Can you tell me a little about yourself and how you got into writing?Before my book sold, I was working in a gas station. While I was there I would read lots and lots of books (sorry BP). I read the dark elf series by RA Salvatore and it was so vibrant and fantastic that I would sometimes have to step away from it while reading. I really wanted to do that for someone else.
So one day I sat down and started writing. Right away I knew it was what I wanted to do. BP was the perfect place to work—I could brainstorm all day, then write all night.
Can you tell us a little about your debut novel False Memory?
False Memory is a YA thriller about a girl named Miranda North.
Miranda has lost her memory. When the novel starts, she’s wandered inside a mall. She gets into an altercation with a mall cop, and discovers she has the ability to incite mass panic with just the power of her mind. Everyone in the mall loses control and takes off. When the dust settles, there’s one person left over—Peter.
Peter tells Miranda that they’ve known each other since they were kids. They’re part of a group of genetically altered teens who’ve been raised as super soldiers. And their creators are planning to auction them off to the highest bidder.
Where did you get the idea for False Memory?
I’d written a crappy urban fantasy, but it had a cool idea in it. The bad guy had invented a new kind of magic that allowed users to control fear in others. I really wanted to use that for something. It was a little while later that I decided to write a book for teens.
All I knew was that Miranda North had no idea who she was. I knew I wanted to write a pure thriller (something that I wish there was more of in YA), and that it would have some futuristic elements in it. So I brought back the fear idea in a contemporary setting, and combined it with a girl who had no memory of who she was. I’ve written something like 11 manuscripts now, and none of them have ever come together that way.
How are you feeling about the release? Nervous/excited? Both? LOL
All of the above. The book sold in fall of 2010, so I’m really ready to get it out there. I’m more excited than anything.
Who designed the cover of False Memory and did you have much say in the process?
There were a team of people involved, and they were all super awesome about getting my feedback. They would change something and get my opinion on it. Or give me options for a particular aspect of the design, and then they would listen to me! It was an amazing process, and the end result blows my mind. It’s stunning.
What genre would you class False Memory. Dystopian? Fantasy? Parnormal? All three?
None of those. It’s a contemporary thriller. There are some futuristic elements, but not too much. I do love fantasy, though, and figured out a way to work in swords.
False Memory is the first in a series. Do you know how many you plan on writing?
Three. It is firmly a trilogy. I love the three act structure of a trilogy, though I don’t think two book series get enough love. I only agreed to write three books because I knew book 2 was not going to be some weak branch between books 1 and 3.
Why should we read False Memory in one sentence?
It has sword fights and motorcycle chases.
For more info on Dan and his book False Memory head to his website:
http://dankrokos.com
funn
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