Author Q&A: Thomas Davison

Today we're interviewing Dr. Thomas Davison, aka Doctor D, who has written in a variety of styles — YA fantasy, nonfiction, academic writing, science fiction, memoir, horror, and even a cookbook.

Davison has taught college coursework inside two state prisons in Ohio for the past eight years. His observations and interactions with his incarcerated students have motivated him to create poems and short stories about their daily lives and experiences.

Davison has recently started a not-for-profit, Entrepreneur Services for Felons (ESF). He has dedicated 100 percent of his writing earnings to providing free one-on-one support services for felons and ex-felons. He has also created two writing clubs within the prisons. These incarcerated students are his beta readers to ensure he speaks in their voice and keeps it honest.

SADYE: How did you come to see yourself as a writer, and what inspired you to seek publication?

THOMAS: I had never published anything in my life until 2019 except for a couple of doctoral dissertations and some academic writing.

Although I was dedicated to the craft of writing, I was a college professor teaching business courses. I didn’t consider myself a writer. 

After retiring early, I became bored and returned to teaching part-time. I ended up teaching inside two state prisons in Ohio. I have always loved poetry. I was so overwhelmed with emotions that I began writing poetry.

I was surprised at how popular my prison-themed poems became with publishers. I started to write short stories. I published over seventy poems and short stories in art journals, magazines, and book anthologies. 

I wanted to know if I could write a complete novel. In 2023, I discovered Amazon's Kindle Vella, where I could write episodically. I now have three self-published novels, with a fourth due out this month.          

SADYE: Tell us something about your writing process that’s unusual or that you haven’t revealed before.

THOMAS: My favorite type of writing is poetry, and my favorite poetry is ekphrastic. Ekphrastic is a big word that means using one form of art to inspire another; for example, if I view a fantastic painting and feel motivated to write a story based on that painting. 

My writing process uses this same ekphrastic influence. I like playing music, reviewing art books, and reading poetry. I draw my inspiration for writing from these other art forms.

Many writer friends tell me they need an environment without external distractions to write effectively. I must be weird because I use outside stimuli to create.  

SADYE: What have been the most surprising, rewarding, and challenging parts of your writing career?

THOMAS: The strength of the writing community has been the biggest surprise and most rewarding part of my writing career.

I have been pleased with the support and community from the various writer groups in which I participate. I am an administrator of a site called Kindle Vella Author’s Creative Community, or KVACC.

Most new writers would agree that learning how to promote and market their books is the greatest challenge to overcome. This is mainly because these activities are expensive and time-consuming, eroding into time set aside for writing. 

SADYE: What message or theme would you like readers to take away from your work?

THOMAS: I wrote a YA fantasy (The Boy With Strange Eyes) and a nonfiction memoir (Different Prisons) where my target audience was at-risk youth. Their main message or theme was the need to create a set of moral codes and values. Then, use those values to make life decisions. 

If individuals lack morals, they risk making bad decisions. Both novels demonstrate the importance of this theme by showing examples of good and bad decision-making. The memoir uses real-life case studies from my incarcerated students, and the YA fantasy has incidents that occur in eighth-century Japan.     

SADYE: What advice, as relates to your writing career, would you give your younger self?

THOMAS: The best writing advice I could give anyone is from a quote: You can’t edit a blank piece of paper (sorry, I don’t know the original source).

When I first started writing, I consistently pressured myself to create the best possible version before continuing. This habit was a big mistake.

Put something on paper, anything. You can always go back and edit as many times as necessary to achieve that perfect paper. Leaving a piece of your story blank or, worse, surrendering to writer’s block is a story-ender.  

A second piece of writing advice is to sleep on it first when you run into a writing spot where you draw a blank.

I used to refuse to move on with the story and remain fixated on completing the blank spot. I quickly learned that sleeping on it and attempting again with a refreshed brain and a new perspective often brings positive results.

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Learn more about Thomas Davison on Amazon, where his books can also be purchased; like him on Facebook; and follow him on Twitter and Instagram. 

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