David Bromden ~ Author FAQs:
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following is a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) received and answered
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ask another question not listed below, please feel free to submit an email
using the “Contact David” link provided here or on the other pages of this
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Index of Questions:
Why did you write “Gathering in
the Mist”?
What gave you the idea for the story?
Who would like to read your book?
Is “David Bromden” your real name?
Why did you choose “David Bromden”
as your pen name?
When will “Gathering in the Mist”
be published?
Who is your publisher and why did
you choose them?
What was the hardest part of
writing a book?
How did you choose the name “Sammy”
for the boy in your story?
Who is your favorite character in
“Gathering in the Mist”?
How did you decide what direction to go
with Sammy’s dreams?
How do you know so much about
animals and nature?
Are you writing another story?
The Questions:
Why did you write “Gathering
in the Mist”?
I wrote
“Gathering in the Mist” for many reasons.
The primary goal when I started writing was to create a story my
daughter (then 8 years old) and I could enjoy together. Another reason was that the creative being
inside of me had been trapped doing mundane things for a very long time and it
needed to break free. When the
opportunity to write came along, I grabbed it.
I always knew that if I wrote a book I wanted to write something that
would make people think. I want my
readers to close the cover on “Gathering in the Mist” when they finish a chapter,
but not close their minds to the words.
If my readers think about the story, the concept, the animals, the
rainforest, or other aspects after the light turns out for the night, then my
goal has been met.
What gave you the idea for the story?
I have
always admired the power of the human mind and have consistently questioned
what we humans do with all that gray matter stuffed inside our skulls. People are walking miracles and don’t even
realize it. I awoke from a dream one
morning in March of 2004 thinking about the quiet noises I heard and the
sensations I was feeling while I was asleep.
Eyes still closed, I began to ponder what being in a coma would be
like. What if you could hear and sense
things, but could not move or react to them because your mind was damaged? What if the way you received those
sensations was unclear because your ability to interpret them was also
damaged? I began to think about how the
mind would deal with that; how would that miracle of mush in our heads handle
feeling something it could not use hands to touch, smelling something it could
not see, or hearing something without understanding the source of the
sound. My early morning musings came to
the conclusion that imagination would step in to fill the gaps. That what was not understood, would be
worked into a dream like reality until the mind could make sense of it. And with that, came the birth of “Gathering
in the Mist”, a story about a boy in a coma whose dreams are his damaged mind’s
interpretation of reality. Or is it?
Who would like to read your book?
“Gathering
in the Mist” is a story for readers from ages 8 to 108. Though I wrote it to be a story my daughter
(then 8 years old) and I could read together, I ended up with a story that
people of all ages can enjoy. Because I
wrote it for my daughter, “Gathering in the Mist” contains NO graphic language
or questionable content. But that does
not limit it to the children’s market; it just makes it kid friendly. My publisher classified my book as adult
fiction due to their belief in its powerful content. I say that the type of reader is more important than the age of
the reader. “Gathering in the Mist” is
a story for readers who like to wonder, speculate, and dream. It is for readers like me, who like to
submerge themselves into a story and come out of it having had an experience to
remember.
Is “David Bromden” your real name?
No, it
is my pen name. I chose a pen name
because there are two other authors already in print using my real name. An author’s name is like the title of a
book, if there is more than one book with the same title, it can cause
confusion. I wanted to eliminate that confusion by having my own unique name as
a writer.
Why did you choose “David Bromden” as your pen name?
David
is actually my given name and Bromden is the name of one of my favorite
fictional characters; Chief Bromden from “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” by
Ken Kesey. If you are not familiar with
the story, Chief Bromden is a character that is much more than he appears to be
at first. He has an unusual way of
thinking about things and is proof that you can’t judge a book by its cover.
When will “Gathering in the Mist” be published?
I am
expecting a proof copy of my story on May 8th. From there, it comes down to final edits and
my publisher’s timeline. The original
plan was the fall of 2006, but recent momentum may get it on bookstore shelves
by this summer. It is already posted to
the book supplier Websites.
Who is your publisher and why did you choose them?
My
publisher is Windstorm Creative. They
are an independent publisher based in Port Orchard, Washington. When I began looking for a publishing house,
my research actually put Windstorm at the top of my list. As a first time author, submitting a
manuscript to a publisher is a tricky business. Some publishers require you to have an agent and most agents
require that you have a published book before they will take you on as a
client. I suppose that is the
publishing world’s way of limiting the number of new authors that hit the
market. My research on Windstorm showed
them to be the exception to the rule.
Owned and run by authors, Windstorm Creative understands the first time
author’s plight in the world. Reading
through their Website, www.windstormcreative.com, I found them to be a publisher
who values and expects input from even their most inexperienced authors. They want to know what their authors desire
and that makes Windstorm a very different company. I knew I wanted to work with them. I followed the application process and was awarded a contract in
April of 2005. I have enjoyed the
relationship ever since and I look forward to many years with them.
What was the hardest part of writing a book?
That’s
easy, the editing. I have a difficult
time chopping out chunks of my beautiful words. My chapter one has gone through a number of overhauls and in the
end it is probably 1,000 words less than the original version. I now like what I’ve got better, but the
cutting of text is tough. When you
write for your own pleasure, it’s easy to forget that someone is going to read
it. Editing makes it easier for someone
else to read and enjoy but that doesn’t make it easier.
How did you choose the name “Sammy” for the boy in your story?
I named
Sammy after I named Sembuh. In the
language of Indonesia, sembuh means to heal so I knew I
wanted that name for the orangutan that helps the boy. With such a close relationship to Sembuh, I
wanted the boy’s name to be similar sounding.
So “Samuel” became “Sammy” for short.
Who is your favorite character in “Gathering in the Mist”?
I’d
have to say Bunga. Her strength, her
courage, her quiet understanding, and her gentle heart make her my
favorite. She is much more than her
first impression would reveal her to be.
Bunga is flower wrapped in the hard shell of a beast. Though battered by the tough life she has
lived, that flower inside is still beautiful.
How did you decide what direction to go with Sammy’s dreams?
It has
been said by people wiser than myself, that dreams are wishes merged with
reality, and I believe that. Knowing
where I wanted to end up with Sammy, made the rainforest adventures that much
easier to write.
How do you know so much about animals and nature?
I have always
enjoyed nature and wildlife and I guess over the years, that enjoyment has made
me pay more attention to that than other topics. From my days as a child watching Marlin Perkins stay up in the
helicopter while Jim took a closer look, to the hours of Animal Planet I watch
with my daughter today, I have an interest and love for the wild things on
Earth. When possible, I immerse myself
in the embrace of nature by hiking, biking, canoeing, or other activities. There is something about leaving the structured
world behind that frees my mind. If
that escape happens physically by taking a hike, or mentally by reading an
article in National Geographic, I do seek it out and as a result, I have
learned many things.
Are you writing another story?
I have
several ideas at this point but I have written very little about any one of
them. I think I hesitate to dive in
full force because I know the amount of time writing requires and I also know
what little time I have to spare.
Working full time, being a parent, and other excuses get in the
way. I know if I sat down and started,
I would find a way to make it happen – it’s just easier to think about than
actually do. At some point, my inner
being will demand a creative outlet, and book number 2 will be born. I am leaning toward the Amazon Rainforest as
a setting for the next one.