Andrea R. : Red Lory is your premiere literary opus. Did you set out to self publish?

Dave N.: I didn’t set out to self-publish and thought I’d go the traditional route. I had a lot of people who wanted me to self-publish, but ultimately I realized that with this story I wanted 100{43d0d1614ecc8ec385b3ea9940a88627e26eaf9be88a0641399e0be0c80ef276} creative control. Beyond the words on the page, the art was also something I wanted to control. For that, I brought in a brilliant designer/illustrator (JonEckert.co) to help me design the paperback and e-version covers. If I didn’t have good people around me like I do now, I’d be going the traditional route.

AR: Early reviews for Red Lory are outstanding. In your opinion, what’s resonating with readers?

DN: It’s the book’s emotional subtlety that a lot of readers have commented on. I have a severe medical condition – life-threatening in fact – that I fight each day. The treatment is that I have to constantly watch Alfred Hitchcock movies. As long as I watch Hitchcock movies, I’ll continue to survive. That’s what I tell my friends and family anyway, and so far, it has worked. The element I enjoy most in Hitchcock’s movies is how delicate he is in shaping the story’s tone. Everything is there for a reason to help usher the audience forward because they don’t know where the story is going.

I tried to establish an emotion early on that can’t be identified but grows more apparent as the story continues. Hopefully readers can feel the emotion tighten its grip with each turn of the page but not in a heavy-handed fashion.

AR: You write in the blurb, and discuss on your blog, the theme of human depravity woven through Red Lory. Is this a theme in all of your writing? What’s your interest in this topic? Are you speaking to what you view as a broad breakdown of the human spirit, or is the theme more personal?

DN: One of the main characters in Red Lory, Dare, has been through extreme disappointments through her adult life to this point. She has arrived at a realization about people that I arrived at very recently about the human condition. Without giving too much of that discovery away, I can say that to highlight the theme I stripped the book of all internal dialogue. It was an approach that stretched me as a writer but one that I’m incredibly happy with. The exciting part of that approach is that readers arrive at different conclusions about the characters and what happened.

AR: Genre. Let’s talk about it. You’re stretching boundaries here and have written something that can’t be nailed down by mainstream genres. What do you call it? Did you know while writing this work that you were in an undefined genre? Was that intentional?

DN: I despise the G word because that’s something I’ve been trying to pinpoint ever since I started this project. Readers have suggested everything from noir to romance to suspense. The story is a product of my influences, and I’m very eclectic with what I read and watch. The story and its characters took over and wrote themselves, and I ended up with this book that so far doesn’t yet have a label to call home. *Cue Sarah McLachlan singing a sad, sad song.*

AR: I’ve had the opportunity to read Red Lory and I find it haunting, chilling, and beautiful.  Hitchcock and Salinger are two names Red Lory had me thinking a lot about.  You’ve mentioned Hitchcock already. Who else influences you?

DN: Hitchcock and Salinger are two of the people on my long list of influences. The Book of Ecclesiastes has been an incredible influence thematically. I’d add to the list Cormac McCarthy, Ron Hansen, Flannery O’Connor, O. Henry, and Edgar Allan Poe. And no list of influences would be complete without a Fred Rogers mention would it? I’d love to see Mr. Rogers and Edgar Allan Poe have a chat. Mr. Rogers may have ended up wearing black cardigans.

AR: Anyone who reads your work, or visits your blog, is transported back in time. You openly discuss your love for an America that’s long passed; 1930’s to 1950’s. What is it about that time that’s special for you?

DN: I grew up watching the old black and white films and television shows so my fascination with the era started very early. What I enjoy most about the era is the simplicity, which forced people to interact on an intimate level on a very regular basis. We have a lot of opportunities today to avoid those interactions. That’s one reason I enjoy writing about this era so much. Characters are forced together to work out or actively avoid working out whatever problem is at hand. I’ve found more opportunities for interaction and character development in this setting.

AR: You became a dad while writing Red Lory. Did that shift your perspective for your writing? If so, how?

DN: I BECAME A DAD?! I swear, I get way too focused when I write. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go check on my wife. What hospital was it at? What do I do with a baby anyway?

AR: Please tell me you’re working on more projects.

DN: I’m in the middle of the revision process with a novel called Nightjar, which like Red Lory, features a bird as the title and as one of the main driving characters. Its pace so far is faster than what you’ll find in Red Lory.

AR: Parting words for readers?

DN: Nothing more than a sincere thank you to the readers who have helped me get to this point (you know who you are) and the readers who will continue to help me become a better writer. Beyond that, I hope I’ve written a story people can enjoy, think about, and read again to discover something new.

**Thank you, Dave. Captain would be proud**

This couldn’t be easier.

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5. Lave a comment here telling me you did so, and I’ll choose a winner on WEDNESDAY….Halloween…When you read the book, you’ll understand. Also, I’ll be able to cross-check that you’ve done the things I’ve asked of you . . . so don’t lie. Hanna’s watching.