From CBC Book Awards interview with David W. Huffstetler, author of Blood on the Pen:
1. Describe your book’s character-building message.
Jack Harden is a modern-day Texas Ranger who lost his wife to a drunk driver a year ago. He struggles with his desire to kill the man who cost him his beloved Jenny and the temptation to kill himself. The only things that keep him going are his job and his hunger to find a psychopathic killer … until Elsie Rodriguez enters his life. Their relationship is complicated and sometimes stormy, but she finds a way to pull him from the edge and salvage his tortured soul.
2. What inspired you to share that message with your readers?
The message of recovering from a tragic loss was inspired by the loss of one of my nieces, also to a drunk driver. Unfortunately, I had the sad occasion to see how that tragedy affected my family and the family of the young man who was driving the car that killed her.
3. Describe your target audience?
Anyone who likes a story of redemption, a story of how the human spirit can survive, and a story with a lot of action. It’s interesting that the group that seems to have embraced this book most are young women, aged 20 to 35.
4. How would you like your message to impact your readers?
Blood on the Pen has more than one theme. First, one character is a frustrated, unpublished author who receives one rejection letter too many. This ignites a spark in him that leads him to kill literary agents. Yes, this character is the villain, but he is one with a background that just might challenge the reader’s current perceptions. Also, it may be cliché to say, but Jack and Elsie show the healing power of love and devotion, even in Jack’s violent world. Their message delivers hope in times of despair and violence.
5. What have you learned about yourself through the publishing process?
That I am not as patient as the process requires. Publishers are very busy, but authors don’t always appreciate that; we want things to happen sooner rather than later. Publishers can be painfully slow, and I learned that I had to adjust to their pace.
6. What is your goal as a writer?
I’d like for my stories to mean something to the reader. Erotica sells, but I refuse to write it. I want my readers to recognize the world for what it is, sometimes not so nice, and see that people can lead meaningful lives in spite of that.
7. How will your book award help you achieve that goal?
By exposing my story to more people. Hopefully, when they read it, the story will ring true in their lives.
Blood on the Pen by David W. Huffstetler
CBC Book Awards, Character Building Counts, www.CBCAwards.com