Posted on September 11, 2020 at 8:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Dan Alatorre is a USA Today bestselling author of over forty titles, specializing in pulse-pounding thrillers.

He is published in more than 100 countries and has been translated into twelve languages.

SADYE: Tell us something about your writing process that’s unusual or that you haven’t revealed before.

DAN: I get up at like 4 a.m. to write. People hear that and recoil. I don’t drink coffee, either, which is about the only thing most people can do at 4 a.m.

SADYE: Which of your characters would you most and least like to trade places with?

DAN: I write good guy characters that readers love, and bad guy characters that readers hate, but the main character of The Gamma Sequence seems to get out of trouble by the skin of his teeth a lot.

While I wouldn’t want to get into the kinds of problems he gets into, I admire his bravery and ability to think on his feet while still not always having all the answers to everything.

SADYE: Which of your characters would you most and least like to become romantically involved with?

DAN: Most: Agent Jaden Trinn from Rogue Elements is a hottie and a badass. If I were single, I … would have absolutely no chance with her.

Least: Marge, from The Italian Assistant. She is ugly inside and out.

SADYE: What has been the most touching or memorable piece of reader feedback you’ve received?

DAN: Gosh, there are so many. Being specific would violate a trust between me and them, so I’ll be intentionally vague.

Readers write me to say they loved a story or loved a character. They write to say they feel like my characters have become like their friends. 

People write very touching notes after reading my stories, especially places where the character has suffered some sort of loss; they connect. I appreciate that a lot.

Maybe what I enjoy (that I’ll actually share) is when someone says they were reading a scene in Double Blind and were so engrossed that they missed their train stop.

In my romantic comedy The Italian Assistant they laughed so hard people thought they were crazy.

The Gamma Sequence has generated more than a few emails saying I made them stay up all night to finish.

SADYE: What experience in your past or general aspect of your life has most affected your writing?

DAN: I was never a class clown, but one time I was in a class play and when I went onstage and said my lines, the audience reacted the way they were supposed to.

For some reason, I knew I could control an audience after that, and I became really good at it (in writing and otherwise). I was never afraid to show my creative work to people after that (which is a huge issue for a lot of writers).

I worked as a sales manager for a long time, so I understood rejection and didn’t let it bother me; great storytellers like Steven Spielberg still have flops, so I will, too.

Probably the most important thing I learned was to be “open”; to lay your soul bare on the page and be totally honest and vulnerable, whether writing about something that scares you or excites you, whatever — it doesn’t matter.

When you are brave enough to do that in your writing, readers get it. They connect with it. It will take your writing to a different level.

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Learn more about Dan Alatorre on his website, where his books can also be purchased; like him on Facebook; and follow him on Twitter and Instagram

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Categories: Author Interview

Comments
I’m just started to read The Keepers and didn’t realize it is book 4. Do I need to read the first three? Thanks
Marie Murphy | 7/9/21 at 5:15 PM
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