Trevor Dalton

MR> I'd like to introduce Trevor Dalton, author of two horrific novels. I use the term horrific here in a most complimentary way, since they are horror stories.

Hello Trevor, and thanks for your time today.

TD> Hello, I'm glad to meet you, Mike.

MR> You've two books, Open Trap and Possession Legacy. Where did the premise come from for these two stories?

TD> Open Tap is my take on pollution. I heard a news article a few years ago that told of tankers filling with all sorts of toxic waste and hitting the motorway systems of the world with their 'back taps' open. Letting the poison run on to the road surface. In Britain you will be delighted to know that we had a force of precisely one to combat this threat. I asked my self what would happen if a dog ingested this poison over a period of time. Open tap was the result.
'The Possession Legacy' is the first book of my vampire duet. The second part to this duet, 'A Deeper Darkness' will be in editing shortly and should be available sometime in Feb 2009

I liked the idea of a vampire romp but wanted it to be set in the present rather than the past. This presented a few problems, I needed to show the origin of the 'plague of vampirisum' that besets Sarah in book one and Lynette in book two. Having established where it came from I had to 'transport' it to the present. Of course I also needed a variety of characters for my Vampires to interact with. I had originally planned for a trio of books but I and my editor felt that two was the perfect length. Libros are planning an omnibus edition of The Possession Legacy and A Deeper Darkness in time for next Christmas. I believe the two together will provide a cohesive study of vampires. From their birth and their inheritance of Prince Llewellyn's curse through their teenage years to full adulthood. The prospect of a modern vampire amongst us today is indeed intriguing.
Meanwhile I'm fleshing out my fourth book, "The Poetry man." a story of a psychotic killer.

MR> Do you have a particular technique of writing, such as outlines, index cards, special software?

TD> I have played with storyboards, character developments and preplanned chapters and use a variety of them to assist me in staying on line. I like to give my characters however a large degree of 'autonomy'. There is nothing better than when the characters start to think and talk for themselves. The book then starts to write itself! I do how ever believe in re-writes. My books on average have four re-writes each. I use my editor, Pat McManus to do this. She has a fine eye and the first re-write takes care of my silly errors. Then Pat flags gaps and I infill. I find that once the idea is formed I'm better off pushing through to the finish of the story and then going back than spending time honing chapters before moving on. Again if I give the character the voice he needs theres is very rarely any changes to his dialog. The rewriting is largely in the narrative and descriptive passages.

MR> Your two novels are available on Amazon. Who is your publisher and how did you link up with them?

TD> My publisher is Libros International based in Spain.

Like most I had gone through a number of rejection slips before my first acceptance. The company that offered to sign me where 'Bootleg Press' in America. Whilst I was pondering their offer Ken Douglas asked me to sign with Libros. The company was new and had a very open policy to new talent. I found I was agreeing with everything Ken said so in the end I chose Libros. I was delighted when later Ken asked me to become a director/partner and to occupy the role of author liaison.

MR> What do you read? Favorite authors?

TD> I have a very broad taste and have read everything from Gothic horror to 'chick lit'. Naturally I enjoy King, Hutchins and Koontz. I try to read all the books we publish and I'm truly amazed at the way the quality of the authors work is constantly improving. A few are now publishing their second offerings and each book excels the last. Gareth Roberts book 'That immortal Jukebox Sensation' stands out for this year from Libros.
I try to vary my reading and usually read a book within two days. Most of my fellow penmen and women are avid readers, you never can tell what tips you can pick up by reading a variety of genres.

MR> How long did it take you to complete each of your novels?

TD> Regrettably I have a full time occupation so writing is still something I have to fit in. this means that a book doesn't get the continuous time I would like to give it so currently, with rewrites and editing its taking around a year per book. If I was full time I would probably be able to produce two novels per year but I think that would be my maximum output.

MR> Trevor, thanks again for this interview.