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After a heartbreaking betrayal, Melissa Legacy shuns romance. So when her best friend joins the Lovers Oasis website and fears her fiancé will find out, Melissa agrees to meet the anonymous Romeo, prepared to explain her friend’s change of heart—then she sees him.

Failing restaurant entrepreneur, Craig Wheaton hasn’t been home since his mother’s tragic death. Now he’s back to confront his demons and stand beside his brother as best man. Dreading the reunion, he agrees to meet his avatar lover, but at the last moment he reconsiders the arrangement—until he lays eyes on her.

When Craig assumes Melissa is his online consort, she impulsively plays along, resulting in an afternoon of unexpected intimacy. But with Melissa using her friend’s identity and Craig dealing with a family fallout, is a future together impossible, or will they discover that love at first sight is Only the Beginning?

My sister and I are both nurses, and when nurses get together they talk about ways to earn money other than nursing. We were vacationing and the last book of the Twilight series was coming out. She said, “Wow, that Stephanie Meyer must be so rich, you should write a book.” I was like, “Yeah, I’ll get right on that.” But aloof as I was, she planted the seed and I started thinking about a story. It took another four years, but I finally had a book published, Butterflies Don’t Lie (it was the seventh full manuscript I’d written). Since then I’ve had seven other novels published. And while I’m not rich, and both my sister and I are still nursing, I credit her for getting me started.

Butterflies Don’t Lie, released September 2014 by Nimbus Publishing. YA contemporary coming of age.

It’s the classic mistaken identity troupe, which is so fun to write! I wrote this story as a love letter to my beautiful city, Halifax Nova Scotia, and I posted it on Wattpad as a thank you to all the readers who helped my other romance novel get published, The Right Fit.

Wow! I have no idea. I’m really too boring to be in any book. I mostly steal traits from people I know and give them to characters in my stories.

This is nearly impossible to answer, but I’ll go with the scene where Craig surprises Melissa at her apartment. 😏

What was the hardest part to write?

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Edward and James Shaw are twins who are successful executives at Rock Star Records.  The company that was started and operated by their father, Irvin, who is a well-known hip hop artist.  Edward has a great love for music and is focused on ensuring the success of the business, just like his dad.  James on the other hand has a great love for women and power.   Unfortunately, they were blindsided by the challenges of life which were of biblical proportions.  Edward found himself in the struggle of his life to save his marriage and his career after there had been some horrible choices made, while James found himself fighting for his freedom.  

The only way for them to find their way through the drama, infidelity, damaged trust, addiction, meaningless sex, and betrayal was to build a solid relationship with God.  When Edward and James hit rock bottom mentally and emotionally, they found out who they were and what the Lord called them to do.  They both began to walk into their purpose realizing that although the storms came one after another, after another and almost took them out; they survived through the grace of God…   

Take this journey with Edward and James and the rest of the Shaw family as they endure the many trials and tribulations of this life.

When did you become interested in storytelling?

I have always been interested in storytelling as long as I can remember. However, my storytelling was originally in the form of poetry and songs. As I got older, I knew that I wanted to write book but didn’t know what I wanted to write about until early 2017.

What was your first book/story published?

When I was going through the darkest time of my life, I developed a process called Finding Life’s Love Song. The process of dealing with all the baggage I was carrying sparked the idea of writing a book, Love Song, that somewhat illustrated the benefits of releasing the baggage from past hurt.

What inspired you to write Biblical Proportions?

Biblical Proportions describes situations in our lives that have a substantial impact. It does not matter if it is a good situation or a bad situation, either way there will be consequences and how you deal with said consequences is very important. This idea of writing the book Biblical Proportions was dropped in my spirit as I was reading the Bible and recognized that the situations we are dealing with today are already written. At that moment I recognized that stories needed to be told to: one to bring awareness to how relatable the Bible is; two show the readers how important developing a relationship with the Lord is; and three share an overall message.

What character in Biblical Proportions is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

Jackie is the most like me. She was dealing with unnecessary drama because she lacked confidence and did not know her worth. In the end, she knew what she wanted, and she was no longer willing to settle for anything less.

What is your favorite part in Biblical Proportions?

The favorite part of Biblical Proportions is the ending because you get to see both main characters, Edward and James Shaw, growth as men.

What was the hardest part to write?

The hardest part to write in any of my books is when something bad happens to the character. It is surprisingly painful. I have gone back to read both my books and have cried because of certain situations (and I know it is going to happen).

What would your ideal career be, if you couldn't be an author?

In addition to having the great pleasure of being an author, I am also a songwriter, music producer, and speaker. I also have tons of other idea swimming in my brain but haven’t fully immersed myself into them. But we shall see what happens.

Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

I read my book reviews on occasion. If there are constructive things that people have to say, I will consider them. However, I understand that everyone is not going to like my work. So, I pray about it and use discernment.

What well-known writers do you admire most?

Charles Dampor was supposed to be a blessing, but instead turned out to be a curse. A family torn by deception and greed now saw Emily for what she was, and a co-worker with a vicious past of his own now has his own personal vendetta against her. If Emily doesn't open her eyes and see the doors she's unlocked, she'll find herself at the bottom of Lake Bermin...with Charles's ex-wife.

When did you become interested in storytelling?

When I was 20, my late and great friend Greg put the idea into my head. The idea was alcohol-induced, as we decided that our lives were so entertaining that we’d be doing the world a disservice if they didn’t get to read a story of our lives. And from that day forward, putting words to paper became my passion.

What was your first book/story published?

It was a short story, titled Danboro—a story about a reporter who chased a story about a haunted house and the one man who managed to escape it. And when he tracks down the man, he unknowingly brings the bad spirit with him.

The story was a finalist in a short story competition and was published in an anthology with the other top stories.

What inspired you to write Out of Hiding?

The story actually came by simply starting with some characters and branching out. I was having some serious writer’s block and I asked my wife to give me some ideas of characters. She gave me some, and then I created a story around them, but I never felt like the story was ready until I added Herb into the picture.

What is your favorite part in Out of Hiding?

The beginning, for sure. I’m an avid reader and I fall head over heels for a book that captures my attention right away. So I try to write the same way, and I’m happy with how this beginning turned out.

What was the hardest part to write?

The beginning and end of every chapter. This goes along with the favorite chapter for me—I love a book where the chapter ends and I just cannot shut the book. So, once again, I try to mimic my writing style to match my reader expectations.

What would your ideal career be, if you couldn’t be an author?

I’m a typical guy—sports, sports, sports. Growing up, all I ever wanted to be was a professional ice hockey player. I’m getting a little older now, and my body aches at random points of the day for no apparent reason, so just thinking about playing sports sounds painful. That being said, I still have this dream that one day my writing will make me so famous that the Philadelphia Flyers let me take some sort of a “celebrity shift” on the ice during a preseason game. That’s the little boy in me—still chasing my childhood dream.

Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

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When did you become interested in storytelling?

Years ago, I was working on a book of interviews. People answered questions eagerly but when I came to edit the transcripts it became clear that, although they were telling a story, it was buried in what they said. When we talk, we don’t formulate a beginning, a middle, and an end. We start with what we feel is the most important point and then usually we go to the end and then backtrack to fill in details and often end with the beginning. But no matter how we tell it, it’s all stories. This experience gave me a crash course in shaping narrative.

Stories are how we understand ourselves and everything around us. People who are unable to form a narrative cannot function in our world. In the branch of psychotherapy called narrative therapy, therapists found that, in dealing with people who had been through terrible ordeals including war, torture, or great loss, the patient who could form a narrative, who could tell a story about what happened and why it happened, might recover and go on. Those who couldn’t do that remained in a state of disfunction.

Ursula Le Guin said, “Stories held in common make and remake the world we inhabit. The story we agree to tell about what a child is or who the bad guys are or what a woman wants will shape our thinking and our actions, whether we call that story a myth or a movie or a speech in Congress.”

I believe this to be true.

What was your first book/story published?

When I was 11 years old, a Bay Area newspaper held a contest for kids to find the best essay about, you guessed it, “What I Did on My Summer Vacation.” Mine was one of the three winners and our essays were published in the paper. Does that count?

What inspired you to write Threshold?

A few years ago I was researching a project on the environment and I read through many of the important nonfiction books on the subject of climate change and related problems mounting in the natural world. It’s heavy stuff and it occurred to me that approaching these issues from another angle, in an imaginative and entertaining manner, could be a good idea. I wanted to write something … different. As I worked on Threshold, it became differenter and differenter. Then all these animals showed up. To tell the truth, it got out of my control. The characters wrote this. I was an innocent bystander.

What character in Threshold is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

I would like to be more like Raoul, a very transgressive little fellow, but I’m afraid I’m more a goodie two-shoes like the main character, Banshooo.

What is your favorite part in Threshold?

The scenes with the crazy-wisdom master, Sid. He really tells us what we need to know.

What was the hardest part to write?

Several characters die. I liked them and didn’t want them to go but that’s the way of it, in stories, in life, in the natural world.

What would your ideal career be, if you couldn't be an author?

Well actually, I’d like to be King of the World. I’m sure I would do a good job. No, really. Seriously. Don’t you think you could make things better if you were able to decree all those things you know would help. In lieu of that, I write. It’s a way to get your hopes, dreams, ideas, fears, all of it out there.

Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

Now available on Amazon, BN, Kobo, and iTunes is the paranormal crime thriller Preordained by David L Wallace.


The author has taken a few minutes out of his busy schedule to talk about newest novel.


When did you become interested in storytelling?

I’ve always been interested in writing. Prior to graduating high school, I’d write short stories about some of my interesting friends. After graduation, I spent some time in the Navy and started a family. My life became so busy, I didn’t feel I had the time to write. No longer able to suppress that need, I studied writing at UCLA and started my author career.

What was your first book/story published?

Trojan (2016), a techno thriller. Inspiration for it came from a work scenario during my attendance of a computer science class while on active duty in the US Navy. One of the instructors removed the covers off a few of the computers in the lab and I noticed the tiny chips, the brains of those machines, were all manufactured overseas somewhere. It shocked me and made me a little nervous that our defense systems could be dependent on foreign parts. It begged the question … what if an unknown entity embedded rogue computer logic within the hardware components of those machines at the time they’re manufactured, causing them to crash at a predetermined time, incapacitating our defense capabilities? That question led to the formation of Trojan.

What inspired you to write Preordained?

Inspiration for my current release, Preordained (2018), came from childhood events in my life. My parents moved our family from New York to South Carolina when I was in the first grade. The locals in the surrounding areas, both family members and neighbors, would speak of ghost, paranormal and supernatural events, believing with everything in them that those stories were real. I’ve enjoyed watching and reading numerous stories of that ilk and when I decided to pen one, naturally, I decided to make the setting be one of the neighboring counties to where I grew up.

What character in Preordained is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

Art is the most like me. I’ve discovered that all my stories reflect aspects of my persona within the main protagonist. The number one characteristic is Art’s willingness to sacrifice all and fight for what he believes in.

What is your favorite part in Preordained?

My favorite parts of the story are the dynamics of Art’s personal relationships with his girlfriend Angela Hunter, his maternal grandmother Sarah, and his son Benjamin.

What was the hardest part to write?

The hardest parts to write were the last two chapters because of the resolution Art found at the end of the story, and the flaw I gave his partner and love interest, Angela Hunter. The story had only one way to end and when I wrote it, it took a toll on me. The flaw that I gave Angela, is one that people close to me also experience.

What would your ideal career be, if you couldn't be an author?