He plays piano and sings professionally and loves to paint, which he does both for fun and commission. He adores his wife, two sons and their Yorkie. He has an MLS degree in Library & Information Science.
His books include: The Dora Ellison Mystery Series
Not Today, Dora Ellison Mystery Series Book 1
A Gathering Storm, Dora Ellison Mystery Series Book 2
A Sickening Storm, Dora Ellison Mystery Books Book 3
A Biological Storm, Dora Ellison Mystery Series Book 4
A Special Storm, Dora Ellison Mystery Series Book 5
Pilgrimage from Darkness Nuremberg to Jerusalem
Bad Blood, a Long Island Mystery
Born of War: Based on a Story of American Chinese Friendship
How to Be Happy in Your Marriage
The Neighborhood
His work can be found at https://www.davidfeldman.com/books.shtml.
He works extensively as a ghostwriter, via his ghostwriting website at https://longislandnyghostwriter.com. His film, Everyone Deserves a Decent Life (directed, produced) won the Alfred Fortunoff Humanitarian Film Award at the Long Island Film Expo, 2014. His film, Let Me Out! (Written, directed, produced) won Best Psychological Thriller at the 2009 New York International Film Festival. His play, Love Lives On, was a winner of the inaugural Artists in Partnership Inaugural Playwriting Contest and was performed in Sept. – Oct. 2022 in Long Beach, New York.
Website: https://www.davidefeldman.com/books.shtml
Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidefeldmanw1
Facebook: https://facebook.com/DavidEFeldmanAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidefeldmanwriter
We welcome you to My Bookish Pleasures! Can you tell us how you got started writing thriller/noir?
I was an "other side of the tracks" kid, aka in trouble a lot when I was growing up, and I rarely attended school. In fact I skipped school so much that I was sent to a strict private school for my senior year of high school. I got my education from reading--first science fiction, along with classics like Kurt Vonnegut's books, then John Steinbeck (East of Eden is one of my favorite books of all time, and finally mysteries--the darker the better. I have written since I was in my teens and in recent years have focused on mysteries and thrillers--particularly bleak, noir, hard-boiled stories. I loved noir movies and now I love--and write--noir books.
Describe your writing process. Do you plot or write by the seat of your pants? When and where do you write?
I write most days, and nearly always at home. I do occasionally take motorcycle rides (I ride a Harley Sport Glide at the moment) and find out-of-the-way restaurants or parks and write there. I am somewhere between a plotter and a pantser. I decide upon the crime, the murderer and his or her motive, the detective and my assortment of other characters. I then cover up the crime with misdirections and red herrings. I also develop the emotional, personal arcs of all my characters. Once I start writing, the story will evolve, grow more complex, and change.
Can you tell us about your most recent release?
As it turns out, my August 1 release of Dora Ellison Book 6, A Divisive Storm, is to be the finale (at least for now) of the Dora series. Here's a short synopsis: Ray Drucker is shot in the face while sitting in his car in the parking lot of a drug store.His wife, Katie, hires Dora Ellison and Missy Winters of Geller Investigations to find his killer. Soon, another murder occurs, and these are linked to a third murder, five years earlier. Dora and Missy learn that these men were all members of a club with a barely hidden racist agenda and a white supremacist past. As the bodies pile up, Dora and Missy are faced with their most daunting, dangerous case yet!
How did you get the idea for the book?
The Dora Ellison Mystery Series often revolves around an issue. In book 1, Not Today, it was local corruption. In book 2 it was drug addiction and dealing, book 3 was health care, book 4 gender identity, and book 5 people with special needs. A Divisive Storm, Book 6, is about bigotry--specifically, white supremacy and what I'd call fringe bigotry. By the way, last year I released a standalone novel that was not a mystery called The Neighborhood. That book was about what I call "casual bigotry"--the kind so many people grow up with around the dinner table. The kind they hear from their parents growing up. Fortunately, my experience has been that many people who grow up with this latter kind of bigotry change as they spend time with people who are different from them. The bigotry in A Divisive Storm is more pernicious--and deadly. But mystery writing requires twists, and so the tables are turned in a way that I can't describe without spoiling the mystery.
Of all your characters, which one is your favorite? Why?
Wow. I love them all. They're my children, in a sense. I have a special place in my heart for my heroine, Dora Ellison. She has a soft, sweet heart, but bridles at injustice and does something about it. She has a brutal streak that I suppose is part of my own psyche. In book 1 she discovers she is a natural, a savant at martial arts, so she has the opportunity to give bullies--and murderers--what they deserve. And she does. I love Missy because she's a librarian. My own degree is in Library Science, and I believe libraries are important; they are equalizers, giving folks who may not have access to literature the access they and everyone ought to have. When anyone marvels at her sleuthing or research ability, she responds with "Hey, I'm a librarian!"
What was the most challenging aspect of writing your book?
They are all challenging. A Divisive Storm was difficult because I decided it would be the last of the series. I had ideas for 2 new series, and I wanted to get started on them while I'm still on the planet (lol). Saying goodbye to Dora was and is difficult.
What projects are you currently working on?
I am starting a new, noir and hard-boiled series tentatively titled Hammer & Sharpe, about a detective in the Sam Spade vein who tangles with and coexists with a clan of complicated, criminal brothers who run a town. There will be murders, kidnappings and lots of other fun. I am also developing a comedic, cozy series about an aging detective with all sorts of health issues who has a running conversation with his late wife and solves mysteries with the help of his dog.
What advice would you offer to new or aspiring fiction authors? Read books in the genre. Write to market. Study, learn, and adopt the tropes of your genre. This is one of the secrets to selling books without the budget of a major publisher. Read Chris Fox's Write to Market, along with books about writing and selling your books in today's marketplace. Read books about writing mysteries, police procedures (unless, of course, you've been a cop), and profiling. There are so many outstanding books around nowadays that will help. And, two very important things: write a much and as often as you can, and ... never give up!
Author: David E. Feldman
Publisher: Eface Media
Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Pages: 233
Genre: Thriller / Noir
Ray Drucker is shot in the face while sitting in his car in the parking lot of a drug store. His wife, Katie, hires Dora Ellison and Missy Winters of Geller Investigations to find his killer. Soon, another murder occurs, and these are linked to a third murder, five years earlier. Dora and Missy learn that these men were all members of a club with a barely hidden racist agenda and a white supremacist past. As the bodies pile up, Dora and Missy are faced with their most daunting, dangerous case yet!
Fans and lovers of Noir, Hard-Boiled and LGBT Detective Mysteries will love the Dora Ellison Mystery Series.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Divisive-Storm-Gripping-Mystery-Thriller-ebook/dp/BoBF1FKNVV/
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