Ask the Author: D.M. Pulley

“Ask me a question.” D.M. Pulley

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I enjoyed The Dead Key but I guess I'm a bit of a prude, why you have to use the language you use? I wanted to suggest it to my dad but his toes would curl. Call us old fashioned. I think you can say what you want without taking the Lord's name in vain, swearing or using the language you did. I know I will probably get backlash for my comment-- I liked the book minus the language.

D.M. Pulley Hi, Dee! Thank you for the note. I'm sorry my coarse language lessened your enjoyment of the story. I respect your point of view on this, and you won't face any backlash from me. The reason I use the language I do has to do with being raised in a secular Midwestern household and spending over 10 years working construction as an engineer. On a construction site, a well-placed F bomb can be the difference between workers treating you like an old school marm or a little sister and them treating you more like an equal. I found that if I could get them to laugh and let their guard down, the work went smoother. I have to admit that I still talk that way to many friends of mine. The only way I know how to write is to write the way I think and talk. I realize that this approach may put off some readers, and I do try to comb through every manuscript and tone down the language where it won't affect the voice of the story. I hope that helps! Happy Reading! -D

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I don't have a question ... I just wanted to extend a thank you. This year, I made a resolution to read every day as a form of stress-reduction. I'm a quarter of the way through The Dead Key and am absolutely loving it. Books don't usually hold my attention very well and this one has me hooked. I am so glad you have two other books for me to plow through ... please keep writing!?!

D.M. Pulley Hi, Layla! I'm sorry this message got lost in the shuffle. I love that reading helps you deal with stress (it helps me too!). I am still writing and my new book comes out this fall. Keep reading! Wishing you all the best! =)

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When is your next book coming out? I hope you come back to Cuyahoga Library for a signing when it does. I go to lots of those and yours was by far the best one! All the slides and history! Perfect!! Can't wait to read more by you!

D.M. Pulley Hi, Sally! Thanks for your kind note! My next novel, No One's Home, comes out September 1, 2019. Go to my website for a list of events, and sign up for my newsletter for updates and insider info. Happy Reading! https://www.dmpulley.com/events

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Can you tell us a two-sentence horror story?

D.M. Pulley I woke up and listened in the dark for the man's familiar voice, his footsteps, the drumming of his fingernails on the hard pine box that held me. There was nothing but silence as I waited and waited and waited.

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I'm almost finished with The Dead Key. I couldn't finish without saying this to you.Please don't ever quit writing! You never leave the me 'hanging'. I realize this takes a lot of effort and is stressful for the author, but your attention to detail and continuity is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for not just putting words on paper, as so many authors seem to do, but for creating a world I love to enter. ?

D.M. Pulley You're welcome, Cc! What a kind note to get (and I'm sorry for not responding sooner). I love writing and I have no plans of stopping any time soon. My third novel, The Unclaimed Victim, is due out November 14, and I'm under contract for a fourth book. Happy Reading!
D

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As a graduate of Case Western and having lived on Murray Hill Road (I'm a member of a frat), I enjoyed reading thru the references in the Dead Key, especially since the earlier time frame was near to the time I was attending Case. Are you planning on writing anything that takes place in the present or are you more drawn to writing from a historical perspective?

D.M. Pulley Hi, Warren! So nice to hear from a fellow Case grad! My next two books will be historical mysteries set in the 20th Century in and around Cleveland. The buried stories of the past continue to fascinate me! I have no idea what the future holds, but for now, I like writing about old buildings and the people that trespassed there. Look for THE FOURTEENTH VICTIM due out in December 2017. Happy Reading!

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Hi, I read The Dead Key, which I loved. Thanks for writing that! I noticed you just reviewed Save the Cat! on Goodreads, and I also watched the video for The Buried Book on your author website (awesome). I wonder if you're already writing the screenplay for The Buried Book, which looks like it would make a GREAT movie? Cheers, and please keep writing! -- J. Ronchelli

D.M. Pulley Hi, J! Thanks for your note. I'm so glad you enjoyed my stories! I'm not working on a screenplay at the moment (I'm too busy editing Book 3 and planning Book 4), but I would never rule it out. I have an agent looking into possibilities out in L.A. but I'm keeping my feet on the ground in Cleveland for now. I'll keep you posted. Follow me on FB and Twitter at @DMPulleyAuthor for updates. Happy Reading!

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My husband and I will be moving back to the Cleveland area (our hometown) after living in FL and MI for the last 25 years for my job. My retirement last month will take us home to be closer to my aging parents. I read The Dead Key and immediately ordered your 2nd book which I will be reading soon. I see that you do area appearances with just a few scheduled in 2017. Will you be scheduling more in 2017?

D.M. Pulley Welcome home, Bonnie! Ohio is glad to have you back. I will be speaking in and around the area as often as I'm invited. I am currently updating my website (www.dmpulley.com) with more dates including the Ohioana Book Festival in Columbus, Ohio on April 8 and Author Alley at Loganberry Books on July 1.

Hope to see you around!

D

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Who is your favorite fictional couple, and why?

D.M. Pulley I don't like picking favorites because I tend to fall in love with whatever story I'm reading at the moment. Instead, I'll tell you the last couple I loved: Marie-Laure LeBlanc and Werner Pfennig in All the Light We Cannot See. This unlikely couple didn't have long to be together, but they managed to save each other's lives all the same.

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I love that your wrote this because of a missing family member...I have a great grandmother that vanished when my grandmother was very young. I have had dreams of this woman that I never knew, as if I am her in the dream. I've been toying with the idea of combining what we know with these dreams and writing a book- what finally made you decide to do it and what was your family's reaction?

D.M. Pulley I've always wanted to research the life and times of my grandmother. When my first novel, The Dead Key, was published, I saw an opportunity to finally delve into the mystery. My family has been incredibly supportive of The Buried Book, despite the fact that it is mostly fiction. Good luck writing your own story! I hope you enjoy the journey!

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I've read both The Dead Key and the Buried Book. Can't wait for your next one! My daughter lives in Cleveland, though I live in Pittsburgh, the mentions of the area in The Dead Key somehow made me feel closer to her! Keep writing! What's your next book going to be about?

D.M. Pulley Hi, Sandy!

Thanks for writing! It's always fun to hear from readers with a connection to Cleveland. I'm so glad you've enjoyed the stories!

My next novel is a historical mystery/thriller set in and around Cleveland in the 1930s and the 1990s. It involves the city's most notorious serial killer, the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run. Keep an eye out for it late next year. Follow me on FB (DMPulleyAuthor) at my website (www.dmpulley.com) for updates!

Happy Reading!

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How do you deal with writer’s block?

D.M. Pulley The best cure for my writer's block is to just keep writing, even if it's awful. I don't edit while I'm working on a first draft. If I get stuck on a phrase, I'll write "whatever - fix later." If the ideas still aren't coming, I'll take a break and walk my dogs or go pull weeds, but I make sure to finish at least 1500 words a day. It's always a pleasant surprise to read through the pages where I was struggling to find that the writing isn't so bad after all.

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What are you currently working on?

D.M. Pulley My third novel tells the story of Cleveland's most notorious serial killer, the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run, from a new perspective. I am currently working on revisions for the book.

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How do you get inspired to write?

D.M. Pulley My stories always begin with a question. In writing THE DEAD KEY, I wanted to know what had been left behind in an abandoned safe deposit vault I surveyed in Cleveland, Ohio. In developing my second novel, I decided to figure out what might have happened to my grandmother when she disappeared in 1949. Exploring the possible answers to that question led me to write THE BURIED BOOK.

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

D.M. Pulley THE BURIED BOOK was inspired by the sudden disappearance of my grandmother in 1949. To this day, we don't know where she went. Her vanishing, leaving my father on my uncle's struggling dairy farm, haunted me growing up.

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