One of the unexpected positives that
Barnaby has discovered since he started publishing e-books has been to make
contacts with other Indie authors around the world. The internet has rendered
the physical separation of no consequence.
David Keith is an American author, who
describes himself as an unreformed hippie. He happens also to be a fine writer
and Barnaby has enjoyed, in particular, his series of tales about the characters
who inhabit a bar known as The Painted Door. Dave has also been a contributor,
with Barnaby, to several collections of stories that have been published to raise
funds for the Sea Shepherd charity.
Barnaby is pleased, therefore, to be able to
use this blog space to allow David Keith to introduce himself to some new
readers.
David H. Keith
I have been called a lot of names over the
years: smart-ass, curmudgeon, idealist, various parts of my anatomy (which are
not always in close physical proximity to each other), as well as a great many
others. Some of them are even true to varying degrees, but so are some of the
more pleasant names: lover, wise, intelligent, kind, etc. I guess the one word
that best describes me is human, in all my nobility and all my failings. I’d
rather that being human thing weren’t the case, but I’m sort of stuck with it
for now, so it’ll just have to do.
I’m also a writer, which makes me even
weirder to some folk. You’ve probably heard the saying that writers are
professional liars; well, it’s true in that fiction writers, in particular,
just make stuff up to entertain others. That stuff’s relationship to reality is
tenuous at best—and that is as true for the so-called news media as for Stephen
King, Kathy Reichs, and all the rest of the breed. No matter how objective we
try to be, nor as accurate, we are still humans, so we see—and report—through
the lenses of our own perceptions, experience, and beliefs. All of us writerly
types truly do listen to the voices in our heads. We have to. If we didn’t, we
couldn’t write a syllable.
My degree is in Communications with an
emphasis on writing. My passions are many, including using our language
properly, the absolute freedom of speech we here in the US are told we
have, and telling a good yarn. And earning and keeping my wife’s love and
respect.
Professionally, I have worked for nigh onto
three decades in the medical profession, from combat medic in the US Army to
Paramedic in the civilian world and a host of other occupations. If nothing
else, this makes me more or less fluent in medicalese; for instance, I know the
difference between, say, antiseptic and aseptic. I also know how not to treat a burn and I’ve had the
ultimate pleasure of helping a new life into this beat-up old world of ours.
I’ve also seen, and even eased, some as they make their final departure. I
suppose you could say I have seen both the Alpha and the Omega of human life.
But, wait! There’s more to David H. Keith
than a simple medic. I’ve also been a newspaper reporter, photographer
(sometimes simultaneously), and editor. Yep, I’m one of the banes of would-be
authors everywhere—and I’m quite passionate about it. And that is because I have a deep reverence for language and the proper
use thereof. Language, you see, is one of the hallmarks of our being human, or
so some say.
My wife, Dr. Elizabeth Rowan Keith, and I
have developed a website highlighting our eBooks; we invite you to browse our
works at www.novemberfirstpublications.weebly.com.
If you’d like to discuss the mechanics of writing, please visit my blog at www.davidkeith1.blogspot.com.
There, I give hints to help writers with grammar, punctuation, and all the
other little things that make a good story great.
Slainte!
