INTERVIEW - author David Berardelli

Official Apex Reviews Interview with David Berardelli, author of Stepping Out Of My Grave

APEX: Thanks for joining us for this interview, David. We're looking forward to sharing more about your book and other efforts with our readers.

DB: Thank you.

APEX: What inspired you to craft such an engaging, heartrending tale?

DB: Like all my books, it just came to me one day. I saw the image of a guy climbing out of a grave and just took it from there. (I can't help it. I've been seeing strange things for years.)

APEX: Given the fact that he suddenly finds himself a ghost, is it difficult for Jake to make the transition into the spiritual realm?

DB: Of course it is. He's a go-getter--a businessman who ran his own software company. He's always had things to do and lived a busy, fast-paced life. Now that he's standing in his own grave and life as he knows it is gone, he's got to face something he's never faced before. He's dead, all alone, and has no idea what to do. But even so, his mind is working just as it always has, and he finds that he's got to do something. He can't just stand there forever.

APEX: Your reviewer commended you for bringing the issue of child abuse to the forefront in the book. Was it difficult for you to broach such a sensitive topic?

DB: Yes, for the simple reason that I had a very happy childhood. My parents were always there for my brother and me as we were growing up, and we always did things as a family. But this was during the fifties, when the family unit still existed. The most frightening memories I have of those days are when we heard our parents downstairs in the kitchen, arguing. I was always terrified they'd split up, but of course that never happened. But it made me wonder how different things would have been if they had split up. I knew several kids from broken homes and even those my age all seemed much older than I was. They also seemed angry all the time. I felt bad for them because they never had the same chances I did.

APEX: You also touch on a host of other issues throughout the course of the tale. How did you ultimately decide upon the specific topics that you chose to address in the book?

DB: Actually, the decision wasn't exactly mine. My characters let me know what they intend to do as the story comes out. I have no idea what's going to happen once I start writing. For me, writing a book is like sitting in the back seat while a couple of strangers drive me somewhere. I just close my eyes and let them take me there. They've never let me down yet. (Hopefully, they never will.)

APEX: What kinds of responses have you gotten to the book thus far?

DB: I've only received a few comments, but they've all been favorable.

APEX: Is there a central message that you'd like readers to take away from the story?

DB: I want my stories to be fun to read and I always try to inject as much humor as possible into them. I'm generally a die-hard optimist who likes to see a happy ending in everything. I also believe in life after death, and that nothing good ever really dies.

APEX: How has your publishing experience been thus far with Penumbra Publishing?

DB: Positive and helpful in all aspects. Pat Morrison and the people at Penumbra are very nice and extremely professional, and I hope to work with them again very soon.

APEX: You are quite the prolific author. Please share more with our readers about your other writings.

DB: I've been living in my head since I can remember. I was writing full-length novels when I was fifteen. My two novels, STALKERS and HIDDEN PREY, were published about fifteen years ago as ebooks when I was writing suspense. My novel, THE APPRENTICE, is another "guardian angel" story, although very different from GRAVE. It was inspired by an incident that happened to me years ago, when I was living in southeastern Ohio. WAGON DRIVER is a doomsday story taking place in this country just a few decades from now, when lethal injection, used to control overpopulation, goes amok. I self-published my detective spoof, FUNNY DETECTIVE, which is available through Amazon. I might turn it into a series if it ever catches on. I've also written a trilogy titled DEMON CHASER, about two recently dead people who escape Hell and are pursued by demons here, in America. These books are, in my humble opinion, my most humorous. I will gladly turn it into a longer series as well if my readers want to see more.

APEX: What are your long-term writing/publishing aspirations?

DB: Right now I'm presently working on four books and have several more waiting in the earlier stages. These are books I wrote years ago. I'm fine-tuning them now as I continue to learn and improve my craft.

APEX: How can our readers learn more about you and your ongoing efforts?

DB: I'm presently maintaining two sites: http://www.writersownwords.com/daemons/ and http://www.davesdemons.weebly.com

APEX: How can they contact you directly?

DB: davesbad1@yahoo.com or: davesbad1@earthlink.net

APEX: Any final thoughts you'd like to share?

DB: I'd like to thank you for your terrific review.

APEX: Thanks again, David, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!

DB: Thank you, too.