This week, TheLatinoAuthor.com is featuring Derek Blass. Mr. Blass currently resides in Denver, Colorado. He is a graduate of Duke University (majored in English and Economics) and a graduate of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Read our interview and see what compelled him to become a novelist.
Can you begin by telling us a little bit about yourself; where you grew up, where you currently reside, family upbringing, or anything you would like our readers to know about you?
I’m a West coast and East coast transplant. Originally from just outside of San Francisco (a place I love dearly), and then ended up in Colorado by way of North Carolina. I have a wonderful family that starts with my wife, Meranda, and ends with our newborn baby girl, Itzel. We also have three dogs that keep us on our toes at pretty much all times!
Professionally, I have been a licensed attorney for six years, and practice in the areas of medical malpractice, construction law, and general commercial litigation. So, writing creatively is definitely a needed outlet for me!
Has being a civil litigation attorney inspired you to write in the genre that you have chosen or was this something you always wanted to do?
I’ve always wanted to write. However, what inspired me to finish my first book were incidents that took place where I live, in Denver, Colorado. Specifically, there were several incidents of police brutality that occurred approximately around 2002-2009. Without me moving to Denver, and without those incidents occurring, I am honestly not sure when I would have completed my first book. It’s amazing how life’s twists and turns lead us to various waypoints in our lives!
Do you get your ideas for writing from your profession or from everyday personal experiences?
Almost all of my ideas come from everyday personal experiences. If I was an attorney that practiced in criminal law, then maybe I would be able to draw more from my profession. That being said, I did use my knowledge of law (mainly procedure and my experience in courtrooms) to write the second half of my first book, Enemy in Blue.
Being an attorney, do you find it difficult to find time to write? What is a typical writing schedule for you?
Certainly, being an attorney (or having any other full time job, for that matter) makes it difficult to find time to write. What I will tell you, however, is that having a child makes finding time all the more difficult! My wife and I just had our first baby, and I find myself writing anywhere, anytime I can. Whereas I used to have a very set schedule for writing, that’s now out the door! So, one bit of advice, write as much as you can before you have kids. (smile)
A typical writing schedule for me on the first two books (before my daughter was born) was once a day, usually around 5:30 in the morning, and always trying to write at least 1,000 words. I am much more full of creativity (or for me, piss and vinegar) early in the morning than late in the afternoon.
What advice would you give to emerging authors regarding publishing and marketing their literary works?
Wow, there’s a lot. First, I would encourage emerging authors to visit my blog at www.derekblass.wordpress.com. And, no, this is not just a shameless plug. I have literally posted thousands of words on various topics from writing to editing to formatting to having signings to building Twitter followers. I have basically addressed every issue that has arisen in my experience thus far.
That being said, first I would recommend to emerging authors that indie publishing is a wonderful, viable way to be an author. I see a host of advantages to publishing independently versus publishing traditionally. I would never disparage an author that publishes traditionally, but I also fail to see why an emerging author would actually subject themselves to having their books priced high, to getting very small royalties, and to having to wait months or years to get their books published.
A second recommendation would be to realize that writing is the easy part. Marketing and promotion is the grueling part. And, regardless of whether you are published independently or traditionally, you will be doing your own marketing and promotion (to a large extent). Thus, be prepared to enter the grind of marketing and promotion, and to try to figure out how you will balance that with the concurrent drive to produce more books.
Finally, get to know as many other authors as possible, and help as many other authors as you can. I particularly feel that as an indie author, I am part of a wonderful movement in a rapidly changing industry. When you know you can grab onto another author’s arm and keep yourself afloat, it is a very helpful feeling.
What was the most technical writing challenge you experienced during the writing of your first novel?
My book is written kind of like the movie Crash, in that there are multiple character perspectives of the same incident(s). Making sure the switch from character perspectives flowed throughout a 130k word book was a challenge, no doubt!
What message(s) did you want to convey in your first novel Enemy in Blue?
Good question. I’ll start with what was not a goal. My goal was not to suggest that every police officer is bad. That would be ludicrous, but I think some people have interpreted my book to suggest it. At the same time, my goal was to suggest the position that not every police officer is good. I firmly believe that, and I also firmly believe that the same thing could be said about any other profession (i.e. judges, lawyers, doctors, etc.) So, what’s the difference that makes it worthwhile to write about a bad police officer? Police officers, in my opinion, are one of the only working groups in our society that have no room to be bad. And by bad, I don’t necessarily mean incompetent. I mean bad as in corrupt or violation of rules. They are the only people in our society that are allowed to carry guns, use deadly force, and detain citizens. Thus, I believe they should be of the highest quality of people with respect to their integrity. Unfortunately, that does not always exist, and that’s why I wrote the book.
As a writer, what do you want to be remembered for?
Not just writing fluff and writing about things that other authors may be afraid to touch. Ultimately, making people think but entertaining them at the same time. I think that’s the perfect mix!
What authors have most influenced your writing style?
Don Delillo is the single most influential author on my methodologies of writing as well as the substance of my writing. Specifically, I love how Delillo weaves the highest level of social commentary into his novels. To me, it is important to write about something critical to humans at the point in time that I write. I think that was central to Delillo’s writing as well.
Some other authors have also influenced my writing and means of how I view the world. Hemingway and Faulkner come to mind immediately.
Can you tell us about any upcoming projects?
My second book, Allegiance, is just out. It takes the same protagonist and joins back into his life four years after the conclusion of Enemy in Blue. So far, people are really enjoying it, which is great (and a relief)! I am working on my third book, although it has been going a bit more slowly, as disclosed above). I will say that the third book is going to be more legal drama and more murder mystery. So, stay tuned!
Visit him at: www.rogue-books.com !
