Let’s all welcome Edward Lorn, author of Hope for the Wicked, here @ My Book and My Coffee! He just released the book, Life After Dane, a few days ago (July 15, 2013). I haven’t read the book... YET. But I did read the synopsis and excerpt; I am definitely hooked and will definitely add it to my TBR list! :)
Anyhow, Edward is on book tour and today, he’s ‘here’ on my blog for an interview! Yes! Check out the interview below and don't forget to enter the giveaway after. :)
Ara: Hi Edward! Welcome to My Book and My Coffee. I am so glad to have you here today. How are you? I know it must be super busy as you have a newly released book and of course, you have other things to do. How is everything? Also, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Edward: Hello, Ara, and thanks for having me. I’m doing fine. Yes, book releases are busy times for me, but the pluses far outweigh the stresses.
About me, huh? Well, the best part about me is, I’m the proud father of two kids, ages eight and one, and have been happily married to the same beautiful woman for the past twelve years. The less interesting bit is, I’ve been a storyteller since the time I could talk and started writing them down as soon as I knew could hold a pencil. Luckily, my wife and children deal with the fact that I must continue to tell these stories. I get to have my cake and eat it, too.
Ara: I have to say, Edward, your public bio is one of the most interesting and engaging ones I’ve read. At a young age, you were able to make your teacher and classmates cry about your story. Tell us more about this, if it’s alright. I mean, what was going on? Do you still remember why you chose that certain story to tell them? I am so curious.
Edward: That story came about the same way my books and shorts come to me nowadays. It just popped into my mind. I didn’t have a clue as to what I wanted to talk about, so I just got out of my chair, walked to the head of the class, and started talking. I remember having to suppress a smile, though. Yeah, I’m probably a horrible human being, but, even though the story was horrific, I took a great deal of pleasure knowing that I could affect people with my imagination, that my story was good enough. I’ve always been a bit of an attention whore. Not that I think everyone should listen to me, but, when they do decide to listen, I feel they should be entertained, or, at the very least, engaged.
Ara: Haha. You're very talented, that's what. Not horrible. No, no. :) So, why the horror genre?
Edward: Horror is a sandbox. You can go anywhere, tackle any genre, and pretty much do as you please. In a way, horror is a Get out of Jail Free card. For the most part, people know going in that they’re going to be disturbed. Because of this, you can write comedy, drama, action, sci fi, or any old thing you wish, as long as you bring the scary stuff at some point. I also believe that there’s an element of horror in every genre. It’s that sense of dread, that worry that something bad is going to happen and there’s nothing you, the reader, can do about it. Even in genres like romantic comedies, you will find conflict that incites worry. And what is horror if not a sense of unease?
Ara: I see your point there, Edward. I didn't consider it before but you saying that the horror genre is a sandbox, I have to agree. So, let’s talk about your newly released book, Life After Dane. I like the book cover, definitely. And the one liner – “A mother’s love is undying... and so is Dane.” Catchy and I believe that people will want to read this one. Please tell us more about it.
Edward: At its heart, Life After Dane is a character piece. The story is told from the point of view of Dane’s mother, Ella May Peters. Right off the bat, on the very first page of the book, Dane is executed by the Arkansas Department of Corrections for a series of forty-two murders that stretched across nine different states. We follow Ella home, where the real story begins. I’ve always wanted to do a ghost story, but I’d never come across a fresh enough concept. There’s nothing new about the serial-killer-returns-from-the-grave storyline, but I think I found something unique enough that I can call it my own. Of course, you’ll have to read the book to find out what that is.
Ara: Was it hard to create Dane’s character?
Edward: Not at all. In fact, that scary son of gun is still haunting me. He was just… there, lurking in my mind, dying to get out (no pun intended). I wrote the first draft of Life After Dane in a total of nine days; actually ten, if you count the day off I took in the middle of the project. Some stories come to you already finished, and all you have to do is put words to them. Those are also the best ones, I think.
Ara: WOW!! Awesome. :) Any ongoing/future projects we should be excited about? :)
Edward: I always have something new on the horizon. As soon as I finish one story, I move on to the next. My next release will be Pennies for the Damned (A Larry Laughlin Novel), which is the follow up to Hope for the Wicked. The book is done and awaiting the editing skills of those fantastic people over at Red Adept Publishing. I’m currently working on three other projects; the next Larry Laughlin novel, Judgement for the Righteous, a weird little book entitled Cy, and a novel that fellow author and good friend of mine, Jeff Brackett, and I are co-writing called Chucklers. But all those are still months away from being complete.
Ara: Well, YOU are a busy man, Edward. :) Do you have any advice to bloggers out there who want to become a writer?
Edward: Write everyday, without fail. The more you write the more likely it is for you to find that diamond in the rough that’s worth showing the world. That’s what I do. My average now is, I publish every other book I write. Not because I’m holding onto those in between novels for a later date, but because they really aren’t that good. I must add, though, that I wrote fifteen trunk novels before I ever published my first book. Practice does not make perfect, as nothing will ever be flawless, but it sure as hell ups the odds of writing something worth reading.
Ara: Thank you for that advice, Edward. Before we end the interview, I really have to ask these:
Coffee, sweet tea or hot cocoa?
Edward: Coffee. I think that’s the fall back, isn’t it? I mean, caffeine and nicotine seem to spur the best material out of people. I hear some prefer wine. I just hope those people follow the age old adage of, “Write drunk. Edit sober.”
Ara: LOL.. sounds about right. Write drunk. Edit sober. If you have to choose one fiction book as your absolute favourite, which book will it be? It’s a tough question :) But if you had to choose one, which book will it be?
Edward: Actually this question is rather easy for me. It used to be, without question, Stephen King’s It. But I just finished Joe Hill’s NOS4A2, and now that one is my favorite. Hill writes lean, mean fiction like no other author around. His work is brutal, terrifying, sometimes vulgar, but always heartfelt. I have a great admiration for the man, even more so than my respect for his dad. And I’m a Stephen King junkie, let me tell you. Tastes change, though, and I prefer the son to the father now.
Ara: Coolness! Finally, who is your favorite ‘friend’ from F.R.I.E.N.D.S.?
Edward: I’m going to have to burst your bubble here. I never watched F.R.I.E.N.D.S., nor do I care for any of the actors that starred in the TV show. Nothing against fans of the program; it just never captured my interest. In fact, I can’t think of one sitcom from that timeframe that I did watch. Come to think of it, the only sitcom I’ve ever enjoyed, period, is How I Met Your Mother. Presently, I’m a fan of Doctor Who, Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, and Game of Thrones. But, when it comes to entertainment, I mostly read or play video games.
Ara: Thank you for your honest answer. I love How I Met Your Mother, too. I heard Game of Thrones is really interesting but I haven't seen an episode yet. I may have to check it out soon! :) Thank youuuu so much for your time. Lovelies, please check out Edward Lorn’s new book! Read the excerpt here: Life After Dane Excerpt.
Here's the Book Description:
A mother’s love is undying… and so is Dane.
After the state of Arkansas executes serial killer Dane Peters, the Rest Stop Dentist, his mother discovers that life is darker and more dangerous than she ever expected.
The driving force behind his ghostly return lies buried in his family’s dark past. As Ella desperately seeks a way to lay her son’s troubled soul to rest, she comes face to face with her own failings.
If Ella cannot learn why her son has returned and what he seeks, then the reach of his power will destroy the innocent, and not even his mother will be able to stop him.
Book Trailer:
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| Photo courtesy of Red Adept Publishing |
Once upon a time, during a session of show and tell, a seven-year-old Edward Lorn shared with his class that his baby brother had died over the weekend. His classmates, the teacher included, wept while he recounted the painful tragedy of having lost a sibling. Edward went home that day and found an irate mother waiting for him. Edward's teacher had called to express her condolences. This was unfortunate, as Edward had never had a baby brother.
With advice given to her by a frustrated teacher, Edward's mother made him start writing all of his lies down. The rest, as they say, is history.
Edward Lorn and his wife are raising two children, along with a handful of outside cats and a beagle named Dot. He remains a liar to this day. The only difference is, now he's a useful one.
.. and now for the giveaway!! :)
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