Author Interview: Dale A. Swanson aka D.A. Swanson
- luckysnews
- Jan 29, 2019
- 9 min read
Today I would like to share with you an fascinating author from my home state Minnesota! He took some time out of his busy day to show us how he has impacted the world and I am very impressed.
His credentials are impressive to say the least. He is a U.S. Navy veteran, electronics field service technician, World Support technician for Digital Equipment Corp., supervisor for installation and maintenance crews for the telephone company. He also owns three U.S. Patents.
This man is a true dedicated writer. He has the most impressive resume with credits for entertaining children and bringing to light the native American struggles. He spent his life working and said: “I have lived all over the place and am now retired and writing as it pleases me. I have lots of finished manuscripts written in several genres: memoir, poetry, short stories, screenplays, and half-hour radio plays.”
If you are interested in learning more, he can be reached at:
Website – http://www.dale-swanson.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/daleswansonwriter/
Email – daswan2@gmail.com
I recommend everyone take a look at his impressive line of literary works as well.
The Thirty-Ninth Man – Historical Fiction – Fictional characters drive the historically accurate background leading to the mass execution of 38-Dakota men in Mankato, Minnesota in 1862. – Time period, 1805–1862.https://www.amazon.com/Thirty-ninth-Man-D-Swanson/dp/0878396837
Tears Of Sorrow – A Free Nation Lost –Historical Fiction – Fictional characters from The Thirty-Ninth Man are picked up as they move west where they witness the Sioux Indian Wars culminating at Wound Knee. Time period, 1862–1891.
This one caught the eye of prior lake Minnesota and they even give a resounding recommendation here:
The Wild Ways – Mystery of the Hanging Tower – Fantasy Ages 9 – 90 – A loudmouthed squirrel named Chatter, a fidgety gopher named Archie, a raccoon with special powers named Ring, and all the animals living on Enchanted Island select ten-year-old Oscar Johnson to receive the Wild Ways, the language that allows animals to communicate with each other.
Upcoming releases:
Planned spring release of the second book in the Wild Ways series.
We are lucky enough to get to know this man and his great talents. He sat down and answered some questions for us. Thank you Dale for taking the time to share with us; you have a lot of talent and I personally could learn a lot from you.
1. What sets writers apart from everyone else besides writing? Are there any characteristics you feel writers need to possess?
Merriam-Webster defines a writer as one that originates or creates something.
Travel Writer, Sports Writer, Screenwriter, Editorial Writer, Playwright, and many more writers in many more disciplines—all create. Whether writing a Poem, a “HOW TO” Manual, a Short Story or a Novel, every writer shares a common bond of self-motivation and a desire to create.
I believe all writers are curious by nature and willing—almost desirous—of research to understand the facets of which they write. Novelists often visit cities, to learn specifics. David Morrell, author, and creator of Rambo from his book First Blood, once told me about a physical training course he took to gain insight and knowledge of spyware to better represent a character he was developing.
All writers share a willingness to be alone with their thoughts, not aloof, but inward-looking in their desire to entertain or enlighten others. They are risk takers, open to criticism yet willing to put it all on the line.
2. Is there a time in your life when you weren’t writing? What caused it? What would prevent you from writing?
While raising a family, I had very little time to write. My job in electronics field service took me away from home a lot and home time was devoted to the family. As the kids grew, college and then marriage gave me time to write and attend several classes at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. When I retired in 2008, I began to write in earnest.
3. What are some writing habits you have?
Whether I am writing an article for a publication or working on a novel, I try to follow the three-act process: “Intro – Body – Finale.”
I am more productive if I do my writing in the environment I set aside as my “writing nook,” which overlooks a small wildlife lake with mature trees on the opposite side—no houses. Twenty miles from Minneapolis is like being up north.
4. Do you have a person in mind who inspires you the most? Or someone you aspire to be like?
Hemmingway is a great inspiration to me because of his ability to bring the reader along on the story’s journey through the use of all the senses. He creates, for me, a total emersion into the story. He allows me to feel, see, smell, hear, and taste what the character is experiencing. He is able to do this without stalling the story, always moving the storyline forward.
David Morrell continues to influence me with his method of opening the first chapter with a strength to hook the reader with the very first sentence. His way of using short chapters encourages the reader to continue reading, knowing the short chapter will provide a place to pause. His desire to understand the realities, which he writes about, allows him to write with conviction and realism.
5. Who would win a fight: Unicorn or Pegasus?
It would matter who they are fighting. In the unlikely event that they fought ach other, the Unicorn has the advantage of a built-in weapon, but Pegasus can fly. My money is on the Unicorn.
6. What is your favorite marketing technique? How do you get your book in front of people? Or, what have you done in the past to really get people to notice your writing talents?
Unsure of my writing and afraid of releasing a book of inferior quality, I didn’t consider self-publishing as an option. I queried several publishers—likely 40 or 50—all expressed no interest. I then found an editor online and paid for a professional edit. With modified manuscript in hand, I submitted a single query, which resulted in a contract to publish.
Here I was, a book to sell at no up-front expense to me, beyond the edit.
The first three years after publishing, I worked the summer festivals and flea market events, which I found to be profitable and useful for creating interest. I also arranged for speaking gigs at history centers, libraries, book clubs, Rotary clubs, etc..
Working the weekend circuit as I did, I was competing with other vendors to draw customers to my booth. To attract potential buyers, I found my book cover to be vitally important. Visual aids draw the eye and open the door to conversation. I believe a large poster of your book cover(s) is mandatory.
When someone examined my display, I politely asked if I could tell them a little about what it represents. Nine out of ten people drawn to examine the picture agree to hear more.
There is something screenwriters refer to as an Elevator Pitch. Designed to grab attention on an elevator between floors, and like the book cover, encourage conversation with a potential customer. My pitch is a single sentence that is delivered in less than 30-seconds and designed to open the door for a real conversation. The pitch for my first book:
On December 26th, 1862, a man named William Duley cut a single rope, and 38 Dakota men fell into eternity simultaneously, in the largest mass execution in the history of the United States.
From that point forward I have an opportunity to sell my historical novel. Conversation with a single person at my booth allows me to interest others to stop and hear the story.
7. Do you have any writing blogs you recommend? Any websites that have helped you through writing, publication, or even just motivation to write?
There are many websites dedicated to helping writers get the word out and create a following. The ones marked ** I use all the time.
Readability Test Tool — https://www.webfx.com/tools/read-able/
**Jera Publishing — https://www.self-pub.net/contact/ Jera Publishing is the company I used to develop the book layout for all my books. They provide both print format and epub format. They are reasonable and timely in their response. They provide you with what you need to allow the printer to complete the process.
**IngramSpark — https://www.ingramspark.com Print On Demand, worldwide distribution. All my books are printed and sold via Ingram.
**Website development/Marketing — https://www.tamarack-consulting.com The Tamarac Consulting Group (TCG) developed my new website, and the results have been stellar. I now control my content. I also learned marketing techniques that have yielded amazing results. Based on the Weebly Platform.
**Bitly — https://bitly.com/ FREE
A program to shorten links to addresses of your choosing. I love this program and use it extensively with Twitter. Here is an example. Copy each link below and paste into your browser. Both will bring you to the same place:
Main link to a video — http://www.youtube.com/attribution_link?a=xbxUvfObQMM&u=/watch?v%3D1pX6FBSUyQI%26feature%3Dem-subs_digest-vrecs&g=OvzUDg3Ky2O_ukCQWcrFrN7wivFp5jan0aCWkBLqk-ogAufFhG8B_pDtmBVy9FqYxRwwJxV7NHvQwF2mE-Cv33cWbwUW7iAMDUnIiHvWqkuMB7yD-9TiP_Ian_V4MWBaebLikR4YDnsu-066h8nipo3X1L9uT2-duQRHWwcLWlH4FA%3D%3D
The bitly link to the same video — http://bit.ly/1UfI3Gr_SiouxDAS
**Bublish — https://bublish.com — $79 per year
I use Bublish extensively to market my books. It is slick and well worth the cost. You can try it for nothing. A can’t lose opportunity.
**Amazon Author Central — https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/home
**Weebly – Website Design — https://www.weebly.com/editor/main.php#/
Weebly is the platform used by TCG in website development. It is simple and easy to use.
Paperback book Self Publishing Checklist — https://www.tckpublishing.com/how-to-self-publish-a-paperback-book-checklist/
8. What advice would you give yourself 5-years ago? 10-years ago?
Find a marketing firm that is reasonable and build a website designed to sell directly to the reader.
I was fortunate in my ramp-up to bookselling. I wrote about something that interested me deeply, and when I finished it, I thought I had a winner. My initial investment was $600 for editing; my publisher paid the cost for layout and printing. I would do all of that again, to gain the confidence that I had written something they figured good enough to repay their costs.
I borrowed from our savings account with the understanding that it was a one-time act. If the book didn’t sell enough to repay that account, it would be my last venture into publishing. It paid back the initial investment, plus covered the costs for me to purchase the rights to my first book from the publisher, plus total expenses for travel, booth fees for all festivals, and event registrations. In addition, I have since published two more books entirely supported by book earnings.
It had taken me five years before I developed a website designed to encourage online sales. I did the right thing to get started, but my new website and hard-earned contacts, coupled with marketing knowledge provided by the Tamarack Consulting Group are improving my on-line recognition, hopefully, to eliminate summers filled with constant travel and setup and breakdown of booth materials.
Marketing tools learned, have increased my exposure every time a post is shared online, effectively spreading my writing to hundreds, if not thousands of potential purchasers.
9. What is your strongest writing talent? What sets you apart from other writers?
II do my absolute best to include the 5-senses to bring life to the story. Beyond that, every writer has a style that you either like, dislike, love, or hate. Readability is 7th to 9th grade.
10. Do you kill bugs or leave them alone?
Depends. If I’m camping, I’ll kill them. If I’m at home, depending on the bug, I will move it outside. Spiders I exterminate. If you are talking bugs in a storyline, they must be eliminated.
11. If your life was a movie, what movie would most closely resemble it? What genre would you put your life’s movie?
I have no idea.
12. What have you had to change about yourself/habits or life that made you a better writer?
Research – alone time granted by my understanding wife. Perhaps the most significant advance in improving my finished product is my willingness to eliminate passages that I value because of the perceived brilliance of its composure—known in the trade as killing your babies.
13. If you were given the option to redo your life all over again BUT you would be a totally different person with all the knowledge you have now, what and where would you be and why?
Why would I waste my time thinking about such a thing? I am where I am, I know what I know, I have mistakes in my past and opportunities in my future. Best of all, I have a loving family. What would I change? I would wish for a much earlier understanding of the Holy Bible and of Christ as my personal savior.
14. What is the most terrifying event in your writing career and what was the end result.
Terrifying is not the right word, but the event that took place in 2015, caused me much apprehension. I was to participate in a radio interview in Alexandria, Minnesota to talk about the release of my first book, The Thirty-Ninth Man. In conjunction with the book release, the Lakes Area Theatre was to perform and record my radio play “Stink Bomb” that night, followed with a performance in the downtown AAAA Theatre the following day. Never having spoken in front of a group—which would happen the next day with my book release—and never uttering a word on a radio interview, it would be safe to say that apprehension doesn’t quite define my psyche. I would say I was somewhere between terrified and apprehensive.
The radio play was aired on thirteen stations, statewide. They asked for another and it also was aired statewide a year later. The book launch was a success.
15. What is something you want your readers to know about you?
I have been married to the same Woman since 1965 (53-years), we have been blessed with a son and a daughter and four granddaughters. Our life together has taken us places we never imagined: Two years in Tananarive, Madagascar working under contract with NASA in ’69 –‘70; living in California, New Hampshire, Michigan, and multiple cities in Minnesota. We both graduated high school in Mound.
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