Bestselling author
David Baldacci will be in Winter Park to promote his latest work, “The Guilty.”
While government officials might find themselves in the cross hairs in many of David Baldacci’s novels, the author doesn’t see the government as an inherently evil force. “I am a fan of government and government programs and what they can do,” Baldacci says. “But for some of the outfits that are doing things around the world, there’s always a drawback.”
A former Washington attorney who turned to writing after nine years of practicing law, Baldacci has had 29 best-sellers. His first novel, 1996’s “Absolute Power,” was turned into a movie directed by and starring Clint Eastwood.
Baldacci will be in Winter Park on Tuesday, promoting his just-published “The Guilty.” The book is the fourth in his series following globe-trotting assassin Will Robie. Geopolitical conflicts often plague the protagonists of the Virginia-based writer’s novels. However, “The Guilty” delves more into the character’s past than international threats.
“You hope with a series you get to deepen and broaden a character, learn more about their past and the people who are significant in their lives,” says Baldacci. “You can send them out on endless adventures, but if you don’t learn more about the character at some point, readers are not really going to care about what he does next.”
A number of his books revolve around anti-hero characters — thieves, assassins and rogue agents. Baldacci, 55, enjoys the thrill of making such people relatable. “It’s a challenge as a writer to make people care about people who are not particularly appealing or attractive,” says Baldacci. “You have to dig deeper, and find something in them that makes them human.”
But not all of Baldacci’s books follow people caught up in political intrigue. Among his other endeavors are “The Finisher,” a fantasy series for young readers, and “Wish You Well,” a period family drama published in 2001. The title of that novel also became the name of his foundation to promote literacy throughout the country to people of all ages.
“Our mission is to eradicate illiteracy,” says Baldacci with a passion that is also matter-of-fact. “It’s the one skill you need that if you don’t have it, you’re never going to be able to realize your potential.”
One thing he is concerned about is what’s known as the 40-million-word gap, “the difference in words that a child growing up in an impoverished environment hears or is read to through the first four years of his or her life compared to a child growing up in better economic conditions,” Baldacci says. “Study after study have shown that that gap is almost insurmountable.
“If we solve the problem of illiteracy in this country, we will solve most of the socio-economic ills and challenges we have in this country. If we don’t, then we won’t.”
Baldacci is scheduled to speak at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Mills Memorial Hall at Rollins College in Winter Park. The program is free, though reservations are encouraged. For details, visit writersbookstore.com.