually do this up to four times with about a month between them. That period of time between edits tends to freshen my eyes and I catch for problems that way. I will be looking to have “Annie’s World: New Beginnings” published later this year or early 2015. Currently, I’m about 8,000 words and four chapters into the first draft of another romance. And, of course, like most of my other work, it is set in Texas, too.
As most high school students are required to do, I was responsible for reading a certain number of classics and then report on them. “Lord of the Flies” was one that stayed with me. It was because it was the first time that I realized a story could go deeper than the picture it drew.
Grow a little thicker skin because the journey will involve much advice and criticism; some good, some bad, but all of it will take you where you need to go.
It would have to be Tom Hanks, although he would have to shave his head and grow a white beard. His persona comes as close to mirroring mine as any in Hollywood, I think – laid-back, even-tempered and somewhat analytical… like me.
Michael Crichton for science fiction, Wilbur Smith for historical, Anne Rice for fantasy and Nicholas Sparks for romance. Although, if I discover a good read, I will search out other works by that author, regardless of achieved fame.
The best advice anyone as ever given me was from an elderly gentleman at an Oklahoma Writers Conference about 15 years ago. He said, “Call yourself a novelist, if you must, but don’t think of yourself as one until you’ve written at least a quarter million words.” Interestingly, that was about the time I managed to get my first novel published.
If I’m not writing, I enjoy turning wood on a lathe; bowls, goblets, candle stands, etc. I have a house full of the stuff. I would consider it to be my muse.
Actually my inspiration to become a novelist was a “what” not a “who”. It was a nightmare that dogged me for days. One morning I was sitting at my computer and decided to write what I remembered of it and the feelings it left behind. I thought I might gain perspective on why it kept circling my thoughts. After 120,000 words (with more than a little embellishment) I had the draft of my first novel. Although, it did take about five years and editing out approximately 25,000 words to get it polished enough for publication, but “The Last Radiant Heart” is still available and going strong. It’s a sci-fi/metaphysical story.
When I self edit the draft of a novel, there are two words that I must eliminate hundreds of. They are “even” and “just”. Even though I must remove them, I just can’t stop using them while drafting a story. I just use them constantly, even though I shouldn’t. It’s just a habit, even though I know better.
When I’m conceptualizing, I develop the characters and spend quite a bit of time doing this. Once the characters are fully endowed with back story, quirks, personalities, etc., then the characters will write the story. I’m just the typist.
I “free write”. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, it’s sitting at a keyboard and start typing; whatever is on my mind at the time. It doesn’t have to make sense, be in complete sentences or anything coherent, just type and keep typing. It’s amazing how often gibberish turns into story form. Some of my best short stories were born this way.
I like books that keep the spotlight on the characters – not the scenery, the real estate, the hardware or any other peripheral things. “One Day in Lubbock” focuses a tight beam on the characters. The setting is the window dressing, not the other way around. I hope you agree.
