Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
I’m not sure when it began – perhaps in another lifetime – but one significant event sticks in mind: when in year six or seven, the teacher asked the class to write an essay on a topic of their choice, much to the student’s mortal objections, except for goody-two-shoes. I wrote about a tree in a field and described it to the inch degree. And – ta-da! – received top marks. Whether it be a tree or shadows lurking within other dimensions, the urge to present folks with a doorway in which to escape remains my driving force. KALEIDOSCOPIC SHADES, however, remained mothballed for a decade until a lovely ex-hippy, ex-school principal, and all-around good guy – Hi there, Brian Harris! – suggested that I get off my butt and do something about it.
What inspired you to write your book?
Part of my childhood was spent in a house where unseen guests strutted about, opening and closing all amount of the doors and windows and even went as far as rescuing me, if not the entire family, from potential disaster. Awakening one morning, freezing cold – as my folks had made the mind-numbing decision of us moving us into the Adelaide hills where night temperatures kept one in cryogenic status year-round – I was greeted by several oddities 1.) My electric blanket had caught alight during the night and had burned a patch in the bedsheets and mattress and 2.) The electrical cords feeding the blanket had been unplugged and pulled from the socket. The rest of the family were still sleeping blissfully unaware when this discovery was made. Oh – and by the way, it’s not true, you know? The dead… they can hurt you just as easily. And badly.
What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
Ah – you know, that is both an interesting question as well as one which draws out a simple answer: we are all in this together, and when we all start learning that – if mankind as a whole ever will – we’ll discover regardless of sexual orientation, of gender and desires, of likes and dislikes, of the color of our skin or the gods we genuflect to, each and every one of us experiences pain, love, happiness, and sadness and by turning one’s back on someone in need only cheapens humanity.
What drew you into this particular genre?
The undying intrigue in what lies beyond. I believe I just about absorb every ghost-hunting doco, paranormal doco, and everything in between which can’t be explained. Yep – it’s pretty much part of my DNA and scares the pants off my lovely GP whenever I ask for a blood test and he gets the results! There is so much anecdotal evidence out there that screams at us to take notice – or suffer the consequences of ignorance.
If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?
Huh – I’ve never given that a thought. The characters were such an integral part of my life for as long as I was with them through their journey. I guess I would ask both Joshua and Leon why the hell they just don’t open up about their feelings for each other. I could also ask Bob and Sue if there were any substantial differences between Adelaide and California. And, by the end of the ordeal, I’d ask each and every one of them how they were going to approach the rest of their lives having survived the ravenous horrors of another reality.
What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
Ha-ha-ha! I’m on LinkedIn which automatically hooks up to Twitter, but I don’t seem to be very good at socials. I feel very clumsy as if I’m soliciting people in some weird way. There’s a giveaway I’m involved in at the moment on Crave Books in both sci-fi and horror genres and it took me an age to post the link on LinkedIn. Therefore, I’m pretty much talking to myself… seriously, I have a number of followers, and if we all got together we could have a quaint dinner party. But – boy howdy – I’d love these special people to purchase Kaleidoscopic Shades and then post a review. Who knows, that might even kick-start things.
What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Find your style, and avoid following a fad. Be yourself and express yourself in your own unique way. And don’t be fooled by marketers once you’ve finished. Check. Double-check and then triple-check. Never pay a cent until you know what that marketer can truly do for you besides a bunch of meaningless promises.
What does the future hold in store for you? Are any new books/projects on the horizon?
A second novel is now complete in manuscript form after some 14 months and 70 hours a week. It’s loosely a sequel to KALEIDOSCOPIC SHADES and, hopefully, breaks the stereotypical rules of sequels in that it explores far greater avenues without becoming lost in its own importance or merely running over trodden grounds. THE PENNY ARCADE is, once again, a thriller/horror that carries a hint of a psychological thriller. It’s primarily set in rural surroundings and focuses on the unworldly happenings taking place on Solemn Street. Situated on the very outskirts of a little township, it has a playground – with one helluva nasty reputation. The only visitors that roam it now are bloodless and don’t particularly care for the slippery dips and swings, leaving them as sad, abandoned relics, in preference for exacting revenge. Whilst a hitch-hiker from Earth’s beginning once again rises to the surface to satisfy its dark needs.
About the Author
Born in Adelaide, Australia, David A. Neuman was gifted a vivid imagination that continues to this day to distort memories of childhood. In the late-seventies, he left Norwood High School as an underachiever after his parents had moved from the burbs into the hills. Too easily distracted. Too ready to dream beyond the windows of the classroom, and journeyed from one college to another, graduating from Flinders University with a graduate certificate in behavioral science. Though his visible passion lay in lending a hand to others overcoming their physical and mental obstacles, he remained a dreamer.
Turning to write early in life to express himself and give his imagination a playground upon which to run, odd scraps became serious tomes about 30 years ago and would have remained mothballed when the suggestion was raised that he should do something about it, debuting Kaleidoscopic Shades – within Black Eternity two years afterward.
David continues to live in Adelaide, South Australia, where he remains a child at heart, accepting everyone regardless of their sexual orientations and their take on this big, fantastical universe – understanding that each and every one of us is in this together.
