Dan Walsh Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.
A. Well, let’s see…I’ve been married for 40 years to the only woman I’ve ever loved. We have 2 grown children, both married, and 3 grandchildren. Way back in high school, I thought I would be writing novels for a living. Life took me in a different direction. I wound up experiencing a call to ministry and wound up becoming a pastor at age 28. I pastored the same church for the next 25 years but never lost my love of fiction (only read novels, though, didn’t write a thing). Around year 22, I began writing a Christmas novel, called The Unfinished Gift. It’s a long story, but that novel became the catalyst for an eventual shift over the next few years from pastoring to writing fulltime. I “made the leap” in 2010 and now have written a total of 18 novels.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
A. It happened in 11th Grade. After almost flunking Chemistry, I took a semester of creative writing and discovered, not only did I really like it, but I was pretty good at it. Every paper I turned in got an A+. After the class was over, the teacher pulled me aside and said I was one of the most gifted writers she’d ever had. Then she added, “You could be a writer if you wanted to.”

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?
A. As I already hinted, I began to experience some burnout after being a pastor 22 years straight. To help me unwind, my wife suggested I write fiction (something I loved to do when we met back in the 70s). In 2007, I finished a Christmas novel, called The Unfinished Gift. Two of the first 3 agents I submitted to loved what they read and wanted to represent me. I picked one and she had a contract with a major publisher 2 months later. That book became a bestseller and won several writing awards. In 2010, after my 3rd novel, my publisher wanted me to write fulltime and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I wrote a total of 12 novels with them through 2014, when I decided I’d be better off going indie. One of the reasons was the freedom to ALSO write suspense novels (which they wouldn’t allow). I’ve written 5 more novels since then, which are doing better than my traditional ones. I’m working on the 6th indie novel now.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release Unintended Consequences?
A: It’s the 3rd book in my bestselling Jack Turner Suspense series. Here’s the back cover blurb: Jack and Rachel leave Culpepper for their long-awaited honeymoon trip, a driving tour through New England. On day three, they stop at a bayside town in Cape Cod to visit Jack’s grandmother. After he gets called away to handle an emergency, Rachel stays and listens as Jack’s grandmother shares a remarkable story about how she and Jack’s grandfather met in the early days of World War 2. It’s a story filled with danger, decades-old family secrets, daring rescues and romance. Jack is named after his grandfather, and this story set the course and direction for Jack’s life to the present day. After hearing it, Rachel is amazed that anyone survived.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Unintended Consequences?
A: I’m a WW2 buff. I love reading and writing about the era. Six of my 18 novels are either set during this time period or draw heavily from it. Several years ago, I got the idea for this book, but my publisher turned it down (too suspenseful for my “Nicholas Sparks brand”). As I thought about developing Book 3 in this series, it dawned on me that this story would be a perfect complement to the first 2 books. Judging by the reviews so far, it looks like my readers agree. In the first 6 weeks, it’s received 43 Amazon reviews (avg 4.9 Stars). Many are saying they think this one’s the best of the three. Book 4 is already being developed.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?
A: I hope they are thoroughly entertained. And perhaps, get a real-life sense of what it must have been like living in England during the early months of WW2 when England faced, all alone, almost certain annihilation from the Nazi war machine. It’s not a war story, per say. The war serves as the backdrop for a serious decades-old family mystery, and includes a love triangle between twin brothers and a beautiful French girl.

Q: What inspires you to write?
A. I don’t know. I’ve loved writing for decades. Still love it 18 novels later. I love creating stories that put me (and the reader) in the middle of dangerous and/or challenging life situations. Including significant historical ones (about half of my novels have a historical premise, half are contemporary).

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?
A. I’m writing Book 3 in my inspirational Forever Home series. It’s called Saving Parker. Parker’s a dog. Book 1 is Rescuing Finley. Book 2 is Finding Riley. And yes, Finley and Riley are dogs. But they’re not simply “dog books,” but stories that show the powerful connection and influence dogs can have in human relationships. They also include a romantic thread. Book 1 has really launched the series well. After 18 months, it’s received over 700 reviews, most of them 5 stars.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?
A. Hanging out with my wife. Spending time with my adult kids and grandkids. My wife and I recently began a new hobby. Metal-detecting. It has a fun historical element to it, plus it gets us off our butts and outdoors.