Orren Merton has kindly allowed me to interview him about his debut fiction novel “The Deviant”, a thrilling mystery novel with a little hint of romance. A definite must read!
About The Author:
Orren Merton started writing fantasy and science fiction at an embarrassingly young age, mostly for his own amusement. In 2001, magazines, developers, and corporations began to pay him to write and edit music software related articles, manuals, and books. His music technology articles have appeared in magazines and online in Electronic Musician, Computer Music UK, Music Tech Magazine, MIX, Cubase.net and Gearwire.com. His music articles and reviews have been published nationally and internationally, online and off in Dark Angel, OC Weekly, and The Scene LA. His Industrial rock group Ember After released their debut album, Grasping At Straws, in 2008. He lives in Southern California with his family, pets, collection of sci-fi/fantasy memorabilia, and curiously large stuffed animal collection (Source).
Find Orren Merton on the Web: Official Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter
Interview
Please share with us what you enjoy most about writing?
I’d have to say creating new realities. In our own lives, there are so many things that we can’t control, so many things that we might wish were true and real, but aren’t (at least, that we know of). But when I write, I determine what is true and what is possible. It’s a great feeling!
What do you believe makes a good story?
I think that a good story requires interesting, three-dimensional characters and an engaging plot. An exciting plot with dull characters doesn’t make a great story in my opinion, and neither will the most engaging characters with nothing to do.
When you are not writing, what do you enjoy doing on your spare time?
When not writing...I like to read! Okay, maybe not the most exciting answer. I love spending time with the family, which currently consists of my wife and our two pets. The cat doesn’t leave our home, but with the dog we can go out on long walks, to nature preserves, and the like. We’re fans of science fiction and fantasy movies and videos. And as a musician, I love just spending time listening to music and playing guitar!
Name the top three things you can’t live without.
You know, it’s funny...I’m a really materialistic person in that I spend a lot of money on musical equipment, custom left-handed guitars, blu-rays and music...but the only thing that I really can’t live without is my family. If my home were burning down, I’d grab my wife and our pets and let everything else go—I love my stuff, but I don’t get attached to it. So lets say that the one thing on my “can’t live without” list is family.
However, that’s not a very fun answer! So I’d say that my three favorite “possessions” that I absolutely wouldn’t want to part with are:
1) My iPhone
2) My Mac
3) My custom left-handed Koll Guitars hollowbody guitar
With those three things, I could still write, make music, entertain myself, you name it. I’d be set!
Have you ever envisioned yourself being where you are today as an author, musician and music journalist/reviewer?
You know, I wrote my first short story when I was 12 (it was a terribly bad Lord of the Rings ripoff...) and I think from then on I wanted to be a professional writer. I think I saw myself growing up to be the American J.R.R. Tolkien at the time! Then as an older teenager I decided I wanted to be a rock star (more money, more girls, less nerdy). So in that sense, from when I was in school I’d imagined myself writing and making music. I didn’t necessarily think I’d be doing the exact kind of writing and editing and music that I’m doing now, but I’m still doing the same kinds of things I’d thought of way back then.
What inspired you to create such a genuine character such as Heinrich as well as the other characters involved in “The Deviant”?
Thank you for the compliment in your question! I’ll talk about Heinrich more specifically in my next answer, but in general: I feel that a story can only ever feel as real as its characters, and I take great pains to make them all feel like they could walk right off the page and stand in front of you. I want them to each have their own perspectives and ways of speaking and be real unique individuals. So I did my best to make sure that all of the main characters came across as real “persons” and not simply “plot devices” to get me from one chapter to another.
Which character in “The Deviant” do you believe you relate to most and why?
I think my main inspiration for Heinrich was I wanted to create a character that was truly “deviant”—a vampire by its very nature as an undead creature is a deviation from the norm. I wanted him to be a completely sympathetic character, someone the reader could really love—and not as an “anti-hero,” but a really good guy. I wanted readers to like him so much that even when he gets angry and sadistic the reader would still feel for him, and not judge him a monster. So that is both why I wrote Heinrich the way I did—I poured a lot of my perspectives and opinions into him (as well as my days in the gothic scene here in Los Angeles), so I think I relate to his goals and his melancholy most in the novel.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I named the book The Deviant to sort of focus readers on the idea of deviance. What is a “deviant” anyway? Who is more deviant, a monster who is undead, or a monster who kills young women? My message is that I want people to think about that, about accepting the goodness in others even if it comes in a “deviant” package. Really, aren’t we all deviant in our own way?
Can you give us any hints on what’s in store for your readers in your next novel?
My next novel is a departure, definitely! I have ideas for more urban fantasy and paranormal romance, but right now I’m about two-thirds finished with a science fiction novel. Ultimately, all my novels are “fantasy” with love stories at the heart of them, but this one is set in the near future. Let’s say that it’s sci-fi, but not very “techie”...how’s that for a hint?
My Review: The Deviant by Orren Merton
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