Author Interview with Dean K. Miller on And Then I Smiled

One of the many bright spots of being an author is getting to know other authors especially at events like book signings. I had the pleasure of meeting Dean K. Miller at the Local Author Happy Hour at Denver's BookBar in October. It was a chaotic and fun night, and Dean and I hit it off pretty well. I invited him to be a part of my author interview series. I thought you would enjoy hearing from a non-Sherlockian author, and just so you know, I do manage to get in one question on Doyle. :)

1. Your book And Then I Smiled: Reflections on a Life Not Yet Complete combines poetry and prose into a work on life's reflections. What made you want to write this book and produce it in this format?

I was in a mid-first novel slump and began looking at ways to reignite my muse. I began investigating (like Mr. Holmes) clues on the road to publishing. A friend had just started her indie publishing company Hot Chocolate Press (www.hotchocolatepress.com) and was looking for a book to launch under her label. I had all the work written though there was much polishing to do. We set an aggressive timetable and spent a few months organizing, sequencing stories, doing cover art, etc. The book was not an original "I want to write this type of book" plan, but rather came about via circumstances and luck. Also, a mixed genre book is a very tough sell, even to small presses. With that in mind, I decided to go the indie/self publish route.

2. Your illustrated, short story e-book The Odyssey of the Monk continues your theme of being happy and content in the quiet moments in life. What are the times in life where you feel the most content, happy, and at peace?

With our three children now young adults and away from home, having them around is always the best source of contentedness and happiness, though it's rarely peaceful. On a personal level, my heart and soul belongs to the ocean beaches and salty seas. Moving to Colorado in 1999, I found a second home fly fishing the Big Thompson Canyon. It was there that I rediscovered my urge to write. Most of the essays and stories in And Then I Smiled . . . came from time spent fly fishing and spending solitary time with the river and all who inhabit that special place.

3. I have to ask at least one question related to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In his book, The Mystery of Cloomber, Doyle has Buddhist monks seeking revenge (or at the very least, Karmic retribution) for the needless murder of a Llama who was about to reach enlightenment. In your own meditations, have you found times when you've gone away from peace and wanted to seek karmic revenge or at least wished ill of another person?

During much of 2000 through 2011 I did a lot of reading, study of various religious practice. Buddhism had a strong draw and I read several books and began a meditation practice. Since beginning that voyage, I can say with certainty that I have never sought karmic revenge on anyone or anything. Even before then, I don't recall purposely wishing ill will on anyone, though I'm sure there are things I certainly could/should atone for. But the idea for a story is a great plot, even as disturbing as it is.

4. Tell us about your new book coming soon, Echoes: Reflections Through Poetry and Verse.

Though my first book And Then I Smiled . . . contains 10 original poems, Echoes is my first poetry exclusive book. The work holds some of my earliest work (1980) as well as poems completed in mid-2014 and selected for publication in two upcoming issues of Torrid Literature Journal. With poetry I find myself more willing to explore darker emotions and challenging themes with a rawness that comes from fewer words and tighter spaces. Also with this work (and my Ebook short story) I worked with artist/author April J. Moore and enjoyed the mixed media collaboration.

5. Any last thoughts?

Every day of writing can be seen as a challenge, but luckily I'm still day-job fortunate. Retirement is looming and I look forward to a little more time to focus on writing. For now, I'm getting back into my first novel for a 2016 release (if all goes well.) Thanks for having me on your site and best of luck to you.

For more on Dean K Miller, visit his website at www.deankmiller.com.

Sherlockian Author Derrick Belanger's publications include an eclectic mix: book reviews, articles for education journals, short stories, poems, comic books, and the graphic novel, Twenty-Three Skidoo! A former instructor at Washington State University, and a current middle school Language Arts teacher, Derrick lives in Broomfield, Colorado with his wife Abigail Gosselin and their two daughters, Rhea and Phoebe. Currently, Derrick is working on several Sherlockian projects: The second book in the MacDougall Twins with Sherlock Holmes series entitled Attack of the Violet Vampire, The pastiche novel Sherlock Holmes and the Curse of Cthulhu, the teaching guide How to Teach Like Sherlock Holmes, and the annotated book The Hound of the Baskervilles: The Ultimate Edition, as well as several projects in the Science Fiction genre. He also co-authors the web site Mystery Aircraft.com with author Chuck Davis.
Visit Derrick's Amazon Page at http://www.amazon.com/Derrick-Belange...