Author Interview: Dane Cobain, Author of No Rest for the Wicked

Dane Cobain is a writer, poet and musician from a place you've probably never heard of, somewhere in England. When he's not writing books, he's reading and reviewing them on his book blog - SocialBookshelves.com - or working at his day job in social media marketing. Find him at Facebook.com/DaneCobainMusic or follow @DaneCobain on Twitter.

No Rest for the Wicked

When the Angels attack, there’s NO REST FOR THE WICKED.

Father Montgomery, an elderly priest with a secret past, begins to investigate after his parishioners come under attack, and with the help of Jones, a young businessman with an estranged child, Montgomery begins to track down the origin of the Angels.

The Angels are naked and androgynous. They speak in a dreadful harmony with no clear leader. These aren’t biblical cherubs tasked with the protection of the righteous – these are deadly creatures of light that have the power to completely eradicate.

When Jones himself is attacked, Father Montgomery knows he has to act fast. He speaks to the Angels and organises a final showdown where he’s asked to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Who are your influences?

I have a bunch of different influences, depending upon the type of writing that I’m doing. Some of the key writers to have influenced me over the years include Graham Greene, Ernest Hemingway, Charles Bukowski, Terry Pratchett and Philip Pullman.

When did you begin writing?

I’ve been writing seriously since I was about sixteen, but I used to dabble with it here and there way before then. I wrote a novel before I was eighteen, and then went to university to study creative writing. I guess that was when I started to take it seriously.

How do you come up with your stories, characters, character names, POV, etc?

It’s hard to tell, really. I usually start with a simple idea and then develop and refine it over time. No Rest for the Wicked, my supernatural thriller, grew out of a nightmare that I had.

Do you work from an outline?

Yeah – I develop the initial idea as much as I can and then create a full plot outline with as much detail as I can manage. With that in hand, I start work on the full story.

Tell me about your favorite scene in your novel.

There were quite a few scenes that stand out, each one for different reasons. My overall favourite scenes were probably the ones that dealt with the flashbacks into Montgomery’s past – you got to know him a lot more, and he was an interesting character with complex motivations. At least, I hope he was.

Can you tell us a little about your writing philosophy?

I just like to read a lot and to write a lot, and to get as much done as possible. Even if you never get round to using a first draft, it’s better than having no first draft at all. Being a writer is hard work, but it’s also infinitely rewarding. You need to appreciate that before you get sucked into it, or you’ll never be successful.

Have you ever tried writing in any other genres?

I write in all sorts of different genres – my first book was a supernatural thriller, and my second book was a book of poetry. Up next, I have another novel, followed by a non-fiction book, followed by a screenplay and accompanying novella. Then I’m going to work on a detective series. It’s all go!