Inside the anvil rising...an interview with David Pierce Jones
DAP sat down with David Pierce Jones, author of Anvil Rising: My Rarely Gentle Thoughts, and asked about his writing process, his working space, his inspiration, and his life.
DAP: Can you give us a brief synopsis of your book?
David: Like a hoarder, I collected, cataloged, and buried conversations, unwritten letters, tender tidings, retorts, tirades, confessions, and gory screeds—a lifetime’s worth. Finally, it's above ground now for people to read and for me to jettison, an anvil rising.
DAP: What was the inspiration/motivation for writing your book?
David: The book, to an extent, wrote itself, and I was merely the stenographer. “Anvil Rising” is a personal diary that chronicles numerous experiences—real, dreamed, and imagined—throughout my life. Finally, it was time to offload all of it and move on, so that's what I did, word by word. Some entries date back forty years. It's humbling to read in my own words how utterly incapable and unfinished I was as a human being. Still, I stayed in the fight, often with myself, my most determined foe.
DAP: What is the key takeaway you want people to have after reading your book?
David: I hear from time to time that my book is a "hard read." I find that critique affirming. Life is hard, but people are resilient. There is beauty in getting knocked down, but you must get up to appreciate it. I don't have an "easy read" book in me, nor do I want one.
Stay in the fight. It’s worth it. You’re worth it. That’s my takeaway and my hope for others.
DAP: What inspires you?
David: I’m inspired by regular people quietly doing remarkable things. Working hard every day is remarkable. Assisting others in need is remarkable. Serving your country is remarkable. Raising kids is remarkable. I'm a sucker for the underdog, the unappreciated, the unseen, the everyday, all-day hero.
DAP: What does your writing/working space look like?
David: I keep my workspace simple: desk and laptop, with music playing in the background. I also write most effectively in the early morning, well before sunrise. A cluttered desk is a cluttered mind for me.
DAP: What are you learning/listening to/reading right now?
David: I'm learning that time is precious, and too much of it is spent on activities that don't provide any appreciable return on the investment. I generally listen to post-modern rock, old-school metal, and a little jazz. Presently, bands such as Whale Fall, Mono, The Best Pessimist, Tool, Black Sabbath, and If These Trees Could Talk are on regular rotation. I just finished reading Orwell's The Road to Wigan Pier. I’m also bouncing back and forth between Mere Christianity, Brave New World, and Brothers in Arms, a non-fiction World War II epic.
DAP: Are there more books in your future?
David: Yes, I'm working on a follow-up to Anvil Rising. The content is similar but more "outside in," more observational rather than exorcising the ghosts in my head. I have other ideas simmering on a low boil, too.
DAP: How do you select the books you want to read?
David: First, I look for topics that pique my interest. I also revisit authors I like. Beyond that, I react to the book description or impressions based on author interviews I've seen. I don't put much stock in professional reviews.
DAP: Is there a book that you’ve read multiple times? What is it, and why do you keep going back to it?
David: I go back to Ayn Rand’s Return of the Primitive often. Not so much for the writing style but to better understand her philosophy and worldview. I also go back to the Bible and Faulkner. The former to keep me humble and thankful and the latter because the writing is next level—the pacing, the abstractness, the surgical intention, the utter poetry of it all, especially his dialogue.
DAP: Share one fun fact about yourself that your readers would never guess.
David: I'm presently in training, so I can attempt to pass the Special Forces Fitness Test. People ask me why. My only response is, why not?
Click here to purchase Anvil Rising: My Rarely Gentle Thoughts.