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I was born in July, 1976 in the West Midlands and spent the first six years of my life in Bewdley near Kidderminster, before moving to Tenbury Wells, Shropshire where many members of my family still live. At around thirteen years of age I spent one bored Summer afternoon sitting in the back garden of a restaurant where my mother worked, reading a book my aunt had ordered by mistake from a book club. Stephen King’s Misery, wasn’t exactly her cup of tea, but it was, as I was soon to find out, mine. I devoured the novel and found within its pages the inspiration to write my own stories. The first, Revenge, was very much a tentative footstep in the general direction of storytelling, i.e. it’s not exactly my finest piece of work. The story lasted only six pages, (luckily) was very Misery-derivative, and more than a little contrived and predictable. But we all have to start somewhere, and there was as good a place as any. During my last few years of high school I tried a few more short stories, then attempted a book, Carnival, which eventually ended up as a large short story, possibly a novella, about a travelling carnival of genetically modified animals and freaks. I still have a copy of it, typed out on an old Olivetti typewriter given to me by an uncle. Even now the smell of typewriters (a heady mix of ink and metal) brings back memories. Personal Computers will always be my weapon of choice when it comes to word-processing, but they have none of the excitement, the romance, the immediacy of typewriters. Like Revenge, Carnival hasn’t really stood the test of time, but I was young… At least, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. Since 1991 I’ve written pretty much constantly. Through my college years in Worcester (1992-95), my university years (1995-98) and the years since, I’ve found it difficult to leave a keyboard alone. The Hand of the Devil began as a short story entitled Epicure in the Terrible, which had a length of about eleven thousand words. The two stories are very similar in tone, but with notable differences. In the short story the main character is shipwrecked on the island after accidentally murdering a sailor, and is little more than food for the Ganges Red. Mather is present, though he has none of the depth he has in the book, and the ending of the short story is left open unlike the novel. In 1999 I spent six months working as a temp for Transworld Publishers in Ealing, London. I worked in the post-room, and found the company, and indeed the industry, very much to my liking. I had ambitions back then to eventually write a book and submit it, but I had no idea of what was to come. In fact it would be four more years before I had my lucky break. I returned to Shropshire for a couple of years and worked for Hammicks Bookshop in Worcester, before being offered a permanent job back at Transworld, an opportunity I jumped at. So in 2002 I returned to London, having already begun adapting Epicure in the Terrible into a book, and a year down the line at a Transworld/Random House Children’s Books Christmas party I happened to sit at the same table as the wonderful, talented, and highly respected editor, Charlie Sheppard. A colleague and I were lingering at the bar, waiting for our drinks, and because of this ended up grabbing the last available table as people sat down to eat. A few other people joined us, including Charlie, and it soon became clear to her that I was the ‘Dean Carter’ who had been sending silly emails around the company. She asked if I’d written anything… And the rest is history. The Bookseller Email has been in existence for over three years now, and began at the behest of my boss, to inform many members of staff that the trade magazine The Boookseller had arrived. For some reason, possibly because of general boredom and a writer’s irrepressible urge to make anything written more interesting, whether it be a letter, email or greetings card message, I added a joke or two. A week later I did the same thing, perhaps with a few more jokes, and the same the week after, and the week after etc. I imagine a lot of companies wouldn’t tolerate this sort of misuse of company resources… But not Transworld/Random House… Not the publishing industry. In some places cheekiness is encouraged. Kept in check certainly, but encouraged. And I thank the heavens on a daily basis that I was cheeky… And that I was encouraged. D. V. Carter |
| Full Name: | Dean Vincent Carter |
| Date of Birth: | 09-07-76 |
| Place of Birth: | Bromsgrove, UK |
| Gender: | Male |
| Occupation: | Author / Publishing |
| Education: | Degree |
| Location: | West London, UK |
| Appearance | |
| Weight: | 82kg |
| Height: | 6’ 3” (189 cm) |
| Eyes: | Brown/Green |
| Hair Colour: | Brown/Blond |
| Facial Hair: | None |
| Skin Tone: | Fair |
| Additional Information | |
| Astrological Sign: | Cancer |
| Interests: |
Reading, writing, movies, music, art, running |
| Influences: |
Edgar Allen Poe, H. P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, Robert Rodriguez, |
| Bands/Artists: |
John Fogerty, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Green Day, Pearl Jam, REM, Incubus, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Divine Comedy, Alabama 3, The Pixies, The Cramps, The Black Crowes, The Killers, |
| TV Shows: |
The Sopranos, LOST, 24, Prison Break, C.S.I., The Simpsons, Frasier, Blackadder, Farscape, The X-Files, Family Guy, Supernatural, Crank Yankers |
Movies |
Withnail and I, Fight Club, Sin City, In the Mouth of Madness, Glengarry Glen Ross, Gladiator, Lord of the Rings, Belleville Rendez-Vous, Se7en, The Ninth Gate, Oh Brother Where Art Thou?, V for Vendetta.
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| Reccommended Reads | An Instance of the Fingerpost - Iain Pears The Eight - Catherine Neville The Dante Club - Matthew Pearl Gates of Fire - Steven Pressfield Emperor (The Series) - Conn Iggulden The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger |
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(Frequently Asked Questions)
Q: How long have you been writing? A: I began writing recreationally when I was thirteen or fourteen years old. My first short story was entitled Revenge and was inspired by reading my first Stephen King novel Misery. As a first effort Revenge isn’t bad, but it hasn’t exactly stood the test of time! I’ve been writing short stories almost constantly since then (about fifteen years). The Hand of the Devil is my first novel, but writing something full-length turned out to be less of a nightmare than I expected. Thank God.
A: My second novel Hunting Season (working title) is now at the editing stage. I don’t have a firm publication date yet. Keep checking the News and My Books sections for information and updates. One thing I can say is that the book will be a corker! I’m very pleased with it.
A: The rights to the movie haven’t been sold yet, but the interest from various studios so far has been huge! The plan is to wait until publication when things will no doubt go ballistic, then sell the book to the highest bidder. Hopefully it’ll be a feeding frenzy! A movie would be great, I just hope that the director stays true to the soul of the book. He could always hire me as a consultant…
A: Practice makes perfect… Seriously. I think writers are born with talent, but some of us (i.e. me) have to work hard to develop that talent in order to compete with those who are ‘naturals.’ I’ve written a lot of short stories, and the quality has increased over the years thanks to persistence. If you are serious about having a book published, write it! Half the battle is actually completing a manuscript (can be a lot harder than you think). A complete novel is a finished product, and once you have one you’ll need to find the right person to sell it for you. It’s a waste of time submitting a short story or a half-finished book to a publishing house or agent because there is nothing they can do with it. Don’t ‘think’ about writing… Do it! A waste-basket full of crumpled up pages and half-ideas may seem a waste of time, but it isn’t. It’s practice, development, honing. It all counts. If you are unsure of how to start, begin a diary. You may just be recording ordinary everyday events, but you’re still writing, you’re still deciding which words to use, how to form those sentences. Your talent will most likely develop without you even realising it. The most boring letter can be increasing your power as a writer. Oh… One more thing. Read! I wouldn’t be a writer now if I’d never picked up a book. Reading isn’t just enjoyable for a writer, it’s inspirational and educational. Assimilate the styles, sentence structure, dialogue and description. Read as many different authors and genres as you can. And don’t just stick to fiction. Factual books are written by talented people too!
A: The simple answer to that is ‘no’ I’m afraid. If you’ve written something and would like an opinion on it, you would be far better off sending it to an agent or publisher. I’m a writer, not an editor, and therefore my view wouldn’t be a professional one, it could even be biased, or dishonest. The last thing I want to do is hurt your feelings. Have a look in The Writer’s Handbook or The Writer’s and Artist’s Yearbook for information on agents and publishers. These books also contain valuable information for budding writers.
A: I try to read as many different authors as possible (when I have the time), though there are authors I keep going back to, mainly Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen Pressfield (author of the incredible Gates of Fire. To be honest, it’s unusual for me to stick to an author book after book as I think I have a short concentration span! I like to jump genres and authors regularly depending on what my interests are at a given time and what recommendations friends and family have made. My favourite authors at the moment include Conn Iggulden (author of the excellent Emperor series), Dan Brown, Catherine Neville (author of The Eight) as well as many more too numerous to mention (or remember). I don’t read as often as I’d like, but I still think it’s the most valuable activity one can do with their spare time.
A: Yes… As much as possible. If you want to arrange a visit, or know someone who does, then write to the address on the Contacts page. I can’t arrange visits myself, but the lovely people at Random House will be more than happy to help. They will know when I’m available (probably better than I will) and will you give you further information. If you are a student and want your teacher/librarian to arrange for me to visit, keep pestering them until they do something about it, and if necessary give them a copy of The Hand of the Devil to read!
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© Dean Vincent Carter 2006. All rights reserved.