Danny Pelfrey Interview

Today, please welcome author Danny Pelfrey to Interviews & Reviews. Danny is an author who writes in several genres. His first book, One-way Choices in a Wrong-Way World and a recent work, Whatever Happened to Evangelism? are non-fiction works aimed at disciples seeking to improve their walk with the Lord. Life in Adairsville is a volume of local history. the four volume, Davis Morgan Mystery Series was co-authored by Danny and his wife, Wanda. They like to call them "mysteries with a message."

Solid Ground is the Pelfrey's first book in the Adairsville Heritage Mystery series, also inspirational mystery. They are presently writing for CrossLink Publishing.

Danny is a graduate of Point University with a Masters from Kentucky Christian University. He spent more than forty-five years in the pastorate, serving churches in several states. His interest in writing was fostered by his wife's love of the craft. Danny and Wanda have two daughters and five wonderful grandchildren.

Today, Danny is talking to us about his latest work, Solid Ground and is giving away two print copies to two lucky winners in the U.S. and Canada!

Danny, welcome to Interviews & Reviews!

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How long have you been writing?

Influenced by my wife, who started writing for publication shortly after college, I wrote my first article for a national publication around forty-five years ago. In the years that followed, I successfully placed more than forty such articles. That led to a non-fiction book in 1991. Occupied with other projects, I got away from writing for several years. Then I decided I wanted to try inspirational fiction. I started my first mystery novel, which I worked on for several years before finally recruiting my wife, Wanda, to help me finish it. Since then, we have co-authored several such works of fiction, churning out one or two a year. I have continued to occasionally turn out non-fiction books. 

How many books have you written?

I have authored or co-authored with Wanda, my wife, a total of eight books. There are four books in the “Davis Morgan Mystery Series.” SOLID GROUND, our most recent book released by CrossLink Publishing in October, is the first in the “Adairsville Heritage Mystery series.”  I have written three non-fiction books. The latest of those was WHATEVER HAPPENED TO EVANGELISM? which released in June of this year. 

Do you travel to the places you write about? 

All five of our “mysteries with a message” have been set in Adairsville, Georgia. That is our hometown, and the place we now live. No travel necessary. Occasionally our characters may travel out of state such as Kirby’s trip to the Boston area in SOLID GROUND. Those trips are to places where we have spent time in the past. In OUT OF THE DEPTHS, the first book in the “Davis Morgan Series,” our protagonist spends some time visiting Cape Cod. The Cape is one of our favorite places where we have enjoyed many vacations. I suspect I will eventually set a book of fiction somewhere other than Adairsville, but I cannot imagine writing about a place of which I have no firsthand knowledge. The setting of our first five books of mystery has been almost like another major character. That helps to make them extremely popular in the North Georgia area.

What is the central theme of your book?

I want readers to come away from SOLID GROUND with a satisfied feeling of having been entertained. I want them to feel as if they have gotten acquainted with some special people. Hopefully, readers will sense they have been to a unique place in God’s creation. But most of all, I want them to take away the truth that life on solid ground – life in Christ is the better way in every circumstance. That is the central theme even though it is shown in the story rather than told.   

Which character do you like the most?

That is a difficult question for me to answer because I tend to get attached to most of the characters I create. In SOLID GROUND, I even find myself pulling for one character who is an escaped convict who has for years evaded the authorities. Of course, the double protagonist siblings, Kirby and Riley, rate high on the list; however, I think Ole Amos is my favorite. In the beginning Amos and Carol, his wife, were to be minor supportive characters, but their roles just kept evolving. In their quiet way, they refused to go away. I love Amos’s humor, humility, and down to earth but confident personality. His loyalty and fondness for people are obvious. In a lot of ways, he reminds me of my own grandfather, who I adored.  

Do you have any other books in the works?

Solid Ground is the first book in a planned four book series, “Adairsville Heritage Mysteries.” As with our last four-book series, there is no contract for the complete series. The publisher will decide on each book as it is completed. Our plan is to publish at least one of those books per year. I have ideas for books beyond that. I plan to write for as long as my physical and mental health allow me, and publishers are willing to publish my work.

Which do you enjoy most – reading or writing?

The answer to that question changes from day to day. It depends on my need at the time. If I need to work, the answer is writing. If I need to relax, it is reading. Reading has been an important part of my life since late in my middle school years. My father was an alcoholic, resulting in extreme poverty. We had no TV and much of the time no electricity to power it even if we had one. To find entertainment, I started checking books out of the school library at the end of the school day. I often read two or three books a week. My evenings were often spent reading by the light of a kerosene lamp. Sometimes it was sports stories or the Hardy Boys, but I also read books like Gone With the Wind during that time. Through the years, books have never lost their appeal.

In recent years, since my retirement from the pastorate, I find myself needing to work more than relax, so I write more than read. But reading is still very much a part of my life. I may be found reading American history, Louis L’Amour, cozy mysteries, Max Lucado, or one of the classics. 

What is your favorite Scripture verse, and why?

If you had asked me that question six months ago or two years ago, you might have gotten a different answer than the one I am about to give you. My favorite scripture tends to vary. I don’t know that there is one certain factor that dictates that. At times I am super impressed and helped by one passage and later another. My answer now is the one that I seem to always find my way back to. It is John 14:1-3. It was the first passage I ever memorized, and it just keeps on touching my heart. It is comforting for me and brings me great assurance concerning Heaven. As the years pass, the promise of Heaven becomes more and more important to me. 

A very comforting verse, indeed!  Thank you for sharing with us today Danny. 

And now Dear Readers, if you would like to win a copy of Solid Ground simply fill out the form below! (Two print copies are available to win for two lucky people in the U.S.A or Canada. This giveaway will run until November 9, 2020. The winner will be announced here and on our Facebook Page. Failure to claim your prize within three days will result in another winner being chosen). 

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Congratulations to June Jacobs and Debra Lindquist! You have each one a copy of Solid Ground. Expect an email from me!

Seven years between them, Kirby and Riley Gordan, nurtured by their pastor father and loving mother, experienced almost ideal childhoods growing up in the Boston area. Then a season of misfortune culminated in the worse of all possible tragedies - the death of their beloved parents.
Four years have passed. Kirby, having failed at marriage and pro-baseball, is now a Florida police detective. He finds himself in little Adairsville, Georgia along with Riley, his law school bound sister. They are there to settle their uncle's massive estate. It is soon apparent that Uncle James's death was no accident. But the worst of it is their names at the top of the suspect list. The siblings are embraced by spunky caretakers, Amos and Carol, whose love, wit, faith, and plain ole horse-sense bolster efforts to solve the murder and put Kirby's life back on track.

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