David Poyer - Ghostwriter
Novelist with nearly 50 books in print with major publishers. Creative Writing teacher. Latest book: ARCTIC SEA, St. Martin's Press, 2021.
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Overview
Writer and editor of novels and creative nonfiction, such as memoirs. Nearly fifty books include The Dead of Winter, Winter in the Heart, As the Wolf Loves Winter, and Thunder on the Mountain, novels set in Pennsylvania; The Med, The Gulf, The Circle, The Passage, Tomahawk, China Sea, Black Storm, The Command, The Threat, Korea Strait, The Weapon, The Crisis, The Towers, The Cruiser, Onslaught, Hunter Killer, Deep War, Overthrow, Violent Peace, and Arctic Sea, USA Today best-selling military novels; White Continent, Star Seed, The Shiloh Project, and Stepfather Bank, science fiction; Fire on the Waters, A Country of Our Own, That Anvil of Our Souls, and The Only Thing to Fear, historical novels; and Ghosting and The Whiteness of the Whale, sea tales.
Oral history, travel works, and other nonfiction include On Politics and War, a memoir, co-authored with MGEN Arnold Punaro USMC, and Heroes of Annapolis, a collection of biographical sketches. Other work has been translated into Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Hungarian, and Serbo-Croatian, and rights have been sold for films, audiobooks, etc.
Teacher or lecturer at University of Pittsburgh, Old Dominion University, Joint Forces Staff College, The New College, and Elizabethtown College, and appeared on PBS's "Writer to Writer." A founding editor of The New Virginia Review, a board member of the Library of Virginia, and a Distinguished Visiting Writer at the US Naval Academy. Teacher at the MA/MFA postgraduate level for many years in the Creative Writing Program at Wilkes University. Play "Shadowland" produced by the Zurich English-Speaking Theatre in 2022. Currently a fellow of the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, publisher at Northampton House Press, board member of the Northern Appalachia Review, and contributing editor at Shipmate magazine. Upcoming books: The Academy, to be published by St. Martin's/Macmillan in December 2023, and F-35, coauthored with Tom Burbage and others, from Simon & Schuster/Skyhorse in July..
This mentor brings this deep skill set to helping new writers improve their projects and finding reputable agents and publishers. Writers he's mentored have been taken on by major literary agencies, published by major houses, appeared on New York Times Top Ten bestseller lists, been nominated for the Lambda Prize, won the International Latino Book award and other prizes, and become college teachers of English and Creative Writing. He's available for manuscript and marketing consultation and advanced developmental editing help.
Oral history, travel works, and other nonfiction include On Politics and War, a memoir, co-authored with MGEN Arnold Punaro USMC, and Heroes of Annapolis, a collection of biographical sketches. Other work has been translated into Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Hungarian, and Serbo-Croatian, and rights have been sold for films, audiobooks, etc.
Teacher or lecturer at University of Pittsburgh, Old Dominion University, Joint Forces Staff College, The New College, and Elizabethtown College, and appeared on PBS's "Writer to Writer." A founding editor of The New Virginia Review, a board member of the Library of Virginia, and a Distinguished Visiting Writer at the US Naval Academy. Teacher at the MA/MFA postgraduate level for many years in the Creative Writing Program at Wilkes University. Play "Shadowland" produced by the Zurich English-Speaking Theatre in 2022. Currently a fellow of the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, publisher at Northampton House Press, board member of the Northern Appalachia Review, and contributing editor at Shipmate magazine. Upcoming books: The Academy, to be published by St. Martin's/Macmillan in December 2023, and F-35, coauthored with Tom Burbage and others, from Simon & Schuster/Skyhorse in July..
This mentor brings this deep skill set to helping new writers improve their projects and finding reputable agents and publishers. Writers he's mentored have been taken on by major literary agencies, published by major houses, appeared on New York Times Top Ten bestseller lists, been nominated for the Lambda Prize, won the International Latino Book award and other prizes, and become college teachers of English and Creative Writing. He's available for manuscript and marketing consultation and advanced developmental editing help.
Services
Languages
English (US)
Fiction
Action & Adventure
Dystopian
Literary Fiction
Thriller & Suspense
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
History
Political Science & Current Affairs
Certifications
- MA, George Washington University
- BS, US Naval Academy
Awards
- distinguished visiting writer, US Naval Academy
- distinguished award for lifetime contributions to naval fiction, Surface Navy Association
- Defense Superior Service Medal
Work experience
Associate Professor
Wilkes University
January, 2007
–
June, 2021
(over 14 years)
Worked closely with motivated postgraduate students of creative writing to help them develop their ideas into books, learn to write and market, and become published writers.
Novelist
Simon & Schuster, St. Martins/Macmillan, Avon, Tor, Forge, Avon, others
June, 1976
–
Present
(almost 47 years)
Author
Captain
US Navy
June, 1971
–
June, 2001
(about 30 years)
Surface navy officer, serving in Atlantic, Mediterranean, Caribbean, Pacific, Arctic, Middle East, and Pentagon.
Portfolio (18 selected works)
The war against China turns dire, as the United States struggles to survive in this gripping thriller featuring Navy commander Dan LensonAfter the United States suffers a devastating nuclear attack, and facing food shortages, power outages, cyber and AI assaults, and a wrecked economy, Admiral Dan Lenson leads an allied force assigned to turn the tide of war in the Pacific, using precisely tar... read more
On War and Politics: The Battlefield Inside Washington's Beltway
Arnold L. Punaro
After being wounded and awarded the Bronze Star for valor as a Marine infantry platoon commander in Vietnam, Arnold Punaro thought he'd left the battlefield behind. Instead, he redeployed onto the battlefield of Washington politics. For almost fifty years, he's toiled at the intersection of the political and defense establishments, working with such luminaries as Sam Nunn, John Glenn, John McC... read more
Black Storm: A Novel (Dan Lenson Novels Book 7)
David Poyer
With blistering action sequences and incredibly detailed military insight, Black Storm takes the reader along with the most covert Special Ops group straight to Saddam Hussein's stronghold, through harrowing instances of close-quarters combat, and into the heart of danger.A Maniacal LeaderWith coalition forces amassing at the Iraqi border, Saddam Hussein issues a terrifying threat: In response... read more
“A powerfully written Florida adventure . . . a compelling glimpse at the mysterious world of cave diving.” – The Orlando Sentinel“One of his best novels yet . . . bristles with suspense . . . What makes this novel particularly memorable are the extensive, harrowing descriptions of cave dives, which are riveting enough to terrify experienced divers.” –Publishers Weekly“Fans of Clive Cussler wi... read more
“A stunning period tale in which the oft-forgotten essence of the American dream is visible in every chapter." - Publisher’s Weekly, starred review“Dramatic and suspenseful, full of despair and hope.” – Booklist, starred review"The prizefight and deer hunt sequences are worthy of Jack London"– Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel“Poyer, who grew up in Bradford, has been compared to Steinbeck, with good... read more
The Whiteness of the Whale: A Novel
David Poyer
An antiwhaling expedition to the freezing Antarctic takes a violent turn in this powerful novel from bestselling author and sailor David Poyer.After a tragic accident maims her laboratory assistant, Dr. Sara Pollard's career as a primate behaviorist lies in ruins. With nothing left to lose, Pollard – descendant of a Nantucket captain whose ship was sunk by a rogue whale – accepts an offer to j... read more
"A major contribution to the preservation of the lore and heritage of the Outer Banks." -- David Stick"The voices ring with authenticity." -- Paul Clancy, Norfolk Virginian-PilotHow much would you give to talk quietly for just one hour with your great-grandmother? Most likely, almost anything. But Time rushes by like a hurricane-driven tide, cutting us off from those who went before. It bears ... read more
The year is 1861, and America shudders on the brink of disunion. Elisha Eaker, scion of a wealthy Manhattan banking family, joins the Navy against his father's wishes. He does it as much to avoid an arranged marriage to his cousin, Araminta Van Velsor, as to defend the flag. Eli meets Lieutenant Ker Claiborne aboard the sloop of war U.S.S. Owanee. An Annapolis graduate who's seen action in the... read more
STEPFATHER BANK
D. C. Poyer
"First-rate satire with a serious core" – Library Journal "A highly original cautionary tale . . . on more levels than the reader might first suspect." – Stan Schmidt, editor, Analog"A jaunty, corkscrew ride through a skewed future" – Alan Dean Foster"Burlew, his adventures and scams are funny, earthy, heroic, very human…you root for him all the way!" – Florida Times-Union"It stands as savvy s... read more
The Weapon: A Novel (Dan Lenson Novels)
David Poyer
A deadly new weapon hits the international arms market---and the only way to preserve the balance of power in the Mideast is to hijack the Iranian sub that carries it.United States Navy Commander and Medal of Honor winner Dan Lenson has been handed another outside-the-box assignment. TAG Charlie, an elite team of active-duty sailors, SEALs, and civilian analysts, is tasked to investigate and d... read more
The Only Thing to Fear: A Novel of 1945
David Poyer
"A flight of the historical imagination that will leave readers dazzled." - Thomas Fleming "Solid research buttresses Poyer's latest, a consistently engrossing WWII novel featuring FDR and skinny naval officer John Fitzgerald Kennedy." - Publisher’s Weekly "An assassination thriller that keeps the pulses pounding, a finely crafted blending of fact and fiction with the patrician president from ... read more
Onslaught chronicles Captain Dan Lenson’s latest challenge as the U.S. Navy struggles to hold Taiwan, Korea, and Japan against a massive Chinese offensive. The prize: domination of Asia and the Western Pacific.As the United States’ computer, satellite, and financial networks are ravaged by coordinated cyberwar attacks, China and its Associated Powers begin to roll up and intimidate American al... read more
World War with China explodes in Hunter Killer, David Poyer's dramatic new thriller. The United States stands nearly alone in its determination to fight, rather than give into the expansionist demands of the aggressive new “People’s Empire.” The naval and air forces of the Associated Powers – China, Pakistan, Iran, and North Korea – have used advanced technology and tactical nuclear weapons to... read more
F-35: The Inside Story of the Lightning II
Burbage, Tom, Clark, Betsy, Pitman, Adrian, Poyer, David
David has 1 review
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
Working with David has been an amazing experience. I was not sure what to do with my book idea, and never attempted to write a book before. He has been a terrific guide and teacher, walking me through each step of his unique writing process offering helpful ideas and meaningful critique along the way. His specific process is both doable and magical, and in two months I went from a book c...
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Melanie Cogburn, March 2023
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