Walter Ihlefield

 

Walter Ihlefield is a PADI Certified Advanced Open Water Diver, a Second Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, and is a student of Reiki. He is a member of the Studebaker Driver's Club, and is currently restoring a 1961 Studebaker Hawk. He served in the Navy in the late sixties aboard the USS Franklin D Roosevelt, CVA-42, as a Radarman billeted in Electronic Warfare. He completed the "Writer's Digest Short Story" course in 1997 and has written several Western short stories as well as the beginnings of a Western novel. He is an avid reader and a reviewer for an on-line review page. "Banshee Rising" is the first in a series featuring Mitchell Parks, with "Controlled Conclusion" nearly ready for publication. He owns a set of golf clubs, but hesitates to call himself a "Golfer." He lives in Chester, Virginia, with 'Tiffany', his thirteen year old Yorky.

 

 

"BANSHEE RISING is a book you will devour in one sitting since once reading the first page you are hooked ... it is an edge of your seat read. Suzanne Coleburn, The Belles and Beaux of Romance

 

“Banshee Rising” is one of those books you start to read that dangles the bait, waits for you to bite, then reels you in. I ... finished this book in one sitting. Denise M. Clark

 

Pageonelit.com: Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your life? Who were your earliest influences and why?

Walter Ihlefield: I grew up in the small town of Waverly, Virginia, in a time when neighbors knew each other and were willing to do for each other. It was the time of Alfred Hitchcock, Twilight Zone, and The Outer Limits. I read "Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine" and "Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine," with "Science and Mechanics" thrown in for good measure. What I wrote could only be described as "Short, Short, Short stories." Usually around 300 words. The disappointing part was that the readers knew the outcome of my stories half way through them. So I stopped writing. Then during my service in the Navy, I read Louis L'Amour and Ross MacDonald. These two writers have "taught" me how to tell a story, with twists, while building my own "voice."

Pageonelit.com: Why do you write?

Walter Ihlefield: I write now because my characters deserve it. I want others to meet the "people" my stories bring to life. To have them reside in my mind only would deny them the opportunity to grow. They need to be shared with others. My writing gives them that opportunity.

Pageonelit.com: Tell us about your novel BANSHEE RISING? Explain the title.

Walter Ihlefield: "Banshee Rising" is set in the present-day town of Bridgeway, Virginia. A fictitious town patterned after Waverly, where the people care about what happens. Where news travels fast, though not always in a straight line. Thirty years ago, when Navy SEAL, Lieutenant Mitchell Parks was in Vietnam, a young girl, Sara McCafferty, was murdered half a world away. Today, he is a police officer in that town. When he finds the Spirit of Sara in his attic, he vows to find out what happened to her. The road to this discovery is hampered by the men who want the secret kept hidden. When they push Mitch too far, they find out why he was called "The Banshee" in the Rung Sat Region of Vietnam.

I came by the title, "Banshee Rising," to illustrate the basic theme behind the story: That there is a warrior inside us that will rise to the surface when our way of life or our friends are threatened. In Mitchell's case, the warrior was trained to be the best at quieting the enemy.

 

Pageonelit.com: Your lead character in BANSHEE RISING is Mitchell Parks, a police officer with a background in extreme law enforcement. Please explain what is 'Extreme Law Enforcement? And what in your background and experiences helped you to prepare to write about the characters, such as Parks, in BANSHEE RISING?

Walter Ihlefield:As a Navy SEAL, Mitchell was called upon by our country to defeat an enemy; to uphold the laws of the Constitution and defend it against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. The methods used by the SEALs, while kept forever hidden from the general public, are by nature, extreme. These methods are necessary to "get the job done" in a timely fashion.

After high school, I joined the Navy. (Let me stress here that I was NOT a part of the SEAL program.) I served aboard the aircraft carrier, USS Franklin D Roosevelt, CVA-42, as a Radarman, billetted in Electronic Warfare. My background here allows me to inject a military attitude in Mitch. A no-nonsense aggressive posture that is quite effective.

 

 

Pageonelit.com: What has been your feedback from readers and book reviewers regarding your books? What do they like about the books?

Walter Ihlefield: We have sent the Banshee across the country expecting honest reviews and all have been very positive. Two months after publication, Banshee was suggested for the Nebula Award. And readers love the Banshee. One reader commented on my web site that he wanted to move to Bridgeway. And a reader in California has prepaid for the second in the series, "Controlled Conclusion." There was even talk in Ohio of starting a Banshee fan club. One reader told me that three weeks after finishing the Banshee, she couldn't get it out of her mind, and read it again. The "worst" comment? "It ended."

 

Pageonelit.com: Tell me about your publishing experience -- The good, the bad and the ugly..

Walter Ihlefield: I published with Xlibris. While a writer who pays for publication can get just about anything published, I have found that with Xlibris, there's a concern for the quality of the work. The entire process went smoothly. My only complaint is the price I must charge for my efforts.

Pageonelit.com: Do you have any advice to offer first time novelist?

Walter Ihlefield: For anyone who intends to write, whether it's a first-timer or an accomplished writer, I would say, "Read." By reading todays novelists, one gets a feel for what is expected. I don't read entirely for pleasure. When I find my heart pounding, I will re-read the passages to find out how the writer did that to me. It's more of an on-going study course.

 

Pageonelit.com: What's next?

Walter Ihlefield: "Controlled Conclusion," set in Bridgeway, is nearly finished. Mitchell, and the Banshee, return to avenge the death of a friend. "Bridgeway '66" is in the plotting stages and another SEAL character will be developed in a novel with a working title of "Hawk Taggart."

 

Pageonelit.com: Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing.

Walter Ihlefield: I am an avid reader, consuming three or four books a month. I am also PADI certified as an Advanced Open Water SCUBA Diver and have a Second Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. I am a student of Reiki and belong to a group called, "Spirit Release." When I take the reader into the water with Mitch or describe a fight scene, I have been there and I have done that. And my readers get to feel the water around them and have their hearts race when danger threatens. My work with the Spirit world has given me an insight that I also try to share with my readers. I am a member of the Studebaker Driver's Club and am restoring a '61 Studebaker Hawk, so when Studebaker is mentioned in the pages of "Banshee Rising," the facts are straight and reliable.