In David Warner’s senior high school yearbook, it was predicted he would become a writer. In 2007, he achieved that goal, publishing his first novel, “Freeze Frame.” Warner describes his novel as a mystery thriller with settings in Detroit and northern Michigan, areas which he loves and knows well.

Warner is currently a creative director of a medium-sized Detroit area advertising agency, having worked in the past for Ross Roy, Burton Sohigian, Campbell Ewald and Sarris & Associates since his graduation from Michigan State University School of Communication and Advertising. He has used his knowledge of the advertising world in his first novel.

A Clarkston resident, Warner is married to Marlene, who is acting as his press agent for the novel. They have two daughters, Andi and Margi, who simply say, “That’s Dad,” when asked about his writing.

Beginning to write his novel was the most difficult part for Warner. He always had the idea of a book in the back of his mind, but finally getting it down on paper was another matter. Warner was used to writing commercials and jingles on demand, but writing a book was different.

“I wrote the book as if I was seeing the scenes in my mind,” he said. “I thought of myself as the main character, acting out each scene and imagining what each character would say.”

After putting the scenes together, he went back and wrote the beginning and ending of the book. He reminisced about listening to the Lone Ranger on radio in his youth and being able to view the pictures from the words of the radio serial.

The idea of the scenes came from that radio serial.

“Freeze Frame” is set in a Detroit advertising agency during an election campaign. The main character, Darcy James, discovers that the agency’s new account group is actually a terrorist cell using subliminal messages to ensure the election of a third-party presidential candidate.

Through a mutual friend, he shared “Freeze Frame” with a former CIA agent for feedback. The former agent told Warner, he receives a number of books to read and review for authenticity. The agent told him that the book took off in the middle but there was a bit of stiltedness in Warner’s writing.

About this time, another friend gave Warner a bit of advice he had received in Hollywood: Write from a female’s perspective.

With this feedback Warner decided to put “Freeze Frame” aside and began a second novel. Later, he returned to “Freeze Frame” and the words flowed freely. Switching the main character to a female in her 30s — heeding his friend’s advice — was key to this.

Completing the book was a metamorphosis for Warner.

If you like to read James Patterson’s thrillers, then you’ll like Warner’s book with its short chapters, plenty of action and first person narrative.

Warner is working on his second thriller, “Dead Lock,” which is also set in Michigan. The characters of “Freeze Frame” and “Dead Lock” are related. “Dead Lock” is set in 1943 at the height of World War II at Fort Brady, which is now the campus of Lake Superior State university in Sault Ste. Marie. The plot is juxtaposed with the race riot of 1943 in Detroit. “Dead Lock” will be out sometime this year.

Warner loves to write at his cabin up north. The area provided inspiration for the second novel and he enjoyed resurrecting information on the long closed fort. He talked with people from the area who were living there at the time.

His advice to first-time writers is to have a story in mind and don’t expect it to be quick and easy.

“Writing is a long process,” he said. “Write the scenes of the story, don’t worry about the start and end. And remember every word is not engraved in stone.”

“Freeze Frame” is available at bookstores and from www. amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com.