Ask the Author: Dennis M. Banahan
Answered Questions (8)
Dennis M. Banahan
Great question. Lynn. Yes, I use to have a recurring dream all the time. I guess it would be better classified as a nightmare. I am sitting in the passenger seat of a squad car on a darkened street, checking out the license plates of passing motorists to see if they're on the "hot" sheet (stolen vehicles). Suddenly, out of my peripheral vision, I see a man quickly approaching me from the rear, and he startles me. He bends over at warp speed, like in the cartoons, and he politely asks if I know what time it is. I let go an audible sigh of relief, and then look at my watch. When I turn to tell him what time it is, he has a sawed-off shotgun in my face. He pulls the trigger and I can feel chunks of my face being blown off, and the noise from the gun deafens me. Then I wake up. I believe the dream was predicated on the murder of Chicago Police Officer Kenny Kaner, who was sitting in his squad car making out a routine report, when someone walked up to his car and shot him in the face for no apparent reason. Unlike my dream, Officer Kaner was never able to wake up.
Dennis M. Banahan
Hi Lynn, thanks for your question, and it's a good one. Yes, I experienced some difficulty writing crime novels. Someone described police work as thirty years of boredom, and fifteen minutes of sheer terror. I found almost the opposite to be true. There's a thin line in my books between fact and fiction. There has to be enough action and realism to be of interest to the general public, but I can't cross too far over the line because I'd lose my police readers. My police characters aren't superheroes; they have flaws just like everybody else. So, I find myself sometimes walking the tightrope to make the book entertaining to everyone.
Dennis M. Banahan
To deal with writer's block, I write. I'll sit down at the computer and write anything that comes into my mind, just to get words on paper. It might be something as inane as "Mary had a little lamb," but it gets your mind and your fingers moving. Soon, Mary may become Theresa, and her "little lamb" will become an orphaned child with a death-threatening affliction. There may be other methods to break through writer's block, but this one works for me.
Dennis M. Banahan
For me, the answer is simple; it's self satisfaction. I have always been a storyteller, both orally and in written form. I enjoy telling stories and entertaining people.
Dennis M. Banahan
My advice for aspiring writers is to learn the business. I've read where the easiest thing for writers to do is write. Unless you're writing a diary, you'll want people to read what you write. For that, you will have to learn about marketing, promotion, and platform building. Nobody will read your book if they don't know it's out there. There are literally thousands of titles published every year, so if you want to share your work, do your homework.
Dennis M. Banahan
I'm currently working on two manuscripts actually, "The Author of Dead Men" and "Bad Juju." The latter title is a sequel to my first book, "Threshold of Pain." I'm in the revision process of "The Author of Dead Men." I hope to have them both completed soon.
Dennis M. Banahan
I read. After I read something I really enjoy, I feel inspired to write. In fact, sometimes I feel so inspired, I'll put down the book I'm reading and go right to the computer.
Dennis M. Banahan
The manuscript I'm currently working on is titled, "The Author of Dead Men," and was inspired by my novelist friend, Charlie Newton, author of "Calumet City" and "Start Shooting." I was a homicide detective for many years, and Charlie is a writer, so I merged our two worlds and came up with what I hope will be an entertaining mystery novel.
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