Thursday, October 25, 2012

Blood on the Pen: On Tour with Author David W. Huffstetler

Elsie tries to pull him from the edge of sanity in an action-packed thriller.


Blood on the Pen
David W. Huffstetler

At long last, someone has asked me to comment on the book Blood on the Pen. I was born Moses Browner, and you will meet me in the first chapter. I am relegated to the role of a supporting character, but I can’t imagine why. After all, I am a doctor, Deputy Medical Examiner for Dallas. One of the main characters is Jack Harden, my best friend. It isn’t easy being Jack’s friend. I find him a bit crazy, a tortured and conflicted soul, and I suppose he has reason to be. He lost his wife to a drunk driver a year ago, and I fear for what he may do. Will he kill the man who cost him Jenny or kill himself? He seems bound for one or the other. In my professional opinion, the only thing that keeps Jack going is his job as a Texas Ranger and this new assignment to find the person who’s killing literary agents.

Then that girl came along, Elsie. She’s Hispanic-American and quite the pushy, aggressive reporter. I don’t mind aggressive people, not really, but her influence on Jack could be good or it could be disastrous. I pray she will pull him back from the edge of sanity. I am yet to form an opinion on that, as theirs is a complicated and often stormy relationship. Elsie seems to always want the things she can’t have. No, I am not a psychiatrist, but don’t underestimate my innate ability to understand human behavior. Although, I do struggle to comprehend the full measure of this killer Jack and Elsie are trying to find. We know the name, Eddie Carter, and Eddie shows no signs of slowing down and no signs of the slightest regret.

Now, you don’t think that big Ranger would go after that kind of person without consulting me, do you? A reporter and a Ranger in a desperate chase across Texas, trying to stay alive while chasing a sociopath without the guidance and advice of a mature and educated man like me? I hardly think so. No, you will find me in the text, always at exactly the right time to lend my special kind of expertise.  I’d tell you how the story ends, but the author chose not to share that with me. I suppose that is the fate of a supporting character. Yes, well, we’ll see how long he can keep that from me.

The Book
A modern-day Ranger, Jack Harden, and a young, Mexican-American reporter, Elise Rodriguez, team up to find a serial killer, and they get more than they bargained for in a desperate chase across Texas. Jack grieves over the loss of his wife to a drunk driver, while Elsie tries to pull him from the edge of sanity in an action-packed thriller. 

The Giveaway
David and Wild Child Publishing will be awarding a $10 Wild Child Publishing GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

An Excerpt


His knock had become familiar. She slipped on a light robe and opened the door. “Well, I see he loaned you a car. I never thought he would. Did you come to show it off to me?”

“Actually I came to bring you something,” he replied. He took the pistol from his pocket and held it out.

“What’s this about? Come inside before someone sees you and thinks I’m in the gun business.” She closed the door behind him, and he laid the pistol on her nightstand.

“Moses told me the investigators have been looking for this. I thought it would be better if they got it from you since, well, you shot the guy with it.”

“Okay, I guess I could go down there in the morning. Why don’t you go with me? You could say hello to your friends.”

Harden recoiled sharply. “I don’t need to see those guys. I’m doing fine without them.”

 “What is it with you, Jack? How long are you going to torture yourself over something you can’t change? How long will you shut your friends out, everyone out? I’d just like to know.”

“Maybe you don’t need to know. Maybe you should mind your own life and butt out of mine.”

Her heart hadn’t felt such pain since her father’s death. She turned away and forced out a tearful answer. “Maybe I should.”

Then he spun her around and pulled her hard against his chest, nearly lifting her off the floor, and said, “Maybe not.” He kissed her full and deep on the lips. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back with parted lips and felt the heat of his pain and loneliness pouring through her. They burned with raw emotion, unleashed without a thought to where it would take them. They pulled at each other’s clothes until they lay flesh on flesh, wrapped around each other with just their passion to cover them. Only they knew exactly what happened that night, but it was deep and genuine, and neither of them regretted it.

Meet the Author
Educated in Dallas, North Carolina, David Huffstetler holds degrees in Engineering and Business Administration. He has worked in the area of human relations and spent fourteen years weaving through the maze of politics, including participating in a Federal Law suit with a sitting governor over issues of separation of powers. David has served on Boards of Directors for numerous professional organizations including.  He has advised governors and legislators on matters of public policy and legislation.  His wealth of experience is broad and brings deep insight to his writing.

David’s work as a senior manager with a major industrial concern took him to international venues and exposures that helped feed his urge to write Disposable People, a dramatic expose of the working conditions and politics that engulf undocumented workers. Disposable People is a top-ten “Suggested Book” at Tufts University in Boston, MA
He turned the frustrations and rejection that plagues thousands of yet-to-be-published authors into the heralded mystery/thriller Blood on the Pen, with a serial killer disposing of literary agents.  David, an avid history buff, led him to write Dead in Utah, the story of Joe Hill, the controversial musician and union organizer accused of a double murder in 1914.  

As an editor, public speaker, and seasoned professional, David has appeared on television and radio, and has lectured on the East Coast, California, Canada and Mexico. David currently lives in Lexington, South Carolina with his wife, Trudy.  

5 comments:

  1. Thank you for featuring Blood on the Pen today. I hope your readers will enjoy the post.
    David Huffstetler

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's my pleasure having you here! The book sounds great! The title intrigued me and the synopsis pulled me in. I look forward to reading it.

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  3. Thanks MK. I hope you like it.

    DH

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  4. Nice excerpt.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete

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