Meet D.J. Stein, author of “Eyes in the Florida Skies”
Tell us what your book, “Eyes in the Florida Skies,” is about!
Sure! Here’s the summary:
An aspiring Navy pilot from Ohio and a grounded barnstormer join Civil Air Patrol and volunteer to watch for U-boats at a coastal patrol base in Panama City, Florida in 1942.
What did you love most about writing this book?
I loved telling the story of Civil Air Patrol's beginnings, as very few outside the organization have heard of it.
How did you start writing?
In junior high, we were to write a short story. My teacher told me that I'd not written a short story but the first chapter of a book. I wrote fairy tales in my French class instead of sentences to practice vocabulary. I wrote poems and songs in high school and college. Wrote fan fiction with a friend. And I did a lot of reading. Writing a book was to be a retirement goal/activity, and the story dropped into my lap shortly before my retirement decision. Nine years after retiring, I've now published this book.
Tell us a little bit about your self-publishing experience.
I hoped to go the traditional route, but maybe my book is a bit niche, even though it is a WWII novel and I know there are many readers who love finding new stories in that genre. I did write to a few publishers, small and large. I joined a writer criticism group early on and learned to show, not tell, and revised quite a bit. Had a few local authors edit some drafts for further criticism, and the second did typesetting as well. A CAP colleague volunteered to do the cover. I've just published on Kindle and IngramSpark in e-book and trade paperback. I'm just starting to market now by speaking at the Ohio Wing Conference next month, doing signings for my beta readers in my 9:30 jazzercise class, and taking copies to local bookstores/libraries. I'm also targeting libraries/bookstores in the areas where the book is set as well as museum stores at WWII and aviation museums.
What was your biggest challenge in bringing the book to market, and how did you solve it?
So far, just understanding the different interfaces of Kindle and IngramSpark and having to work with my artist to upload the different parameters for the artwork. But I'm just getting started with the bringing the book to market aspect. I don't need to make a profit as I'm donating the proceeds to Civil Air Patrol.
What's one piece of advice you have for other writers?
Writing a novel is not an inborn talent; it's a skill to be learned. Criticism is necessary to learn how to put your story across to the reader. Too many new writers think that criticism means they failed. You can't expect to sit down at a piano for the first time and play flawlessly. I also found copying a favorite book in longhand in your genre, as an exercise, to be surprisingly helpful. It seems like an unconscious part of your brain picks up things about the pacing, sentence length, and other literary elements more quickly than the conscious mind. Even though the book I copied had nothing to do with my topic except the general time period and genre, my criticism group leader asked what I'd done to improve so much in my next draft. Try it.
Anything else you want folks to know?
I have a book website at eyesinthefloridaskies.wordpress.com where I share my background research with lots of links to books, articles, photos, and even a playlist of popular music mentioned in the novel.
Where can people find your book?
https://www.amazon.com/Eyes-Florida-Skies-D-Stein/dp/B0GQSQ3J56/ref=sr_1_1
