Q&A with David Delaney, Author of ‘The Vanishing.’

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Q&A with David Delaney, Author of ‘The Vanishing.’

I am very excited to host this author question and answer with the immensely talented David Delaney. If you love a good thriller as much as I do then I suggest you grab a copy of his new book ‘The Vanishing,’ from Amazon now! Read on to learn more about David and his work…

Q1) Why did you start writing?

I started writing because I wanted to do something creative. I couldn’t act, sing, dance and my visual art skills are non existent also. This led me to writing. I wrote in school as many of us do and loved reading horror and thriller so naturally I thought I could write a best seller. It wasn’t to be. So after reading Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’ and Johnny, Sean and Dave’s ‘Write, Publish, Repeat’ I thought why not try write as a part-time hobby/dream job thingy. From short stories to my first novel I’m here now hoping to transfer from the life of a Registered Nurse to the life of Full Time Author.

2) Sounds like we have a lot in common. I can’t sing, dance or act, either and have pretty poor visual skills too. If you could meet any author alive or dead who would it be and why?

Oscar Wilde.

Now I know it’s biased because he’s Irish too but when you read into his life and his struggles, it makes for a very great man. I’d love to get inside his head as to his thought processes with writing ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ a masterpiece in my eyes. Also check out this link here to see the statue of him in Dublin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde#/media/File:Merrion_Square_-_Oscar_Wilde_04.jpg) and tell this man it wouldn’t be fantastic to sit and share a meal and a pint with him.

3) I don’t think you are being biased at all. As the saying goes ‘England gave Ireland the English language but Ireland sure as hell gave her the literature.’ You only need to visit the writers museum in Dublin see the truth in this statement. Also my dad’s from Ireland so I’m a little biased myself. If you could only ask your chosen writer one question what would it be?

Stephen King and the question would be ‘How do you keep such focus to become so prolific?’

4) I know I get depressed when I look at the sheer amount of work Stephen King has managed to produce in one lifetime. When you are not reading or writing what do you enjoy doing?

I run (not as much as I should) and it keeps my mind fresh. I also love eating out so the occasional run comes in handy to drop those extra calories I consume. Food writing is something I’ve thought about playing with in the back of my mind once I get the fiction off the ground.

5) How has your current or previous day job informed your writing?

I meet hundreds of people as a nurse. Some amazing people drop into my life and you learn from every one. Every person I meet helps me grow as a writer and as a person. Writing is personal and you inject some of yourself into each story. It’s the people I meet that shape who I am so when I write.

6) Sounds like the ideal job to really learn what makes people tick. Your new book is called ‘The Vanishing.’ Tell us a bit about the story.

The story deals with loss. Initially we are introduced to a father and daughter who have lost their wife and mother. After this we are introduced to Dean and Frank, two Sydney homicide detectives who through injury and retirement stop working together leaving Dean alone for the first time in his career as a detective. Dean with the help of two other detectives tries to solve two recent murders and a disappearance. As the look further into each case the waters become more and more murky with a more sinister motive hiding beneath it all.

7) Sounds intriguing. What kind of guy is your protagonist Detective Dean Cornell?

He’s a good man but flawed. He can lack confidence in his ability but strives to get the job done. Dean will protect the weak and the one’s he loves unquestionably. I’d like to think he knows when and when not to cross the line.

8) What are your least and most favourite parts of the writing process?

My favourite part is first draft. Creating something from nothing but a few outlines and my own imagination is really exciting. Sometimes is works while other times it falls flat on its face. I have the beginnings of many manuscripts to prove it.

My least favourite is editing, especially third draft and beyond. I’ve read the novel many times by now and grow to really love the characters and story so cutting what doesn’t work gets harder and harder. This is where killing your darlings really happens.

9) I always find talking to other writers about their writing process fascinating. I am the exact opposite I find the first draft very anxiety provoking, whereas I love editing. Marketing is a difficult and frustrating part of the self publishing process. What has worked for you so far and what tips would you give to a new author with regards to marketing?

Twitter marketing just hasn’t worked at all. I don’t understand how anybody can make it work as it feel like everybody is screaming in a room simultaneously. What has worked for me is newsletter based marketing. E Readers New Today was very successful for me. It took my book from 149,000 on Amazon to 1,100 and placed The Vanishing at number 2 in the Kidnapping Thriller and Murder categories. Gone Girl was number one so I was completely blown away that I was even sharing a screen with such a book (definitely the highlight of my writing journey so far).

I have a bknights and buck books promotion coming up on the 30th of March and 22nd of April respectively. I’m really looking forward to see what they do for sales.

The other way I’ve promoted my work is by promoting other writers work. I keep in touch with some very talented writers and by reading and promoting their work they in return do the same for me. The idea of co-opetition is a great concept and one that really works.

10) Congratulations! Getting your book on the same page as a bestseller like Gone Girl is a real achievement and thank you for sharing some great marketing tips. What’s next for you? Can we expect a sequel to ‘The Vanishing?’ Or are you planning on writing something entirely new?

Definitely the second of the Detective Dean Cornell series. I’m planning on a late June, early July release with a third book by the end of the year.

As far as a new series, I’ve a few things I want to try and might play around with them late this year or early next year… time will tell (o:

Where can we find you on the internet?