Alan R Warren Interview Published on: 29, Mar 2019
Where did you grow up as a child? What was your favourite holiday as a child and why?
In the suburbs of Vancouver, B.C. Canada Thanksgiving holiday because of the Turkey dinner
Did you always dream of becoming a writer? How and when did you decide to become a Radio Host?No never thought of being a writer- always dreamed of radio and started to DJ as a kid
How did you ended up hosting the Popular True Crime History Radio show 'House of Mystery'? If you were hiring a person for this job, what would you look for?I got lucky and did an interview that was popular- if I was looking for someone they’d have to be pretty easy going and likes dark comedy
As an Author, what do you believe is your best asset? What three words would you use to describe yourself?facts analysis humor
At what age, exactly, did you start writing books? What was your first story about and do you plan on ever incorporating those early ideas into a published book in the future?20 years old - no plans
How do you think holding multiple degrees in Religious Studies, Music, Criminology and Recording & Sound Engineering has contributed to your skills? Do you write about your college days in your books?Just the discipline getting the degrees and learning how to do research
What kind of experience do you have performing producers' duties for the Z Talk Radio Network?A lot of teaching as most people involved in digital radio don’t have much training
How did you begin with writing the True Crime that shocked the nation in the book, "Above Suspicion?" Did you expect it to become a best seller?It was a project I had, and I didn’t expect it to sell well at all , and now there’s a second updated version of the book with more information- the original was just a short read that was part of a book series
What were some of the harder aspects of depicting the true story of Rodney Alcalain in "THE KILLING GAME?" What about the story do you love and hate the most?Because the crimes happened so long ago the hardest part was finding people still alive that were part of the crimes
Are there any "rules" that you like to stick too when writing True Crime? What draws you in the most about this genre?I like cases that show readers how the justice system works from the inside
What was the most challenging part about making Crimes Canada: True Crimes That Shocked the Nation a 19 books series? Which book in the entire series took the longest to write?Selecting the most important information to use in the book because they are limited in size
How was your experience of collaborating with RJ Parker while writing the book, "Beyond Suspicion?" How much time did you spend reasearching and studying the case?That was almost two years , always good working with RJ
Share with us the best advice you've ever received. When it comes to writing, what are some of your hopes and ambitions?Write from the gut or heart - no real hopes as for ambitions it’s just to give people entertainment
Can we expect any more books to be added to the Crimes Canada: True Crimes That Shocked the Nation series? What are you working on at the moment?I’m not sure about the Canada series, that’s up to the publisher - currently just finished ‘ Women in Chains’ about human trafficking
Alan R Warren Interview Published on: 15, Jun 2018
Where were you born and where did you grow up? How would you describe your childhood?
I grew up in Vancouver BC Canada and lived in the suburbs in a middle class neighbourhood. I spent most of my time alone as my siblings were quite a bit older and finished school before I even attended and moved out. My mother was sick and was hospitalized most of my teenage years, so I would finish school and take a bus to the hospital, eat and watch some tv with her then go home to my dog
Who all are a part of your family? Who has had the most contribution in your personality?Probably all of my family has impacted my life and it’s really just the last few years that I have realized this
Where did you go to college and what did you study? How has that helped you write?I went to Douglas College and took a Bachelor of Arts with a major in music and minor in law, then transferred to the university of Washington in seattle and graduated with a masters in music
With your long association with radio, we believe that you are an avid listener of radio shows. Did you also listen to radio while you were growing up? Which was your favorite show?I listened to radio shows every night , as I quite often still do ! Back the suspense or the shadow were my favourite as I liked mystery shows. I did listen to all talk radio though
Crime is a rather dark genre to write in. Does it affect you mentally and personally in any way? How do you deal with it?Actually it usually doesn’t affect me, the first time it has had an impact on me was the current book ‘ last man standing ‘ has had on me . The only thing I can say is that you have to work out all of your feelings as they come up during the writing .
What do you like the most about your job as a radio show host?Meeting people from all over the world and finding out about how they live their lives and how different cultures deal with crime and mystery issues
Of all the shows you produce on different genres- History, Paranormal, Crime, etc., which one do you enjoy the most? Why?Crime usually and that’s only because it’s easier to get the facts than in the paranormal, which so much relies on feelings
What inspired you to write your book ‘Confessions of Murder’?Confessions like quite s few other books I’ve written were mainly driven from an issue in the Canadian justice system that most people are not aware of so in the case of confessions it’s about the undercover RCMP sting that would be considered entrapment in most countries
Crimes Canada series has 19 books as of now. How many more might come up in the future?I can’t really say, it’s a project developed by the publisher and they get writers to do the stories. I’m guessing as long as there’s shocking crimes in Canada
What about the true crime genre is most attractive to you?Discovering how people really live, and how people treat each other
Since you write true crime stories, ensuring credibility of facts is very important. How do you achieve that?You have to get all police records, court transcripts and then talk to as many people involved as possible to get the feel for why people think and act the way they do towards the crime
How do you make sure that readers who have little or no idea about the events of Mr. big Stings find your book 'Confessions of Murder' interesting and informative?Give them the facts and let them process the details and hopefully they become more aware of what’s happening around them
What are the other genres you wish to explore in the future?History and afterlife , God verses science
Which is the next book you are writing? When will it be released?It is ‘ Jack McCullough is the Last Man Standing ‘ about how he was convicted of the oldest cold case in America and then released after years of imprisonment when they found out that he was really innocent it is planned for a September release
