When he’s not at his day job at a health club, this Tri-Cities man is a novelist

To call Stephen Wallenfels an early riser would be an understatement.

The Richland man gets up at 3:15 a.m. daily and is writing by 3:30 a.m.

He’s kept the same schedule for years. For him, it’s a necessity.

“With writing novels, you need a chunk of time to get into the story. A half-hour here or there won’t work. The only way to really get that uninterrupted time is early in the morning,” he said. “Trust me, there’s nobody bothering me at 3 a.m.”

Wallenfels’ dedication has paid off.

He’s a successful writer, with his third novel — the young adult thriller “Deadfall” — set for release Dec. 11 by Disney/Hyperion.

Wallenfels will sign books from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 to 6:30 p.m. Dec. 11 at Barnes & Noble in Kennewick.

“Deadfall” is a survival story. It centers on twin brothers Ty and Cory, who escape a violent father only to be confronted with a new horror: They find a teen girl tied up in the back of a wrecked car in the Pacific Northwest wilderness.

“Cory is left to tend to the seemingly mute girl after being separated from Ty. As her condition worsens and the wolves, human and otherwise, circle the door of their hideout, Cory realizes that the considerable sins of their father are coming back to haunt them,” said Kirkus, which described the novel as “a hair-raising, explosive thriller.”

Wallenfels’ first novel, the YA science fiction tale “Pod,” has been published in seven languages and 15 countries.

His second novel, “Bad Call,” also is a survival thriller for young adults.

Wallenfels likes writing for teens because of how much books meant to him growing up.

“I believe reading is such an important thing” for young people, he said. “I try to write exciting books that teens will want to read.”

Wallenfels worked as a journalist for years before turning to novels. He’s also a screenwriter, with a script that recently was picked from about 2,500 submissions as a semi-finalist in the 2018 ScreenCraft Pilot Launch Competition.

He also plans to write the screenplay adaption of “Deadfall.”

Wallenfels’ day job is graphic designer, climbing wall director and IT specialist at the Tri-City Court Club.

He’s an avid outdoorsman who fell in love with rock climbing and backpacking in college in California.

The outdoors also play an important role in his writing.

He gravitates toward survival stories because of their universality, he said.

“I think all stories are survival stories in one way or another. Trying to survive a relationship, a doctoral dissertation — there’s always an element of survival,” Wallenfels said. “We resonate with that as humans.”

Wallenfels is excited about the release of “Deadfall.” It’s an action-packed, touching story, he said.

He’s grateful to the Tri-Cities writing community, particularly the critique group he’s part of. It also boasts novelist Maureen McQuerry.

For Wallenfels , writing is fulfilling and fun.

“When you get into a groove, it’s an adrenaline rush. It really is,” he said. “It’s really fun to see where it goes. I go to bed at night, and I look forward to what I’m going to write the next morning.”

Very, very early in the morning.

More on Wallenfels: stephenwallenfels.com.