Tame Your Desires
with Walter Luce
Walter
Luce was
born in Vermont where I still spend my summers.
He’s been a successful real estate developer in Florida,
Georgia, and California. Walter now lives in the Palm Springs, California area with his wife Bonnie, where he wrote
his first novel of six, Eva Pennington.
Walter Luce is the oldest of seven,
graduated from Braintree Randolph Union High School in 1962, and attended Miami
Dade Junior college after being honorably discharged from the Army in
1967.
Please
tell us your latest news!
My novel VERMONT BOUND the third in the Donatelli
series was just published by Oak Tree Press and it’s doing very well. EVA PENNINGTON – TROUBLE IN GEORGIA is also
published. Next up will be ATLANTA EXIT,
which is scheduled to be released just prior to this interview. My latest work
is another Eva Pennington novel, EVA PENNINGTON – DAMSELS OF DIVERSION, to be
released in August.
Please
describe your writing environment.
We own a cabin (Camp Cupcake) in the foothills of the
Vermont National Forest and I have a writers loft on the second floor. In the
desert I write from my in-house real estate development office.
Do
you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as
you write?
The main characters are planned the others show up and
I let them take me where they want,
How
much research do you do for your books? Have you found any cool tidbits in your
research?
I do some research.
I find that in the advent of the computer, research is made easier.
How
does your family feel about having a writer in the family? Do they read your
books?
They’re amazed…as I am. Most of them read my work.
What
are your hobbies?
Golf and periodic running.
If
you had to choose one person to have dinner with, who would it be? And why?
A dead person would be Samuel Clemens…In my opinion
he’s one of the greatest writers that ever lived. Today, would be Steve
Forbes…I’m in favor of a flat tax.
If
you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
I’ve just reread VERMONT BOUND for the umpteenth time
and I wouldn’t change a thing. But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be improved
upon, your work is never complete. Read
something you wrote a year ago and see if you don’t just choke. You have to draw the line.
Do
you recall how your interest in writing originated?
My wife at the time taught college journalism and was
a MENSA member. In the ‘70s she forced
me to go to one of their meetings. After three meetings I was determined to do
what they were talking about doing…write a book. Thirty years later I wrote my first novel for
all the wrong reasons—not being an educated man I thought if I wrote a book
people would think I was smart. By the
way none of them ever wrote that book they talked about and writing a book
didn’t make me any smarter.
Do
you write full time? What did you do before you became a writer? Or still do?
I don’t profess to be a writer it just happened. I’m a real estate developer who buys dirt and
builds buildings. I still do both.
What
is your writing process? Do you outline, fly by the seat of your pants or a
combination of both?
I start with an idea and just let the characters take
me for a ride. It’s easier now that
publishers and the public like shorter novels.
I love the ride.
Do
you have a ritual when it comes to writing? Example….get coffee, blanket,
paper, pen and a comfy place
Between five and six AM I secure my first of four cups
of coffee, read the Wall Street Journal, check my emails, work on my real
estate deals, reread what I wrote the day before and then write anywhere from
1,500 to 2,500 words.
Current
Release Details:
EVA PENNINGTON – TROUBLE IN GEORGIA was just released.
ATLANTA EXIT the prequel to VERMONT BOUND is being released in June, 2013, and MIAMI
EXIT the prequel to ATLANTA EXIT is being released in August this year.
If
you could be one of your characters - Who would you be? And why?
This might seem odd, but though I’m a man, I would
like to be Eva Pennington. She’s a
ballsy lady in the 60s’ who doesn’t take any shit from men. I’ve lived the Donatelli character.
What
do you do on a typical writing day?
Work on business deals for few hours in the morning,
write until mid-day, and go for a run if I’m not playing golf. In the afternoon I catch up on the news,
check my emails and read.
Can
you please give us a sneak peek at any of your upcoming books?
ATLANTA EXIT
Turk Donatelli, a self-made millionaire at the age of twenty
four. Turk grew up poor in a small Vermont
lumber town, the oldest of eight. As Turk, whose thirst for knowledge was
insatiable, grew into a teenager and then a man, he struggles to become
respected, and respectable.
In 1970 Turk Donatelli left the mob controlled city of Miami. Turk along with his close friend, China Jon and Digger his Navy Seal protector,
follow a fast paced adventure through Ocala,
Florida and the European continent
before arriving in Atlanta. Here he crosses the line when he builds
adult bookstores for Nikolas J. Pappas, known as the "Porno-King of the
Southeast,” and who is currently facing a charge of murder of a
competitor. Turk thought money would cure his angst, as he lives a life he
always dreamed about. Instead, it made him feel empty and unfulfilled.
Seeking to tame his wild desires…women, drinking, and gambling,
Turk, marries a brilliant journalist, who has a five year old son. Their seemly
idyllic marriage is far from ideal when his wife is diagnosed with progressive
Multiple Sclerosis. Turk is determined to find a cure and raise his adopted
son. When Niko is sent to prison Turk is pressured by the FBI to leave his
employ; however he is forced to continue the partnership with Niko in
order to fund his search for a cure for MS, preserve his banking ties, and to
afford his lifestyle that has been so important to him…will
Turk cross that line a final time?
Who
is your perfect hero? And why?
My hero would be Ronald Reagan—a great communicator, a
great husband and just a damn nice guy who did a lot for this country. Visit his library…you’ll come out feeling
that maybe America can regain her respect if only we could find another
commander and chief like him.
When
you have writer's block how do you break free?
I’ve been fortunate I haven’t experienced the dreaded block yet. I always have at least a couple of books in
the works I can switch back and forth. I
read the same way. I usually have three
books going at the same time.
What
would be the best way for readers contact you? Do you have a website? Email
address? MySpace site? Blog? Message Board? Group? How can readers find out
more about you and your books?
What
is the best and worst advice you have ever received?
The best advice was to just write don’t worry about
what you write just write. The worst advice I ever got was to, trust your
banker.
What's
your favorite genre to read?
I prefer biographies and classics.
What
type of book have you always wanted to write?
I’d love to and will write a book modifying our
political system.
When
did you first decide to submit your work? Please, tell us what or who
encouraged you to take this big step.
When the real estate industry fell apart in 2006 my
wife Bonnie said to me, “Stop complaining about having nothing to do, and dust
off that novel you wrote thirty years ago, and work on getting it published.”
What
was your first published work and when was it published?
EVA MARIE PENNINGTON published on Kindle through Oak
Tree Publishing in August 2010.
Is
there anyone who really mentored or inspired you to keep writing until you were
finally published?
I
write not to get published…I write because I can’t stop writing. If I was never published I would still
write…its therapy.
