Suvudu Universe

Please welcome Australian author Dean J Anderson to No Wasted Ink. He is a writer of paranormal fiction.

Hi, Dean J Anderson is my name. I live in Central Queensland, Australia with my wife and son in the small coastal town of Yeppoon. Best of both worlds, beach and bush in my back yard.

My real world job has changed recently. It sees me developing, building and fitting out a vegetarian/vegan/healthy foods option restaurant called Cafe Calma, in Rockhampton, the beef and 4 wheel drive capital of Australia. Yes, I do like a challenge or I am possibly insane. Maybe both.

When and why did you begin writing?

I’ve always been an avid reader since I was 13. In 2008 I had a story so vivid in my mind that it wouldn’t let me sleep. I put pen to paper Christmas day 2008 and haven’t stopped writing since. I started writing late in life so I made up for it the first two years.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

After joining the Bundy Writers Club in 2010, I began to learn more about the art of writing by attending WriteFest and other writer events. I met other authors who had been published and began to see that what I was doing wasn’t just entertainment for myself. There, other writers read my work in critique sessions and I got good feedback on my stories. I later teamed up with a freelance editor to improve the manuscripts.

Can you share a little about your current book with us?

Unnaturals is a Dark Urban Fantasy- romance action I guess is the best description. It is set in current day Australia. The story is about the Douglas family who find themselves fighting for survival as a family, clinging to their humanity. The Bloodells want them dead, the Darkells become reluctant allies. Soon, unexpected relationships form and sparks fly, as desire inspires them. The very definition of family changes when not all are human.

What inspired you to write this book?

Ha, I had a ‘what if’ moment while camped out on a headland one night. There under the clear sky, no lights for kilometres, the Pacific Ocean thrummed under the sand. Campfire gazing, I asked myself how my ‘normal’ friends would react to meeting the non-human side of my family.

Do you have a specific writing style?

Yes, I make the reader think. I’m not overly descriptive, and write with a sharp, fairly fast pace.

How did you come up with the title of this book?

I wanted to say in one word what the tone of the story is. Unnaturals says a lot, not human, not mainstream etc.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Yes, by our standing together as a family, regardless of how it looks to the outside world, it will always make you stronger and win the day.

Are experiences in this book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Our life experiences always help you write believable characters. A writer’s imagination takes real life and recreates it into a fantasy.

What authors have most influenced your life? What about them do you find inspiring?

Tolkien, is the first fantasy author I ever read. Followed by Anne McCaffery, Steven Donaldson, Sara Douglas, Raymond E Fiest and Janny Wurts. They do it for me in Fantasy. The paranormal writers that I like are Anne Rice, Poppy Z Brite, and Laurell K Hamilton. They really had a huge influence on me with their strong female lead characters and voice. More recent influncers are Keri Arthur, Stephanie Laurens, Amanda Bridgeman, Anne Gracie, Sandy Curtis and Cheryse Durrant. All of whom I’ve met. All of them make it hard for me to stop reading until the book is done.

If you had to choose, is there a writer would you consider a mentor? Why?

Laurell K Hamilton. She has survived the ups and downs of writing such long series over the years. Has multilayered relationships for her characters and I like her voice.

Who designed the cover of your book? Why did you select this illustrator?

My publisher handled the cover design.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Write whenever you can, whether it be a paragraph or a whole chapter, get it out and onto paper.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Unnaturals is a new world. The Douglas family, Mason, Ruth and Wilson are unique. Come meet them and the Darkells in Bondi, Australia.

Also, buy your mum a flower today, no reason, just do it and enjoy.

Dean J Anderson
Queensland, Australia

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Publisher: Clan Destine Press Melbourne

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