Confessions of my Past, Present and Future
by
Dan Weatherer
The Past
There are probably rules for this sort of thing, but
rules (like promises) are made to be broken. As a young, awkward sort,
struggling to find his place in the high school hierarchy, books were a welcome
retreat from a world I did not much understand, never mind wish to be a part of.
(Likely I was a troubled youth!)
There were several books that not only afforded me my
escape, a few of which have stuck long in the memory, and provoke a smile and a
familiar tingle when recalled. I will not pretend that any of these books are
literary heavyweights, but then I never did harbour notions of snobbery. A good
story is just that, and these kept my imagination alive and kicking during
those tediously grey teenage years.
Backwards – by Rob Grant
I was Dwarf before
it was cool. I read this book out of sequence, later seeking out others in the
series and fell in love with the idea of travelling backwards through life. The
thing with Red Dwarf was that it
often posed deeply philosophical questions and explored theories my young,
pre-pubescent mind could scarily comprehend. It was also damn funny. I think I
will look this one up on the Amazon store, as sadly (and this is the case with
the majority of my books) I have long misplaced my copy.
American Psycho – Bret Easton Ellis
There are two books that I wish I had written, this, and
the next on the list. Their genius supersedes anything I might ever hope to
commit to words, and this book moved me in a way that no other has ever come
close too. Yes, it was brutal, sickening in parts, but I was struck by the ease
with which the prose flitted effortlessly from daily tedium to acts of insanity
(and the occasional CD review). This book, more than any other, showed me the
power of the written word. Yes, I admit that I purchased it for the hype, but I
returned time and again for the ride.
The Divine Comedy – Dante Alighieri
The second book that I wish that I had written. I came
across this (and other similarly epic works) while at University, not out of
course necessity, but personal interest. I know this looks terribly high-brow
of me, but I will be honest, I do not understand what much of the poem talks
about. Scholars have spent their entire lives pouring over its structure etc.,
and while that is to be commended, I believe you do not need to understand the
significance of every line or verse to appreciate the vision of the
author. I often wonder to myself if
anything of such length, depth and lasting impact could ever be written today.
I seriously doubt that it could.
The Present
If you have read this far, then I must have caught a hold
of your interest. Alas, this is where I feel I might disappoint you. You see,
as an author of dark fiction, I endeavour to steer clear of pieces that I feel
might subconsciously influence me. That might sound terribly precious, but I
have, on occasion found myself adapting a voice similar to what I might be
currently reading. While I have read King, Poe, Barker and Lovecraft (and
become a huge fan of) in the past, I avoid them now as much as possible. There
will be a time to read them again, perhaps when I decide to call it a day on my
writing career.
Still with me after that shocking admission? Good. Then I
must confess that my present reading is wildly unpredictable. I have dabbled
with A Song Of Fire And Ice (haven’t
we all) but, (and as a playwright this might make some form of sense) I am
increasingly drawn to the Graphic Novel.
Preacher – Garth Ennis
I know there’s a TV run, but I will not watch it. I do not
want my vision of Ennis’s world shattered. I do not own all of the novels; I am
still several light, but what I will say is that I have read Moore, Gaiman and
Miller, and Preacher knocks them all
out of the park.
The appeal of the Graphic novel for me is that the
immediacy of the characters and the narrative lives and dies via its use of
dialogue. I am not an art man. I do not know good pencil work from bad, but I
do know a good line when I hear it, and well written graphic novels have
characters that are rounded, gritty, flawed and relatable. A good comic writer
can make the implausible seem almost second nature. As a playwright, I try to
tap into that technique, for when you have nothing to tell the story but a bit
of plywood, a lick of paint, and a team of committed actors, great dialogue
makes or breaks your work.
As a graphic novel, Preacher
is up there with the best of them.
The Future
Now we come to the part of the article that I feared
writing the most. It is impossible for me to say what direction my writing will
take me in the future. In the three and a half short years of my career so far,
I have explored most aspects of the horror/dark fiction genre in one form or
another, having insane amounts of fun in the process. I am sure that I will
steer clear of the horror genre, at least in it is more traditional form, as I
find myself drawn more to the deeper shades of humanity, and away from traditional
scares.
I will say that I am confident that I will continue to
explore the darker themes of modern life. I just feel that this is where my
interests lie, and though I dabble with social and political topics in some of
my work, at heart, I will always write about people.
I have said before that I believe there is beauty in
darkness, and I imagine I will continue to try and show that in my books and my
stage plays. At least that is the plan for now, and it is a plan that sits well
with me.
Thank you
for reading.
You can buy Neverlight
here:
You can buy any of Dan’s other books here:
If you would like to help support Confessions of a
Reviewer, then please consider using the links below to buy any of the
books mentioned in this feature. This not only supports me but also lets
me know how many people actually like to buy books after reading my
reviews.
Thanks.
Dan Weatherer is represented by The Cherry Weiner
Literary Agency (Author) and Julie Fox Associates (Playwright).
Dan Weatherer was first published by Haunted Magazine in
Spring, 2013. “The Legend of the Chained Oak” was an immediate success and was
made into a short film which won the award for ‘Best Horror’ at the Portobello
Independent Film Festival (2014), ‘Best Short’ at The Bram Stoker International
Film Festival (2014) and also the ‘Best UK Short Film’ award at the Stoke Your
Fires Film Festival 2014. The film featured at numerous film festivals around
the world during 2014. The premiere screening took place in his hometown of
Cheadle, Staffordshire, where he kindly donated all of the proceeds to local
charities.
In 2015 Dan was shortlisted for the prestigious position
of Staffordshire Poet Laureate 2016-2018.
Aside from the publication of numerous short stories with
a multitude of presses, his next major project was a solo collection of short
stories titled ‘The Soul That Screamed’ (Winner of the Preditors & Editors™
Readers' Poll ‘Best Anthology 2013’.)
A further two collections “Only the Good Burn Bright” (Spring
2015, James Ward Kirk Fiction) and “Neverlight” (Spring 2016, Spectral Press)
quickly followed.
His first non-fiction book titled ‘What Dwells Within’
was released in the Autumn of 2015 and details the life’s work of paranormal
investigator Jayne Harris.
An accomplished playwright, Dan was a finalist of the
Blackshaw Showcase Award 2016 and a two-time finalist of the Congleton Players
One Act Festival, 2016. Dan has had several of his plays appear at festivals
and fringe events. Expect to see more of his work on stage very soon.
Work continues in earnest on his second novel and a
fourth collection.
He lives in Staffordshire, where is married to his wife
Jenni and is a (proud) full-time dad to his daughter Bethany and his son
Nathan.
And for more about Dan, visit his site or find him on
social media:
Website – Facebook – Twitter – Goodreads – Amazon Page
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