dismantling the superstack inspires sudbury author's latest thriller
3 minute read
the origami deception, dave wickenden's latest thriller, was inspired in part by the dismantling of the iconic superstack. supplied
retired sudbury deputy fire chief turned author dave wickenden recently penned a new novel, the origami deception. in this interview, he discusses writing, how a career in fire services influences his stories, the publishing process and recent attempts to write and pitch movie scripts. the sudbury star connected with the author at the kagawong farmers’ market earlier in july.
q. tell me about your latest book, the origami deception, and the inspiration behind it.
a. my latest story came from the announcement that vale planned to dismantle the superstack. this has been a landmark in sudbury since i was a kid growing up in the martindale area. you could never get lost in sudbury with that chimney on the horizon. the literary voices in my head got to work and hammered out the story. as a thriller writer, i figured i could do a more exciting and scary job of it than the mining giant could. to keep it completely fictional, i created a separate city, outside of sudbury, called fox lake.
q. can you share your experience with publishing books? have you done it through a traditional publisher or are you self-publishing?
a. i have traditionally published but have not had good experiences. i actually broke away from my first publisher due to poor editing. i ended up having my rights returned to me when we parted ways. those books i self-published. my novel, mad dog, was and still is with a small us publisher, but my contract runs out this fall and i will be self-publishing that title as well because of shipping issues during the pandemic. all my others, including the origami deception, are self-published. with this title, robyn carson, a retired english professor and magazine editor, edited my story, juan pardon of argentina created my cover art and my books are printed by o.j. graphics in espanola.
advertisement
q. who are your readers and where do they come from?
a. my readers come from all over. i attend farmer’s markets, vendor shows, and seasonal craft shows. i have fans across north america. many are repeat buyers. although i sell to men, most of my readers are women. i do have strong female protagonists, and i feel that many of my readers can relate to these characters and the trials they face.
q. aside from your latest book, what else have you been doing in the writing world? you had mentioned writing movie scripts in a previous conversation we had. have you turned some books into scripts? what is the process of trying to sell them?
a. just recently, i became a director-at-large for the crime writers of canada. i hope to promote crime/mystery/thrillers written by authors from northern ontario.
for the past two years, i was a judge with the international thriller association audible book contest, reading (or listening to) hundreds of books each year. i also speak at different schools and explain the writing process to students who are interested in writing.
during the pandemic, i began learning about screenwriting. between self-learning and online courses, i have adapted five of my books for feature film and have almost completed a tv pilot of my vigilante series, defending innocence. i also have a couple of action/horror movies that i am pitching to producers. i have not yet sold anything, but they are out there and i’m getting the pitching process down, so fingers crossed.
q. how has (or hasn’t) your previous career influenced your writing career?
a. my previous career in the fire service introduced me to a wide range of topics that have influenced my stories. i have had fire scenes, characters suffering from ptsd, and i can break down fast-moving scenes that were like what i experienced on the fire ground. i have also witnessed many horrible situations and i can give an accurate picture of grief and pain. i have also used my knowledge of emergency scenes in my writing.
advertisement
i know, for instance, how the fire service would respond to major disasters as described in the origami deception. my current work-in-progress, (wip) is my first firefighters’ story and i am using my experience and knowledge of firefighting and arson investigation to create and enrich the story so that readers see a more accurate world of the fire service compared to the sensationalism we see from hollywood.
for more information, go to davewickenden.wixsite.com/dave-wickenden.
the local journalism initiative is made possible through funding from the federal government.
sud.editorial@sunmedia.ca
x: @sudburystar
share story
