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MEET DAVID FINSTROM
by Bonnie O'Brian

What did you most like to do when you were a child?

David Finstrom

I grew up in Colorado and had access to the mountains and beautiful open parks and wilderness. I enjoyed adventures outside letting my imagination run wild. Hiking in the Garden of the Gods and pretending we were from ancient tribes was one of my favorite escapes.

What books influenced you most when you were growing up?

I loved to read mystery and science fiction. 2000 Leagues Under the Sea was a favorite.

Did you write stories when you were growing up? at school? Or at home as a hobby? As a young child, or as a teenager, or both?

I really didn’t take to writing until later in life. I did love to tell stories and imagine different worlds as kid.

When you were a child did you ever have moments when you decided that you were going to be a writer when you grew up?

Not really. As a kid I wanted to be everything from an astronaut to a marine biologist. I even teased about going to college and becoming an educated garbage man saving the world from its piles of trash the recycle king! Now that would have been a good career choice.

What audience did you have in mind for your career as a writer - adult or children?

Both. My first published book, Lost in Etchitopia, A Giggleglyph Adventure, is for children and those with a youthful imagination. I’ve written them up a bit more before I have them published.

When you went to college, were you already pursuing a writing career?(or a career in illustrating? or just art in general? )

In college I studied Business. I took a few art classes and really enjoyed them. The writing came much later.

If you didn’t write as a child, then when did you start writing and what inspired you to start?

After college I went on a road trip to see where I may want to live. I kept notes in a journal about the trip and when I got back I just sat down at a typewriter and wrote a fictional story about my trip.

What was your first job when you graduated from college?

My family had a catering business so I helped out there.

 How soon after that was your first book published?

Several years later.

When was it published?

Lost in Etchitopia, A Giggleglyph Adventure, was published in 2003.

Was your first book accepted immediately? or did you experience a number of rejections?

I decided to have it self-published.