Interview with the Author of Raise The Flag - David Smith

David Smith, a former educator and seasoned musician, lives on Long Island, NY, with his wife, two sons, and their golden retriever, Barkley, affectionately known as The Barking Dog. From performing trumpet concerts across the New York Tri-State area to shaping young minds as a music teacher and school administrator, David's career has been diverse and fulfilling. His debut novel, Raise the Flag, holds a special place in his heart, reflecting his journey and dedication. The book features a tavern named in honor of Barkley's booming bark and serves as a tribute to loyalty and inspiration.

Author Q&A

What inspired you to write your first book?

Raise The Flag is my debut novel, and I'm still amazed by its success. Before I retired, I was a high school principal and a professional jazz musician. The pandemic altered the music scene, and many performance gigs dried up. So, I decided to merge my creative side with my academic background in the form of fiction writing. It was scary at first. Would people actually read it? Will my friends laugh or support me? But now I see how much people enjoy the book, and my only regret is that I didn't do this years ago.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

When writing Raise The Flag, I never thought there would be a sequel. My intention was to write a stand-alone novel. Then something happened…I realized there could be more to the story. As I neared the end of the book, I knew what a sequel would be, so I wrote the last chapter as a direct lead into the sequel, which will be called Raise The Swords. The most common comments I receive about the book are: I love Aisha, and when does the next book come out?

How did you come up with the title?

I started writing the novel without a title in mind. My hope was that a title idea would eventually evolve. Two or three weeks into writing, the title hit me. While in the gym one morning, listening to Spotify, a song I had never heard of came up in the playlist-Raise Your Horns, by Halestorm. The song is a haunting ballad sung by a female. At that moment, I thought, "If my book was a movie, this would be the theme song." I thought the lyrics related to my strong, female main character. So, I decided to alter the song title, Raise Your Horns, to Raise The Flag.

Who designed the covers?

When I first saw the cover, I had chills. The cover was designed by Rica Graphics. I found them on Fiverr. I honestly didn't have any idea what the cover should look like. I sent them part of the manuscript and described where I thought the story was headed. A few days later, I received a notification that I received a response from Rica Graphics. I opened up the file and saw the cover. It is the cover you see on the book, with no changes. I was blown away by what they designed and didn't want to make any changes. The cover is a perfect visual representation of a scene deep into the book. And yes, Rica will definitely be designing the cover for the sequel. It will be the same color scheme and font, just slightly altered.

What genre do you consider your book(s)?

This is an excellent question because Raise The Flag doesn't fit neatly into one specific genre. As a fictitious pirate story, it would be considered fantasy, and it does have aspects of that genre, yet it is not heavy into the fantasy realm. There is also a compelling romantic thread woven deeply into the book. The feedback I've been receiving is that readers have enjoyed the balance I created between the emotional and adventurous elements. The romance isn't considered spicy; it is more old-school style. But I also worked hard to infuse humor into the book. I felt that humor was important in the character development.

How do you come up with names for your characters?

Believe it or not, cable news. And it doesn't matter which network. News channels are a gold mine for names. When I see a name I like, I place it on a spreadsheet, breaking it into a column of first and last names. Then, as I'm writing, when it is time to introduce a new character, I see which first name fits the moment. Then, I pick a last name to complete the character. Using this method, I avoid anyone I know from thinking a character is named after them.

Do you feel like it's most important to have A) Strong characters B) Mind-blowing Plot twists or C) Epic settings?

I have always believed that books (and movies) that stick with us most are the ones that have characters that we fall in love with-that is what makes us keep turning the pages. What happens next to our favorite character? Do they react the way we (readers) hope? The advantage I have with Raise The Flag is that I can create some secondary characters, along with the main characters, that might turn into a reader's favorite. And then, I really developed them, giving readers several options for characters they might relate to. I found it is more effective to have the plot twists grow from the flaws or concerns of the characters.

What is your favorite time to write, and why?

I like to go to the gym in the morning to start the day. I discovered that many of my creative ideas came to me at the gym. I would pause the workout, grab my phone, and type some quick key phrases to remember the creative thought. Other people in the gym probably thought, "This guy is obsessed with texting." Little did they know I was writing a book right in front of them. After the workout, I would drive home and write until lunch. That would be the end of writing for the day. I never wrote after lunch, even if I felt motivated. I suppose, because of this structure, I never suffered from writer's block during the process.

What books have most influenced your life most?

Robert Ludlum books, specifically the original Jason Bourne books. It is not the newer books that were altered for the movies, but the original story, which is much different. What I loved about Ludlum's writing was the way he varied the pacing of the story while developing characters you couldn't stop thinking about. When you are reading a book, and you can't put it down, that is evidence that the author created characters that have connected to you. That is what I wanted to do with Raise The Flag.

What is your favorite quote?

I have three favorite quotes. The first is, "The road to success is always under construction." I heard Arnold Palmer say this in an interview. It stuck with me, especially as a school administrator, because I always felt like I was constantly building yet never quite reaching the end.

The second quote is, "For the sea knows no bounds." I read it on a coffee mug once in a gift shop in Mystic, Connecticut. The quote stuck with me because it visualized a wide range of opportunities. Once I retired from education, this quote replaced the Palmer quote as my personal mantra, so much so that the quote is critical to one of the characters in Raise The Flag.

I also have a favorite quote from Raise the Flag: "You will know what to do when the moment comes." This quote lingers in the main character's head and intensifies as the story ends.

If you have pictures on your writing desk, who/what are they of.

Would you believe that the entire book came from one picture? In many ways, it did. When I began to prep for writing-doing the historical research, creating the story arc, etc, I knew I wanted the main character to be a mentally strong female, yet I had no clue what she would look like. I needed Aisha, the main character, to be fierce but secretly conflicted. So, I did a quick Google search of pirate images and stumbled across an image I instantly knew was Aisha. I always had the picture next to the laptop when I wrote, and I found that it kept me focused on telling the story from Aisha's perspective.

Follow David on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@david.smith6928

Raise The Flag is available for purchase on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Raise-Flag-David-Smith/dp/B0D8BYMGBR

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This release was published on openPR.