An Interview with David P Perlmutter

Firstly, I am a very proud father of four beautiful children/adults and two grandchildren. I’m now sixty years old, but very young at heart, and for the past fifteen years or so, I have changed my work life completely. Prior to writing, I had been working in real estate, sales, and marketing, in the UK, Portugal, where I lived for ten years, and America. But gave that up to pursue a writing career. Trust me, I’m not saying I’ve earned enough to write full-time, no chance, so I also delve into the acting world. I am an actor and extra, and have appeared a in number of movies, TV series, music videos, and commercials, one advert I was featured with Idris Elba for Booking.com, which was seen worldwide during the World Series final in America. I am very pleased to say that my credits have been seen across the world on the telly and in cinemas.

I am now raising funds to make either a movie or TV series of my crime thriller, Write To Kill, to which we already have attached a fantastic UK and Hollywood cast.

I am prolific on social media promoting my books and projects.

What inspired you to start writing this book?

What inspired me to write Write To Kill…

I began thinking, plotting, and writing the crime thriller, working night shifts, stacking shelves during the early morning hours at my local supermarket during the Covid lockdown. So for a year and a half during the early moody hours, I came up with the plot.

Writing the trilogy, which is written in the first person perspective, blood (quite literally), heart, and soul went into every word, sentence, paragraph, and chapter. I acted out most of the scenes and, whilst typing, read the dialogue out loud.

Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

The title of my crime thriller more or less came to me as I began writing the plot. As the protagonist is an author who kills, the title, Write To Kill, came to me after a few variations.

Describe your dream book cover.

My dream book cover for my crime thriller, Write To Kill, would include actors and a flash sign saying “Now a major series on Netflix.”

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

Songs are actually featured in the story, which include, “Freedom” by George Micheal, “Relax” by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, “Victims” by Culture Club, and many more!

What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?

To be honest, I haven’t read a full book for some time as I am busy writing and marketing my books and projects. For my inspiration and research, I actually watch TV series like Succession, Get Shorty, and Californication to inspire me to write rather than reading books.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

In my previous life prior to becoming an author, thirteen years ago, I used to be an Estate Agent/Real Estate, also in advertising and marketing. I lived in Portugal for ten years and then America. Apart from being an author, I am also an actor and supporting artist. I have featured in many movies, including Bollywood movies, as well as in a number of TV series and commercials—one advert I was featured in was a Booking.com advert with Idris Elba, which was viewed right across America and Canada during the World Series. I’ve also doubled for Tom Allen for a Channel Four show, and I have been a stand-in for Ade Edmonson. Pleased to say that I have a number of shoots already lined up for early 2025. I have also been playing Father Christmas for three weeks at the historical Hellfire Caves in High Wycombe, which has been a fantastic journey. Children still believe in Santa Claus, which is magical.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

Well, when I first started to write, the last thing on my mind was writing a book at forty-five, fifteen years ago, especially being dyslexic. But I started a blog when I lived in Portugal, which was mainly for therapy to be honest about my adventure to Marbella, when I was wrongly arrested for arson and manslaughter and ended up in jail.

I sent a couple of blog posts to my friend and then editor, Elaine, to look at and she replied, “David, this is far too good for just a blog, you should write a book.” So, within six months, I did. That book, Wrong Place Wrong Time, has been, and still is, a #1 BESTSELLER around the Amazon world.

Elaine did warn me that I may receive some negativity from readers because of the nature of the story, which I did, but with over three thousand five-star book reviews, these have certainly outweighed any negative reviews. Also, this true story is currently a book-to-movie project.

From there, I caught the writing bug. I guess it’s escapism from the real world.

Where is your favorite place to write?

Realistically in a quiet cafe, but my ideal location would be in a cute wooden and functional hut overlooking the sea, with the rhythmic sound of the waves crashing against the rocks.

Do you have any writing rituals?

I haven’t really a ritual, but for time of writing, I do prefer writing late at night, especially when writing my thriller Write To Kill. It’s a dark plot, and the later in the night, the better for setting the mood.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

As mentioned in book reviews, my readers state, that they are taken on a journey with my writing and feel the tension within the characters. So, that’s the main thing I hope my readers take away from my words.

My perfect reader is one sat right at the edge of their seat!

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.