Author of the Month

Dave DeWitt [nov 2007]
Chosen by reviewer Beverly Rowe, MyShelf.Com

    I chose Dave DeWitt as the Author of the Month for November to celebrate the accomplishments of this versatile man. He is the author of more than 30 cookbooks, a couple of novels, many magazine articles, and has even produced videos about his passion...peppers. Dave has traveled extensively in research for his various enterprises, and you will no doubt find him at the National Fiery Foods & Barbeque Show in Albuquerque from February 29 - March 2, 2008, where the largest collection of hot and spicy products ever assembled in the U.S. will be on display.

I discovered Dave's talents when I obtained a copy of his historical fiction masterpiece, Avenging Victorio, an exciting novel of the Apache Insurgency in New Mexico in 1881. It tells about how Nana, the aged Apache, led a group of rag-tag Apaches in a revenge quest against General Edward Hatch and the U. S. Army. The Novel is based on well researched fact, and I couldn't put it down. I asked Dave about his writing career...here is what he had to say:

Interview


Bev: Could you tell us a bit about yourself? How did you get started in writing?

Dave: I've been a writer and an overall media guy since grade school when I always seemed to get A's on term papers and essays. In high school I wrote a column for our newspaper and had short stories published in the literary magazine. In college at the University of Virginia I majored in English and took creative writing classes. After teaching college for three years and writing unpublished novels on the side, I worked in radio, TV, and advertising agencies, and wrote, produced, and voiced hundreds and hundreds of radio and TV commercials. After I moved to New Mexico in 1974, I decided to start a freelance writing career and specialized in articles about New Mexico food and travel. Well, you can't write about New Mexico food without covering chile peppers, so that was the start for "The Pope of Peppers," as the media calls me.

Bev: What is your favorite of all your cookbooks, and why do you like it best?

Dave: My favorite cookbook is The Whole Chile Pepper Book because it was my biggest seller and a breakthrough book that launched many new publishing ventures.

Bev: You have written many cookbooks, but also have written for newspapers, launched magazines, produced videos, and now have written a hard hitting historical novel. Which of these do you enjoy doing most, and why?

Dave: Most, I like researching a certain subject, including travel, writing a proposal, and celebrating when my agent, Scott Mendel, sells the book to a publisher.

Bev:...and least?

Dave: Least, I don't particularly enjoy being a print magazine editor anymore. After editing more than 100 issues of Chile Pepper and Fiery Foods & BBQ, I feel that I done more than enough in that medium.

Bev: According to your web page, you have traveled extensively in research for your cookbooks. Tell us about your research travels.

Dave: I'm a travel junkie. But not just for pleasure. I love to do on-site research and recipe collection. My wife and I have traveled extensively in Europe, Asia, Australia, South Africa, the Caribbean, Central America, and the U.S. Most fascinating culinary tour: India. Most fun culinary tours: tie, Australia and South Africa.

Bev: Your passion for the pepper really shows. I love your web site, and have gleaned a bunch of recipes that I want to try. Do you test most of the recipes yourself?

Dave: I am fortunate to have a part-time staff of recipe developers, including my wife, Mary Jane. Most of the recipes on the web site have been tested, but there are thousands of them in all my publications and so I can't test them all. However, I'm an excellent home cook and have edited thousands of recipes, so I can taste the dish by looking at the recipe, and often I make adjustments to the recipe.

Bev: I just finished reading Avenging Victorio, and I really enjoyed it. The characters came alive and the action felt like here and now. Tell me, how does an author go from being the celebrated cookbook author, the "Pope of Peppers," to writing a riveting western historical novel like Avenging Victorio?

Dave: I have this weird belief that a real writer should be able to write in any format and any genre, from advertising copy to songs to serious fiction. And in between, food history, historical fiction, humorous fiction, and gardening guides. I learned about the history of Avenging Victorio while researching a travel guide for New Mexico back in the days when they were rare. I loved the story and researched it for years, mostly in the libraries of the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University. After working on chile peppers and spicy foods for so many years, I decided to jump genres, finish the book, and find a publisher. Fortunately, all those things happened.

Bev: I really liked the way you told the story of the 1881 Apache insurgence from both the Indian's viewpoint and the U.S. Army's side. You effortlessly blend fact and fiction where readers don't know where fact stops and fiction starts in your book. Tell us about developing the idea for this book and the research aspect.

Dave: The story in the book is about 90 percent true history. The characters are mostly real people. The fiction is telling the story in a dramatic manner, and inventing believable descriptions, scenes, and dialog. U.S. military history was easy for me to research because I know something about it having had a military and Department of Defense father, and having taken military history in ROTC in college. The Apache history, legend, and lore was the biggest challenge but by far the most fascinating.

Bev: I know that this is a true story, and classified as fiction...your research is impeccable and characters realistic. You take readers on an adventure with cliffhangers in every chapter. Your pacing is great for the readers, but how did you manage to maintain the suspense and still have your readers cheering for both sides?

Dave: I strived to be objective and not worry about race, class, or being politically correct in today's terms. The historical story was in itself exciting, and I felt that by throwing in other contemporary historical events, I could lend authenticity to the story. About the style--I had no real editor because the publisher liked it so much he didn't want any changes. Essentially that meant copyediting only--a joy to a novelist. I attribute this to the years of developing the project--I had no deadline and it was fun to do, writing an adventure story with a moral or two.

Bev: Are treasure hunters still looking for that stash of gold bars? Have you ventured into treasure hunting?

Dave: Well, there have been several searches of Victorio Peak, which is on White Sands Missile Range land. Nothing has been found. I have not ventured into treasure hunting, but I love reading about it.

Bev: I only found reference to one other novel, The Mute Strategy, published in 1979. Have you written other novels?

Dave: The Mute Strategy was my attempt to capitalize on the enormous media publicity about the supposed cattle mutilations in New Mexico in the '70s. I was actually researching the mutilations and writing articles about the subject. I wrote the novel in six weeks, self-published it, found a local paperback book distributor, and it was on bookstands everywhere all over the state. It reached number 2 on the state bestseller list for a couple of weeks and then faded. Over the years I've written about seven novels, in many different fiction genres, two published.

Bev: What is your newest project? Do you plan to write more historical fiction?

Dave: My next project is a new book on pepper identification, gardening, and post-harvest preservation. It will be published in full color in 2009 by Timber Press of Portland, Oregon. Never say never, but I would have to find a really compelling story to write more historical fiction.

Bev: Do you have any other thoughts that you would like to share with your fans?

Dave: Since most of my fans are related to chile peppers, fiery foods, and barbecue, I'd like to first thank them for all their support, and then to point out that I'm back to a new book on peppers.

Bev: Thank you so much, Dave. Personally, I hope that you do find a really compelling story for another fiction book. While I love to cook, and do own some of your chile pepper books, I'm really hooked as a fan of your historical fiction after reading Avenging Victorio.

Browse Dave's web site for exciting articles about everything concerning peppers and the spicy food industry. You can find dozens of interesting recipes to try too. http://www.fiery-foodscom/dave/

2007's Honorary List