Q & A with Summer Festival Speaker David Putnam and San Diego Writers Festival
SDWF: Tell us about the latest Bruno Johnson novel, The Heartless. How hard has it been to switch launching this book from in-person events to reaching readers through online efforts?
DP: In every Bruno Johnson novel I put in scenes that were actual experiences. Some books more so than others. I always give an explanation in an Author Note in the back of the book. Don’t read it ahead of time because it’s also a spoiler. The Heartless is about a real jail break where six murder suspects escaped. I had left Violent crimes and was called back to track these guys. The Heartless is the third prequel out of four. Marketing the book is most definitely more difficult this year. Last year my wife and I did sixty events, including twenty-six book signings at Barnes & Noble bookstores. This year we are trying to get more Zoom meetings to get out the word on the book.
SDWF: What inspired you to write the Bruno series and which one is your favorite?
DP: I was on my thirty-eighth manuscript when I sold the first one, The Disposables. I had tried multiple genres, including young adult, scifi and fantasy. I quit counting at 156 rejections. I had four agents at different times of course. What inspired the book? I wanted to write a scene that was emotionally powerful to me, which ended up being the opening scene of the book.
SDWF: What books are on your nightstand or stacked next to your bed?
DP: I have recently become very active on Goodreads and love it. I had many, many books on my TPR (“to be read”) pile, but once I started conversing on Goodreads my TBR pile tripled. I have one entire bedroom dedicated to books to be read—floor to ceiling. I try to read three a week while writing the next novel. If I weren’t writing I’d be reading five books a week. I read any genre as long as it is well written. If I start reading a highly popular book and the writing craft stinks, I know it sounds snobbish, but I put the book down. It’s like fingernails on a chalkboard. So to answer your question I’m reading A Man Called Ov, Blackwood, Ask Again, Yes, and Mrs. Everything.
SDWF: Which writers have influenced you most?
DP: I learn something new with every book I read. My favorite of all time, the top five are historical. I loved Lonesome Dove, River God, and Pillars of the Earth. Who most influenced me though, Chandler, J. D. MacDonald, Ross MacDonald, Alistar McLean and many others. I read everything when I was younger.
SDWF: What’s the last great book you read?
DP: Most recently it would be Good Neighbor, Then, ah, The Seven Husbands of Eveyln Hugo and Daisy and The Six.
SDWF: If you could give a piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
DP: Learn the art of Voice sooner. Voice is and always will be the Big Kahuna of writing.
SDWF: What writing resources (in San Diego, if appropriate) have been most helpful to you?
DP: Love the University of San Diego Writers Conference, it’s one of the best.
SDWF: How has storytelling changed your life?
DP: I have always been a storyteller. I love to tell a story, either orally or written. I guess the biggest change came when I finally sold the first book and realized that was the easy part. The hard part is the marketing.
SDWF: Which of your life experiences have shaped you most as a writer?
DP: Thirty-one years of law enforcement.
SDWF: What was the first piece of writing you shared with someone else?
DP: My first novel. I showed it to everyone, and looking back (fifty plus novels later) it was not very good.
SDWF: Is there a line from one of your books you’d be willing to share? (opening sentence(s) or something that gives the flavor of the piece?)
DP: Not off the top of my head. The theme is always the same: Bruno Johnson is an excop, excon, who rescues children from toxic homes in South Central Los Angeles. He couldn’t do this when he was a cop because of all the rules and regulations, so now he goes around the law to rescue the children.
SDWF: Where can we find your blog/website or any other online links (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)?
DP: Davidputnambooks.com
Facebook.com/davidputnambooks
DavePutnam (twitter)
Instantagram.comdavidputnambooks.
SDWF: Thank you, David!
