Amber Alert - 2016
Mr. Lawton,
Thank you for
taking your time for me ~
Who are your
influences?
My
biggest influence, unquestionably, is John Hart. His literary thrillers are
what got me into reading, not to mention uncovered my desire to write. Harlan
Coben and his page turning suspense has also been a major influence on me.
When did you
begin writing?
In college, I toyed with the idea of writing a novel,
but it never got off the ground. I knew I always wanted to write a novel,
dating back to high school, but I thought it would be something that would wait
until retirement. I’ve been writing consistently for about five years now, and
have completed four novels.
How do you come
up with your stories, characters, character names, POV, etc.?
So far, the idea has always come first for me,
characters seconds. It’s hard to say where ideas come from – they just kind of
happen, especially the more I write, I’ve found. My running list of ideas is
the twenties, so it’s really a matter of choosing what to do next and not if I’ll
have an idea or not. I brainstorm character names aloud with my beautiful wife,
based on the geographical location or certain quirks the characters may have.
Choosing a POV can be the most difficult part for me. I’ve changed POV during a
story a couple of times and had to go back and fix it. It seems to happen as I
delve deeper into the stories and determine what the best way to tell the story
is, based on how it develops as I write it.
If you could actually
meet one of your characters, who would it be?
Why?
So far, my favorite character is Detective Hank Berger,
who’s the lead detective in my latest novel, AMBER ALERT. Hank is in his
sixties and is a serious guy, and he lacks tolerance. But underneath his façade
of being a tough guy, he has a good heart and the best of intentions. He’s just
the type of guy I’d love to meet – the type who is rough and tough on the
outside, but a real good man once you get to know him. Those are typically the
most mysterious of people to me, which interests me.
Do you work
from an outline?
Not really. Genearlly speaking, as long as I have a
scene or two ahead, that’s all I need to work with. Although I have written a
very basic outline for my fourth novel, which I did find to be helpful – it
helps to know where you’re going. But still, my work changes so much as I
write, that a detailed outline would be a major waste of time for me, and
therefore, unnecessary. But having at least a vague idea of an ending is
helpful.
Tell me about
your favorite scene in your novel(s).
I’ve written four novels, so there have been a lot of
scenes, so I won’t pick out just one. But in general, the ones I like best are
suspenseful and tense and end with a cliffhanger – in suspense, cliffhangers
are critical. If the reader doesn’t have a reason to turn the page, they might
not. And by leaving the reader guessing often, they’ll hopefully keep reading.
It’s a simple goal, really.
Can you tell us
a little about your writing philosophy?
No one’s ever asked me this before, so I’m not sure I
have a good answer. In general, I aim for interesting, unique plots that could
actually happen. Real-life suspense, so to speak. Each of my novels have gotten
more character based as opposed to plot based as I’ve grown as a writer and as
a reader, so my philosophy has changed the more I’ve written. I want to achieve
page-turning suspense without the over-the-top stuff that a lot of thrillers
have. I like making the antagonists likeable, which I think helps to share
their motivations.
Have you ever
tried writing in any other genres?
My first three novels are thriller/suspense/mystery
novels, and I’ll stay in that genre. My fourth novel, which is still in the
editorial phase, is more of a literary suspense novel – more themes and
sub-plots and very character-driven – as opposed to a flat out suspense. But
suspense is crucial, in my opinion, so while the feel might be different, it is
still suspenseful. My wife has been urging me to write a romance novel, and
while I don’t think I can go that far, I can and probably will start to
incorporate more of a love story into future works – without trading the
suspense, of course. I would consider writing in different genres in the future
though, maybe with a pseudonym, or maybe not.
Do you have any
interesting writing-related anecdotes to share?
I’m an active member of the International Thriller
Writers organization. My first two novels were self-published, and I signed a
publishing contract (Solstice Publishing) for my third novel, AMBER ALERT, the
day before my twenty-seventh birthday.
Do you listen
to music as you write?
Never. I used to be able to watch TV (live sports,
mainly), while I wrote, but that has become more difficult. I need silence to
be my most productive, as a way to think without outside distraction.
AMBER
ALERT is a suspense novel, definitely, but it’s different from lots of suspense
in many ways. Many readers grew to dislike the protagonist and really like the
antagonist, which is unique. AMBER ALERT is an emotional story, but not in the
ways one might expect from the title. I’ve heard CJ Lyons use the term,
“thrillers with heart” and I think that describes AMBER ALERT well. I’d phrase
it, “suspense with heart”, but it’s the same idea – a good page-turning
suspense novel with enough depth to pull at your heart strings; those are the
best kinds of books, I think. The feedback from readers has been mostly very
positive.
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On the behalf of my readers, I thank you Dan for your time ~
No,
thank you!
About the author ~
 |
| Dan |
Connect with Dan Lawton
Dan Lawton is a thriller, suspense, and mystery writer from New England. He is an active member of the International Thriller Writers (ITW) Organization.
Dan studied Communications in college and is a Technical Writer by day. His first two novels were self-published, and he signed his first book deal for his third novel, Amber Alert, the day before his twenty-seventh birthday. He lives in central New Hampshire with his wife and daughter.
Dan can be contacted directly via: info@danlawtonfiction.com, @danlawtonauthor on Twitter, or on Facebook.com/danlawtonfiction.
Dan is available for appearances, book signings, and speaking engagements.
Dan studied Communications in college and is a Technical Writer by day. His first two novels were self-published, and he signed his first book deal for his third novel, Amber Alert, the day before his twenty-seventh birthday. He lives in central New Hampshire with his wife and daughter.
Dan can be contacted directly via: info@danlawtonfiction.com, @danlawtonauthor on Twitter, or on Facebook.com/danlawtonfiction.
Dan is available for appearances, book signings, and speaking engagements.
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