David R. Clarke
My relatives up in New Jersey would disown me if I did not mention I was born in the state of New Jersey (so yes, technically I’m a Yankee, but don’t tell anyone). I lived there until I was about 5 years old, then we moved to Jacksonville, Florida when my Dad was transferred there for work, and we lived there for 1 year. Then came the big move to Birmingham, Alabama that would define most of my life. I started school in Birmingham in second grade at Vestavia Hills Elementary School, and it was my 2nd grade teacher that helped me to learn to love reading (I wish I could remember her name; if you’re out there please email me!).
I lived in Birmingham from 2nd grade until the time I graduated from Vestavia Hills High School and went to college for five wonderful years at THE University of Alabama (I was redshirted one year). After graduation I moved back to Birmingham and my first real job was in banking with SouthTrust Bank (now Wachovia, soon to be Wells Fargo).
I met and married my wonderful wife and best friend, Ann Kaylor, in the early 90’s in Birmingham, and we lived in Homewood. We have two beautiful children, Emmaline (just turned 14 and prefers to be called Emma) and Robert (8 years old and prefers to be called Robert).
In 2005 we moved to the wonderful city of Charlotte NC to take a job with Wachovia in product management. I am currently employed with another large bank headquartered in North Carolina which recently expanded into Birmingham. We are members at Carmel Baptist Church in Matthews, NC and we love our church and Sunday School class.
I have many dear family members and friends in Birmingham, which made it an easy choice for the setting of the book.
Inevitably, the first question everyone asks me when they find out I've written a book, is "What made you want to write a book?"
Growing up in Birmingham, Alabama (specifically the city of Vestavia Hills), I learned to love reading in the 2nd grade. I am now 46 years old and have been reading ever since. I heard someone say one time that a true indication of a love for reading is when someone reads the same book more than once. If that's the case, then I truly love reading. I remember devouring The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien when I was a young child, and I've read all three books since then at least three times (the last time was when the wonderful movies came out by Peter Jackson). I also thoroughly enjoyed reading The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis when I was younger, and I enjoy them even more now that I understand their allegorical significance.
I estimate that I've probably read close to a five hundred mystery/suspense/thriller novels in my lifetime, and I always felt like I could write a murder mystery after learning over time how the authors create twists and turns with the plot. The hardest part for me in writing a novel was developing the characters. I'll let you decide whether I did a good job with both after you read my book.
One of the fun parts in writing the book was naming the characters. I decided early on in the process to use the first and last names of different friends and family members to name the characters. Some examples:
* The main character is named Pete Watson. The Watson part of the character's name is based on two dear friends from college, Ralph and Traci Watson.
* Another character is named Clay Hill. This name is based on the first and last name of two other dear married friends, Clay and Tracy King and Jim and Shea Hill (those of you with good memories who have already read the book will remember that there are also characters with the first names Tracy and Shea).
* Another main character is named Earl Stallings, named after a good friend in our Sunday School class in Charlotte, Gus Stallings.
* A final example is FBI Agent Nathan Tarter, named after the ultra-talented Nathan Billingsley (my college roommate) and Chuck Tarter, who is still my best friend after all of these years (despite living across the pond in Ireland).
Another really enjoyable part of writing the book was including landmarks in Birmingham (both old and new). A cross-section of those mentioned in the book:
* You have to be really old (as my kids would say) to remember this one on Highway 31 in Vestavia: Mac's Quick Sack
* Another old one is Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor, home of The Zoo (which was so big it took two servers to carry it)
* Some great places to eat: Lloyd's Restaurant on 280, Nikki's West just north of downtown, The Bright Star in Bessemer and, of course, Milo's (because everybody goes to Milo's, right?)
* The City of Vestavia Hills and Milestone Books, which unfortunately is no longer in business (Milestone Books is no longer in business; the City of Vestavia is still going strong)
