Dave Wickenden

I grew up in Sudbury, Ontario. It was a mining town about four hours north of Toronto. As kids, we spent every waking moment outside. We were able to roam all over the city. Fishing was just a bike ride away. As long as we were home for supper and then again ½ hour after the streetlights turned on, we were good.

plans,It wasn’t my childhood that made a difference with work ethic; it was my first full-time job after high school. My first job was at a tire shop. It was a job until I could find something better, but work during the recession of the 1980s, there was little to be had. I had dreams of joining a police or fire department. The supervisor I worked for heard this about my plans and for some reason he took exception. He ended giving me all the dirty work. If there were 10 guys standing around, he would single me out to do the job. He thought he was hurting me, but I found that if I did the best job in the least amount of time, he had nothing to complain about. It also helped to pass the day.

That gave me the work ethic—the never give up attitude. As a writer, it has served me well. My first novel took 5 complete rewrites.

My father was a great storyteller. He would tell me about heroes throughout history and the antics he got into as a kid. He also pushed me into reading, which opened the doors to more stories. He paid me $1 for every book I read. After $5, he told me I was on my own, but I was hooked. Movies, books, and even computer games, drag me into the story. Now, it’s my time to give back to other people who love stories.

As a reader, I had always wanted to write. I had written a short story in high school, and my teacher really sang my praises and encouraged me. I would try a few times to write a novel and made some progress, but life kept getting in the way. In 2014, I took an early retirement to do what I had always wanted to do—to write a book. It took 3 years before I got it right and I published in 2018. By Nov. 2020, I would publish 5 novels and 5 screenplay adaptations.

The idea of child abuse has always infuriated me. The laws governing these types of crimes in Canada are a joke. For a few years before taking the plunge, I would pass a sign on the way to our camp and the story started there. If the law would not work to protect children, then someone had too. Thus, my vigilante was born within the pages of In Defense of Innocence.

The character of Daniel has bits and pieces of my friends and I growing up. In fact, many of the characters are loosely based on people I have known. There was a big Al, and a bully named Diego. In fact, the entire setting of the book is my old neighborhood. Martindale baseball field was a place where I spent many a day, as was the Barrens. I as described the slag dump and the pit as they were in 1975. The true inspiration was a walk through the old neighborhood, both on foot and within my memories.

The biggest challenge had to be the research. I wanted to be very accurate when describing how teens worldwide were being radicalized online by ISIS recruiters. I also wanted to portray the Islamic characters in a realistic and respectful manner. I honestly believe that the religion is not the cause of the political problems, but those who would warp the religion for their own uses. History has shown that the western religions have done this same thing in the past. Ideology is not the issue. Men are.

The biggest thing you get from a writing group is encouragement and motivation. And I got both from the guild. I have tremendous support from the group and have made many friends. Now that I have some experience, I am helping others who are newer to the craft. It is a great environment.

I think the toughest criticism was that I used to have huge info dumps. Having come from a business or municipal report writing background, this was understandable. In my past career, attention to details was important—I wasn’t telling a story. I had to learn how to drop information as part of the story rather than ‘dump’ facts to the reader. The best criticism had to do with show rather than tell. I still have to pay attention to this, especially when writing a screenplay with is entirely visual.

My stories will appeal to those who love suspense filled stories that move at blistering speed. My stories look at social issues and the lack of justice within our society, which I think most people can relate to.

I have taken online courses in a variety of writing topics, such as character development, writing for young people, and dialogue. My Writing Guild brings in Brian Henry, who has been a writing coach and teacher for years. I am currently enrolled through Waterloo University in a copyediting course and look forward to a research course in the spring. The life of an author is constant, lifelong learning.

My ideal writing spot was camp, but we sold it a couple of years ago. Now, thanks to my wife, I have a writing room. I prefer absolute quiet with no distractions other than Pachelbel Canon in C mixed with waves.

My wife. She has supported me through this crazy life. Gina puts up with me spending hours hidden away in my writing room while she runs the house and kids. She lets me know when she needs my help, but mostly, she is there for me 24/7/ Nothing without her.

Funny thing; she’s not a reader and has read nothing I’ve written. Taste is personal.

Always something new. I am working on a political thriller that deals with a 92-year-old WWII veteran who has months to live because of prostate cancer. He sees the rise of Nazism and becomes infuriated that the enemies of his youth have found a place in his homeland. He plans on stopping them, but time is running out.

I have a third book planned for the Laura Amour series. This time my vigilante will face off against those who use children as soldiers.

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