David Allman is one of the first indie published writers I met last year when I started promoting Intoxic. We met at a local book store's Meet the Author event. We had a wonderful, quiet conversation, where he told me about his book Acorns to Wheat, and I told him, not so quietly, about my book, Intoxic. It was a wonderful day. Several days later I got an email from David, who had the hook up on another author event and encouraged me to put my name in the hat. That's the kinda guy David is, he's looking out for other people. By nature, I'm gregarious, outgoing, upstaging, in some instances. David is quiet and calm. For him to reach out to me, someone he had just met, to help me find a path, is impressive, because he had to know that I'd come in like a whirling dervish.
David has continued keeping me in the loop for author events he hears about and I've had the pleasure of hearing him talk about his book several times. He is one of my Gallion Picks authors, because his book is meticulously researched and written in such a simple, quiet way that it transported me to 4000 B.C. I respect his skill as a writer, but even more I respect his skill as a person. I watched him several weeks ago at an author event (that he probably put me in touch with), in his corner of the library, and I could see him spreading that quiet calm of his to everybody who came to his table. It was like a small ripple of good spreading through the room.
Thank you David, for all you have done for me over this past year and for participating in my People Who Inspire.
"My father is a Presbyterian minister and my mother was the secretary to the head of a large insurance firm until they started having children. They both earned college degrees. I am the second son and 'last' child until age 12, when my parents 'oops' son came along. I was raised in a loving, two-parent home in a small town, protected from outside-the-family drama while growing up.I was about age 12 when Dad started explaining his work with racism, poverty and the social inequity of the late '60s in rural Alabama. It was a shock to a pre-teen. I was exposed to abject poverty, church members' hate-filled racism and the ruthlessness of what happens to anyone who broke the social norms of 'polite' society. These were experiences I remembered and leaned upon for guidance throughout my adulthood.I have always loved writing. In the innocence of my youth, I wrote love poetry and idyllic sci-fi and adventure short stories. I graduated from college with a degree in teaching history.Growing up, my mother always told me I could be anything I put my mind to. Unfortunately, that translated into I didn't need to make realistic plans for a career as whatever I needed to know would just come to me. A few months into my marriage, I found I had to actually get a job and support my half of the family. That took up the next nearly 50 years.Throughout my working career, I dabbled in collecting my mother's family histories. After retirement, that was the first book I completed. The work re-ignited my writing interests and after five years of heavy
research, I published my second book, Acorns to Wheat, an historical fiction novel. The book's success and the education garnered by my research has inspired me to start another book, beginning where the first saga ended. I may even have the stamina for a trilogy. My writing remains in the historical realm, both fiction and non-fiction. My target audience is an educated adult history buff. I relish the challenge of talking to adults about their perception of ancient people and our collective journey from stone age to atomic age. I love learning about history and want to share it in a positive way that encourages others to explore what they are interested in learning.
After being rejected many, many times, I chose self-publishing and self-promoting. Now, I speak to groups of readers and writers about my journey from manuscript to book promotion. I want to show them how to satisfy the writing bug and lessen some of the turbulence along their journey.
My most rewarding decision was to join a writer's group. I attend the library's Writers Circle in Peachtree City where I get excerpts from my manuscripts both bashed and bravo-ed. I would not want it any other way. My best advice is to fail and learn what you can from it. Change, grow and try 'til you die."
David Allman - Contact info