BLOGGING WITH BEVERLEY: Dee S. Knight and her Hero

A few years ago, Dee S. Knight began writing, making getting up in the morning fun. During the day, her characters killed people, fell in love, became drunk with power, or sober with responsibility. And they had sex, lots of sex. Writing was so much fun Dee decided to keep at it. That's how she spends her days. Her nights? Well, she's lucky that her dream man,childhood sweetheart, and long-time hubby are all the same guy, and nights are their secret. For romance ranging from sweet to historical,contemporary to paranormal and more join Dee on Nomad Authors. Contact Dee at dsknight@deesknight.com.

Character Interview with Daniel Goodman

Beverley: What do you do and why?
Daniel: I’m headmaster of a small private school in North Carolina. For many years, I wanted to be headmaster of a very prestigious boys’ school in New Hampshire—in fact I worked hard to achieve that position. But in the end, it came down to marrying the woman I love or settling for the job. When I was honest with myself—which I admit took far longer than it should have—there was no contest. Then this great opportunity came up and we moved close to where I grew up.
My whole life I’ve loved learning, and I want to impart that same love to youngsters I have the privilege of working with. I dug into learning to escape some school bullying. I want the kids I teach and mentor to love learning for the sheer joy of it and for the excitement and options knowledge can bring in life. That all sounded a little priggish, didn’t it? Sorry! 😉
Beverley: If your life were a movie would you see yourself played like Robin Williams in The Dead Poets Society?
Daniel: LOL! Well, yeah except with a not so unhappy ending and with a living actor. Maybe Brat Pitt or Gerard Butler. And the hero would end up marrying the world’s most beautiful woman, like I did. That would make for a great movie!
Beverley: How has your environment or upbringing affected how you do your job?
Daniel: I mentioned that I was slightly bullied in school. That’s because my mom and dad weren’t married. They lived together and they loved each other fiercely—still do, though they were married this past Thanksgiving—but they had quite the reputation in town. By that, I mean everyone liked them enormously, but we are talking the mountains of North Carolina, here, and living “in sin” was not looked upon as a proper way to raise three boys. The fact that my brothers and I weren’t legitimate made for a lot of taunts and not a few fights when we were growing up. I withdrew a certain amount into books, and focused like a laser beam on achieving my goals. Eve taught me that there is more to life than being headmaster of a school. And now we have a great little family that includes her son, Tim.
Also, I am one of three identical triplets. Being raised with two other kids who looked just like me made me want to individualize myself. My brother Jonah is a mechanic. Smart as can be, but he enjoys making NASCAR drivers successful instead of racking up degrees. My second brother, Mark, is a bona fide genius. Even with all the reading I’ve done, I can’t understand half of what he does. They each have their own stories and I hope maybe at some point you’ll invite them here to tell you about themselves.
The one thing true about any of the Goodman’s you talk with is, we love each other unconditionally. And anyone who takes up with one of us is going to get all of us.
Beverley: What do you like to do in your free time?
Daniel: Right now, we’re getting used to our new home in the Asheville area of North Carolina. There are mountains and artisan shops to explore, plus wonderful outdoor activities. I look forward to teaching Tim how to fish and do all the things my brothers and I did as kids. This winter Eve and I are going to teach Tim how to ski. This is a great place to live and I know we’re going to enjoy it.
Beverley: Do you get up early or sleep in?
Daniel: Up early. There’s too much to do to sleep in. Plus, Tim is only seven and he’s up at the crack of dawn. I often let Eve sleep in so he and I get our alone time together.
Beverley: Do you have a pet peeve?
Daniel: Bad grammar. Especially the misuse of I-me-myself. I can accept that in normal conversation people might mix them up, but when newscasters and politicians, and even teachers get them wrong, it irritates me.
Beverley: Pen or computer?
Daniel: Pen when I’m trying to build my thoughts when writing, computer when I’m ready to put everything together.
Beverley: The worst words to hear on a date?
Daniel: My brother called. He needs me at home right now. (This is worse if your date knows you don’t have a brother.)

Blurb for Only a Good Man Will Do:

Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover Academy, and be purer than Caesar's wife. Good luck with that!

Daniel Goodman is a man on a mission. He aims to become headmaster of Westover Academy. For that he needs a particular, special woman to help him set high standards. Into his cut and dried life of moral and upright behavior, comes Eve Star, formerly one of Europe's foremost exotic dancers. Her life is anything but cut and dried, black and white. Daniel is drawn to her like a kid to chocolate. Nothing good can come of this attraction. Or can it? He is after all, a good man.

Excerpt from Only a Good Man Will Do:

“Daniel, am I talking to myself, here?”
“Oh, no, I’m…” He chuckled an amused admission. “Tell me what you said again.”
He could almost hear Eve smile. “I said, you called at four-thirty on Saturday and Sunday, so I took a wild leap that you would today, too.”
“Ah.” Smiling to the empty room, he squirmed to get into a more comfortable position. “A woman of logic.”
“Absolutely. You don’t want to play me in chess. I think five or six moves ahead.”
“I’ll remember that. There’s nothing worse than seeing a guy cry when he’s been beaten at chess by a girl."

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