David Whittet the Independent Author Network Interview

 

David Whittet

David Whittet is a family doctor, a multi-award-winning independent filmmaker, and an author.

Storytelling has been in David’s DNA for as long as he can remember. As a child, a dramatization of Oliver Twist had a profound effect on him. In its day, Dickens’ novel reformed the poor law, which convinced David of the written word’s potential to change the world.

He decided then that he wanted to be a writer. Subsequently, A J Cronin’s novels inspired David to become a doctor, especially The Citadel, which pre-empted the National Health Service’s foundation in the UK and beyond. Further proof that books change lives.

Medicine is a constant source of inspiration for David’s writing and brings a gritty realism to his work. Like writing, general practice is about being interested in people’s stories. The colourful cast of characters David has met throughout his career––colleagues and patients alike––breathe life into his writing.

IAN: Please tell us about your latest book.

David Whittet: Goliath and the Gang is the second book in my Gang Girl trilogy. The first novel introduced us to Alicia, the daughter of a notorious gangster. We shared both the joy and despair of her lifelong struggle to break free from the Gang and build a new life for herself.

In Goliath and the Gang, we meet Aaron, Alicia’s beloved son. Aaron is cruelly separated from his mother when he’s just five years old. Raised by his aunt after losing his mother, Aaron’s uncle bullies him mercilessly, and his cousins treat him with disdain. His dream of making something of his life, of becoming an entrepreneur like his late father, rapidly disappears in the wake of his miserable childhood.

The sudden appearance of a mysterious Māori diviner sparks hope in Aaron’s heart. Is she the anonymous patron who will change everything? And will he win the heart of her haughty foster daughter?

Twenty years later, Aaron is the CEO of an industry-leading power company and still fighting the Godzone Gorillas—the Gang that kidnapped his mother.

IAN: Is the Gang Girl series available in print, e-book, or both?

David Whittet: All my books are available in print and e-book. Gang Girl is also available as an audiobook. I plan to make an audiobook of Goliath and the Gang.

IAN: Where can we go to buy your books?

David Whittet: This is my author page on Amazon, where you can buy copies of all my books.

The Gang Girl audiobook, beautifully narrated by Romy Hooper and Paul Harrop, is available from Audible and all major audiobook platforms worldwide.

I also sell personally signed books through my website DavidWhittet.com

IAN: What inspired you to write Gang Girl?

David Whittet Gang Girl was born of the twenty-plus years I spent working as a rural doctor in a remote New Zealand community with a strong gang presence. Goliath and the Gang takes inspiration from my move south to the beautiful Waitaki District, with its magnificent lakes and hydroelectric power stations. Privatisation of the power industry remains a contentious issue in New Zealand. It was headline news when I first drafted the story in the early 2010s, with the government selling shares in Mighty River Power, as it was called back then. Power and conflict against the stunning background of the Waitaki Valley proved the perfect canvas to take Alicia’s story to the next generation.

IAN: How did you come up with the titles?

David Whittet: Goliath and the Gang begins with a mother reading her five-year-old son a bedtime story, David and Goliath, from a book of Bible stories. After finishing the story, Alicia is abducted by the gang and cruelly separated from her beloved son, Aaron. Left in shock and determined to avenge his mother’s kidnapping, Aaron decides then and there that he has two sworn enemies, Goliath and the gang. I chose matching titles for the series to ensure continuity. The first book is Gang Girl, followed by Goliath and the Gang, and the final book will be Godzone and the Gorillas.

IAN: How much of the boos is realistic?

David Whittet: While Gang Girl and Goliath and the Gang are works of fiction, Alicia and Aaron’s struggles reflect those of themany extraordinary men and women I have met in the course of my work as a family doctor in rural New Zealand. Alicia’s plight, in particular, has resonated with readers. At the heart of Gang Girl, we have a strong woman determined to take charge of her own destiny. In these remote communities, many women battle to escape poverty and build a new life for themselves. Their courage is my inspiration and the lifeblood of the story.

IAN: Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

David Whittet: While my second novel, The Road to Madhapur, is also fictitious, it draws on my personal experience of family medicine in both New Zealand and India. My first-hand knowledge of medicine in the raw and many real-life events helped shape the story. I have relived these episodes while writing the book. My time at a remote township in the Mayurbhanj district of India was during a period of considerable unrest following the recent murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines by Hindi militants. The community remained in crisis, with the tension between the Hindu and Christian communities threatening to ignite at any moment. Graham Staines’ widow, Gladys, stayed on in the Mayurbhanj and continued to provide a home for leprosy victims. I was privileged to meet Gladys and witness her extraordinary work caring for the poor and the destitute.

IAN: What books have most influenced your life?

David Whittet The art of storytelling has been part of my being for as long as I can remember. As a nine-year-old, I looked forward to Sunday evenings and the classic serial on television. A dramatization of Oliver Twist inspired me to become a writer. Dickens’ novel brought enormous social reform and forced the repeal of the poor law in Britain and beyond. The written word could change the world, and I knew then that I had to be an author. Books also influenced my career choice. A J Cronin, a doctor and a writer, is now largely remembered for the popular TV series Dr Finlay’s Casebook. But it was his early novel The Citadel that inspired me to become a doctor. Cronin’s book exposed inadequacies in the health system and shamed the British government into launching the National Health Service. A model subsequently replicated throughout the world. Proof positive that books change lives.

IAN: What book are you reading now?

David Whittet: Of all the incredible books I’ve read this year, Homecoming by Kate Morton stands out with its captivating multi-generational story and exquisitely crafted writing. Kate Morton wrote the book during the Covid-19 lockdown, having returned to her homeland in Australia, much like the story’s protagonist. This gripping story has stayed with me long after finishing the book.

IAN: Do you see writing as a career?

David Whittet: With three books published and three more in progress, am I ready to hang up the stethoscope and become a full-time writer? Not quite. Medicine is a constant source of inspiration for my writing. Like writing, general practice is about being interested in people’s stories. Without the colourful cast of characters that enter my consulting room each day––who knows? My words might dry up.

IAN: Do you have to travel much concerning your books?

David Whittet: I am a New Zealander, and my debut novel, Gang Girl, is set in our beautiful country. However, my second book, The Road to Madhapur, has a much broader scope, spanning rural New Zealand and the vast plains of India. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted my plans to revisit Madhapur to research the book. My current work in progress, Threepence on the Carpet, also has a vast canvas. The story follows Tommy, a would-be Kiwi musician, on his overseas experience in London in the swinging nineteen sixties. Although much will have changed from the novel’s setting, I would love to return to London for inspiration.

IAN: Who designed the covers?

David Whittet: I am fortunate to have found the incredibly talented New Zealand designer Holly Dunn. I have worked with Holly on the covers for each of my novels. She has a gift for capturing the spirit of a book in her cover designs. Holly’s expertise has helped me develop an author profile, which is crucial in the present indie publishing environment. We are already working on the covers and internal design for my next two books¾before I have finished the manuscripts!

Like editing, cover design can make or break a book’s success¾and an author’s career. I’m so glad I found Holly.

IAN: What was the hardest part of writing your books?

David Whittet: I’m not sure if my research for Gang Girl was the hardest part of writing the book, but it was definitely the scariest. Determined to make the novel authentic, I fronted up to a notorious gangster’s house. My heart beat even louder than the rottweiler that greeted me at the gate. I banged on the door. No reply. Muffled voices came from inside. Then, a nine-year-old boy gingerly put his head around the doorframe. 

‘Is your father at home?’ I asked.

‘I’ll go and ask him,’ the boy answered.

A loud voice boomed from inside. ‘Is it the cops?’

‘No,’ the boy replied. ‘It’s the doctor.’

‘The doctor? We didn’t call the doctor. Are you sure it’s not the cops?’

‘Positive. It’s the same dude that stitched my hand.’ He shot me an evil look. ‘And it bloody hurt.’

When the gangster finally emerged with his full-facial tattoo, he told me about his daughter’s lifelong struggle to escape the gang and forge a life of her own. I have endeavoured to capture that brave woman’s spirit in every page of Gang Girl.

IAN: Do you have any advice for other writers?

David Whittet: Seize the moment! It’s never too late to follow your dreams. I was nine years old when I decided that I wanted to be a writer, but I published my first novel in my sixties. Age is no barrier! Take every opportunity life affords us, and remember, in years to come, it’s the missed opportunities we will regret most.

IAN: Tell us about your next book or a work in progress. Is it a sequel or a stand-alone?

David Whittet: If only there were more than twenty-four hours in the day! I am currently working on three new books, each competing for my time. The buzz surrounding the launch of Goliath and the Gang has inspired me to complete Godzone and the Gorillas, the final book in the Gang Girl trilogy. I feel a great responsibility to the many readers who have told me how much they have enjoyed the first two books. Alongside Godzone and the Gorillas, I am working on my next stand-alone novel, Threepence on the Carpet. Tommy is a Kiwi musician caught up in the hippie movement while on his overseas experience in Britain in the 1960s. During the day, he works for a South African-owned bank. But at night, he writes and performs anti-apartheid folk songs with his flower power girlfriend. There’s trouble when his two worlds collide. Writing Threepence on the Carpet has been a blast—it’s full of real-life occurrences from the sixties, like the Aldermaston marches, the ban-the-bomb demonstrations, the political scandals, and, of course, The Beatles. This was truly the decade that changed Britain and sent shockwaves around the world.

Claudia Burgoa: The IAN Interview

Claudia Burgoa lives in Colorado with her family and three dogs. Two beagles who believe they are human, and a bichon who thinks she's a beagle. While managing life, she works as a CFO at a small IT Company. She's a dreamer who enjoys music, laughter and a good story.

IAN. Please tell us about Where Life Takes You

C.B. Becca Trent lived her childhood next to a cruel woman—her mom—who lived to torment and neglect her. During her high school years, her mother married; bringing home not only a new husband, but a step sister her same age.

The latter took over her Mom’s role—making Becca’s life miserable. Including stealing Ian—Becca’s best friend and boyfriend—Lisa treated her worse than her mother had for the previous fifteen years. A couple of years later, things ended up in tragedy.

Becca buried that part of her life in the deep corners of her psyche, but that only work during the days when the nightmares didn’t come back to haunt her. Her best friend, Dan gives her that family love she always lacked. Everything was close to perfect, until everything and everyone from her past came back. Now, she’s trying to figure out how to survive and keep that bond which seems now to be held together by a thread.

IAN. Did you use an outline or do you just wing the first draft?

C.B. I just wing for the first draft. My stories start with an idea and the first words are a scene… any scene. From there I start sculpting it.

IAN. How long did it take to write the Where Life Takes You?

C.B. Between three and four months.

IAN. How much of the book is realistic?

C.B. A big part, after all, it is contemporary. The struggle Becca goes through, trying to overcome everything she buried from her teen-years is something that unfortunately, a lot of women go through. 

IAN. Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

C.B. Yes, some of them, rather not specify which. But a few are mine and some friends who sadly no longer live among us.

IAN. If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

C.B. Modern, I’d say it’s a tie between Sophie Kinsella, Meg Cabot and Nora Roberts.

Classic… I’d like to think that throughout the years I have learned from Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Cervantes, Wilde, Asimov, Dickens and Austin. Let’s not forget Shakespeare, who wrote about Italy without ever visiting the country.

IAN. What book are you reading now?

C.B. I just finished: The book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

IAN. Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

C.B. My friends, and also my social media friends. Members of Facebook I met five years ago and now from twitter, the community of indie authors is amazingly supportive. Not only with my writing, but on a personal level too.

IAN. Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

C.B. Young age, like Becca, my life wasn’t pleasant and I learned to survive and drift away by reading stories. Not too long after, I began to create my own reality. A happier one.

IAN. Who designed the cover for Where Life Takes You?

C.B. Danielle Fine did the cover of my eBook, and based on it Steve Caresser designed the print version.

IAN. What was the hardest part of writing Where Life Takes You?

C.B. Editing, my first experience doing so wasn’t gentle. But I think my first editor taught me a few valuable lessons and brought out more from me to the book that I was willing to share or deliver.

IAN. Did you learn anything from writing Where Life Takes You and what was it?

C.B. Yes, the biggest one was not to shy away and bring your best game to the keyboard… also proof it before publishing!

IAN. Tell us about your next book or a work in progress. Is it a sequel or a stand-alone?

C.B. Currently I’m working on the sequel of Where Life Takes You and finished writing Getting by, the first book of the Knight Brother’s series.

IAN. Do you have any advice for other writers?

C.B. Write, write, write and keep writing, don’t give up. Also read, read and why not, read after you finished writing. Don’t give up. Have I mentioned you should proof it before publishing the book?

Where Life Takes You is available in trade paperback and Kindle eBook at 

Amazon/kindle      Amazon/print

 

Eileen Granfors, The IAN Interview

IAN. Hi Eileen. Please tell us about your latest book.

EG. Stairs of Sand is a novel about a strict mother, Jolene, and her free-spirited daughter. Suzanne, who now calls herself Zoozle. The daughter is a dancer, and she has gained success as a university professor of dance. But she feels empty inside. She undergoes a late stage of rebelliousness, getting involved with drugs and a friend who is willing to try anything, especially if it’s illegal. Zoozle tries to find her way back to a self that is truly her, not an imitation of her mother or this drugged-out zombie she has become. She is helped by a therapy dog and his owner, Phllip McKillop, her good Grandpa Joe, and a whole team of new friends from Grandpa’s hospice. This is a work of hope and strength and the emotional ties that bind us to family.

IAN. How long did it take to write Stairs of Sand?

EG. This was the first book I tried to write in 2006. I found it difficult to tell the story through a single point of view and put it away while I wrote other things, including a first novel, Some Rivers End on the Day of the Dead, a YA. Once I decided on using two narrators in Stairs, it took another two years to finalize the book.

IAN. What inspired you to write Stairs of Sand?

EG.  The struggles of parents around me as well as my own struggles to be a better parent to a new generation of kids who don’t buy “be seen and not heard” influenced me to try to tell Zoozle and Jolene’s story.

IAN. Talk about the writing process. 

EG.  I write every morning from 8:30 to noon. I walk my dogs first, thinking about what I am going to write.

IAN. Did you use an outline or do you just wing the first draft? 

EG. I have learned to have an idea of where the book is going but to write in a free-flowing manner. If I don’t like something later, I cut it and put it into a file for another use.

IAN. How is your book different from others in your genre?

EG. Unlike a lot of women’s fiction, this book does not center on shopping, baking, or homemaking. It focuses on the careers these women have chosen and the anguish that secrets between them cause. Most families don’t have the communication skills they need in house. They may have them at work or school, but not in their most beloved relationships.

IAN. Is your book published in print, e-book or both?

EG. Both!

IAN. What do you hope your readers come away with after reading your book?

EG. As my reviews show, most readers come away with the certainty that honesty in family is important and that kids are not a reflection of their parents’ deepest wishes. That child is going to grow up to become somebody the parent may never have expected to meet. Freedom to be yourself and be loved unconditionally for yourself is a huge theme in the book.

IAN. Where can we go to buy Stairs of Sand?

EG. My book is available on Amazon. I also have my own web site, http://www.authoreileengranfors.blogspot.com. 

The Independent Authors Network and the World Lit Café are also helping to get the word out on Stairs of Sand.

IAN. Tell us about your next book or a work in progress. Is it a sequel or a stand alone?

EG. Stairs of Sand is a stand alone title. I have just completed Sydney’s Story, a prequel to A Tale of Two Cities. I am very excited to have finished this book, which has been a niggling idea for thirty years!

IAN. Any other links or info you'd like to share?

EG. I have had a lot of fun making trailers for my books. Here is the link for the trailer to Stairs of Sand. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SnDv4THmmo

I have a review web site for other authors’ books. I call it Word Joy.

http://www.eileengranfors.blogspot.com   Even though I am a writer, I read like a fiend too.

IAN. When did you decide to write?

EG. I found that writing helped me through the grief of my mother’s death. After the summer of 2001, I decided I would write novels once I retired from teaching.

IAN. Who is your favorite character in Stairs of Sand?

EG. This is a really difficult question because I love so many of the characters. Zoozle’s strength astounds me, her friend Chloris gives such loving advice and is a good role model, and Grandpa Joe supports his granddaughter with unconditional love. Grandpa is pretty funny, so my final vote goes to Grandpa Joe.

IAN. This book is about family. Is it a true story?

EG. All stories are based in the author’s perception of truth. But the adventures of Zoozle and her mother are based only on my imagination.

Stairs of Sand by Eileen Granfors

272 pages

Women’s fiction

         Chapter 1: Zoozle 

      The Whidbey-Port Townsend ferry carries few passengers this late on a July night. The nearly empty ferry mimics my completely empty me. I lost my job last week, and everything else before that. 

    I’d meditate, but Mel is singing, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” trying too hard to make me laugh. She’s serious about us making some Internet porn for cash, pronounced with a long a. I’ve told her no way a million times, that I’d rather be homeless and starving or dead.

    A crewman walks by, giving us a lecherous leer, calling out, “Hey, you girls. Haven’t you heard of curfew?” We’re both in our late twenties, and we both look twelve. Mel flips him off and slides closer to me. I push her away. 

   “Zooz, girl, I’m freezing,” she says. As one, we look at her feet in terry-cloth flip flops. She moves over and touches the hollow in my throat, right where a lump of misery is clogged. She tries to zip my windbreaker across my tank top. “You feel like ice. Let’s sit in the car. Quit trying to be Wonder Woman.” That’s how I mock my mom’s self-perception of perfection. I shake my head.

    “Take the keys. Get warm. I need the air.”           

   Mel wanders back and huddles in the car. I pass by her as I walk to the ferry boat’s stern, riding low to the water. Mel has wrapped a blanket across her bony shoulders, head tucked into her chest and the blanket is up like a hoodie. She often looks vulnerable, like someone I should protect. It took me a while to learn that was her act. Everybody acts a role. I’m totally tired of mine, and it’s only been 168 hours since I was atop a shining star, dance teacher at Port Townsend University, now placed on leave,  basically code for fired.

    I study the waves, watching the ferry’s wake in the darkness.  That’s like me, one bubble among millions. My heart aches more because it’s a foggy night, and I can’t see that far ahead. I love our rare sunny days in Washington. If I close my eyes on a sunny day, I can make myself believe I’m still a little kid, surfing in California with my Grandpa Joe.

    As the ferry chugs into the channel, a tall, skinny, old man in a tweed sports coat comes to stand near me. His Newfoundland retriever, huge, black and white and unbelievably furry, sits between us, wearing a pink halter. “Guardian Angels” is scripted across the back.

     Lately, I don’t much talk except to Mel. I make an exception since he has a dog. “May I pet your dog?” I ask him.

     “We’d love that, wouldn’t we, Jacques?”  He rubs his dog behind the ears. 

     I sink to my knees to pet the dog, who is tall enough to look me in the eyes when I do. His gaze is direct and soft with affection. Though he’s wet in the misty air, it feels wonderful to put my head on his. My heart uncurls one nanometer.

     “Hi Jacques,” I say.  Jacques smiles. He licks my face, my new short hair, spiky with hair gel. I push my hair with my fingers, then rub the dog’s slobber and my hair gel on my jeans, and I smile back.

   “His full name is Frère Jacques.  But we cut it short.” The old man grins with the pride of a father. “I’m Phillip McKillop.” He takes off his hat and sweeps it across his heart. 

   I scratch the dog some more. “Hello, Phillip. I’m Suzann, Suzann Zimmerman.” I don’t know why I don’t tell him Zoozle. “I used to have a dog, a little guy, part spaniel, part Pomeranian.  My ex has him now.” Javier has Boo, Javier has a house, Javier has a new life.  Me, I’ve got Mel. I’ve got a roof over my head with Big Daddy, Mel’s meth-making friend, which was cool until I stopped doing meth. Now, I wouldn’t want a dog around Big Daddy. I don’t want me around Big Daddy. 

     “Bye Phillip.  Bye, Jacques.” Holding the dog has tightened the knot in my throat. I can’t swallow it down. Despair claws with more powerful digs into my stomach. I look off into the dark night, back towards the car where Mel is tracing patterns on the fogged windows. What escape route should I take from this huge mess I’ve made? I can’t run home again. My mom wouldn’t want me there and she won’t come here, she’s made that clear enough. Life with Mel is all I’ve got, and now I am certain I don’t want that either.

     I am through with do over’s.

   I walk to the other side of the boat, away from the crewman and Mr. McKillop. I unzip my boots, aligning them underneath the life preserver ring. The boots are the right size for Mel. 

    I clamber over the chain guard and dive away from the ferry into the sea.

    The cold water burns my skin, and numbness makes my body feel as heavy as my wet clothes. The current is strong, pulling me south. My ribs hurt from where I hit the water so flat, and it’s hard to lift my arms.  It’s even harder to keep my head up with the chop of the waves. I sink and swallow water. Floundering, I pop back up again. In the distance, there’s the ferry.

     Then, I see Jacques. He has followed my leap and is paddling towards me, maybe ten yards away.  

   I sink again, the waves and tide working together to push me under.  Something in me tries to begin swimming towards him, as if I am suddenly awake. I remember it’s better to lean back to float and conserve my strength against the cold. I’m grabbed by the neck of my windbreaker. It’s Jacques!  I reach for his vest straps, and he pulls me with sure, steady strength against the current. 

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