Featured Interview With Dean Comyn
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta Canada, but I’ve been living abroad since 2004. I’ve been a dog person most of my adult life. Unfortunately, I don’t have one at the moment.
After working 20+ years in the Entertainment industry, I went on a “5-year hiatus” to teach English abroad. Sixteen years later, I channeled my passion for storytelling into writing thrillers and, more recently stand up comedy. I live in Freiburg, Germany with my wife and son, where I enjoy cycling, being surrounded by nature, and ice hockey.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve been a reader since I was a kid in elementary school. We used to order books from a catalogue that were delivered to us at school. When I was a little older, I got a library card, often paying late fees as my social life expanded into my teens. I discovered the classics in second-hand bookstores. I can’t resist a good deal on a ‘must read’ title.
I started writing as a teen, mostly poems and song lyrics. Later, I wrote a few short plays and screenplays. “Drowning” is my first novel, which took about four years to finish (last year).
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I’ve enjoyed reading a variety of genres since I was a kid. As a teen I journeyed with Carlos Castaneda, imagined the future with Isaac Asimov and Phillip K. Dick and lived the life of a spy through thrillers by Ian Fleming and Robert Ludlum. Did I mention William Shakespeare?
My favourites from the last 20 years would be Yann Martel, Tom Cain, David Baldacci and Dan Brown.
I’m not joking when I say William Shakespeare. I was introduced to Shakespeare in high school English Literature, but I really got to know him when I studied theatre in college. His writing has inspired and informed mine. I had the opportunity to be involved in several productions of Shakespeare’s works, which taught me what makes great drama and comedy. His work inspired my early writing for the stage, and about ten years ago I wrote an adaptation of “The Scottish Play” in modern English the first— I hope—of many more… After I’ve written a few more thrillers.
As for contemporary authors, I would say a few are directly responsible for my venture into long form fiction. I had better reading habits a few years ago, before embarking on the Something in the Water series, and was drawn to books ranging from The DaVinci Code and “Life of Pi” to “The Accident Man” and “Jack Reacher” (and the new Bourne). Different themes, different struggles and different stories, but what they all have in common is great characters experiencing the struggles and living the stories.
I began reading “Digital Fortress” by Dan Brown a few days ago. I read Da Vinci Code years ago and enjoyed it immensely, but I’ve never consciously thought about mimicking Dan Brown. As I was diving into the book, I realized how similar my ‘style’ is to Brown’s storytelling. It was a little liberating when I saw how he sometimes wrote dialogue, for example. As I studied the craft of novel writing (as I wrote), there were a lot of rules that I learned I had flouted, according to ‘The Experts’. I knew I needed to adhere to some of the ‘guidelines’ in order to make the book more enjoyable for the reader. I made a lot of rookie mistakes, many of which I learned of (and corrected) when I started working with an editor.
When I started reading “Digital Fortress”, seeing the similar devices that I had employed (somewhat conflicted) in “Drowning” was gratifying. I felt right. Now, I’m not afraid to edit Book Two. In fact, I might even ask Dan Brown for a blurb.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
“Drowning” is the first book in the “Something in the Water’ series. It’s also my first novel. It’s the story of Charles Burns, ‘Not Yet Detective’ Burns to his friends and colleagues. He’s called that because he has been waiting for his promotion to made official for a few weeks when we meet him. Burns retired young from the military. Having joined as a junior officer, he grew up in armed conflict. reached a turning point, and finished his military career as a combat training officer, at the rank of major. Retirement didn’t last long. Burns moved to London where he joined the Metropolitan Police as aTraining Specialist, with the plan to take advantage of the Met’s new recruitment policy. He studied online and completed the requirements to attain the rank of Detective Sergeant. he’s just waiting on the paperwork…
He’s playing hockey when gets the call to action (an unofficial action) from his would-be superior. It may not be the job he expected it to be, but it’s one he’s most suited for: an extraction. A brilliant young scientist is missing—believed to be kidnapped—along with his deadly discovery.
Dr Nicholas Veda believed he could prevent the needless deaths of millions. But something went wrong on the way to saving the world, and now an unknown organisation plans to weaponize his formula, to cause the deaths of ‘needless millions’.
I started writing “Something in the Water” because of fear. The Earth, nature, is out of balance because of human endeavour and unrestrained population growth. Science and technology have advanced exponentially in the past 200 years, often with catastrophic results. Despite good intentions, humans have become detrimental to the Earth and our species. I’m fearful of humanity’s insatiable desire to make everything “bigger, better, faster”. Only in recent generations have we realised that all too often we do more harm than good.
“Drowning” was inspired by humankind’s insatiable appetite for ‘making the world a better place’ and our failure to do so. Medical Science and technology are moving faster every day. New discoveries appear, replacing—or remedying the damage of— the previous treatment, cure or other ‘advancement’. So fast and we still want more.
I wasn’t fast writing my first book. It took about four years to complete, from drafting the overarching concept that will play out over three novels to the final edition published last year.
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