interview D. K. Gaston

by

Tricia McGill

1) Darin, I'm intrigued by your story. It sounds fascinating. First tell us where you got the idea for XIII.

The concept of good versus evil; and people overcoming impossible odds have always intrigued me. And what greater challenge can you have than an average man and woman fighting against immortal beings.

I wanted to put a new spin on the typical action heroes. Avery Hudson and Mary Jamison are two characters that are similar to people you have met before. They’re flawed, have a sense of humor, boast fear and doubts. I wanted to write something that showed that there is a price for whatever decision you make; good or bad. The reason I chose Roman numeral XIII rather than 13 was because it gave the number a sincere quality of being from another era from a far-off time.

2) I see that this is your first book to be released. How long did it take you to write.

It took me a couple of months to write. Then it took me a couple more to rewrite; dwindling down the story from 180,000 to 110,000 words. That was painful; I really liked some of the material that I’d taken out.

3) Did you always know you would write in this genre or did it just emerge as your story evolved?

I’ve always been a fan of science fiction, horror, fantasy and thrillers. It was only natural for me to write in this genre.

4) I see you are married with a family. What do they think of your talent as a writer?

My wife has been very supportive of my writing. The twins are too young to have an opinion.

5) Have you always dreamed of becoming a writer?

All my life. When I was much younger, I used to write/draw comic books with my friends. When I was older and in the military, I used to make up stories on the fly to tell other soldiers to fill the downtime. I’ve always been a closet writer; unfinished stories collected dust for years and then one day I decided to get serious. Now I have two books coming out in 2007.

6) Are you still working and if so when do you find time to write?

I work full time in a computer technology department. I write during my lunch hour and when I can at home. Which is tough since I have a pair of one year olds (boy and girl) at home.

7) The difference between the way men and women think has always fascinated me, that's why I love writing about relationships. Did your wife have any input into your female character's actions and reactions?

I added a little of my wife’s strong will into the character of Sheriff Mary Jamison but no, my wife did not give me any direct input regarding her. I’ve always enjoyed female characters that can be tough and sensitive at the same time. I wanted someone that could stand on her own two-feet without relying on the male character to help her.

8) I love your cover for XIII. Did you have any ideas about how you wanted it to look?

I wanted to have a dramatic cover that included the primary characters. It hit me one day that the antagonist, who is being hunted throughout the novel, should be shackled. I also wanted the fallen angel, who is a bounty hunter himself, towering over the protagonist (Avery) and antagonist (Jason). At first, I thought having both Avery Hudson and Mary Jamison on the cover was too much, but the artist suggested that I include her since she is a principal character in the story. And he was right. I would have regretted not having her there and can’t imagine the cover without her.

9) You have a podcast on your webpage--tell us how this came about.

I wanted to do something that was a little different and fun. With the growing popularity of podcasting; I thought it would be the perfect venue for my book. The responses have been positive and I hope it’ll aide in generating a fan base for me.

10) What is your next project? Is it in the same genre and do you intend to always write paranormal thrillers?

I wrote a spin-off involving one of the characters from XIII that I am finishing called The Friday House. My next project will be a sequel to XIII. I also have a mystery coming out in October 2007. No, I do not plan to exactly stick with one genre. I am promoting myself as an author of thrillers, be it paranormal, mystery, sci-fi, romance, etc.

11) How do you wind down? In other words how do you spend your leisure time?

When you read XIII, you will immediately notice that I make quite a few movie references. I think it will be apparent that I enjoy watching them in my spare time. I also enjoy reading and playing video games.

12) Who is your favorite author, and what type of books do you most enjoy reading?

I have several but if I had to place someone at the top of the list, I guess my favorite authors would be Dean Koontz. I enjoy reading thrillers with a touch of the supernatural.