Can you share a little about your recent book?
My most recent books include:
- The Bengal Believer: 40 Who Dey Votions for the Cincinnati Fanatic is a devotional for fans of the Bengals. Each chapter relives a significant moment in the history of the franchise, with a life-lesson and challenge to the reader.
- Having Impossible Faith is about three people and their battles to overcome monumental odds. Their decisions to follow their faith had lasting impressions on those around them. No all stories in the book have happy endings, but the book will challenge the reader to examine how strong their faith is through life’s challenges.
Why do you write? Do you have a theme, message, or goal for your books?
I write to try to encourage and inspire others. My goal for my devotional series of books is to give the reader hope of a better way to live life – mainly through becoming a Christian.
How long have you been writing?
I have written for several years, since 1990, but have only become more serious in the past four years.
And how long did it take you to get your first major book contract? Or are you published non-traditionally? How did that come about?
I was able to secure a book contract through my agent, Cyle Young about three months after we met. We attended a Cincinnati Reds game in the summer and the idea for the book was hatched over lunch.
I have four books out in the market via the traditional method with six more scheduled over the next two years. I have also self-published one book in 2019.
Which of your books is your favorite?
The first book I had published, Buckeye Believer: 40 Days of Devotions for the Ohio State Faithful (BY Books) might have the most significance since it was the first.
Dugout Devotions: Inspirational Hits from MLB’s Best (New Hope Publishers) is also special because it was pitched to me through a publisher, who then rejected it after it was completed. Then another publisher picked it up and it has done well on the market.
And Having Impossible Faith holds a place as well since the manuscript was the reason I was introduced into the world of Christian writing.
Tell us about an award you won that was particularly meaningful.
In 2017, I was named Writer of the Year at the Ohio Christian Writers Conference.
In 2018, Buckeye Believer: 40 Days of Devotions for the Ohio State Faithful won second place in the Selah Awards in the category of Devotionals.
In 1991 I won an Associated Press Award for a sports column I wrote for the Portsmouth Daily Times.
How long does it take you to write a book?
When I write a devotional, it usually takes me about six months, that includes research, writing and editing.
What’s your writing work schedule like?
Binger writer. I try to knock out one chapter a day when I’m on a deadline. This happens usually in the evenings.
Do you have an interesting writing quirk? If so, what is it?
No, nothing interesting or a quirk. I like the pressure of a deadline because it makes me focus more. That comes from the days when I worked as a sports editor and had to meet a press deadline.
What has been your greatest joy(s) in your writing career?
Notes of encouragement I receive from readers who have been impacted by my work. I enjoy all the people I have met through my writing journey. All the doors that have opened for me the last three years has been amazing.
What has been your darkest moment(s)?
Rejection from publishers and writing about family tragedy.
How many times in your career have you experienced rejection? How did they shape you?
In my writing career I have been rejected several times. It made me more determined to get the mission accomplished. It taught me patience and to make the best connection for the project. It also taught me that “big publishers” can be wrong.
Where do you get your ideas?
From various ways. Most of the time when I’m driving or at the gym working out I will have an idea pop in my mind.
Who is your favorite author to read?
Oddly enough I don’t have one.
What advice can you give aspiring writers that you wished you had gotten, or that you wished you would have heeded?
To start writing and attend a writing conference. Be prepared to attend, listen to the advice of editors and be confident in your work
What are common mistakes you see aspiring writer’s make?
Not doing what agents or editors ask them to do in a timely manner or becoming too attached to their work. Or they might put limits on their own aspirations and ambitions.
Where/How do you recommend writers try to break into the market?
By attending a writer’s conference and getting to work. I have heard so many stories where someone will take a break from a project and it never gets finished. Procrastination is real.
Del Duduit is a freelance writer from Lucasville, OH. He is represented by Cyle Young, Hartline Literary Agency.
His articles have appeared in Athletes in Action, Clubhouse Magazine, Sports Spectrum, The Sports Column, One Christian Voice, The Christian View Online Magazine, and Portsmouth Metro Magazine. His blogs have appeared on One Christian Voice and its national affiliates across the country, on ToddStarnes.com and on Almost an Author and The Write Conversation.
In November 2017, he was named Outstanding Author at the Ohio Christian Writers Conference. In 2019, Buckeye Believer: 40 Days of Devotions for the Ohio State Faithful, won second place in the Selah Awards for Best Devotional at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference. He is also a member of the Serious Writer, Inc. team and an adjunct instructor as Shawnee State University.
He and his wife Angie live in Lucasville, Ohio and attend Rubyville Community Church.
Del’s Books
First Down Devotions: Inspirations from NFL’s Best:
Available from New Hope Publishers and Amazon
Dugout Devotions: Inspirational Hits from MLB’s Best:
Available from New Hope Publishers and Amazon
Buckeye Believer: 40 Days of Devotions for the Ohio State Faithful
Bengal Believer: 40 Who Dey Votions for the Cincinnati Fanatic
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