D.T. Peterson Visits Today To Talk About His Debut Novel "The Cove" And To Give Away An E-copy Or Ten

TNA: Hi, D.T., thanks so much for being here with us today. Why don’t we start out by having you tell us a little bit about yourself: hobbies, interests, things we might not know about you but should?

D.T: Hi, Lisa. Thanks for spending some time with me. I’m drawn to the unknown. I enjoy working with my hands, gardening, making furniture, and working on my house. Traveling has always been the greatest love of my life. I haven’t met a tree or a boulder, or a raging mountain stream that I haven’t liked, so yea, I’m really outdoorsy. I’m a people person and I need to feel the connection with someone else. I’m quirky and my tastes are all over the place.

TNA: Is The Cove your first published novel? If not, what was your first book? If you could go back in time, to the moment you sat down and began writing it, what’s the one piece of advice you’d give yourself, now that you have the benefit of experience?

D.T.: Yes, this is my first novel. The best advise that I could offer myself? Find a great beta reader or two. I didn’t do that with The Cove.

TNA: How would you describe your books to someone who hasn’t read them yet? Do your characters share common qualities? What’s your idea of a great protagonist?

D.T.: I enjoy a plot driven story. I don’t want you to have a clue about where it’s going to end up, until you’re actually there. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t. Realistically, I’m new to this. I just want to tell a story that you would invest your time in.

In The Cove, the characters do share many of the same qualities. Compassion, love, understanding, the things that we all desire of life.

Ideally, the best protagonist would be the one that you wanted to trade places with and become as you read the story.

TNA: Let’s talk a little bit about The Cove. The book is written in the first person POV. What is it that you like about writing in the “I”? Does it make the story feel more personal to you?

D.T.: I prefer to write in first person. I want to take the readers by the hand and say, ‘Come on, let’s experience this together.’ It’s just a preference but it I feel that it comes across as more realistic. Besides we aren’t capable of knowing everything in our own lives, and that’s how I enjoy writing, revealing things in bits and pieces.

TNA: Tell us a little bit about your MCs, Jon and Dave. If you were to describe each of them in just a few sentences, what would you tell us to help us know them a bit better?

D.T.: Dave is confident about himself and life, at least in the beginning, but he never truly knows what he wants. Sometimes, it takes a lifetime to realize what you really need. Jon is unsure of himself, seeking something or someone that gives him purpose, a sense of belonging. It’s only together that they begin to realize how perfect life can be.

TNA: What are some things you hope readers take away from the story? Is there a message you wanted to convey through the story?

D.T.: Primarily, it was written to be about love, and being open to the possibilities of life. It’s also about the choices that we all make in life, and how we sometimes alter our futures with one simple act.

TNA: Would you care to share an excerpt from the book with us?

D.T.: Blurb: Young and idealistic, Jon and Dave meet by chance, their friendship growing stronger and leading them to a place neither has been before. Though theirs is a love forbidden, which few understand, they journey across the country together and settle in San Francisco, where they are finally free to be together as they were meant to be. When life takes an unexpected turn, however, the two young lovers are torn apart by a secret which, if unveiled, threatens to bring great shame to the family of one determined to keep them on the straight and narrow.

Excerpt:

Nervously, I poked a stick into the fire.

“Do you ever think about doing it again?” he asked me tentatively.

“Kissing you?”

“Yea.”

“All the time now,” I replied. I couldn’t lie to him, I did.

“Really?”

“Yea, what about you?” I asked.

“I do, I think about it all the time too.”

“So, why haven’t we, if we both want too?” He asked me.

“I dunno, because we are afraid?”

“Yea, I know. But what are we afraid of?”

“I guess where it might end up.”

“Where it might end?”

“Yea.”

“Dave,” he said, “Where are we going to end up? I need to know.”

“Fucked if I know.”

“We’ve been together all summer, and we’ve been through a lot.”

“It’s been perfect.”

“I’ve got to know,” he said, drawing closer to me.

“What?” I asked.

“Do you REALLY love me?”

I didn’t have to think about it.

“Jon, I love you more than anyone else. More than I ever thought that I could love someone.”

“And I love you too Dave. I can’t imagine ever being without you again.”

“I’d do anything for you.”

“I know, and I’d do anything with you.”

He laid there, next to me, staring into my eyes, as I fell hopelessly into his, both of us finally, realizing.

“Hey,” he said, as he ran his fingers through my hair, and he gently drew me closer, “I have to tell you something…”

“What?” I said, putting my arm around him, caressing him, and reassuring him.

“I’m not afraid anymore,” he whispered into my ear.

“You know,” I replied, softly, our lips barely separated, “neither am I. Not anymore.”

“So, it doesn’t matter?”

“No, it doesn’t matter.”

“Well, watcha waiting for?”

I wanted to kiss him again for a long time now. And finally I could, and the fear, and the worrying, were gone. I had too, I couldn’t not kiss him any longer.

We drew closer, slowly. It was awkward and we laughed a little. Finally, I pressed my lips against his; the spark was instantaneous. I could feel the pent up passion rising from deep within. It was unstoppable, and soon we were tight in each other’s arms, kissing passionately.

I looked deeply into his eyes, our lips barely separated, and I whispered to him gently, tenderly, “I love you”

Pulling me closer, and tighter, he caressed my face.

He replied, in between tender kisses, “I love you more.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked him.

“I can’t imagine not doing this,” he replied.

“Yea, I know exactly what you mean.”

Our lives, and everything that we had been through and done together, the thoughts that we shared and the emotions that we expressed, were a mere dress rehearsal, leading to this moment. The paths that we had chosen, and the decisions that we had made together, led us into each other’s arms and souls.

TNA: If you could bring one of your characters off the page and into the real world, whom would you choose, and why?

D.T.: Tough choice, I suppose Dave. I admire his willingness to explore life, free of any constraints or preconceived notions about what love should feel like.

TNA: Would you care to share a little bit of information on any of your current WIPs with us?

I’ve just finished writing my 2nd book titled Seduction in Red. It’s the first in a multi-book series. I wanted to explore the relationship of someone going to a gay bar for the first time, and being picked up by another guy who is rich and outrageously open about who he is, seeking someone very specific to fulfill his needs and desires. Suffice it to say, it works out well for both of them, but as in life, there are always a few twists and turns.

TNA: And finally, would you kindly share with us all the places we can find you on the internet?

One stop shopping here, Facebook. Swing by and say hi anytime, I’m always up for a great conversation.

The Giveaway: THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED