I am delighted to welcome author Dean Mayes to Books, Life & Everything on what is a very special day as it is the Publication Day for his latest novel, The Artisan Heart. Dean is going to tell us about his life as an author.
Hello Dean, it's great to meet you today. Would you like to start by telling us a little about
yourself and how you started as a writer?
Sure! So my name is Dean and I am both an author and an
Intensive Care Nurse living in Adelaide, Australia with my wife Emily and two
children Xavy (12) and Lucy (8). I've been writing in one form or another since
I was a kid but I didn't really get serious about writing until about 10 years
ago. At the time, I'd pretty much given up on the idea of ever being published
traditionally but blogging and social networking had really begun taking off. I
had this one last idea kicking around in my head that I really wanted to get
down, so I started a blog, purely to prove to myself that I could write a
complete story. That blog unexpectedly took off and I was getting upwards of
3000 readers a week. It was because of this blog that I was eventually
"discovered".
When did you first realise you were going to be a writer?
When I was about 7 or 8 years old, I wrote this really short
piece in class about a soldiers experience of war. I think I'd been influenced
by a conversation I'd had with my grandfather (who had served in WW2) and I
tried to get inside this soldier's head. My teacher at the time gave me full
marks along with a purple dragon sticker. Ever since then, I've been devoted to
writing.
If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?
I would probably focus solely on Nursing.
What are you interests apart from writing?
I have quite a few interests but, for the most part, I enjoy
spending time with my family, cycling and sailing, music, reading. Recently,
I've taken an interest in long form debating and discussions around challeging
ideas. That's something that I'm really growing to love.
What is your favorite childhood book?
I have, here at home, a small pocket adaptation of Star Wars
in comic form. I bought it with some pocket money I saved doing a paper round
and have treasured ever since. It's all in black and white but that never
mattered to me. It fired my imagination nonetheless.
Where were you when you heard your first book was going to
be published? How did you celebrate?
I was actually on Kangaroo Island off the coast of South
Australia when I received the email from Central Avenue Publishing telling me
they were going to publish my first novel. I think I was shocked more than
anything but I still managed to knock the top off a beer or two and bask in the
moment.
Tell us about your latest book without giving the plot away.
The Artisan Heart (in stores from September 1st, 2018) is
basically a love letter to the small town of Walhalla in Victoria, Australia.
It's a place where I spent much of my childhood and it has an almost spiritual
significance for me. I've wanted to pen a story set there for a long time and
when the idea for this story evolved, I knew I'd found the perfect project to
dedicate to Walhalla.
How do you plan to spend publication day?
I'll actually be on duty at the hospital where I work on
publication day. However I am planning on doing something during the first week
of release.
What are your writing routines and where do you do most of
your writing?
So, I'm usually free to write on Mondays and Tuesdays at
home. I'm not on duty on those days and my wife works and the children are at
school. I have the house to myself. When I am on duty at the hospital, I
usually have a notebook in my pocket - I've become kind of renowned for it
actually - and I'm usually scribbling ideas down and making notes that I can
use on those two writing days.
How many hours a day do you write?
It really depends on what sort of frame of mind I'm in. I
endeavour to write for a full six to seven hours, but sometimes, it just
doesn't happen for me. I do have strategies I employ when my muse isn't
optimal. I'll switch to researching or I'll try and brainstorm. Sometimes I'll
step away from the desk altogether and do something else like take my dog for a
walk or go for a bike ride. I've learned to admit to myself that I can't always
make the magic happen.
How do you go about researching detail and ensuring your
books are realistic?
For a project like "The Artisan Heart" where the
main character is an ER doctor in a children's hospital, I didn't have to
stretch too far. I've worked in paediatric emergency so I was able to import
those experiences into the story. Where verification of certain things, like
clinical presentations, was required, I went back to my clinical skills and
training, as well as policy and procedure to ensure what I was portraying was
accurate. For things involving setting, it was helpful - and enjoyable - to
revisit Walhalla and walk around in it so I could get the lay of the land clear
in my head, verify details of buildings I've portrayed in the story - even to
recall details such as the smell of the mountain air, the flow of the creek,
how smoke rises from the chimneys of houses. All of these things find their way
into the story in some form or another and it's important to me that I get them
right.
Which aspects of your writing do you find easiest and most
difficult?
I have always been a little scared of dialogue, but I've
certainly gotten better at this over the years. I spend alot of time studying
people and conversations in the real world and I try to document what I see. I
have to be careful though because this activity has led to some awkward
moments, especially when people are in the middle of an argument and they
realize some guy is taking notes.
How difficult was writing your second book - did having one
published change how you went about it?
Most certainly! I went from writing an almost seat of the
pants paranormal romance where the bulk of the novel had been written on
instinct to writing a literary fiction novel with an Aboriginal family at its
center. Not only did I have to wrestle with the cultural significance of
writing such a story, I had to engage in an insane amount of research. I think
I spent a year on pure research before I even put pen to paper in terms of
story. I also engaged a lot more with my publisher so I always consider that
second book (Gifts of the Peramangk, 2012) to be a much more collaborative
effort.
Were there any scenes which you had to edit out of your book
which you still hanker after?
I actually don't. I tend to write way more material for a
story than is needed. If there's an element that I really like, I'll work out a
way of condensing the story in order to incorporate that element into the final
manuscript. I've gotten a lot better at not wedding myself too closely to ideas
in the project, if they don't serve the overall goal of the story.
How do you select the names of your characters? Are they
based on anyone you know?
Usually, I play around with names that I like the sound of -
both first and last names - and I'll experiment with different combinations
until I find something appealing. Some of my characters are indeed inspired by
real people but I'll fictionalize elements so that they don't align too closely
with their real world counterpart.
How long on average does it take you to write your first
draft?
Anywhere from 6 months to a year. Nursing full time and
raising children takes up so much of my time and I just haven't found a method
yet that will increase my output speed. Nor, do I think I want to. These
stories take time and they're not something I like to rush. Of course, if
someone were to drop a nice big fat cheque into my lap tomorrow, I would gladly
step away from Nursing and write full time.
Are there any secret references hidden in your books?
I have slipped in one or two secret references into my books
- mainly to pop culture minutiae or things that people who know me really well
will pick up. Some are much more subtle, which I've put in there simply for my
own enjoyment. One example can be found in Gifts of the Peramangk (Central
Avenue Publishing, 2012). A character in that story has a number tattooed on
his forearm - B26354. That number is a nod to the police badge number of Rick
Deckard from the 1982 film Blade Runner, which happens to be one of my favorite
films of all time.
Do you have any guilty pleasures which stop/ help you write?
I have a Playstation. Enough said.
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
Both. Sometimes - at the same time.
Do you or have you ever considered writing under a
pseudonym?
Briefly. I considered it for my latest novel "The
Artisan Heart" because I felt that readers wouldn't take a male romance
author seriously. I eventually went cold on the idea because I want to be proud
of having written in a genre that many readers wouldn't immediately associate
with a male.
Do you have any other writers as friends and how do they
influence your writing?
I count a small group of writers among my closest friends
and they have been hugely influential in improving my writing and inspiring me.
We talk regularly and bounce ideas of one another. Those friendships are really
satisfying.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what
would it be?
First I'd like to slap my younger self and tell him to
S.l.o.w. D.o.w.n. Actually, that's all really.
Do you believe in writer’s block? What do you do to break
its spell?
I recognize it is a problem and I do have moments where I
feel as though I can't make headway. At those times, I stop, review the outline
- the plan and work on some brainstorming exercises to help get myself out of
the rut. Sometimes, any sign of block is a signal that I need to step away from
the project and go and do something else, like take a walk or go for a ride.
Anything that helps me to reset my mind and help me focus.
Can you give any hints about any upcoming books you have
planned?
I'm tenatively planning a sequel to my 2016 psychological
thriller "The Recipient". I'm not usually big on sequels but I really
love the character of heart transplant recipient/hacker Casey Schillinge and
over the past few months, I've been toying with an idea that I think would make
a really cracking story. We'll just have to wait and see.
Thanks so much for dropping by today Dean and good luck with your writing!
Book Spotlight on The Artisan Heart
Hayden Luschcombe is a brilliant paediatrician living in
Adelaide with his wife Bernadette, an ambitious event planner. His life
consists of soul-wrenching days at the hospital and tedious evenings attending
the lavish parties organized by Bernadette.
When an act of betrayal coincides
with a traumatic confrontation, Hayden flees Adelaide, his life in ruins. His
destination is Walhalla, nestled in Australia’s southern mountains, where he
finds his childhood home falling apart. With nothing to return to, he stays,
and begins to pick up the pieces of his life by fixing up the house his parents
left behind.
A chance encounter with a precocious and deaf young girl
introduces Hayden to Isabelle Sampi, a struggling artisan baker. While
single-handedly raising her daughter, and trying to resurrect a bakery,
Isabelle has no time for matters of the heart. Yet the presence of the handsome
doctor challenges her resolve. Likewise, Hayden, protective of his own
fractured heart, finds something in Isabelle that awakens dormant feelings of
his own.
As their attraction grows, and the past threatens their chance at
happiness, both Hayden and Isabelle will have to confront long-buried truths if
they are ever to embrace a future.
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