Sit Down with D.H. Dublin

 The second book in D.H. Dublin's CSU series is on shelves - and it's FAB. Dublin and I recently had an online sit down. Here's what he had to say about the series and his thoughts on writing.

Tell us about your background. Have you always wanted to be a writer? Did you study writing in college?

 I knew I wanted to be a writer when I was a kid. I started writing short stories when I was in grade school. I took extra writing classes in high school and took creative writing in college, although my major was communications. I stopped writing fiction when I dropped out of college for about eight years to concentrate on writing and performing music. A couple of years after I went back and finished my degree, I started working on my first novel and writing seriously.

What was your inspiration for Madison Cross?

Madison Cross came about as a result of conversations with Katie Day, my editor at Berkley.

You're a guy. Why did you choose to have a lead female character rather than a male one? Do you ever run into problems in the writing with the different thought processes of men verses women? If so, how do you deal with those?

Again, that part of Madison’s character came about after discussions with my editor. I was definitely intrigued by the thought of writing from a female point of view, and a little bit intimidated by the thought, but by the time I actually started writing, Madison was so well formed in my mind, it was more writing from that character’s point of view than from her gender’s point of view. There have definitely been times when I had to stop and really think about if a woman would react in a certain way, but usually it is a question of would Madison act in a certain way, and I feel like I know her pretty well.

Why did you decide to do a series instead of a stand alone?

The short answer is because I was able to; I knew going in that this would be at least a three book series. But I really like writing the idea of writing a series. I have found that by the time I finish writing a novel, I’ve usually grown so attached to the characters, or at least to the main characters, that it’s sad to let them go. Especially since this series begins with Madison’s first day on the job. It’s been fun for me to watch her grow and change as time goes by and she gets more experienced.

Why did you choose to write mystery stories about crimes, rather than, say westerns or thrillers or another genre?

I guess it’s because deep down in my dark, larcenous heart, I’m a felon. Actually, I love plot, and I love action, and I love coming up with clever ways of doing terrible things and clever ways of catching people doing terrible things. When I was much younger I used to write science fiction stories, and I think the reason why was because, in addition to writing a story, you got to explore some interesting or unusual idea. The same thing is true with mysteries or crime novels or thrillers, you get to tell the story and explore the characters, but you also get to play around with some interesting ideas. But mostly, it’s the larcenous heart thing.

Did you play with POV before you wrote, or did you know you would use third-person limited from the state?

I did play around with POV. I had written a couple of novels before the CSU series and one was first person, in which I had a lot of fun with all the internal dialogue, and one was third person from five or six points of view, and I had a lot of fun with all the jumps and cuts and changing narratives. With the Madison Cross series, I knew the whole thing would be from Madison’s point of view, but I realized pretty early on that it wouldn’t be first person. In part, this probably had something to do with
Madison’s gender and maybe I was intimidated by assuming that kind of intimate familiarity, but more importantly, I think Madison is a somewhat reserved person. There are big parts of her psyche that she keeps walled off from herself. The level of intimacy that is created by first person wouldn’t have been in keeping with that part of her character.

What type of prep work did you do for the first book? Did you go into it knowing it was a series?

I did know it was a series, which made it easier to see Body Trace as part of something bigger and see it in terms of a certain context. As far as prep work is concerned, for a layperson, I am very scientifically literate, but make no mistake, I am a layperson, so I had a huge amount of research to do, and I really took that part of the process very seriously. A lot of the research was of a general nature, but a lot of it was fairly specific, and in many instances, the conclusion of a certain line of research was that a certain technique or concept ultimately would not work for the application I had in mind, so a lot of the research didn’t even make it into the books. This made my work load a lot heavier, but it also introduced me to all sorts of fascinating little intellectual side trips, many of which contributed to the books in unexpected ways.

How many ideas did you have from the first book for future novels in the CSU Investigation series?

I always have a lot of ideas.  I have that kind of brain that is constantly popping off, so I have a long list of possible premises. For me, the hard part is deciding which ideas to pursue, which ideas warrant all the work that it takes to flesh it out into a novel.

How long did it take you to write the first novel, Body Trace? The second, Blood Poison?

When Penguin first approached my agent and I with the idea of a forensic series, they had a definite timeline involved and it was somewhat challenging. By the time we went back and forth and had established a premise we were all happy with, I had about four and a half months to complete the first book in the series. With Blood Poison, I had six months, so I had a little more time. Also making it easier was the fact that I was so familiar with the characters and the premise, and a lot of the research for Blood Poison was started while I was researching Body Trace.

What role do critique groups play in your writing?

For a long time I was not interested in being part of a writers’ group, because it seemed that one of the most concrete benefits of writing groups was that they helped motivate you to write, and I have always been a very motivated writer. So for me, it seemed like one more thing that would take away from my writing time. But when I started working on the Madison Cross series, maybe in part because of the tight deadlines, I realized that I would not be able to write the way I had done in the past, with lots of drafts, and that I would probably benefit from some high-caliber input. I was fortunate enough to join a very small group with three very talented writers, and I have benefited from it enormously. It is impossible to look at your own work the same way another person would do, and there are things someone else will see very plainly that you will simply not. Looking at other people’s work also helps to illuminate your own. And apart from the nuts-and-bolts writing help, it is energizing to be with other writers and to talk about writing.

Do you have an agent? If so – or not – how did that help/hinder you as an author?

I do have a wonderful agent, Kim Lionetti at Bookends, and she has been invaluable. She has a strong editorial background, so her editorial advice has been hugely helpful, but she was also centrally involved in making the Madison Cross series a reality. She’s been great.

Tell us about the editing process once your manuscript was accepted.

I’ve been pretty fortunate, I think. My editor at Berkley, Katie Day, has been very easy to work with. Pretty much whenever we’ve had a difference of opinion, either I have realized she was right or she has let me take the direction I want to take. With both Body Trace and Blood Poison, as well as with Freezer Burn, the third in the series, there have been numerous instances where I have been compelled to scribble “thanks” in the margin for things Katie or the copyeditor picked up.

Our editing process starts while I am still in the idea stage. I usually begin with a central idea or premise, and I’ll talk to my editor and make sure she’s comfortable with the direction in which I’m going. After that, I start writing, and unless things start to veer drastically away from the book we had discussed, I just keep writing until I have a finished manuscript to send in. After that, I wait to hear if there are any necessary rewrites, then I get back a copyedited manuscript, which I then go over and copyedit myself, noting any edits with which I disagree. I send back the manuscript and then I receive the typeset galleys, which I then proof and make any minor edits I deem necessary.

How long did you shop around the CSU Investigation series before it was picked up?

I was actually approached by Berkley to write the CSU series after my agent approached them with a different manuscript that wasn’t what they were looking for at the time.

How do you deal with those dreaded but oh-so-prominent rejection letters from publishers?

Rejection hurts, there’s no way around it. I do find that it helps to keep in mind the little victories and encouragements you get along the way; they tell you you’re not delusional and that you’re not totally barking up the wrong tree. I remember when I first started trying to find an agent, one of the first couple of rejections I received included a very favorable critique of my submission, and encouragement to keep that agency in mind for future submissions. I kept that in mind when I racked up the stacks of other rejections. Also, I find it helps to always have more than one iron in the fire, so as soon as one door is slammed in your face you can transfer your naïve optimism to a different door. Of course, then you need to get something else going, so if the next door slams shut in your face, you can keep looking ahead.

You have some incredible detail in Blood Poison about DNA analysis and forensic anthropology. What type of research did you do for these scenes? How long did that research take?

As I said before, the research was a lot of work and took up a lot of time, especially because I was writing under a deadline, but obviously, it is essential for a series like this. The bulk of the research was online or in books and magazines, but the most important research was the interviews with experts and others in the field. Some of the technologies involved are progressing so rapidly that in order to be current when the book comes out, you have to talk to the research scientists and equipment manufacturers to find out what is in the pipeline and due to hit the market in the next year or two. It’s especially tricky because some people are delighted to talk to you and some people absolutely refuse.

Do you write the story first, then do your research, or vice versa?

Both. I usually have one or a few central ideas around which the rest of the book is built, and the initial research involves making sure those central premises are valid. Often the secondary ideas and subplots are born while I am doing that initial research. But invariably, as I am outlining or writing, I come across other ideas or questions or other issues that also require research, and that type of research can continue almost until the final draft of the manuscript.

What are some of the best resources you've found for research?

Definitely people. You can learn a lot from books or websites about the underlying ideas behind certain techniques or technologies, but to understand it from a narrative standpoint, to learn what you need to know in order to depict it realistically, you have to either observe it in use or talk to someone who uses it. It’s one thing to understand how a capillary array works; it’s another thing altogether to know what kind of sound it makes or if you have time to make a cup of coffee while waiting for the results.

How much time do you spend plotting the CSU Investigation novels before you begin that first draft?

I am a huge believer in outlines. Especially when writing under a relatively tight deadline as in this series, you have to be pretty organized (mentally, that is; don’t look at my office) and disciplined. For me, a detailed outline is essential. When it’s three a.m. and you’re two thirds of the way through your first draft, trying to remember what you have already revealed to the reader or which event has to precede which, it is a huge comfort to have a detailed outline. That’s not to say that the story doesn’t sometimes get away from the outline; I find you have to be willing to let the story go where it wants to sometimes, tweak the outline or even sometimes rethink entire portions of it as you are writing, but for me it is very important to have it there in the first place.

I'll often write a few scenes right off the bat if they come to mind, but I’ll usually spend at least a month or a month and a half plotting and outlining before I really start writing a draft.

CSI and other law enforcement shows have really raised the bar for writers in fiction and the boob tube. How difficult is it to not mimic what's already out there? How do you make your stories stand out from the pack?

To be honest, I try to avoid them. I’m very wary of ideas getting inside my head because for me it can be problematic. Your creative mind can get caught in the gravitational pull of a certain idea once it’s in your head, making it difficult sometimes to come up with a slightly different idea that would take you in a totally different direction. On the other hand, your brain needs inputs to generate outputs and ideas generate ideas. On a practical level, though, it’s a moot point, because I really don’t have much time to watch TV. I have a stack of books I’m dying to read, and a bunch of others I’m dying to write. It doesn’t leave a lot of time for watching TV (apart from the Daily Show; some things are nonnegotiable).

Have you published novels before this series, or are these your first?

These are my first published novels.

Based on your personal experiences, what advice can you give other mystery writers?

It’s a total cliché but it’s true; the most important thing if you want to be a writer is to write. The more you do it, the better you become. And if you don’t want to do it, that’s fine, but if you don’t want to do it, are you sure you want to be a writer? I don’t know if there is anything specific to mystery writers.

You are a PR professional in your day job, and a father. How do you find time to write?

Ever since I started writing seriously, I’ve always been a pretty motivated writer. I think part of that is because I think faster than I write, so I’m always struggling to keep up, to get it all down. It is tough finding the time though.

When my son was born, I made a vow that I would not let my writing career take away from the time I spend with my son. Well, sorry son; I lied. Once I started working on the CSU series, I realized that in order for it to be what I wanted it to be, I was going to have to work on it every moment I could. I tried not to let it interfere too much with my family life, but it definitely meant taking time away from a lot of things. Luckily with the money from my advance I was able to restructure my day job a little and make more time available for writing, but for Body Trace in particular, the game plan was: “Lots of coffee; not much sleep.” (Again, I reiterate the importance of the outline). While writing Blood Poison and Freezer Burn, I had a little more time and I had already proven to myself that I could write in that time frame, so I wasn’t so anxious about it, but I’ve looked in the mirror many a morning these last couple years and been truly alarmed at what was looking back at me.

How long did it take you to discipline yourself to stick to a writing schedules, or to take those brief moments through the day to write or plot?

Again, for me, it’s not a discipline thing, it’s almost more like an obsessive compulsive disorder. Once I’m working on something, I really just want to work on it and not work on anything else. I’m all for taking some time off between projects (or I would be if I had the career security and the deadlines to allow it) but when I’m in the middle of a project, that’s what I want to be doing. I would love to someday not have the constraints of a day job because I am very attuned to the rhythms of working on a project; I have no problem staying up into the wee hours writing and getting up early to write some more, but I think I would benefit from a few weeks or a month off at the end of it to recharge my batteries (and to do something about the Hefty bags under my eyes).

What are some of your favorite writing haunts?

I would love to have a room where I write with a fireplace and some big windows where I can look out onto some trees, but I don’t have that. I have developed what I’m starting to suspect might be an unhealthy attachment to my laptop, so to be honest, wherever I am writing, I’m just happy to be writing.

Angela  Wilson - Wicked Wordsmith