Author Interview with Dan Walsh featuring The Discovery and BOOK GIVEAWAY

I've always enjoyed books by Dan Walsh and The Discovery is one of the best. Here is my review link if you would like to look to see how much I loved it. 
http://thelifeandtimesofwanda.blogspot.com/2012/04/discovery-by-dan-walsh-review.html 


I would like to thank Dan for this fantastic interview and book giveaway. Also I agree completely with how you feel about books in print form. Now to the interview!

Tell us about The Discovery the featured book.


Here's the way it's described on the back of the book. Seems to say it pretty well without giving too much away:


When aspiring writer Michael Warner inherits his grandfather's historic Charleston estate, he settles in to write his first novel. But within the confines of the stately home, he discovers an unpublished manuscript that his grandfather, a literary giant whose novels sold in the millions, has kept hidden from everyone-but which he clearly intended Michael to find. As he delves deep into the exciting tale about spies and sabotage, Michael discovers something that has the power to change not only his future but his past as well.

Laced with suspense and intrigue, The Discovery is a richly woven novel that explores the incredible sacrifices that must be made to forge the love of a lifetime. 


Has being published changed your life? 


In many ways it has. It allowed me to do something I've wanted to do since high school -- write novels. I wasn't able to do this fulltime until after my 3rd novel came out. That made it possible for me to retire from pastoral ministry after 25 years. We're not rich, by any means, but finally making enough that it allowed us to transition into writing fulltime. This has also allowed me to write 2 books a year instead of one. Besides these things, I've met some wonderful new friends and now work with an amazing publishing team at Revell.

What do you find harder to do come up with a character, get the scenery or the plot?


I'm not sure which is harder of these three. In  some of my books, the plot (story) came first then the characters. With some, they were "born" at the same time. The characters don't start out as real as they become to me 50-70 pages into writing the book. I have an idea of who they are, but often they will "graduate" to the status of almost being real people that I know. After that, writing scenes with them becomes much easier. I often go back at that point and make changes to the first section of the book, to take this new understanding of the characters and adjust them to be the same person throughout the rest of the story.


Which do you enjoy more e books or print books?




Definitely print books. But I get the eBook craze. My wife is on her 2nd Kindle, and she absolutely loves it.  Both my agent and editor use them and, it seems, a growing number of my fans (judging by the sales figures). But I still like the feel of holding a real book, with actual pages that turn. Actually, I like hardback books the best, so I'm totally "old school." 
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www.danwalshbooks.com
The Discovery - AVAILABLE NOW/RT Reviews 4.5 Stars-Top Pick
Remembering Christmas - RT Reviews Top Pick/ECPA Bestseller
The Deepest Waters - "Matches the storytelling of Nicholas Sparks" - Christian Retailing
The Homecoming - RT Reviews, 4.5 Stars
The Unfinished Gift - 2 ACFW Carol Awards

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Giveaway The Discovery by Dan Walsh

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Contest is only open in the U.S. and void where prohibited. Chances of winning are based on the number of entries and winner is draw from a non-biased third party- Random.org.  ENTRY DEADLINE May 16, 2012