It’s not all about chocolate – at least not all the time.
Before going into All Things Chocolate and More to dip strawberries and fill each cannoli with creamy goodness, Chocolatier David Willis enters another world and lets a story inside his imagination unravel. Every morning, he wakes up early to write between 4:30-6 a.m., for his trilogy book series.
“I enjoy getting lost in the story and the characters,” Willis said. “It’s almost like you see the story unfolding in your head. I think that’s what I enjoy the most. The hour-and-a-half every morning goes by in about three seconds.”
Willis’ second book “In Shadows” was recently published. This book is a prequel to his first book, “Lonely Deceptions.” The prequel is set in the mid-to-late 1940s and explains how a father and son got involved in a dangerous organization.
“The first book is in the present time and follows the son, but this book follows the father and explains how it all begins,” Willis explained. “’In Shadows,’ set right after World War II, is about Nelson Davis who finds out that his brother had somehow gotten involved with a dangerous corporation that ends up being a fatal decision for his brother. With the help of a young female reporter from Savannah he tries to uncover who or what is responsible, but he comes up with more questions instead of answers.”
His third thriller/suspense novel is called “Cascading Lies” and will be the final book in the trilogy. The third book is expected to be released in the spring of 2015.
“It’s going to be a trilogy to wrap everything up to see how the son uncovers the truth about his family, his father and this organization,” Willis said. “The third book is going to be set in present time like the first book was. The family’s last name is Davis, and this will be the end of the Davis characters. Then, I’ll move on to other stories.”
Willis said he doesn’t plan to write any more trilogies, but wants to focus on one book at a time. Each book he’s written has taken him about a year to complete.
“It’s a passion. I love writing,” Willis said, who began writing short stories in the 1980s. “My mother went legally blind due to diabetes, and I began writing stories to read to her. I started writing for her a long time ago, and that’s how I got started loving to write.”
In 2005, he came up with the idea for his first book, but it wasn’t published until 2011. Now, with the release of his second book, Willis has had two recent book signings – one at the Richmond Hill Public Library and another at the Savannah Barnes and Noble.
Willis has lived in Richmond Hill for the past five years. His family owns All Things Chocolate and More, where Willis makes chocolate. He said the community has been very supportive of not only the family business, but also of his writing.
“It’s a very supportive family and town in many ways,” Willis said. “They support small businesses and my writing. Customers will come back to the store to tell me if they enjoyed the book or to talk about certain points in the story. Of course, they come back for the chocolate too.”
“In Shadows” and “Cascading Lies” are both available in book stores including Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com or at All Things Chocolate and More.