Interview with non-fiction writer David Welch

Today's guest is non-fiction writer David Welch. His book, Stop the Insanity Target 2014, is the topic of conversation as he kicks off his virtual book tour with Virtual Book Tour Cafe.

David is giving away a Kindle Fire at the end of his tour, so if you'd like to be entered to win, use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

Bio: 

David Welch studied economics as an undergraduate at Stanford then spent three years in the Army. Although it was during the Vietnam era, he was stationed in Korea for two of the three years where he witnessed firsthand some insanely inefficient practices of the U.S. military. After finishing my military duty he spent two years at the Univ. of Chicago where he obtained an MBA in Finance and Accounting while working full time to finance his education.

He then began a long series of finance and tax related jobs while also obtaining an MS degree in Tax Law at Golden Gate University in San Francisco. In 1978, he took off six months from work and ran for a Congressional seat against Leo Ryan just before Ryan was killed in Jonestown. David easily won the Republican primary, but when he later sought assistance from a number of Republicans then in office he discovered there was an ‘old boys rule’ where Republican Congressmen and Senators would not support someone running against a colleague already in Congress, even when that colleague was a Democrat. Only two Republican Congressmen broke rank and endorsed David: Jack Kemp and Ron Paul.

After losing the election, David returned to his career in Finance working for Fairchild Camera and then Schlumberger after it acquired Fairchild. He spent a little over a year in London as the Treasurer of Dowell Schlumberger and then two years in Tokyo as Asia Tax Manager for Schlumberger Wireline. During this period he traveled to more than fifty countries and learned a great deal not taught in school.

After leaving Schlumberger, David joined a small Silicon Valley educational software company in 1988 as VP of Finance and a year later started his own educational software company. During the following years he developed more than twenty innovative multimedia programs for teaching English as a Second Language. Eventually the company failed because of difficulty in competing against larger, better funded companies. A little less than ten years ago, David decided to teach rather than make software for teaching and spent a year in Poland teaching English followed by two years in China teaching International Finance and Business English at a Chinese University. Three of David’s former students are now studying at Graduate schools in the U.S.  For the last several years David has been assisting his brother in a small Mortgage Modification business. During that time the two brothers helped save the homes of approximately 100 families who had faced foreclosure.

Welcome, David. Please tell us about your current release.

Stop the Insanity Target 2014 is a political manifesto of sorts, one that offers a plan to elect enough Independents to Congress in 2014 to end the current political dysfunction. It also provides ideas for solving twelve crucial problems in our country.

What inspired you to write this book?

Like many people, I’m fed up with the mess we have in Washington. I decided to try and do something about it.

Reader's Comments

“A clearly and cogently argued plea for the world’s largest democracy to start doing what a democracy is supposed to do, govern for and with the people.”

 “Every American who is concerned about the dysfunctional mess we call a government should read this book.”

“Your optimism is applaudable, and I wish you luck with your efforts. There definitely is insanity in Washington, and the career politicians need replacing. Your use of plain language and real world examples makes this an easy read, and your chapters are a manageable length.”

What exciting story are you working on next?

Not working on it yet, but if we succeed in electing enough Independent Representatives to Congress my next book will be released immediately after the 2014 election. It will be “Stop the Insanity Target 2016” and will offer a plan to elect an Independent President and a number of Independent U.S. Senators.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I’m not really a ‘writer’ just a citizen with a cause.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like?  If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I’m semi-retired which means I have a lot of time to write. However, I still assist my brother in his mortgage modification business and also find time to take my dog, Toppy, for a long walk each day. I also keep close contact with a number of my former students from Poland and China. They are all doing so well it makes me very proud for the small part I played in their education.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Interesting question. I wish I could say something really unique like “I write naked” but in truth I don’t do anything unusual at all.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I am not sure I wanted to grow up. Being a child is a lot more fun. However, once I got to college I clearly wanted a career in business. After many years in business I decided I’d like to teach and I did that for three years, one in Poland and two in China.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Of course I’d love for them to buy my book but even more important I’d like for them to visit my webpage, www.stoptheinsanitytarget2014.com, and sign up for my mailing list. That way I can keep them informed of the progress I make in the next two years.

Thanks, David. Readers, if you'd like a chance to win a Kindle Fire, here's where to enter (and if you'd like more chances to win,  you can follow his tour and enter at other blogs):

a Rafflecopter giveaway