FEATURED AUTHOR: H.D. Campbell

EDITOR’s Note:

Writing is a strange business, but every now and then you find someone who gets why you sit up nights writing in your notebook or laptop. H.D. was the first person I met in St. Louis, who had the desire of writing as I did. We met while in junior college and our writing adventure began. We started a literary group together and dreamed New York Bestselling dreams.

H.D. moved away and we lost touch, but to my surprise we found each other again on the internet. I began to watch his career grow and I’m so proud of all he has accomplished.

It is my pleasure to introduce you to my friend, H.D. Campbell.


H.D. Campbell has over twenty-five years of writing experience with credits in freelance newspaper reporting, personal fiction and poetry. Starting his career in St. Louis, H.D. Campbell’s first published piece was at ten. From there, he wrote fiction and nonfiction pieces personally and for different outlets while helping other writer get where they need to go. In his college days, he co-founded The St. Louis Creative Black Writer’s Guild with LaShaunda Hoffman. The group, which lasted five years, was an organization where writers networked and inspired each other through guest speakers, trips to various bookstores and various critique sessions. Before moving to Fort Smith, Arkansas in 1999, he started working with new, unpublished writers giving assistance to marketing their work. In 2000, H.D. Campbell published the book How to Lose a Black Woman. Then he published Late Murder @ 10 in 2005. Finally, in 2010, he published two books The Sergeant Wiseguy Chronicles and Garth: From the Heart of A Virtual Demon. More information about all of these books can be found on his website www.hdcampbell3.net

His website is built around marketing not only his books but also providing the latest in writing new and interviews with people in and around the industry. Besides a lot of writing and spending time with family, he also produces an Internet show on YouTube and his site called The Author’s Corner. It’s show with news, interview, and other use tidbits for authors and inspiration for those who aspire to write. The show debuted August 4, 2009 and will expand into a bi-weekly series May 2010.

How did you start out your writing career?

I started my writing career when I was ten years old. I discovered it by accident when I wrote a black history poem and turned it in to my teacher. (For those who remember Ebony Jr.) she had it published there. From there, I started realizing that I did like writing stories so by 14 I was writing short adventure stories (especially those featuring my currently published character Sergeant Wiseguy)

What was your most difficult scene to write?

For all four of my books, the conclusions are the most difficult scenes to write. I know how they’re going to end but you have to be careful on how many elements you can add to the conclusions.

Have you had a "Wow" moment since you have been an author? What made it a "Wow" moment for you?

A “wow” moment for me is during my first book signing ever. First the mayor showed up and gave me a declaration making it H.D. Campbell day that day. In addition I met someone who’s read all of my books to date and love them. By then two of my books have been published and it was the start of something that would be today. I’m very proud of my reader fan base and looking for it to continue to grow.

What did you hope to accomplish with this book?

With every book, I usually up the ante on the marketing and this time with my new show The Author’s Corner which I use to market myself and other authors. One of my biggest goals with the show is to put my book on a new marketing plane. I’m looking in the next year for my show to put bring more awareness to my book and get it into other markets and genres.

What’s playing on your CD while you’re writing?

Often anything old school R&B & Hip Hop but currently it has to be anything by Angie Stone or Jill Scott. I love all genres of music which is constantly playing on my Ipod and Itunes.

If you had the opportunity to talk with three writers, who would you choose and why?

Number one would have to be Terri McMillan. I’ve always been a huge fan and used to be one of my secret crushes before I got married. She is a talent with so much to give to us. Number two would have to be James Patterson. As a fellow mystery writer, we’re both character oriented like the Cross books Woman’s Murder Club series. I’ve been writing books about ordinary people with extraordinary lives and adventures since the beginning. Finally, there’s Tom Clancy. He writes books closer to my genre of espionage/adventure thrillers. They are fast paced and offer a more real world, technological approach to the spy novel.

What movie had the greatest impact on you as a kid? Why?

I’m sorry but it’s a cross between two movies for two different movies. The first movie was Higher Learning directed by John Singleton. John Singleton’s a director who directs movies about individual personalities who come together to form bonds and overcome conflict. Of all Singleton movies, I like Higher Learning the best because it was in a college setting. My other movie is Citizen Kane. It’s a movie about journalism and tells the tale of the state of the newspaper industry today.

If you could be on a Reality TV show, which one would it be and why?

As much as I love Reality TV, I don’t think I can be on any of them. I can’t sing, I don’t want to go into the jungle, never liked fighting over a woman even if I was single. You know what I’d take that back, I’d do the Apprentice but we need a reality show for writers and authors.

If you could visit any place in the world where would you travel to?

I would love to take a tour of the entire African Continent.

What one thing about writing do you wish other non-writers would understand?

I have to only mention one thing? Wow, but okay. One thing I don’t get about non-writers is their stereotypes of the writing/publishing industry. There are people who don’t understand that it takes a daily grind of marketing in order to get your work out there. One of my biggest complaints from individuals are the perils of family or friend support. They believe that either it takes a lot of money (which it doesn’t) to be a writer. People also believe that it takes a lot of resources and time which it doesn’t. I started writing with notebooks, graduated to typewriter, then eventually the PC. There is more than one way to get your work out there.

What was the best advice you’d ever gotten about the publishing industry?

The best advice I’ve gotten was to take your time and don’t just take the first offer on the table. There are authors out there who take the first offer on the table and they regret the experience. The worst? I can’t recall any bad advice because I try to make it a point to ignore anything that would be negative to my writing career.

Can you give us one do and one don’t for those aspiring to be a writer?

I want all those aspiring writers to write and gain as much knowledge as you can about the writing industry. The research is what gave me the advantage. One don’t I have is to never give up on your dreams. I’ve seen so many writers who came up with me since high school and so far only me and another friend (LaShaunda Hoffman) are still immersed in the literary world.

What is something readers would be surprised you do?

I am a news & political junkie; I collect comic books; am a hopeless romantic; likes all music by Luther Vandross, Jill Scott, and Angie Stone; loves old movies; and old school hip hop.

Our theme for this month is Resources On The Net. What are your favorite resources on the net.

http://www.writersmarket.com/; http://www.writersdigest.com/; http://www.aaambc.com/

Can you give us a sneak peek of your next book?

Sure my next book is the sequel to the Sergeant Wiseguy Chronicles. In the sequel, terrorists recreate the bubonic plague and unleash it upon the East Coast. The other details are top secret but know that you will get even more action in this one than the first novel and you learn more about our main character Sergeant Wiseguy.

How can readers get in contact with you? (mail, email, website)

Readers can contact me at http://www.hdcampbell3.net/. There you can learn more about me, my show The Author’s Corner, and take advantage of sales & discounts. For those individuals with questions, comments and concerns may contact me at hd_campbellproductions@yahoo.com. To catch me more quickly just look for H.D. Campbell on MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter.


Late Murder @ 10-Mystery/Thriler

Mark Alexander, an ex-investigative reporter (turned broadcast engineer for a St. Louis television station) witnesses the on-air murder of a hated news anchor by a mysterious assassin. When evidence points to the co-anchor Laura Skaggs and her survivalist fiancee, they are soon arrested for the crime. Convinced of her innocence, Mark Alexander employs his old investigative reporter tactics and launches his own investigation. He elects the help of his own partner, Laquita Davners, from the St. Louis Post to help. They find the anchor had personal problems both within and and outside (including both inside and outside the station (including mob ties) As Mark Alexander gets closer, the truth gets closer, and the more dangerous things become. The case allows Mark to regain the spirit he lost when he left investigative reporting five years ago. Mark fights to unravel the mystery, but not before opening the floodgates of controversy surrounding the murdered news anchor.


How to Lose a Black Woman-Christian Romance

Bruce Williams, a St. Louis teacher, searches for love by using nontraditional methods, a telephone dating service. Through an uncomfortable search, he eventually finds his true love but an argument and a wrong decision afterwards causes a break-up. This book is a look at one of the aspects of modern relationships. Filled with original poetry and prayers, it personifies how love should be handled. The first in a series of these books, How to Lose a Black Woman will empower as well as entertain. For those who are unhappy with their current relationship it may evaluate what’s going wrong. The book also shows how God should play a part in modern relationships today. It would eliminate a lot of cheating, unwanted pregnancies, and mistrust. It’s not for everyone nor is it targeted for everyone. However, if you’re looking for a good story about one aspect of the human spirit, this is your book!


Garth: From the Heart of A Virtual Demon

Mark Alexander returns in this thrilling story as he employs his investigative skills to track down a woman hating serial killer. In addition to the dangerous assignment he has the task to training new partner with issues of her own. He learns he must overcome his issues before he can move on with tracking down the smart and elusive killer before the body count rises. Can Mark and his new parnter stop the elusive killer?




The Sergeant Wiseguy Chronicles

In August 1991, the Soviet Union coup and the fall of Communism are underway. During the chaos, a terrorist group steals a long-range nuclear warhead, using the coup as a cover. The terrorist group, headed by a rogue KGB agent named Joe Pituskin consists of agents and soldiers looking to give the world a new order through terrorism and an iron fist. The group smuggles the warhead into Paris under some private sewer property beneath the Eiffel Tower.

Ten years later, enter: Sergeant Wiseguy. He’s an African-American ex-strategy specialist for the Blue Light military counter-terrorist unit recently who’s been recently discharged only to be picked up by The Meadowlark Group. It’s a private government organization that acts as a three-ring circus: government funded scientific research, foreign relations work, and counter-terrorism. He was recruited to be head of the agency’s terrorism investigation and extraction team.

What makes Sergeant Wiseguy unique is explained in his code name. His name is so for two reasons. 1) It’s because he’s one of the world’s top strategy specialist, capable of making the wisest decisions under pressure; 2) Because of his snappy, smart, sarcastic mouth, even when the bad guys have the advantage. He’s normally his most sarcastic when the bad guys have the advantage.

Sergeant Wiseguy’s ability to be unique gives him a great advantage over his enemies because he’s unpredictable. This unpredictability allows him to be two steps ahead of his enemies but it also gets him in more trouble than he realizes at times. Beneath all the sarcasm and planning, he works by one simple rule when he’s out in the field. When you’re in a tough situation, learn to think your way out.

His first mission takes him to Paris to find the nuclear warhead where he meets up with an ex-girlfriend (who’s currently an investigator for a special unit called the Paris Underground) whom he saw die years ago. That’s opens a can of worms and hinders the investigation in the beginning, but the two get past the confusion. They eventually agree to work together in finding the terrorists before they use the warhead and the two rekindle their relationship in the process. They rekindle their relationship and learn new details about each other during their mission.

The mission involves the murder of five undercover Paris Underground agents who discovered the missing warhead. One agent escaped but not without sustaining life-threatening bullet wounds to his back and shoulder putting him in a coma. He managed to tell the female Paris Underground agent about the warhead before he fell unconscious.

Sergeant Wiseguy narrates his missions from a top-secret journal he keeps in a safe in his apartment. What makes his stories interesting is that he takes on these serious missions, but maintains his sarcastic demeanor for the missions he goes on. It’s an espionage novel with a sense of humor and an ordinary Joe who just loves his job. There’s also strong characterization with a good supporting cast, which is only matched with a good plot. Sergeant Wiseguy is a good novel for those who likes espionage/suspense but would like a sense of humor with it.

This is the first in a series of the Sergeant Wiseguy series.



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