Finding Your Story

Real estate professional finds his passion for writing in an essay on a decades-old war

RISMEDIA, March 26, 2007-Darrel Hoover never imagined he'd be an author. However, after reading an essay by James Brady in Parade magazine, he found his inspiration. The essay told the tale of an Allied soldier who, when asked by a journalist what he wanted for Christmas, replied, "just one more day"-a quote that would later become the title to Hoover's novel.

"After reading that, I suddenly had this passion to write," recalls Hoover, director of recruiting, Prudential Gardner, Realtors, Metairie, Louisiana. "I would read, read, read, and then write, write, write. In fact, before Katrina hit, I would start every morning at Dunkin Donuts, writing for 45 minutes a day."

Just One More Day tells the story of Private Louis Blackwell, who survives an execution attempt, receives a disfiguring bayonet injury, and is nursed back to health by a South Korean family. Tiana and her family risk their lives to hide Louis from the North Korean enemy. After returning to the United States, Louis decides to re-enlist and go back to Korea to find the family that left such an impression on him.

After the hurricane hit, Hoover was displaced for 10 months, setting up in Northern Virginia. "For a while, when I was unemployed, I would keep rewriting and revising; it was a great time to finish the book," he says. "I published it a few months after getting back to Louisiana."

While Hoover has never spoken with Brady, he has interviewed many Korean and Vietnam War veterans, many of which had a profound effect on him. "It opened up this whole new world to me," he says. "Hearing first-hand experiences of war is unbelievable. The thing that meant so much to me was that it helped me navigate through some of the loss around New Orleans. It helped me realize that even with the fear I feel when I look around at Eastern New Orleans and the Ninth Ward, you can arise and have a new beginning. We have a new beginning every morning."

To that end, Hoover has started conducting seminars on how to discover the book within yourself. "I go to the library and advertise the seminars; they are free," he says. "Everybody has a story. It's the getting it out that is key."

In his talks, Hoover shares some of his experiences, and tries to use them to encourage people. "I try to give back some of the things I've learned, and help them find some of the things they want out of life," he explains.

What's more, Hoover has also taken his experience and transferred it toward his full-time job as director of recruiting for Prudential Gardner, Realtors. "It's been a great journey; I've been able to bring the eagerness I felt while writing this book to my job," Hoover says. "When I go to career seminars-usually eight to 10 a month-I face all of those candidates and I'm able to tell them that, in addition to my experience, I know that if they want to step out of their comfort zone and really do something, they can do it. You can finish the rest of your story, but it's up to you."

In fact, Hoover recalls talking with an 11-year-old girl who read his book and became inspired. "If this book means something in somebody's life-the move from loss to a new beginning-then it was worth every ounce of effort I put in," he says.

Today, Hoover continues to write, hoping to publish more novels in the future.

"Before this, I had never written before," he says. "But that inspiration opened the door for me. This journey has been fun because everybody has a story to put down. I encourage everyone to write their story." -Stephanie Andre

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