Author Interview with Dane Cobain

• How long have you been writing?

I started writing when I was around fourteen and I haven’t looked back. I’ll turn 28 on my next birthday, and so I’ve been writing for half of my life (and reading for even longer)!

• What is your favorite genre to write?

I’m a little unusual, because I like to write across all sorts of genres. In fact, I usually don’t have a specific genre in mind – I just have a story and I write it, and then I worry about what genre it is when it comes to marketing.

• Which genre have you never tried before, but would you like to try out?

I’ve been thinking about this – I think it would be fantasy. Fantasy is one of those genres that’s difficult to get right. I’ve read a lot of it, and indie authors in particular highlight how different it can be. The best fantasy authors build a world that’s believable; the ones that aren’t so good tend to fall into cliché.

• Please tell us about your book.

I have four out at the moment:

• No Rest for the Wicked: A supernatural thriller where evil Angels are on the rampage
• Eyes Like Lighthouses When the Boats Come Home: My first poetry collection
• ly: A literary fiction novel that follows the rise and fall of a social network
• Social Paranoia: A non-fiction book about how consumers and brands can stay safe in a connected world

My next release is a horror novella and screenplay called Come On Up to the House, which follows the trials and tribulations of the Jersey family as they move into a house that’s possessed by the malevolent spirit of a dead teenager.

• Which character was your favorite, and why? Which character was your least favorite, and why?

My favourite of all of my characters is probably Maile O’Hara or James Leipfold, the two main characters in an upcoming detective novel that I’m working on. But from my published books, I’d probably go for Father Montgomery from No Rest for the Wicked, because he’s a hero but he’s also fallable. My least favourite would probably be one of the throwaway characters that only appears once, in passing. Someone like Fleur from No Rest for the Wicked, a minor character that’s easily forgettable.

• What was the hardest part about writing your book?

To be honest, I don’t find it particularly hard – it just takes a lot of time and dedication, but as long as you put the hours in then you’ll get there. The hardest part about being a writer is getting the word out so that people read your work.

• What is your writing routine? Are there things you absolutely need to start writing?

I have a complicated routine called ‘the schedule’ which helps me to make sure I get plenty of marketing and editing done, as well as writing. But I can write anywhere – I try to spend as much of my time as possible either reading, writing or otherwise working.

• How long did it take you to write your book from start to finish?

It’s hard to tell! I think the first draft was completed over three months or so, but it was another five years until it was actually published. I had a limited run of them printed, but it wasn’t on general sale. Then I signed a deal with Booktrope to get it out and it went through editing, which took another three months or so.

• Can you tell us about your editing process?

I work with a fantastic editor called Pam Harris, who’s been with me since I released Former.ly. Pam and I establish style sheets and usually go through three rounds of editing to make sure that my manuscripts are as polished as possible before they go to print. I call her my partner-in-crime because my books just wouldn’t be the same without her.

• Is this book part of a series? If so, how many installments do you have planned?

To date, I haven’t released any books that are part of a series, although I’m currently working on a book called Driven, which will be the first book in a series of detective novels that I’m working on. I currently have the first two books planned out, and I have the ideas for a third book and also an accompanying collection of short stories. It has scope to keep on going, so we’ll see!

• Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Read as much as you can and write as much as you can. It takes a lot of time and dedication, and so you have to love what you do and just keep at it. Stephen King put it well when he said that talent is cheap and that it’s the work ethic that marks one writer apart from another.

• Why should everyone read your book?

All of them are quirky, fun little reads that will keep you entertained, and you’ll also be supporting an indie author by doing it!

• If you could meet three authors, dead or alive, which authors would you choose?

I ask this question in the interviews that I host on my book blog, SocialBookshelves.com! It’s difficult to decide, but I’d probably go for Graham Greene, Ernest Hemingway and Charles Bukowski.

• What inspired you to write your book?

It depends which book! But to be honest, I’m not really sure where my ideas come from – they just arrive, and then I start to develop them. As for the inspiration to write, I just don’t feel complete unless I’m doing it. I’m kind of compelled to do it!

• Are you working on something at the moment? If so, can you tell us more about it?

I’m always working on something! The two main projects that I’m working on at the moment are a horror novella and screenplay called Come On Up to the House, and an anthology of new writing from 21 different writers, called Subject Verb Object. Both of them should be on shelves within the next six months or so.

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