I first met David Seaburn through our publisher, Black Rose Writing. Having seen his promos for his book, Until It Was Gone, I was intrigued and contacted him for an interview. You can read it here. Since then, Seaburn has written another titled Last Alive. I read it and reviewed it, but I wanted to catch up with him for you with these few questions.
How did you come up with the plot of Last Alive?
I was Google searching for odd news stories and other things when I found a raft of sites devoted to the phenomenon of roadside memorials. We see them everywhere, but what is the story behind each one? I learned there is a name for the spot where the memorial, typically a cross, is placed. It marks the place where that person was last alive. The phrase ‘last alive’ intrigued me. So, I decided that would be the title of my next novel. Even though I didn’t have a story to go with it!
How much of your therapeutic background influenced your book?
I was an ordained minister serving a rural parish in the mid-seventies and early eighties. I was only twenty-four when I started. I learned quickly that every parishioner sitting in the church pews had a story, usually a painful one, that they would share with me in private. I learned a lot about the complexity of what seem like ordinary lives. I left parish ministry, got a master’s degree in counseling, and a PhD in psychology. I worked in a program for the chronically mentally ill, a community mental center, a public-school setting, and a university medical center. I practiced for twenty years in the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Family Medicine. My focus was marriage and family therapy. Families have complex processes that usually work well until they don’t. Death, divorce, chronic illness, and job loss are the kinds of life events that can cripple families and turn life into a daily challenge. I was always impressed that deep inside most of these individuals, couples, and families was a well of hope and resilience that carried them through. These experiences have contributed to what I write about when I sit in front of my computer.
I enjoyed each of your characters, especially the boy and his father, Leon’s daughter and his friend. How did you come up with them?
As you well know, characters can emerge serendipitously. I knew I was going to start the story with a tragic, random incident. It took time for me to create an accident that would make others in the story shake their heads in disbelief. Originally, there was going to be a male character who chopped down the tree that reeked all the havoc. I had no additional plans for that character. But soon I realized that person would also be devastated and deserved a storyline. To make it even more complex, the one who chopped down the tree would be his young son. I thought this would be more interesting and that it would allow me space to explore more things.
Similar process with Leon’s friend. He is there in the very first scene. I hadn’t planned on him being a primary character. But I couldn’t leave him behind. I decided he should have a place in the story. I was well into the novel before I figured out what that story would be.
The daughter was easier. I knew in advance that the couple had one offspring who would also need a place at the narrative table.
You have one or two different stories within the book. How did you come up with them?
This question is partially answered above. In all my novels, there are multiple characters with their own stories. Each deserve to be explored in depth. Simultaneously, I work on each of these stories while continuously thinking about how they are woven together in a believable way. The image of weaving is always in my thought process as the story progresses. I never have this figured out at the beginning. I never know who all the characters will be when I start. They find their way in. I try to respect them, show them empathy, and bring them together in a meaningful way.
Now that Last Alive has hit the bookshelves, when can we expect to get our hands on your follow up?
It took much longer than usual for me to find a publisher. In fact, I gave up for several months, then decided I really wanted the novel to be available for others to read. I found a publisher, and things have gone well. I must admit, though, that this time the process was more draining than usual. I am seventy-five years old, and Last Alive is my eleventh novel. I considered stopping after this one. But the urge to write, to tell stories, to make meaning, to explore human experience is powerful. I started writing short stories, just to stay in shape, so to speak. Then I got an idea for another novel. I wanted to write something about tumultuous times. Two cultural dilemmas came to mind. One, the treatment of unwed mothers in the 1940s, and two, the rise of polio in the 1950s. As usual, I have a rich, complex cast, so I will write on. I am unsure whether I will try to have it published. Stay tuned!
Here is my review of Last Alive by David Seaburn:
Death has a way of altering lives in ways none of us can imagine. This is the crux of the marvelous book Last Alive by David Seaburn. An elderly couple, married for fifty years, has a routine they follow daily. A routine interrupted by a death. A senseless death, an accident that should never have happened. One statement from the book says it all: “… every life, no matter how it ends, should have a meaningful explanation for why it ends. There should be, I don’t know, a higher reason, something that comes from God or from the universe, something that gives that life an eternal kind of, I don’t know …” Death happens and often, it is unexpected and more often than not, unwelcomed. Last Alive tackles it head on and doesn’t pull any punches. This wonderful book receives a well-earned and well-deserved 5 Star review from me.
Joseph Lewis, author of Fan Mail and Black Yéʼii (The Evil One)
You can find David Seaburn’s Last Alive on Amazon here.
If you are in the Fredericksburg, Virginia area on Saturday, Oct. 24, I will be taking part in the Fredericksburg Independent Book Festival in downtown Fredericksburg at Riverfront Park on Sophia Street from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Admission is FREE, and there will be more than 90 authors taking part. I will be there with my ten books for sale and signing, so I hope you stop down so I can meet you.
I hope you enjoyed this post. I would love to know your thoughts and to receive your comments, so please use the form below. As always, thank you for following along on my writing journey. Until next time …
