We're back for another round of interviews! This one is a hidden gem within our community and someone who is actively involved with his readers and fellow LGBTQIAP+ writers.
Let's bring in his fantastic work, shall we?
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Author: DanGarrett
Main Genre: Mystery/Crime/Detective
Sub-Genres: Paranormal, Romance
Tags: #abduction #aspergers #blind #crime #detective #disabilities #diversity #freethelgbt #gayfamily #ghosthunting #grieving #inclusion #kavanaghslegacy #lgbtfiction #literaryfiction #murdermystery #newadult #paranormal #pride #psychic #stutter #suspense #thewattys2020
When a horrifying cold-case reopens, an undervalued detective and a blind psychic with little time to live must put aside their personal animosity and work together to bring a sadistic child-killer to justice.
Detective Ryan Shale's peaceful life is hit by a bolt from the blue when blind flatmate Jake Taberner reveals that he's about to parent a child.
Whereas Ryan can only foresee disaster, Jake can't imagine why the deadly aneurysm which already cost him his eyesight, should preclude him from becoming a single dad. A heated war of words breaks out, ending so badly that Jake bolts, leaving their friendship in tatters.
Five long months pass without a word. Jake's surrogate is due to give birth and Ryan is worried how Jake will cope alone with a newborn. Just as he gives up on ever hearing from his best friend again, a new case throws them back together. When Toby, Jake's best childhood friend, is found dead in a snowy forest with a spade frozen into one fist and a hand-drawn map clamped in the other, Ryan is sent to investigate.
Toby's tragic death by hypothermia soon escalates into the hunt for a serial killer as children's bodies begin to surface nearby. With Toby gone, Jake is the only one left who can decipher the map to the killer's lair. Yet, wounded by his fight with Ryan, mistrust is still running high.
To ensure that no more boys die, Ryan must persuade Jake to unburden himself of deeply-buried secrets about his boyhood abuse. But can Ryan also find similar courage to reveal his own deeply-buried secrets regarding his long-held feelings for Jake..?
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Author of the Kavanagh's Legacy
What inspired you to write The Canvas Restorer's Commitment?
The Canvas Restorer's Commitment is a contemporary English crime drama about a young Detective Inspector and the Forensic Psychic who works alongside him. The relationship between the two men was inspired by true-life events that unfolded when I was young. After a long and fruitless search for the bodies of children killed by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley - the Moors Murderers - Greater Manchester Police resorted to retaining the services of spirit mediums, to help them trawl Saddleworth Moor, near my home, in search of victims' bodies. Watching the detectives interacting with the psychics was a captivating experience and stayed with me, always.
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How long do you spend researching before beginning to write a book?
Understanding the need for research was a steep learning curve for me. By Book 7, I was researching absolutely everything, but at the beginning I just ploughed enthusiastically in, without a second thought. The story - which rather boldly featured a man with a severe stammer, another who was blind and a third with autism - soon ran into trouble.
I reached out into the reading community on Wattpad and made my first great discovery. Once they knew that their real life-experiences would be warmly welcomed, the readers quickly responded. A retired Detective Sergeant of thirty-four years' service, was the first to come on board, offering clear details on process and procedure in policing matters. Then came a student with a stutter, who was able to describe its impact upon all aspects of his life, and someone whose husband was blind. Those two were quickly followed by a lady whose teenage son had Asperger's Syndrome. And so, it went on. A panel of experts was rapidly assembled, at no cost to myself, other than reliably putting out a fresh chapter (with dedications, of course) each Wednesday!
I quickly came to realise that Wattpad is a vast network of knowledge - an ocean of readers who all feel that their own background is perfectly mundane until suddenly they turn out to be the world's leading expert on aneurysms, coin-collecting or the correct wine to eat with lasagne! Understanding precisely how real-world families cope with a variety of issues, has helped me keep my writing as relatable and realistic as possible.
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How did you discover Wattpad?
My sixteen-year-old daughter was writing Dylan O'Brien fanfics on Wattpad long before I discovered it. When I told her that I had an idea for a story, she guided me through how to start publishing on the computer and then installed the app on my phone so that I could write on the move!
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What are some of your favorite experiences on the platform?
My first comment and my first vote, are my two fondest memories. My series has gathered a small but loyal following and reading the messages of support each day has been a very special experience. There have been many celebrations and it has been a joy to see readers announce births, marriages, graduations, and promotions on my profile page. Deep and enduring friendships have formed around the reading of my story and that is something which makes me very proud.
Being 'featured' was also an awesome experience. I received a message from Wattpad, to say that my novel was to be a Featured Story for a fortnight, and at the time, I didn't even understand what that meant. I had slowly amassed 20,000 reads over many long months, but by the end of that two-week period, I had 50,000 reads and about twenty new followers!
My most satisfying experience has been becoming an Outreach Ambassador. I send out welcome letters to new writers and I love being able to give something back to the community that has afforded me so much support and creative pleasure over the last three years.
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If you could have a cup of coffee with anyone in the world - dead or alive - whom would it be and why?
Alan Turing. During WWII, he designed the first general-purpose computer - a machine the size of room that carried the capability of a pocket calculator - yet it was an astonishing step forward towards the technology we have today. Back at that time, the scandal of his homosexuality overshadowed his incredible contributions and he was terribly mistreated by the courts. Shamed by what were (back then) deemed 'imprisonable offences', he allegedly took his own life at the age of only thirty-eight. Over a cup of coffee together, I would ask him how he felt about the fact that England has put his face on the new fifty-pound note - our highest denomination - in unconditional apology for his treatment, and in offer of posthumous exoneration.
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What do you like to do when you're not writing?
Sadly, writing doesn't pay the bills, so I work full time for Walmart, helping stores to coordinate the food that has reached its expiry date, without being sold. I arrange for it to be collected and distributed amongst Manchester's homeless and local foodbanks. It's a fulfilling job at any time but much more so now that so many local families have faced job losses and reduced wages in the wake of the Corona Virus. I also keep an allotment, where I grow all our family's fruit and veg, and am a uniformed instructor for the Pathfinder Cadets of the British Army, helping teach at a local Army Cadet Detachment.
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What do you identify as?
Gay male demi-sexual with some definite female traits and a generous handful of non-binary attributes thrown in, for good measure!
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Can you tell us what you're currently working on or what you have in store for the readers?
'Kavanagh's Legacy' (the eight-part story, which begins with 'The Canvas Restorer's Commitment') is almost finished. Canvas Restorer is based in 2010 and the story then spreads forward over a ten-year period. A final part is scheduled to come out at the end of 2020, bringing the cast bang up to date, with Ryan and Jake celebrating Christmas 2020, alongside the readers.
However, Corona Virus has now forced an unexpected backdrop into my story and one which I will have to build my plot around. It's certainly far too big an issue to simply ignore but it's difficult to foresee how the pandemic is going to pan out, between now and the year's end, meaning I'll have to leave writing this 'Christmas Special' until the very last minute. Quite a challenge!
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Do you have any favorite Wattpad writers?
I do have to admit to a real soft-spot for ex-Naval man ZonderZorg's seafaring adventures ('The Delfe Treasure', 'Zeelandia'). His nautical knowledge shines through in his books and his works allow me to escape the confines of a very small house, as I mentally set sail on vast oceans, during the long stretches in lockdown.
Putting such big names aside, however, I normally seek out new writers with only a chapter or two written. I find fresh ideas exciting to read, enjoying watching new stories unfold and encouraging the authors onward.
I found the ongoing works of Adegrandis ('Rats In The Pipes' and 'Cracks In The Spires') gripping. The stories feature two male characters fighting for survival together after a climate-change disaster, and once you start in, you simply can't break off!
I also thoroughly enjoyed the trilogy written by filosofieke - a three-part historical drama ('Phyllis', 'Cornelis', and 'Marcus') centring on a young Roman soldier and his desperate struggle to hide his affection for a warrior who rides with their detachment. It's one of the most meticulously-researched projects that I've come across on Wattpad and the three stories were a pleasure to read from start to finish.
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What is the best writing advice you've received?
I'm constantly gathering advice from the Elder Statesmen of Wattpad. Their generosity when it comes to sharing insider secrets never fails to amaze me. Most recently, I learned how to develop sufficiently strong character 'voices', for dialogue tags to no longer be necessary. It's freed up the flow of conversation dramatically, so I'm currently on a mission to clear every last dialogue tag from all seven of my stories - no small task!
We never stop learning and that's one of the nicest things about Wattpad. Providing we keep on talking to each other and sharing notes, we can't help but become better writers with every passing year!
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What advice can you give to writers out there?
Firstly, if you're struggling to generate satisfying prose, get further from the keyboard, not closer to it. Being hemmed up in the house on lockdown can stifle creativity. The most brilliant phrases, street notices, behavioural traits, hairstyles, shaggy dogs - whatever - are observed in public, not at your screen. So, if possible, go for a walk and get a change of scenery within your own environmental restrictions. Just that small breath of fresh air will leave you reinvigorated and buzzing with new ideas for your story.
Secondly, don't let the complexities of the new everyday life we're all facing now, force writing down your priority list. Your writing defines you. It's not just 'a hobby', it's a critical part of what makes you 'you'. Keep going and never throw in the towel. When worries abound, just spark up Wattpad, reach out, and ask: 'is there anyone around for a chat?' Our online friends matter more now, than ever before and everyone's in the same boat. No matter how late at night it is when you're about to give up hope, there will always be someone ready to chat or plenty of great escape-novels to dive into!
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If you could listen to the same three songs for the rest of your life, what would they be?
'Tik Tok', by Ke$ha, 'Viva La Vida' by Coldplay, 'Happy' by Pharrell Williams. And this sorry list goes on...
These three songs typically featured on the endless 'Dad-Playlists' that my kiddies devised for the car, in summers past. Memories of driving along at the beach, with the windows down and the two of them singing their little hearts out, always make me smile.
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Huge thanks to DanGarrett for accepting our little coffee interview! We appreciate what you do for the community and can't wait to see more from you.
Dan is right, we do constantly collect advice whenever we're honored enough to receive them. So we'll leave you this question... what's the best writing advice you have ever received?
Stay groovy, folks!