📖Authors To Watch: Richard I. Levine, Like Driftwood on the Salish Sea #authorstowatch #interview

 

  

Richard I Levine is a native New Yorker raised in the shadows of Yankee Stadium. After dabbling in several occupations and a one-year coast-to-coast wanderlust trip, This one-time auxiliary police officer, volunteer fireman, bartender, and store manager returned to school to become a chiropractor.

A twenty-five-year cancer survivor, he’s a strong advocate for the natural healing arts. In 2006 he wrote, produced, and was on-air personality of The Dr. Rich Levine Show on Seattle’s KKNW 1150AM and after a twenty-five-year chiropractic practice in Bellevue, Washington, he closed up shop at the end of 2016 and moved to Oahu to pursue a dream of acting and being on Hawaii 5-O.

While briefly working as a ghostwriter/community liaison for a Honolulu City Councilmember, a Hawaii State Senator, and volunteering as an advisory board member of USVETS Barbers Point, he appeared as a background actor in over twenty-seven 5-Os, Magnum P.I.s, NCIS-Hawaii, and several Hallmark movies. In 2020, he had a co-star role in the third season episode of Magnum PI called “Easy Money.”

While he no longer lives in Hawaii, he says he will always cherish and be grateful for those seven years and all the wonderful people he’s met. His 5th novel, To Catch the Setting Sun, was inspired by his time in Hawaii.

Like Driftwood on the Salish Sea is Levine’s first foray into the romance genre.

Website & Social Media:

Website ➜ http://www.docrichlevine.com  

X ➜ https://www.twitter.com/Your_In8_Power 

Facebook ➜ https://www.facebook.com/RichardLevineAuthor/ 

Instagram ➜ https://www.instagram.com/rilevinedc 

Before you started writing your book, what kind of research did you do to prepare yourself to write it? 

The short answer is none. I didn’t do any prep work. When the idea for Like Driftwood On The Salish Sea came to me it was as if I was struck with a lightning bolt. I drew upon life experience and then, as a particular situation called for greater knowledge and understanding, I would begin to search the internet and/or in the case of this story, I took several trips up to San Juan Island to see and experience things firsthand.

Did you pursue publishers or did you opt to self-pub? 

 

 I opted to self-publish this time around.

If self-published, did you hire someone to format the ebook version for you or did you do it yourself?  Can you tell us what that was like? 

 

 I formatted both the ebook and the paperback. I was lucky to have come across a couple of tutorials online that made the process quite easy. With that said however, somehow the version that I formatted in MS Word, ended up looking slightly different after it had been uploaded to Amazon’s KDP. I’m still trying to connect with anyone at KDP for a little customer service that can help correct this. I tried searching the community pages on that site for someone who has had a similar experience and that has not been fruitful.   

How did you choose your cover?  

 

I honestly didn’t want to be too cerebral about it. I searched through a ton of free images that are available online until one that embodied the raw emotions of this story jumped off the screen. Once I saw it, I didn’t second guess the decision to use the photo. 

Did you write your book, then revise or revise as you went?

 

Just like with the other books I’ve written, as the process unfolds and takes shape I’ll revise as I go along and then fine tune it during the editing process.  

What are some of the most important things you believe an author should do before their book is released?  

 

Definitely promote through every avenue available. Try to get as many pre-release orders as possible by sending out a “press release” email to everyone in your contacts list. Line up as many reviews as you can. There are plenty of book-review contests out there, enter as many legit contests as you possibly can. Just be careful with who you decide to work with. You’ll be amazed at how many promotion “experts” start coming out of the woodwork.

What are some of the most important things you believe an author should do after their book is released?

  

It would be nice if initial promotional efforts created a self-perpetuating momentum, but outside of already having a major publishing house in your corner or having the reputation of a popular best-selling author, ongoing promotional activity is a must. If you have the funds, think about running ads on popular social media platforms. Look into any remaining brick and mortar bookstores for doing signings or readings. Work with a book marketer who has a proven track record.

What would you like to say to your readers and fans about your book? 

 

It’s simple. A Starbucks latte is going to cost you $4-$5. It’s warm, comforting, and it might even get your heart racing for a little while, but that’s it. It’s over unless you want to plunk down another $5.  But a $2.99 investment for this ebook will also give you comfort, warm your heart, and even pull at your heartstrings. It’ll hit you right in the feels if you know what I mean. More importantly, this one will stay with you forever. Go to the Amazon page for Like Driftwood on the Salish Sea and read the reviews and you’ll see what I mean. Here's one that was posted on X: “Poignant, powerful, and tender. Like Driftwood on the Salish Sea is more than a romance, it’s a masterclass in emotional storytelling. Mitch and Jess will stay with you long after the final page.” ~Tae Keller on X 

 

When they met in the fourth grade, it was love at first sight for Mitchell Brody and Jessica Ramirez. He was the freckle-faced kid who stood up for her honor when he silenced the class bully who’d been teasing her because of her accent. She was the new kid whose family moved to San Juan Island, Washington, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and whom Mitch had thought was the most beautiful girl in the world.

She was his salvation from a strict upbringing. He was her knight in shining armor who had always looked out for her. Through the many years of porch-swinging, cotton-candied summer nights, autumn harvest festivals, and hand-in-hand walks planning for the ideal life together, they were inseparable…until 9/11, when the real world interrupted their Rockwell-esque small town life, and Mitch had joined the Marine Corps.

This is not just the story of a wounded warrior finally coming home to search for the love, and the world he abandoned twenty years before. It is also the story of a man who is seeking forgiveness and a way to ease the pain caused by every bad decision he’d ever made. It’s the story of a woman who, with strength and determination, rose up from the ashes of a shattered dream; but who never gave up hope that her one true love would return to her. As she once told an old friend: “Even before we met all those years ago, we were destined to be together in this life, and we will be together again, because even today we’re connected in a way that’s very special, and he needs to know about it before one of us leaves this earth.”

Like Driftwood on the Salish Sea is available at Amazon.