Author Interview: Dale Brendan Hyde, author of the incredible The Ink Run

Dale with Lee Child 

I've had the pleasure of participating in a few panels  and Noir at the bars with Dale and am amazed at his creative talent. Not only is he an awesome writer, he's an awesome artist and it gives me great pleasure to welcome Dale to The Crime Warp today. Especially because I've discovered quite a few new things about Dale ... read on to find out more. 

Lovely to have you on The Crime Warp, Dale. Tell us a little bit about your current book release?

Amazon Link

I published my debut novel just over two years ago now. The Ink Run is a very dark & disturbing story about a young boy who finds himself fitted up for the murder of his own Mother. The heinous crime actually carried out by his Father, who has carefully & very slyly built a scenario to baffle the police & courts. The boy finding himself guilty by diminished responsibility end up in a hell hole of an asylum called the FABERON. The wing that he is placed upon is a government funded secret experiment, using century old methods to cure the mad. After a decade he is ready to be released, as an even more damaged soul. Back in his old village his Father Stan is top of his hit list. But he has others to put under the raft first. But he’s not the only person from the asylum keeping the VIGIL & upping the ANTE. 

Since that release I’ve published a short story, THE WHISKEY POOL. It’s all about an alcoholic writer who has lost his literary fame   & fortune & how he’s constantly on the brink of falling into his decomposing mansions empty indoor swimming pool. Every time he gets the urge to drink, he pours or smashes the scotch bottle into the deep end. As the story progresses the pool is filling. The only thing he has left to cling to his a youth obsession with Buddhism. It’s all about rebirth & how we try in our lives to finally get off the wheel of life & reach Nirvana.

Amazon Link 

I also put out a poetry book that I had initially published by route for the T S Elliot prize over twenty years ago. I repackaged it, adding fresh verses from over the years & changed the Title to THE GODS R WATCHING. 

I’m hoping to get my current project released before Christmas. It’s another lengthy novel involving two serial killing partnerships that over decades entwine into The main character Shail Singleton life. It’s set out mainly in Texas, in a small town called Dripping springs. Again I’ve taken some real live cold cases like the black Doodler & the question mark back in England about the PUSHER canal serial killer. 

If any of your books were to be made into a TV show or a film, who would you want to play the main character  and why?

Over the last two years I’ve had many conversations with people involved in the film industry regarding getting a treatment on my debut or short story. I had great praise from the award winning produced Paul van Carter, but he concentrates more on documentaries about celebrities, so I’ve had no joy in that direction with Salon films. I had a great review for The Ink Run from the BAFTA  award winning director Shane Meadows sister. It’s a slow process but she’s trying really hard for me to get Shane to take a look at the copy he has. I think someone like Paddy Considine or Stephen Graham’s who Shane has used frequently throughout his films would be great in either of my books main character roles. 

 Are any of your characters based on real life people?

Quite a few yes. In my debut, the father Stan has certain attributes that I used. Nothing too sinister though, as Stan is one of the most nastiest of fiction characters you are ever likely to meet. But I did use my own experiences with my Dad to bring Stan to life in a more terrifying realistic way in the book.

The current book I’m working on uses an old serial killer from America called the black doodler & the pusher is based on someone I met in youth prison many decades ago. In all my work I love to combine the real & the researched along with my vivid imagination to create my characters personas.

 Any tips for would be writers seeking publication? 

Certainly! My biggest mistake in my opinion was after spending years working on my debut manuscript & approaching decent publishing houses to go and take the first offer that came my way. I’d gotten my book on the desk of people like Jamie Byng at Canongate & opened up some decent dialogue with him. To then end up going with a very small inexperienced publisher who said he would get my book out there. In my naivety I though, yes just get the book out there & then move it onto bigger & Better things. What I came to realise was that publishers & Agents like to be your first choice. Aim high & stick to your guns. Don’t be afraid to approach people in the industry who you might feel intimidated by. They don’t all bite! I’ve approached recently a decent agent & i am hoping that in the near future that take me in as their client. 

 Is there a particular book you wish you had written & why?

There has been some very influential books that I’ve read over the years. I couldn’t possibly name just one. In a very quick list I’d say ( borstal boy) by Brendan Behan. (The Dharma bums) By Kerouac. ( A star called Henry) by Roddy Doyle. (Cup of Gold) by Steinbeck. (Junky) by William S Burroughs. (Papillon) by Henri Charriere.

And the reason I wish I’d written any of these wonderful stories is quite simple. They all made me want to write better personally. To really try to use words to convey emotion in the reader. 

Can you tell us two things about yourself that your readership are maybe unaware of?

I have a clothing brand called plan G. It’s designs are taken from my early experiences in the prison system as a young hoodlum.

I was involved in the rise of bare knuckle boxing’s popularity around the country. I fought on the very first BBAD show about seven years ago. Some gypsy friends asked if I’d come to Leicester & fight bars knuckle. It was the first time an indoor event had been put on in the U.K. I was the first fighter on the company to win by knock out. The shows had started in small pub back rooms & barns. It’s now reaches the heights of the 02 in London & some of the early documentary programmes made of the scene at that time have reached up to ten million views.

Who or what inspires you to keep writing?

My family motivate me to reach the best seller lists. The money would be great after struggling at times in that area throughout my life. But the proving I was one of the best writer in the U.K. to my family is the main motivation to keep me scribbling & typing away.

If you were to host a (come dine with me) style party, who would You invite from the crime writing fiction world. Writers or characters & why?

I would invite Ed Mcbain, as I’d love to meet him, after reading all his books from the prison library. Trueman Capote, as he lived around a time I’d like to hear about. I also loved his novel IN COLD BOOD. Irvine Welsh, as he has created so many great fictional crime characters. I especially loved his novel FILFH. And finally Lisbeh Salander from Stieg Larsson’s trilogy, The girl with the dragon tattoo. She is probably one of the strongest female characters I’ve read. 

A strange dinner party for sure, yet very lively. 

Do you have competing ideas for future projects? & have you worked on more than one project at a time ?

I have several projects on the go. All at different developmental stages. I have a novel titled STITCHED, which I keep coming back to over & over again. It’s very raw & difficult tale for me to personally write. I work on it until it burns my head out. Then I put it away for future battle. I have a sci fi story I’m plotting. I’m interested in putting my pen to all styles of writing & genre. I don’t want to be a writer who looks back & sees mainly repetitive covers & plot. I’ve been asked to write a few famous people’s biographies in the criminal underworld too. So I’m looking into those options. The main thing right now is to get the second novel out, so

I’m mainly working on the Death Row Thrift Shop.

It all depends what mood I’m in. I can switch quite easily & work for days on one thing & then be onto a different book for months. 

Have you ever thought of setting a book somewhere exotic so you could go visit or live there for a while, and where would or where will that be?

Exotic definition to me as in regards to writing could take me anywhere. I’m quite odd in that sense. I wrote parts of my debut locked in a padded cell! I was not locked in an asylum. I researched at my local mental health museum where they have one of the countries remaining genuine padded cells. The curator would allow me to sit inside so I could hand write the asylum parts to the book. I heard Stephen kings former home is for sale. The one he wrote per cemetery in. Something like that would be quite exotic & inspiring to write a short horror story. I guess I’d probably do something like William S Burroughs did in the Yage letters. I’d disappear into some untouched jungle & write in solitary bliss.