David Temple
The Imposter
DOSSIER: With a historic broadcasting career under your belt, The Thriller Zone podcast growing at a blistering pace, and nine books on your resume, what do you want to do when you grow up?
TEMPLE: I’m still working on the growing up part (I hope to never), but as far as dreams go, I hope and plan to complete the following before I graduate to The Big Podcast… I have two non-fiction books I am currently working on. One is about growing up as a PK (preacher’s kid), and the other is about making the most of the time we have left on earth. You may be interested to know that I’m thoroughly fascinated with Time Space Reality, Quantum Physics, and Past Lives. In the fiction realm, I have a book I’ve been working on for the past 2 years, and thanks to the amazing success of The Thriller Zone Podcast taking most of my free time, it has taken a back seat. Until now! That’s right, hopefully inside the next 12 to 18 months, I hope to have that epic psychological thriller complete.
DOSSIER: Given the hundreds of books you read per year, forming questions for and interviewing today’s hottest thriller writers, how do you have time to write given your demanding nap schedule?
TEMPLE: It’s funny you should ask, because nothing, and I mean NOTHING gets in the way of my 3 o’clock nap, so writing has just got to wait. Fortunately, and thanks to spending decades as a Morning Radio Host, I learned how to do what I call POWER NAP; that means lights out, deep sleep, and awake refreshed in 15-20 minutes!
DOSSIER: When and where do you write, and what kind of environment do you prefer? (Music/silence/closet?)
TEMPLE: I’ve always been an early morning writer because my “monkey mind” is still quiet, and I haven’t entertained the inane world of social media or email. As for location, it’s a 50/50 toss up. While I’ve always enjoyed a quiet secluded cabin in the woods, or a big porch near the ocean, I’ve easily logged more words in a noisy crowded cafe/coffee shop over the past several books.
DOSSIER: Regarding the female lead in your Pat Morelli series, I lean on the words of Jack Nicholson from As Good As It Gets and ask, “How do you write women so well?”
TEMPLE: First, it’s Norelli (with an N), and you’ve chosen a superb question I’ve often been asked, and the answer is simple. I grew up with two sisters and a mother with whom I shared hours upon hours of conversation, so I learned quite a bit there. Plus, I’ve dated enough women to give me a rather healthy perspective on the female psyche. If it weren’t for the nice reviews and personal emails, I’m not sure I would’ve written a sequel. Now that I know people like her, I’m preparing to write a third in the series this fall.
DOSSIER: For your roles on Discovery ID, are you one of the extras, the narrator/host, the bad boy in the leather jacket, or the one in the chalk outline? Or do those Axe Body Spray commercials you did early in your career still run on late night?
TEMPLE: Ha! I actually played Detective Frank Shelton (IMDB). For the record, I auditioned to be the figure for the chalk outline, but learned I’m allergic to chalk dust. And as embarrassing as it is, my Axe Body Spray spots still run in late night TV.
Websites: davidtemplebooks.com thethrillerzone.com
Jeff Circle 