“We will find you. And we will kill you.”

An ex-journalist and soon-to-be author, Henry Wilkins is about to shock the world. He has unearthed the story that nobody wants out there, and is about to publish a novel that will uncover one of the great mysteries of mankind. 

Is there life beyond us?

Somebody, or rather, something, is adamant that this secret will stay hidden, and will make sure that Henry Wilkins ceases his work. Immediately. Or very bad things will start to happen. And then Henry will scream, and scream, and scream.

Hello book lovers! Today is a day where I will be writing another author spotlight for a well-accomplished author whose work I have loved. As you know book lovers I love learning about authors and the inspiration behind their work, it fascinates me and adds to the depth of the book because the reader will be able to better understand it. That is how the author spotlights were created because I soon discovered that you lovely readers ALSO love learning about author’s, so I am excited to tell you a little bit more about author Dylan Carmody whose book Cold December thrilled but also terrified me from beginning to end. I personally would recommend this book to all of those that love horror but really the book can be read by anybody as it is flawlessly written and highly enjoyable. With today’s author spotlight for Dylan Carmody, a biography of the author and an interview between us both will be shared, and I hope that you book lovers enjoy reading it! To kick this off here is an author bio about the wonderful Dylan Carmody!

Dylan Carmody is a young, up and coming Australian based author/journalist. At 21 years old, Dylan has published two short stories with Amazon Kindle, and is currently in the midst of writing his first novel. 

Having graduated from RMIT University with a Bachelor of Communication, Dylan has interned with various news organisations in Melbourne. He sometimes speaks his mind on The Trade Table podcast and occasionally writes sports pieces for The Roar. 

His favourite novel is Stephen King’s IT, because who doesn’t love murderous clowns that eat children?! He loves a hit of cricket, and playing the guitar badly.

If you want to find out more about Dylan and his new releases, make sure to check out his Twitter @dylcarmody77 , or his website:www.dylcarmodyjournalist.wordpress.com.au.

Now, how wonderful does Dylan Carmody sound?! The author is a truly exceptional writer and I hope that you lovely readers have a read of the author’s work because you will not regret it! Please see below an interview between us both, I hope that you enjoy the author’s answers to my questions, they are incredible and provide some great advice too!

Thank you for joining us today at Red Headed Book Lover! Please tell us more about yourself 

Thank you for having me! I’m a 21 year old from Melbourne, Australia, and have just completed my degree in a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism). I love writing, and have been writing stories ever since I was 10 years old. I love sport, and am a pretty big cricket lover, as well as Aussie Rules footy. Cold December is my first short story that I published, which was something I was proud to be able to do.

Could you please tell us readers about your book and what inspired you to write your book?

Cold December is a science-fiction/horror story set in the fictional town of Kingsvale, USA. Taking place in the 1980’s, it follows the story of journalist-turned-author Henry Wilkins after he discovers a UFO crash. After his pitches to various media outlets fail to garner attention, Henry decides to take it upon himself to show the world what he has found. But there are people, or things, that will do whatever it takes to make sure that this secret stays hidden.

I had wanted to write a horror story for a while, and was looking for something to spark an idea. I was a big Buzzfeed Unsolved fan, and came across their Men in Black YouTube video, and it gave me the idea. It only made sense for me that if we have been in contact with alien life that there would be certain people wanting to keep that from getting out to the wider public.

What would your advice be for aspiring writers?

The constant advice I always hear is that you have to always read and write, which is true, as there is no point in having great ideas in your head, you have to get them onto paper. But that has been said over and over, so I’ll stay away from that.

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard, which I think doesn’t get enough attention, is to always make sure your writing means something. Whatever you write, make sure it adds to the story. Don’t put something in just to fill space, always ensure that there is a reason you are writing particular things.

In your opinion, what is the most important thing about a book? 

It’s a pretty obvious answer, but any book that is written has to capture and keep your interest. Sure, there are going to be times in books that it can be slightly boring to get from point A to point B, but the book has to be an interesting story, otherwise what is the point in writing it?

What is your writing process like?

Usually, I try and plan out a rough plan of a story, and have an idea of where it is going to go. From there, I’ll start to write out particular scenes, usually in order, but if I’m getting stuck, I’ll go onto another scene and work out how to connect the two later. With longer projects, I’ll have more planning, such as characters, timelines, environments and such. Most of the time though, I’m just writing and working it out as I go.

Do you have a set schedule for writing, or do you only write when you feel inspired?

I try to wake up around 9am or so, grab some breakfast and then write. I’ll have mental breaks every so often, go watch a short YouTube video or something, but usually it is just trying to write. I try to stick to that process every day, and it’s hard at times because I’m a lazy person and can get stuck procrastinating, so I try to keep to a schedule. The main focus for me is just to make sure I write every day. Whether it is a short story I’m working on, or a novel, or even just a small piece that won’t go anywhere, as long as I can keep that process of writing something every day then I think I’m going in the right direction.

Do you read much and if so who are your favorite authors?

I’ve gotten better with reading more, I used to read a heap when I was a kid, but that sort of waned when I got older, so I’ve been making a conscious effort to get back into it. One of my friends is a big reader, and she’s recommended a few books, including getting me onto Truman Capote’s ‘In Cold Blood’, telling me that I haven’t read it is basically sacrilege.

One of my favourite authors though is Stephen King. I’ve loved his work ever since I was about 10 years old. I love his style, and the fact he doesn’t stick to one genre in his work. He writes children so well, and the best thing he does is write character, which I think is so important in horror, because it isn’t the monster who carries the story, it is the people who are experiencing the terror. Easily my favourite novel is IT, which in my mind is his best work.

Lastly, when can we readers expect to read more wonderful books from you?  

Well, I’ve recently released a new short story on the Amazon Kindle store called Tell Me You Love Me, which is available for only a dollar! I’m currently working on a novel, which will take place around a church and the death of a nun, and I have another short story, which will hopefully come out sometime early next year.

Its official book lovers, I am obsessed with Dylan Carmody! If you have liked what you have read about the author and are interested in learning more about Dylan Carmody, then please do have a browse of the links below and be sure to have a read of the preview too! You will not regret it.

Goodbye for now book lovers,

Amazon U.S. – Amazon U.K. – Goodreads

Dylan Carmody: Amazon Author Page – Website – Twitter