Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with David Ewald

Book Title:  The Thief of That

Released:  09/08/25

Genre:  Adult Sci-Fi (Time Travel)

Interview by Heather L. Barksdale

What inspired you to write “The Thief of That”?

Ziman: Several things inspired me to write The Thief of That. First and foremost would be Stephen King, the author who made me want to be an author at a young age. Also: bookstores, which figure prominently in my novel. A love of bookstores--all kinds of bookstores, from the indies to the chains. There's also San Diego in the '80s and much of the '90s, the feel of the city and the county, the variety of places, from the inland small towns along the county's outskirts to the wealthy beach areas like La Jolla. When I was young, in San Diego, it seemed as if there was always a bookstore to go to, and The Thief of That is in some ways about holding on to that past, before the concept of going into a physical brick-and-mortar bookstore changed. 

How did you come up with the names of your main characters? 

Ziman:  I was aware Saul Bellow had published a novel (or novella) titled Ravelstein. I thought 'Ravel' would be a good name for the protagonist. Originally, his last name was Charalambadis, which I got from a nameplate on the door of an apartment adjacent to mine in the communist-era apartment complex I lived in while teaching in the Czech Republic. But at a writer's conference, an agent complained that the last name was too difficult for readers and wouldn't fly. I eventually changed Ravel's last name to something simpler but still Greek: Averof. There's not really a story behind the rest of the characters' names, with the exception of Dalton Bryce, the stand-in for Stephen King. One of the long-gone bookstores of my childhood was B. Dalton Booksellers, which you'd find in malls. B. Dalton, Dalton Bryce.

Is there anything that you want readers to know about you, your writing process or your book?

Ziman: The Thief of That is my fourth book and, I believe, my best yet. It has a long history. I'd originally conceived of it as a screenplay, and at the time, as I began to write it, I honestly thought I could have Stephen King as the protagonist. King would be the hero. He would discover that someone had stolen his novel It, which had disappeared from his home shelves and from all written records and the public memory. It was just...gone, and it was up to King to find the thief. His long-absent father, who left King's family when Stephen was three (went out for a pack of cigarettes and never returned) also would somehow play a part in the story. Soon, though, I got cold feet. I decided that the legality of using the actual Stephen King was fraught, and over time I fictionalized King, and the story switched from the focus on the famous author to a focus on an underdog, who had a famous writer father of his own. 

If “The Thief of That” were adapted into a movie, who would you like to see cast to play your lead characters?

Ziman: If The Thief of That were adapted into a movie, it would need an actor with some degree of comic range to play Ravel. Jesse Eisenberg comes to mind, but I believe he's a bit out of age range at this point (Ravel is 30 at the beginning of the novel). More age-appropriate would be Timothee Chalamet, which would be quite a boon in terms of casting. The only other characters attached to potential actors that come to mind are Laney Greer and Deborah Parker. For Laney: Anya Taylor-Joy? Sophia Lillis? Either would be great choices. For Deborah: Florence Pugh would be wonderful. Now to get them all to sign... 

When you encounter writer’s block, what do you do to break yourself out of it?

Ewald: The best way for me to break out of writer's block is to read. Reading gets me back into words, and when I'm back into words, I get back into writing. For this reason I make sure I read every day. Of course I have a phone, and I'm on it, but I do my best not to be on it so much that I lose the momentum I need to keep pushing through a project. For this reason, also, I'm not as adept at social media and self-promotion as I'd like to be. I have the usual accounts, I have a nascent Substack that I plan on posting to eventually (fingers crossed for this year, however little remains of it), and I have a personal website I'm proud of. But, as a whole, I'm not great at putting myself and my work out there. I prefer to write the books, revise the books, polish the books, publish the books, and then make them available to whoever may connect with them. I understand that the days of an author holed up in some freezing French garrett working on "art" are over, and that marketing matters just as much, if not a little more, then the writing itself. But I'm old school. I write what I need to write, what I'm compelled to write, and let the rest sort itself out. 

Are there any tips that you would like to share with other aspiring authors?

Ziman: When I was young, I went to a bookstore in a mall, I'm sure it was B. Dalton, and I picked up a hardcover book that gave advice to aspiring novelists. Tom Clancy was one of those authors in the book giving advice. He wrote about a man who had his first book published, attended the necessary promotional events, participated in his signings, etc.--and how did he do it? Simple, Clancy wrote. He finished his manuscript. I know that sounds, well, duh, but it remains true to this day: You can't publish a book unless you write the book. Get the draft out, however bad you believe it is. When you have the draft complete, send it to readers you trust. These are your Beta Readers. They need to be honest with you. They need to not be family members who will tell you your book is great because they love you. They need to help you whip your work into shape in the most brutal way possible. But in order for that to happen you have to get the draft out. Do it. Don't look back. Don't dwell too much on the little things. Just write it. Oh, and never give up. Never ever. 

What is your favorite book, genre, and/or author?

Ziman: My favorite genre would be literary fiction--but literary fiction, like mine, that incorporates elements of different genres such as science fiction, horror, psychological thriller. My favorite book of all time would be Don Quixote, but that's one of those classics that many readers aren't just going to pick up after reading this interview. More recently I finished James, by Percival Everett, which was great, although I liked Erasure even better. My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh is a winner. I read a lot of nonfiction; right now I'm reading On Freedom by Timothy Snyder and Fargo Rock City by Chuck Klosterman. Both have my attention in different ways. As for authors, Gary Shteyngart consistently delivers, as does Jennifer Egan. I'll read anything by Jon Krakauer, David Shields, Claudia Rankine or Stuart Ross (the American, not the Canadian). I also read a lot of plays. I go to them too, but given where I live, I'm forced to read them more than attend them. 

What are you working on next?

Ziman: I'm currently working on a play cycle, or cycle of plays. Either way, the plays are interlocking. The title play, Great Awakenings, was performed professionally years ago, and I've decided it has value in print, as do the plays that follow it. The pieces that follow are shorter and propel the reader back in time but with the same main characters. As Billy Corgan wrote, The beginning is the end is the beginning. And because I don't want to end on a Billy Corgan quote, I will say that after the play cycle comes out next year, I have my eye on writing a nonfiction book. Or two. Or three. One or more hybrid works. 

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