I’m proud of my previously published works, but Dane is the type of book I’ve always wanted to write. I’ve lived in the shadow of other authors for long enough. It’s time for the world to see what I’m capable of.

Edward Lorn – 4 August 2013

The Back Flap

A mother’s love is undying… and so is Dane.

After the state of Arkansas executes serial killer Dane Peters, the Rest Stop Dentist, his mother discovers that life is darker and more dangerous than she ever expected.

The driving force behind his ghostly return lies buried in his family’s dark past. As Ella desperately seeks a way to lay her son’s troubled soul to rest, she comes face to face with her own failings.

If Ella cannot learn why her son has returned and what he seeks, then the reach of his power will destroy the innocent, and not even his mother will be able to stop him.

About the book

What is the book about?

Life After Dane is told from the point of view of Ella May Peters, the mother of serial killer Dane Peters. The novel begins with Dane’s execution. After Dane’s death, Ella returns home to find that people’s views of her have changed. Even her fellow church members have turned their backs on her. She becomes the target of neighborhood vandals who seem to believe she’s just as responsible for the deaths of Dane’s victims as Dane himself. That’s when things get weird. She starts seeing Dane again, both as he was when he was a child and the adult version of him, dressed in his prison-issue orange jumpsuit. Life goes from bad to worse and Ella ends up on the run from the law, as well as her dead son.

When did you start writing the book?

Mid-October 2012. I started the book as a tide-me-over until NaNoWriMo in November. I partake in the competition every year. In case there are readers unfamiliar with NaNo, the contest challenges you to write a fifty thousand word novel in only a month.

 How long did it take you to write it?

Nine days. Ten if you add in the break I took after one particularly trying scene. The book really affected me, and I just wanted to be done with it, so I didn’t let much slow me down. I didn’t expect it to turn out a good as it did. But I’ve found that the ones which flow forth like a tapped vein are usually the best. Now, I consider Life After Dane the best thing I’ve ever written.

Where did you get the idea from?

There really wasn’t an idea. I had just completed my novella, Hope for the Wicked, and should have been taking a break, but I can’t seem to go more than a day or two without writing something. I opened a new Word Document one afternoon and typed this sentence: The state of Arkansas put my son to sleep on October 25, 2013.

The rest of the book followed that line. I had a rather vocal character in Ella May Peters. Once I started her story, she wouldn’t shut up.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Ella is a fifty-five year old, devout Christian woman. I’m not female, nor am I in my fifties. I don’t like talking about religion and politics in friendly company, but I haven’t been to church in a very long time. Trying to keep my own POV out of the story was a pain. Ella’s beliefs and mine are quite different. There were plenty of times when I thought, “People are going to think this is how I feel about certain subjects,” but I couldn’t let my own thoughts intrude. Had I changed her character to fit my own beliefs, I would have been depriving my character of her voice.

What came easily?

The feeling of dread I was able to convey. At no time did I sit back and wonder, “How am I going to scare people?” The book did all that for me. It’s a slow burn that escalates into a raging inferno. Also, it helps that Dane is one of the most terrifying souls I have ever come across.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

With everything else I’ve ever written, there have been pieces of me in every character. This time around, I broke that age old rule of “Write what you know.” Ella is very loosely based on my mother, but only in the sense that both women have strong religious beliefs. Dane is nothing like me, neither is Sven Gödel (another character that comes into Ella’s life). For the first time, I took on something completely out of my comfort zone and succeeded.

Do you have a target reader for this book?

I want everyone to read this novel. That is also a first for me. I toned down the language in the book, almost to the point of YA. Don’t get me wrong, there are still curse words in Dane, but not a single f-bomb can be found. I did that for one reason. Neither of my sisters will read my previous books because of all the adult language and content. Considering Ella’s religious beliefs, and the fact that the book is told from her point of view, I decided Life After Dane would be the easiest way to give my siblings what they wanted. All that makes me giggle, though, because the cleanest thing I’ve ever written is also the scariest thing I’ve ever written. It’s a perfect example of, “Be careful of what you wish for.”

How was writing this book different from what you’d experienced writing previous books?

I had to learn when to say when. Usually my characters come to me during the most trying times of their lives. I write down their experiences and we both move on to parts unknown. With Dane, I saw everything so clearly, from his birth to his death, and then beyond. I had to pick and choose what to show the reader. I couldn’t allow myself to share anything from Dane’s past that didn’t move the story forward. Still, Dane haunts me. He’s unique in that way, as well. I can’t seem to get rid of him. Larry Laughlin, the antagonist in Hope for the Wicked is like that, but I haven’t finished his story yet. I’m done with Dane, forever, but it seems he’s not done with me.

What new things did you learn about writing, publishing, and/or yourself while writing and preparing this book for publication?

I believe I’ve finally found my voice. Life After Dane is the first real Edward Lorn novel. I’m proud of my previously published works, but Dane is the type of book I’ve always wanted to write. I’ve lived in the shadow of other authors for long enough. It’s time for the world to see what I’m capable of. My work is only going to get better from this point forward.

End of Interview:

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