13 Questions with...David Warren

1. You’re hosting a dinner party. What is the menu, and do you cook it yourself, or do you call a caterer?
If it were just me, I would have a Tuna Melt sandwich. (My all-time favorite) But since it’s a dinner party, it would consist of shrimp cocktail, filet mignon, side dishes and a variety of salads. And yes, it would most definitely be catered.

2. What is your beverage of choice?My beverage of choice is a nice cold unsweetened iced tea.


3. Physical book Vs an E-Reader. Your preference and why?
I may be old fashioned, but I still prefer the physical book. I can’t wait to hold a copy of Jest, which should be in about a week from now…


4. What kinds of books make up your personal library?
Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child make up a large portion of my library.

5. How and when did you catch the writing bug?
I was nine years old when I started writing little stories on an ancient typewriter my mom had. I was heavy into Franklin W. Dixon’s The Hardy Boys Series back then and so I started with mystery stories. Soon after, I discovered Dean Koontz’s Phantoms, and I have never looked back since when it came to what genre I would forevermore write.


6. What is your writing routine?
I start with a small outline. It may be heavily loaded with ideas or it may just be a cast of characters and what their relationship is with one another. I then start (Usually, not always) with shorthand notes or paragraphs in a journal before finally starting to type the actual story onto the computer.


7. If you ever encounter writer’s block, what steps do you take to get past it?
Writer’s block can be a killer if you let it. It takes self-discipline to not give up and move onto other things. The problem that it creates is that a lot of times, you simply never go back. (Been there, done that) So my advice is…stay at it. Keep going, even when it isn’t fun anymore and it will pay off in the long run.


8. Do you have a hidden talent?
I used to work in Atlantic City as a magician and I did a few years in professional wrestling as well.

9. What was your best subject in school?
Writing…surprised?

10. As in any entertainment, there are current trends. How much do these “current trends” influence what you write?
None whatsoever. I write what I do because I love it. If I think I have a great idea, I’ll write it, regardless if it is popular at the time or ever will be in the future. With that being said, if I am approached by my publisher to tackle a certain genre or storyline because it is the “in thing” right now, I wouldn’t be opposed to it.

11. Mac or PC?
PC…Never owned a Mac.

12. Where do your ideas come from?
Only the Good Lord knows. To be honest, I have written books before based on weird dreams that I have had. But most of the time, regardless of where I am or what I’m doing, I find myself asking “what if” questions. For example, if I’m on vacation up in the mountains, I might ask myself, “What if a really big, scary bear decided to wreak havoc here all of the sudden?” Next time you’re out somewhere and have a minute, ask yourself the “what if” question and see if you can’t come up with a dozen different ideas!

13. What advice would you pass on to an aspiring author?
Never ever give up. I was rejected more times than I care to remember by publishers and agents alike. It just takes perseverance. Lord willing, if you keep at it and don’t get discouraged, it’ll happen. Also, don’t take rejections personally. They don’t know you and although you think you have the manuscript of the year (as I used to think) it will not fit every publisher’s needs. All you can do is write the story, have it professionally edited, (NOT your neighbor who likes to read) and submit to the proper people. Do your homework. If you submit to someone who isn’t interested in your genre, you just wasted their time as well as yours.  

Review: Jest "It waits no longer..."

Jest
by
David Warren
Available through Amazon for the Kindle,
and from Barnes & Noble for the Nook.
Will be forthcoming in mass market paperback

Good evening constant reader.

If you like a fast paced read, with lively characters, a good plot, some twists and turns, and some blood and guts, then this book is for you.

Our story opens as Edward Carzon II slips away into that good night, leaving Bodlum Castle in East Sussex, England, not to his son, Edward Carzon III, but to his grand daughter, Nicole.  She is advised of this inheritance just as she and her college friends are trying to decide where to take that long talked about but never taken get away.  The trip to England to inspect the castle is all expenses paid and Nicole may bring along as many people as she wishes.  Her alcohol-ridden father is not happy with this situation and is left behind as Nicole and 5 of her friends wing their way to England.
Along for the excursion is Brad, Nicole's friend since forever, her best friend Danielle and her boy friend Al, and Wayne and Alexis.

Our party arrives in England and is escorted to Bodlum Castle where they are met by longtime caretaker Roger Helmsley, maid Beatrice Cummings, and chef Jonathon Carlisle.  Another arrival, Andrew Willis, the late Edward Carzon II's solicitor rounds out the party, there to go over paperwork regarding the inheritance with Nicole.
The young people are taken on a tour of the castle by Roger, who fills in the historical past of the castle, explaining the restoration Nicole's grandfather had begun, intending to open the castle to tourists.  It is during this tour they run into an assortment of wax figures dressed in period costume in various areas of the castle, as part of the tour experience.  One figure they encounter is particularly disturbing; Timothy Skullton, a jester who served in the castle in the late 16th century. But Timothy wasn't just a jester, he was also used to dispatch people not in favor of the owner.  That owner died and the new owner declared Timothy mad and had him imprisoned in the dungeon.  He was thought to have died as his body was never found.  It was assumed he escaped.

Our group begins to settle into the castle, with Nicole having to decide if she wants to become the new owner or not.
Meanwhile, back in the U.S., Nicole's father is plotting to make his way to England...

Then things start to happen...and the body count begins. Warren ratchets up the suspense when the dead bodies start to pile up, people are separated and left alone, people start exploring dark passages...you get the idea.

When I got to a certain point in the book, I couldn't stop reading, I had to find out how it was going to end.
I was at such a short page count, I was frantic to find out what happened, and was thinking. "Man, how is this going to possibly come to any kind of end??"
When the ending did come, I literally gasped out loud I was so surprised.
Reading Jest "It waits no longer..." is like riding a roller coaster.  A nice, slow build up the track, lulling you into a false sense of security and then when you come to the top of that track...and start to go over...the hits, they just don't quit coming.
I like that!

Time spent with this horror tale is not time wasted.

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