A Notepad and a Dream - Alex Nader

In a new series I'm calling 'A Notepad and a Dream', I'll be interviewing up-and-coming authors about their books, their writing process and their future plans.  If you have a book shortly due for release and would like to take part, or know someone else who would, please let me know via the 'Contact Me' page above.

In the second 'A Notepad and a Dream' episode, Alex Nader talks about Tennessee noir and running out of whiskey.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your novel?

I'm a pretty lame dude overall.  Two day jobs distract me from three kids, an awesome wife, and these books that I can't seem to stop myself from penning.  My next release is going to be Burdin's End, the final book of the Beasts of Burdin trilogy, and it will be available on July 1st of this year barring any major catastrophes like running out of whiskey.  That happened once.  It was awful.

Your Beasts of Burdin series focuses on a demon hunter-turned-gumshoe who is trying to withdraw from the supernatural world.  What inspired you in your choice of subject matter?

A little bit of everything, but mostly classic noir like The Maltese Falcon and the Philip Marlowe series. I wanted to write something like that, but I'm not near as talented as Hammett or Chandler so I added lots of explosions and beheading to make up for my lack of skill.

At the start of the first novel, the main character, Ty Burdin, leaves Miami for a more peaceful life in Tennessee.  To what extent is the Tennessee in your novel shaped by your own experiences?

I once moved here as well.  It was a new experience, but now Tennessee is my home.  I've seen and learned a lot here and yeah, some of that has crept its way into my writing.  Let me tell you, this place, it's crawling with demons.

What was the hardest part of writing your book? 

Including words other than the cuss words.  Apparently other people's vocabulary is made up of more than four letter words.  I know, weird, right?

Who is your favorite author and what is it that you most admire about their work?

I've got a few favorites, but I have to say Joe Hill stands above them all.  He has this raw ability to make you feel and he uses it to take you on a ride in all of his work.  I'm fucking jealous.

What are your future writing goals?

I dunno, find some more readers, maybe?  Have some fun.  Yeah, that's it.  I want to have a lot of fun.  Writing is about the coolest thing ever, no need to screw it up with things like goals and expectations.  C'est la vie, brah, c'est la vie.

This entry will be updated with links when BURDIN'S END is available to purchase.

More info about Alex's books can be found here, with links to buy them from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

www.alexnader.com