For Donald Nystrom, entertaining people is a full-time job - and a free-time job.

At night, the former sheriff deputy of Bexar County is a deejay and bouncer at local karaoke bar Woofers and Tweeters, where he has worked for the past two years.

"They kind of announce me as the crazy guy they give the microphone to," he said.

By day, he's a writer, whose second novel and first science fiction book, "Defenders of All," published worldwide last summer.

Nystrom is at work on the second book in the sci-fi series, which is not yet titled.

"I have been threatened that if I kill off one of the characters in the book, they're going to hurt me," Nystrom said, laughing. "It is nice to be able to create a character that they identify with so much."

Standard-Times: Tell me about your job at Woofers and Tweeters.

Nystrom: I'm the janitor, then Sunday through Thursday I'm the deejay. I get the microphone and make people laugh and announce the new singers and keep the flow going. On Fridays and Saturdays, I'm the bouncer. When the waitresses get overwhelmed, I help them clean tables.

You juggle your deejay job at night and your writing during the day. What's that like?

Different. It's confusing sometimes because (with writing) I'm trying to create something from nothing. I just take things from out of thin air and just make it realistic. Then I have to do the research to make sure what I'm saying is plausible and realistic. And then I go to Woofers and Tweeters where I'm just like everyone else.

How long have you been writing?

I've been writing all my life. It got me through English in high school. I was one of the struggling students in English. I was going before school and after school getting tutoring, and I couldn't get it. (The teacher) saw that I was struggling so she allowed me to write stories. The teacher would read them, and the class got a big kick out of it. The teacher would threaten them: "If y'all don't behave, I won't read you Donnie's stories."

"Defenders of All" is your second book and your first sci-fi book. How is it faring?

As far as I know, Amazon ranks their books according to sales, and they rank them from 1, which is the best, and mine was toward the bottom, and over a weekend, it shot up to 159,306. It jumped over 4 million spots. ...

I was talking to some people who work with Hastings and my book sold out here, in San Angelo, Abilene and Midland. And of course my biggest book distributor in the U.S. is Ingram, which delivers to every bookstore there is. And I have Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, and I've got 30-something distributors worldwide.

Are you a fan of sci-fi?

I am a sci-fi nut. I was raised on "Star Trek." I even dedicated part of the book ("Defenders of All") to Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, for all the ideas he put in people's heads.

What's your favorite sci-fi movie?

"Independence Day."

What's your favorite thing about your job at Woofers and Tweeters?

Making people laugh. I love to entertain them. People (there sometimes) won't talk to anyone else - they'll just sit there like (they're) in the doctor's office. I bridge that. I will talk to them like I've known them for years.

What's something unique about Woofers & Tweeters?

You walk in, you're family. I will remember you. And we always welcome back new customers who come back. We will walk up to them; we will talk to them.

How long have you lived in San Angelo?

It'll be 9 years in August. I came to San Angelo when I found out I had a son. I sold everything and moved here, and I have not regretted it once.

This is a beautiful city. The people are not afraid to say hi and smile.

What's your favorite thing to do in San Angelo?

Sing karaoke. I have people that will come up and request certain songs. As soon as I see them, I already know what song they want.