Exploring Hope, Memory and Meaning Through Fiction
David Seaburn reflects on his journey from therapist and minister to novelist, drawing deeply from lived experience to craft emotionally resonant, character-driven fiction.
David Seaburn brings a lifetime of listening and storytelling to his writing, weaving together the intricacies of human relationships with quiet grace and insight. A retired family therapist, psychologist, academic, and minister, Seaburn’s career has revolved around people navigating change, pain, and connection—experiences that now echo throughout his fiction. His latest novel, Until It Was Gone, marks his tenth, and continues his exploration of family, memory, and meaning with emotional depth and gentle complexity. In this interview with Reader’s House Magazine, Seaburn reflects on how his professional life has shaped his characters, the subtle power of titles, and the intersection between truth and imagination. His stories, grounded in the everyday but resonating far beyond, invite readers to linger in the questions we all carry—about loss, love, and the stories we live by.
Seaburn’s work resonates with honesty and depth, offering readers beautifully crafted narratives full of humanity and heart.
How did your experiences as a Presbyterian minister and a marriage and family therapist influence the themes and character development in your novels?
In both instances, I was involved with individuals, couples, and families as they struggled with problems large and small, trying to make sense of their lives. Mostly they did this by telling stories about their experiences. And creating new ones. I was a story-listener for over thirty-five years. About thirty years into my professional life, I became a story-teller, or story-writer, trying to wrestle with questions of meaning and hope, much as my parishioners and clients had done.
Your latest novel, ‘Until It Was Gone’, deals with complex family dynamics and personal struggles. What inspired this particular story, and what message do you hope readers take away from it?
I am embarrassed to say that I don’t recall the inspiration. I do know that the title, Until It Was Gone, came to me before I started writing. The titles of my novels often arrive before I start writing the stories. They are like a rudder for the journey ahead. This story is guided by the implications of the title. How do people cope with change and loss? How do they find hope and connectivity, often the two things that most help people get through their difficulties.
In ‘Give Me Shelter’, set against the backdrop of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, how did you balance historical events with the fictional narrative of the characters?
This wasn’t difficult. I was the same age as the main character when the Cuban Missile Crisis happened here in the US. In fact, the first scene in the book, when the boy hides behind the sofa with his dog, is something I actually did. I then thought about who else would be in his life, what friends he had, what their parents were dealing with, and how all the subplots could came together in the end. The fact that the story was set in my hometown, helped me think about what kids were doing and what they were worrying about in 1962, when they were young. I made up the adult issues. Again, the title provided a guide. There are a handful of characters, each dealing with childhood or adult problems, each trying to find some shelter from the storms they are facing.
‘Charlie No Face’ is noted as a finalist for the National Indie Excellence Award in General Fiction. Can you share the inspiration behind this novel and its significance in your writing career?
I don’t know if this is my best novel, but it is my favorite. This was the first novel that featured my hometown and the neighborhood I lived as the setting for the story. The character—Charlie No Face—was an actual person at the time (late 1950s). He was deformed from an electrocution when he was young. I would say approximately 80% of the novel is based on my actual life experiences. Many of the characters were based on real people, several of whom recognized themselves in the book and were pleased. I had more fun writing this story than any other. It helped me think through some of my own childhood. I haven’t used any “real” people in any of my other novels!
Your academic background includes co-authoring professional books and numerous papers. How has your academic writing influenced your approach to fiction writing?
I was an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine at a University hospital. Academic writing is considerably different from fiction. The language is different. The purpose is different. The voice is different. Most academic writing is collaborative, while fiction writing is solitary. I enjoyed academic writing a lot. I learned two things through my academic writing. First, how to be a disciplined writer. Once I had a paper or book to write, I developed my own routine for taking on the project, a routine that required me to regularly sit in the chair and write. Second, it helped me get used to writing long projects, projects that might take a year or two to complete. It helped me not to become discouraged when I knew the end product was far away.
Having written a blog for Psychology Today titled ‘Going Out Not Knowing’, how does this platform complement or differ from your novel writing?
Writing the blog felt very much like writing fiction. The content usually included a real-life story told in first person. So, the territory, so to speak, was similar to fiction. It often had a similar structure, including what could be called a climactic point. As with my fiction, it focused on matters of meaning. It was different than fiction in that it was limited in its thematic scope—it was focused more on spirituality and psychology. Most of the time, the essays were designed to be intentionally helpful. That is not the case with fiction. In fiction, I tell a story with much more complexity and it is left to the reader to find meaning in it.
With a career spanning roles in ministry, therapy, and academia, how do you decide which aspects of your diverse experiences to incorporate into your storytelling?
I don’t decide which aspects of my professional experience will be included in my novels. I think my professional experience, as well as the whole range of life experience, is integrated into who I am. They form the marrow of who I am. That is what I draw on when writing my novels.
What advice would you offer to aspiring authors who aim to draw upon their professional backgrounds to enrich their fiction writing?
If you are using your work experience to inform your fiction writing, then you are doing what most writers recommend—write about what you know. I think it’s important to find out what you don’t know about what you know. That will add greater richness to your writing.
