Globe-trotting author, Daniel de Lorne, takes languages and writing to the next level. Not only is he an author of six romance novels, he also knows Australian sign language, Italian, French and Spanish. A keen traveller, Daniel uses a laptop for most of his writing. He crafts his tales of ruin, romance and redemption in his favourite armchair in the living room of his Perth home, and writes outside under the verandah when the weather is nice. As well as writing gay romance, Daniel’s day job entails many hours at the computer, crafting yet more words on an entirely different subject. He spent more than a decade in communications at a zoo, and is now a researcher and writer for museums and heritage exhibitions. In his spare time, Daniel volunteers for a range of roles at Romance Writers Australia and is excited to be on the organising committee for the 2020 RWA conference in Fremantle.
Daniel has two new publications out this month. Binding Blood - released December 20 - is a gay romantic horror eBook with Escape Publishing, the third in his ‘Bonds of Blood’ series. The Faller – released December 1 as part of the Warmest Wishes Advent Calendar Anthology – is a Christmas novella with Dreamspinner Press. This charming historical novella follows the inept but determined Charlie Young as he tries to carve a living from felling trees. Fresh on the heels of a scandal and his family disowning him, Charlie aims to raise enough money to buy a passage to London. The campfire company of his fellow ‘fallers’ is a mix of brash and bigoted brutes, all except for reserved gentle giant, Jack Tapper, whose size and skills with an axe garner him immediate respect. Romance blossoms in the West Australian jarrah forest, but Charlie and Jack’s fledgling relationship is plunged into danger when the others return from their Christmas break. This was my first insight into male/male romance and the 1912 setting immediately drew me in. I really enjoyed Daniel’s descriptive writing, his ability to paint a beautiful landscape, and the way he wove compassion, love and humour into what would have been gruelling and dangerous conditions.
Short and sweet questions
Favourite Australian holiday destination: I’ve only been once but Karijini National Part in Western Australia blew me away with its gorgeous gorges.
What’s your preferred drop? Merlot
Guilty pleasure? Ice-cream
Pet peeve: Inconsiderate people
Favourite fictional couple and why? Benjamin Bentley and Tim Wyman from Jay Bell’s Something Like series. Just something about the childhood sweetheart/lost love story gets me.
If you could pack two non-essential items for a deserted tropical island, what would they be? A fully-stuffed Kindle and a piano (it’s a very large suitcase)
Name an emerging author to keep an eye out for: Holden Sheppard – a WA writer who’s just won the TAG Hungerford award for a gay YA novel.
Established authors who inspire you? Clare Connelly – what she’s done in a relatively short space of time, and the amount she produces in a year just blows my mind. David Mitchell – he writes the kind of life-affirming emotional work I aspire to.
Best thing about being a writer? Having somewhere to put those bright ideas that keep me up at night.
Worst thing about being a writer? The doubt.
Do you prefer music, podcasts or silence? I usually only listen to music while I’m at the gym, in which case it’s often a podcast by Above and Beyond called Group Therapy. They play trance and EDM and I love it. When it comes to writing, I usually prefer silence or the sound of a ticking timer but occasionally I’ll listen to a bit of classical or something stirring if I need to write a particular emotion.
Favourite cologne: Fierce by Abercrombie and Fitch.
TV/film crush: Ryan Phillippe
The best non-writing related prize I won was… firsts and seconds for singing at eisteddfods.
Top three tips for aspiring authors?
- Don’t compare yourself to others (something I struggle with a lot) as we all go at different speeds and do things differently.
- A first draft is better than no draft. Don’t let the fear of ‘getting it wrong’ stop you from putting words on the page.
- Remember it’s meant to be fun and that you love what you do.
What theme do you hope shines through in your writing? I aim for devastation. I want my characters to go through the absolute worst emotionally…and to take the reader along with them.
Proudest author moment? Getting my first book about two gay twin vampires published.
My favourite thing about writing romance is…getting to write love stories between gay characters and actually giving them a happy-ever-after.
If anyone gives me flack for writing in the romance genre, I tell them…not to knock it until you’ve read it.
Connect with Daniel online
Website: www.danieldelorne.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/danieldelorne
Twitter: www.twitter.com/danieldelorne
Instagram: www.instagram.com/danieldelorne
Maya Linnell
Rural fiction writer Maya Linnell honed her journalism skills at a country newspaper before moving to PR and now fiction. She recently completed her debut rural romance manuscript and is hard at work on the sequel. A voracious reader, Maya also loves baking, gardening, preserving home-grown fruit and veggies, and raising three little bookworms. She lives on a small country coastal property in regional Victoria with her family and a growing menagerie of animals, gathering inspiration from her rural surrounds and the close-knit communities within.
Follow Maya online
Website www.mayalinnell.com
Instagram @maya.linnell.writes
Facebook maya.linnell.writes
Twitter @maya_linnell
