About Dan Klefstad |
My career as a professional writer began more than two decades ago when I became the morning host and newscaster for NPR station WNIJ. In radio news, copy is designed to be heard, so you learn to avoid excess words that keep your audience waiting for the subject and verb. It’s great practice for writing literature.
My first novel, Shepherd & the Professor, maintains a decent rating on Goodreads. It’s the fictional memoir of Susan Shepherd, a Gulf War vet, cop, and single mom who’s battling cancer when we meet her. Like many people, Susan believes her story should live forever in a book that never goes out of print. But publishers don’t care if you’re scarred by war, your daughter hates you, and you have less than a year to live; if they can’t package you into a best seller, they’ll decline. After dozens of rejections, Susan converts her memoir into a query letter addressed to the initial contact at the remaining publisher on her list. It’s a plea, not for publication, but for someone to recognize her humanity.
This theme of immortality continues in my next novel, Fiona’s Guardians. Fiona is a 250-year-old vampire who survives on hospital blood stolen by human helpers who also protect her while she sleeps. Her current guardian, Daniel, takes the operation to a new level by investing her money so she can maintain a vast supply network. Fiona and Daniel work hard to stay below police radar, but an ancient enemy has been watching them. The monks of Mors Striga, dedicated to the extermination of vampires, are about to resume their centuries-old war against Fiona, her guardians, and her vampire family.
Nota bene: If you meet Fiona, don’t say “vampire.”
I continue broadcasting on WNIJ every morning from 5 to 9 (Central Time). Drop in sometime at WNIJ.org or the WNIJ mobile app. And you’re welcome to reach out to me on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.