Guest Post: David Stearman

I’m welcoming David Stearman today to talk about his debut novel Hummingbird and why he set it in Mexico. Welcome, David!

My first novel Hummingbird grew out of my experiences traveling as a missionary. Years ago I was doing evangelistic work in the Banderas Bay region of Western Mexico, when a man approached me offering free use of one of the condos he owns and manages. “Whenever you might need it,” he added, so I said “Wow. Yeah. Thanks!” I took him up on the offer a year later, and have been going back regularly ever since.

During recent years, the media has painted an ugly picture of this exotic land. You’d think there were drug lords lurking on every corner. My time spent in this fascinating country has taught me what coastal Mexico is really like: blue seas, pristine beaches, jungle-clad mountainsides, and the most generous people you’ll ever meet.

And so begins my novel: Southern Californian Lexa Morales feels like a misfit. She grew up in a rough neighborhood surrounded by the worst elements of society. And yet her heart yearns for kinder places and greater things.

Forced to commit a crime, she flees south of the Border, where, pursued by a bounty hunter with a personal grudge, she seeks redemption and a second chance. Does she find it? You’ll have to read Hummingbird to find out. But here’s a hint: the answer lies in a tiny seaside village where migrating hummingbirds rest their wings.

David Stearman is a Contemporary Christian Music songwriter and recording artist with many published and top-ten-charting songs to his credit. He is a missionary who has worked extensively in a number of third-world countries, including the settings portrayed within this story.

When not writing, out on the road singing, or doing missionary work in some hidden corner of the world, David enjoys outdoor sports, breeding parrots, and gardening. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky with his wife Diane and a small menagerie.

Hummingbird is David’s first novel.

What exotic or unusual location(s) have you visited that you would like to read about (or write about) in a novel? What is about that place that struck you as a perfect setting for a book?

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