Monday, July 7, 2008

Interview with DL Snell *BOOK GIVEAWAY*

** Giveaway! **
DL Snell is giving away a copy of ROSES OF BLOOD ON BARBWIRE VINES to one commenter this week. So leave a comment with your email address so that we can contact the winner. If you win and don’t respond within 5 days we’ll have to do a redraw. Have fun and enjoy the interview!!

Author Pen Name: D.L. Snell

CA: What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?

DLS: I try my hand at all sorts of genres, from magical realism to anything speculative: fantasy, horror, sci-fi... I’ve even been known to write poetry. Writers, I believe, should work in a range of genres. In fact, the bestselling authors tend to blend genres into each book. Stephen King and Dean Koontz don’t write solely horror; they mix things up, because life isn’t just romance or horror--it’s both. So the best works tend to reflect the variety of life. In my writing, I strive for diversity, and I like to write about whatever interests, scares, and entertains me.

CA: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

DLS: I’ve always been a storyteller. When I was young, I told my brother that a man in our neighborhood had kidnapped me. I said the man had picked me up off the road because I’d accidentally hit his truck with a rock. He drove really fast, berated me, and then dropped me off. My brother told our mom. I was too afraid to get caught in a lie, so I maintained it. Mom called the cops. They interviewed me. They questioned the suspect. Luckily he had an alibi, so the police dropped the case. Even then, my lie was so convincing my family thought it was true until I confessed many years later.

This knack for spinning believable yarns translates nicely into writing. I’ve been penning tales since I was seven years old, but I wasn’t serious about the endeavor until college. Before that, I’d wanted to be a doctor, then a musician. I still play guitar (and perform the occasional surgery), but with writing I don’t have to depend upon an unreliable band. I like it much better.

CA: Who or what was your inspiration for writing?

DLS: I’ve always been driven to tell stories. I have no clue why. Overactive imagination, maybe. On both sides of my family, my grandparents were great storytellers. My Grandma Ford, who’s still with us, would make up retellings of “The Three Little Pigs” and “Jack and the Bean Stalk.” Each time, the story was different. And my Grandpa Ford... his yarns were a bit darker. On long road trips, he’d tell us to keep an eye out for Green Gobblers, which were green semis with the sole purpose of running us off the road. I definitely inherited my sense of the macabre from him. My grandparents were oral storytellers though; it was writers like (and here comes the inevitable cliché) Stephen King and Dean Koontz that inspired me to put pen to paper. Later on, Jack Ketchum and Richard Laymon warped me, and T.S. Eliot and D.H. Lawrence gave me a sense of literature.

So those are the who’s. The what’s... those come from everyday life. From experiences, observations, thoughts, dreams, friends, family, strangers, things I’ve seen or read... I think writers should draw from every facet of their lives, because that’s where the material for rich writing originates. Inspiration is all around us. We just need the tools and imagination to mine it.

CA: What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

DLS: I have a day job, a wife, a child on the way, and a home to upkeep, so I fit in writing whenever I can, usually on my lunch break or late at night. In general, I only watch TV when I’m eating dinner, and I only clear my schedule for one show and that’s LOST. So the time that most people spend in front of the boob tube, I spend writing.

CA: Your book is about to be sent into the reader world, what is one word that describes how you feel?

DLS: I feel like I’m sending my favorite child into hordes of ravenous zombies. Well, part of me feels that way. The other part is proud and eager for reviews and reader feedback. And yet another part sighs because it’s time to promote again.

CA: What was your biggest challenge in writing your book(s)?

DLS: My perfectionism, and beneath that, the fear of failure. I used to (not so much anymore) labor over every sentence as I wrote it, and that drained me. Sometimes it actually prevented me from writing, because if I couldn’t get it right, I would despair, question my ability, and switch to a different story I’d been kicking around. It took me two years to write my zombie/vampire novel, ROSES OF BLOOD ON BARBWIRE VINES. I’m working to correct this for my next novel by allowing myself to write what Anne Lamott would call a “shitty first draft.”

CA: What do you like to do when you're not writing?

DLS: I love reading, of course. I like to hike. Riding bikes is fun, and I just recently got into disc golf, now that it’s not as popular. Occasionally I’ll play videogames--my friends own Rock Band, and we have a lot of fun with that--and I enjoy web design; you know, making banners and websites and stuff.

CA: How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

DLS: One published novel, five published novellas. If you count the unpublished work... I couldn’t tell you. Lots. Out of my longer stuff, my current favorite has to be my zombie vs. superhero novella “Mortal Gods,” which Permuted Press published in THE UNDEAD: HEADSHOT QUARTET. Here’s what it’s about: “A man with the ability to call objects into existence awakens in a zombie-swarmed alley with no memory of his past. Aided by a duo of heroes--one incredibly strong, the other psychic--he digs to uncover his identity and the source of his gift in a nightmarish landscape infested with mysterious creatures.” I tried for a clean, simple style in “Gods”--simpler than the style in ROSES OF BLOOD, at least--and I believe I pulled it off. I’m also proud of the climax. Everything comes to a head in an epic way, and I’m really pleased with the result.

CA: Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?

DLS: This is a difficult question, and I’m going to take the long way around to explain it.

In his book ON WRITING, Stephen King proclaims that he doesn’t make up his stories; they exist like fossils underground and he merely excavates them and puts them on display. It’s a nice sentiment and a vivid metaphor, but it’s bullshit. I believe writers are gods with the ability to create. We process sensory information and store data, and then our imaginations stir up big pillars of creation where all that data bonds together into stars, planets, galaxies, life--our own little universes. Some gods doom their creations to predetermination, producing plot-driven stories. These can be entertaining, but the stories where characters have free will prove to be the most interesting. Such character-driven stories are the ones I try to write. So while my characters are mutts of different people I’ve known or have read about or have seen on TV, I let them decide who they are and what they do. But I’m not opposed to raining down some Old Testament hell on them now and again.

CA: Do you have any advice for the aspiring writers out there?

DLS: Well, the old saying is “write what you know,” which is good advice--as long as you endeavor to know more. In other words, learn. Your current knowledge is a good starting point, but if you never study or grow, your writing will mold.

CA: How can a reader contact you or purchase your books?

DLS: They can go to my website, www.exit66.net.

CA: Is there anything you would like to add?

DLS: Yeah, I’d like to thank you for the interview--great questions, by the way--and I’d like to encourage all writers out there to keep writing, keep learning, keep reading. And if anyone checks out my books, I’d love to hear what you think.

CA: DL I loved your interview… my fav. Part was the kidnapping story! I can’t believe you let it go that far! LOL

** GIVEAWAY** DL Snell is giving away a copy of ROSES OF BLOOD ON BARBWIRE VINES to one commenter this week. So leave a comment with your email address so that we can contact the winner. If you win and don’t respond within 5 days we’ll have to do a redraw.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

great interview! This is my kind of author!!!
Thom
nightreaper@sbcglobal.net

Zulmara said...

So cool that you started writing at 7 and have been a storyteller all your life...what a beautiful gift...

ADELANTE!!!

Zulmara

windycindy said...

I used to tell the neighborhood kids outlandish stories. My son and I have been watching "Season 3" of "Lost!"
This was an enjoyable interview. Thanks very much, Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

Anonymous said...

Great interview. I loved this part: "because life isn’t just romance or horror--it’s both"

Great take on life!

Estella said...

Great interview.
Loved the kidnapping story.
Paranormals are my favorite genre.

kissinoak[at]verizon[dot]net

Unknown said...

ok im at my daughters, lol she maad i took over her comp

i have been able to read the interviews crystal, but i cant comment,it comes up with cant find server

i really enjoyed your interviews!!!!!!

D.L. Snell said...

Thanks for the comments, guys! It was a fun interview. I'll try to keep an eye on these comments if anyone wants to ask me any additional questions.

Anonymous said...

Hi Guys - great interview and good advice.

Question: As an aspiring writer, I'm still learning the ropes but everything seems to take so long. It takes me months to polish a story to the point of submission and then months for a response. What did you do to encourage yourself to keep going?

BT

Anonymous said...

Hi D.L.,

Your problem with perfectionism - laboring over every sentence, is something I can relate to as it is something I still struggle with whenever I write. How did you overcome this problem and how many drafts were there in that two years it took to complete Roses of Blood on Barbwire Vines?

Thank you.

Najua

najua_inkslinger@yahoo.com

Debby said...

Nice interview. I will be keeping an eye out for books.

D.L. Snell said...

Brenton,

I would keep writing during those months, even as you're editing the other stories. New projects have always kept me encouraged. And the writing/editing process seems to go quicker and quicker as I grow and learn from past mistakes.

Another good thing to do: read over your old stories; compare them to your newest piece. It will help you realize how far you've come, that all those months weren't wasted.

D.L. Snell said...

Najua,

Writing in a notebook helps me curb my perfectionism. When I write on the computer, for some reason I think the words need to be perfect the first time through, but I'm not so picky in the notebook. I just write. I don't care if it sounds like total crap--I force myself not to care. And it works because I know that when I do type it into the computer, I can start improving it.

D.L. Snell said...

Najua,

I missed the second part of your question--sorry. I can't even tell you how many drafts it took to finish Roses of Blood. A lot. I talk a bit more about it in the free reading companion No Amount of Lead, which you can download here.

D.L. Snell said...

Debby,

Glad you enjoyed the interview! I post all my recent books on www.exit66.net and I announce them all in my newsletter Snell Mail.

Stacey Joy Netzel said...

Great interview! I can't believe you told that story about being kidnapped and then maintained it through police interviews! Wow. :)

And Stephen King...bullshit? LOL

Mortal Gods sounds great.

Drea said...

I'm glad I finally got a minute to read your interview. I absolutely love learning about what makes authors tick. King and Koontz were some of my first reads and I will always love them. I can't wait to check out your work. Judging by your interview, you writing must be awesome...I really enjoyed it!

Stacey Joy Netzel said...

Forgot to leave my e-mail:
snetzel@wildblue.net

LadyVampire2u said...

Awesome interview! And I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for your books!

Dena said...

I enyoyed your interview DL. I don't read Steven King anymore but I do read Dean Koontz. So I'm sure your book and future ones will be wonderful. I'm putting you on my list because you cracked me up and it sounds like you write great stories. I can't imagine what your family said when you told them the truth about your kidnapping.

Anonymous said...

The Winner of DL's Book is... DENA!! YAY Congrats Dena! Please email me at Crystaladkins722@gmail.com with your addy so that I can forward it to DL :) You're so lucky! I would love to have this book :)

D.L. Snell said...

Stacey,

Yeah it was a pretty big fib. I was little, probably in first grade, and I was terrified of getting in trouble. That’s why I let it go so far. I didn’t want to go to jail :)

Dena,

Congrats on winning! When I finally divulged the truth about the kidnapping a year ago, my mom laughed. Thankfully she has a sense of humor. She lost a breast to cancer, and instead of despairing she made a joke: she says, “At least now I can swim in circles.”

Drea, LadyVampire2u,

Thanks for the compliments. This was fun. Thanks to Crystal Adkins, especially.

Jackie Stroud-Painter said...

I write poetry and like what you had to say.