Author’s Bio: Norwood
Holland is a freelance writer, lawyer, and author of the Drew Smith legal
thriller series based on the capers of a bon vivant DC trial attorney. Holland
is a graduate of Howard University School of Law and earned his degree in
English from Fisk University where he studied under the renowned Harlem
Renaissance author Arna Bontemps. He has served in several government agencies
including the National Labor Relations Board and several top Washington law
firms. In the mid-90s he began freelance writing with bylines in The Writer
Magazine and the Examiner. He blogs at editorialindependence.com.
Material Witness is third in the
series launched with Sleepless Nights,
followed by the prequel Minus One. Private Number the fourth series
installment will be released in early 2019.
I couldn’t erase the image of David on that bed. I had spent hours with Edward and Stephanie before returning home that evening. This would rank as one of the worst days of my life. Exhausted, I parked in my driveway and went around to the trunk to unload my fishing gear. The sound of an engine perked up my ears, and a car stopped at the end of my driveway. Damnit. It was Jackie, my pain in the ass borderline stalker. Jaqueline Cole. A confident, beautiful CEO of her own software company who had power, and money to buy anything and everything she wanted. Unfortunately, she thought she could buy me. The only problem I wasn’t for sale, Drew Smith is beholden to no one, man or woman.
DL: What inspired you to write your book?
NH: Material Witness is my
third book and it’s a legal thriller. I wanted to write about a flawed hero
with mental health problems. I wanted to write about a world of middle and
upper-class African Americans and their sexual mores and corrupting values
DL: Describe your writing process? Do you use an outline or let it
flow organically?
NH: When I start writing a
book, I commit to 700 words a day. In 90 days or three months I have my first
draft. I spend the next year or two rewriting and layering the book. I’ll table
the book for a year and begin the publishing process.
DL: What do you think makes a good story?
NH: A good read with an easy
writing style, suspense, dynamic characters and a strong plot.
DL: Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way
either growing up or as an adult?
NH: Chester Himes. Growing up
I like to read crime fiction and there were no other successful black writers
in that genre.
DL: If you were hosting a diner party which three authors would be
your dream guests?
NH: They would be:
1. Stephen Carter
2. Donna Drew Sawyer
3. John Grisham
DL: What are the keys to success in marketing your book(s)?
NH: Marketing requires
targeting a market and finding a way to reach them. To me the biggest key is
money. It is often said, best sellers aren’t written, they’re created. I
believe I can create a best seller with a substantial advertising budget and an
abundance of energy.
DL What tips would you give to aspiring writers?
NH: Read what you like and
write every day. Keep a daily journal. Journal writing gets you in the habit of
writing. Study the techniques. Subscribe to The Writer Magazine or Writers
Digest.
DL: How about sharing an excerpt from Material Witness?
NH: Here you go:I couldn’t erase the image of David on that bed. I had spent hours with Edward and Stephanie before returning home that evening. This would rank as one of the worst days of my life. Exhausted, I parked in my driveway and went around to the trunk to unload my fishing gear. The sound of an engine perked up my ears, and a car stopped at the end of my driveway. Damnit. It was Jackie, my pain in the ass borderline stalker. Jaqueline Cole. A confident, beautiful CEO of her own software company who had power, and money to buy anything and everything she wanted. Unfortunately, she thought she could buy me. The only problem I wasn’t for sale, Drew Smith is beholden to no one, man or woman.
A
month into our dating the relationship soured and despite my efforts to end it
she resisted. On my first impression, I imagined she was everything I ever
wanted, an independent woman. Then I got to know her. Clever, charming, and
pleasantly manipulative, but she could turn on a dime with uncompromising
demands. She had shown me her rough side transforming from ladylike to
something akin to a foul mouth gangster moll. I began to fear her. She reminded
me of a female octopus—a species known to kill the male after mating. The male
octopus must approach the female gently and probe her with a single arm. He may
grab her, but carefully, before inserting his arm up into her body, injecting
packets of sperm. After sex, she would maliciously coil around his body
squeezing, cutting off the supply of water to his gills with her deadly
suffocating embrace. That’s how Jackie had me feeling after the remarkable sex
like I needed to run. I found something dangerously satisfying in her. It
scared me. I sensed I had to cut her loose or there would be hell to pay. At
the time it seemed I was suffocating in a constant struggle to disentangle her
tentacles. She was so relentless I began to wonder if she was bipolar. I
couldn’t make her understand our relationship had run its course.
DL: What’s on the horizon for you?
NH: Just sent my fourth book,
Private Number, to the editor. Hope
to issue it this summer.
DL: Where can readers learn more about you and your book(s)?
NH: They can learn more here:
It’s been a pleasure
having you here with us today. I know my readers will enjoy getting to know you
and your work.
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