DRIVER CONFESSIONAL - David Winters - One Free Book

Welcome, David. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

Every writer draws on their own experiences. I’m no different. It isn’t so much about specific characters as situations and conversations that I’ve been in through the years. In that way, all of my stories are autobiographical.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

There are so many, I wouldn’t even hazard a guess at the quirkiest. My life has been strange in at least 100 ways. One of those is my tendency to fall in love with the idea of certain powerful, but soft women. As a Fed, there was a high-ranking DOD official who personified the powerful and the feminine. I asked one of my staff members to get me an 8x10 glossy and put it up in my office with a candle under it. When I was asked to arrange a conference, I asked her (through channels) to come and speak. She accepted. My crush on her was well known to the 50 or so managers who attended. So after she gave the best speech I’d ever heard and finished the rubber chicken lunch, I helped her on with her coat. One of my colleagues yelled, “Way to go Dave.” The whole place erupted in applause.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

In junior high school, I collaborated with a friend and produced an informal Comedy Newspaper. The administration shut us down … but I was hooked. At Ohio State, I wrote for the large student newspaper as part of the Journalism curriculum. My stories were about the police beat (rapes, murders, etc.)

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

As an adult, there is almost no book that can’t keep my attention once I begin. My favorite author is Doris Lessing (The Grass is Singing, The Good Terrorist, The Summer Before the Dark, If the Old Could, etc.) I read everything from Max Lucado to Stephen King. Current favorites are Cynthia Ruchti and James Rubart.

I love to read Max Lucado, Cynthia Ruchti, and James Rubart. How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

By writing a non-fiction book about it (Sabbatical of the Mind: The Journey from Anxiety to Peace.) Available online and at select bookstores near you. But seriously folks, it is all about Jesus. My troubles and pain pale in comparison with His love for me and for you. It is all about focus. Do I look at my anxiety or my phobias or His plan to love the person next to me?

How do you choose your characters’ names?

Randomly. For most of us, names have connotations from past relationships. I pick one that fits in my mind and world.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

It is going to sound hokey, but having a part in leading someone to Christ. It is the only thing that matters in the eternal scheme of things. Of course, God does all the work, but it is an amazing feeling to see someone walk from death into life.

I so agree with you. That can give you such a spiritual high. If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

This is pretty easy. I am obviously a big, slobbery Saint Bernard. Do you want to know what’s in my keg? Do you? Do you? Diet Pepsi, because that is what I would want if I got rescued.

What is your favorite food?

Fajitas.

Nothing can beat really good fajitas. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Writer’s block, but I knocked it down and ran into the End Zone.

Tell us about the featured book.

Avec plaisir. (In case my readers don’t know what that means, it’s with pleasure in French.) Driver Confessional is the story of a hard-working family man who is driving for a ride-share company while he attends law school. His Italian good looks and personable, Christian way encourage riders to tell him more than they intended. On a dark night, he drives a mysterious business woman to a Senate office building. Based on her confession and something she leaves behind in the car, Antonio gets drawn into a murder investigation, trouble with the Russian mob and danger from corporate henchman. While the story is completely self-contained, most of the major characters (who survive) will be back for Book Two in the Driver Series.

Cool. Please give us the first page of the book.

The black American-made sedan rolled up in front of the Palm Restaurant near the campus of George Washington University. The Palm was one of Washington’s most toney eateries, the place where the rich and powerful go to see and be seen. As a Buber driver, Antonio enjoyed catching snatches of conversation from these elite of Washington, DC, as he delivered or picked up passengers here.

 

A few times the businessmen and women bragged of solidifying their deals after parading their companions through Washington’s finest and dining on truly memorable fare. From the street, the Palm was white tablecloths and dim lighting. Inside, the sketches of famous patrons from politicos to opera singers are plastered on the walls.

  

A group of students walking home from DuPont Circle passed between the Buber car and the entrance to the Palm. Their lively conversation and laughter lit up the night beyond the streetlights. When they cleared his line of sight, the driver looked up to see a very attractive woman descend the few stairs to street level. She wore a tailored, dark business suit and a small black hat mounted to her coiffed hair. Her eyes trained downward, she navigated the steps as she walked. He noticed the Gucci purse and phone in her right hand, which indicated she was probably his next Buber fare. Her thin leather briefcase indicated the dinner at the Palm was either work related or an after-work meet-up with a friend.

  

Before Anthony could get out, she opened the rear passenger-side door.

  

“Antonio?” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her deep red lipstick moved rhythmically as Antonio’s moniker left her mouth. In the Buber world, everyone is on a first-name-only basis.

 

“That’s right. Glynis?” She nodded. “Let me help you!” Antonio was out of his seat and over to her side in no time. She easily slid into the back seat, juggling her briefcase, purse, and phone. Being a man, Antonio couldn’t help but notice Glynis’s shapely legs. He gently closed the door behind her and hopped into the front seat.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is www.sabbaticalofthemind.net I have a groovy blog and everyone should sign up for my monthly missives about important stuff like birds and God and things.

Thank you, David, for sharing this book with us. I'm eager to read it, and I know my readers are as well.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.

Driver Confessional (The Driver Series) (Volume 1) - Paperback
Driver Confessional (Driver Series Book 1) - Kindle

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