This month it's my privilege to be featuring William Dietrich and his new historical thriller, THE DAKOTA CIPHER. Here's a snapshot of this exciting new book:
Ethan Gage is back for his third adventure, on the run to America after a tumultuous tryst with Napoleon Bonaparte's married sister. A Norwegian ally enlists him in a hunt for a legendary Norse artifact, and newly-inaugurated Thomas Jefferson asks Ethan to see if woolly mammoths still survive on the frontier. A titled temptress, a doughty French voyageur, unfriendly Indians and a grizzly bear keep things lively as Gage finds himself an unlikely explorer and hero! At stake is the vast Louisiana Territory.
It has me wondering how a Norse artifact could possibly be related to the Louisiana Territory. I'm intrigued and can't wait to find out!
I asked Dietrich how it all started -- how he became a novelist. "I grew up writing fiction for fun but didn't think I had the skill or insight to make a living at it. Journalism, on the other hand, paid: 25 cents a column inch for my first stringer job! But while I loved newspaper reporting, I never lost the hankering to write a novel. A mid-life bout with cancer (cured), career restlessness, and two trips to Antarctica as a newspaper reporter resulted in a butt kick to actually risk fiction. An editor at Warner named Rick Horgan said, 'Your plot (for 'Ice Reich') won't work as it is but I like your writing, so if you come up with a plot fix by an editorial meeting tomorrow we might buy it.' I did, they did, and here I am."
Dietrich's modesty is evident. A plot fix in one day? One day? That's no easy trick. For most writers, it would be next to impossible. It shows determination and guts -- traits reflected in Ethan Gage. Don't be surprised, there's a lot of William Dietrich in his main character with some fundamental differences. To name a few, Dietrich doesn't gamble, he's a family man instead of a womanizer, a writer instead of a warrior, and judicious instead of impulsive. They say opposites attack... Remember, Gage is character of late eighteenth century, so being a womanizer, a warrior, and impulsive sounds about right to me. As crazy as it sounds, those traits don't take anything away from Ethan's charm.
Ethan Gage is back for his third adventure, on the run to America after a tumultuous tryst with Napoleon Bonaparte's married sister. A Norwegian ally enlists him in a hunt for a legendary Norse artifact, and newly-inaugurated Thomas Jefferson asks Ethan to see if woolly mammoths still survive on the frontier. A titled temptress, a doughty French voyageur, unfriendly Indians and a grizzly bear keep things lively as Gage finds himself an unlikely explorer and hero! At stake is the vast Louisiana Territory.It has me wondering how a Norse artifact could possibly be related to the Louisiana Territory. I'm intrigued and can't wait to find out!
I asked Dietrich how it all started -- how he became a novelist. "I grew up writing fiction for fun but didn't think I had the skill or insight to make a living at it. Journalism, on the other hand, paid: 25 cents a column inch for my first stringer job! But while I loved newspaper reporting, I never lost the hankering to write a novel. A mid-life bout with cancer (cured), career restlessness, and two trips to Antarctica as a newspaper reporter resulted in a butt kick to actually risk fiction. An editor at Warner named Rick Horgan said, 'Your plot (for 'Ice Reich') won't work as it is but I like your writing, so if you come up with a plot fix by an editorial meeting tomorrow we might buy it.' I did, they did, and here I am."
Dietrich's modesty is evident. A plot fix in one day? One day? That's no easy trick. For most writers, it would be next to impossible. It shows determination and guts -- traits reflected in Ethan Gage. Don't be surprised, there's a lot of William Dietrich in his main character with some fundamental differences. To name a few, Dietrich doesn't gamble, he's a family man instead of a womanizer, a writer instead of a warrior, and judicious instead of impulsive. They say opposites attack... Remember, Gage is character of late eighteenth century, so being a womanizer, a warrior, and impulsive sounds about right to me. As crazy as it sounds, those traits don't take anything away from Ethan's charm.
"Ethan is a convenient alter ego who allows me to speculate and comment about life's strangeness without having to take too serious a stand, since I'm as baffled by existence as anyone. Ethan, like all humans, is a bundle of uncertainty and contradictions. I want readers to think my hero is intelligent and interesting without being preachy, so Ethan probably provides more questions than answers. I feel part of his quest is not just for physical treasure but philosophical, and that a reader might enjoy going along with his stumbling steps towards moral self-improvement."
The Ethan Gage novels take place during the Napoleonic era. Dietrich's fascination with the era helps drive his stories. "The period has melodrama. When you see the brilliant uniforms and risqué dresses and lurid furnishings, you realize these people lived life as grand opera, with glorious charges, magnificent ships, and turbulent careers that could end with a bullet or the guillotine. There's enough heroism, lust, romance and glory to satisfy any reader. The world still seemed new; when Napoleon landed in Egypt his troops knew almost nothing about the country they were invading. It is also the era our modern world begins. It was the start of the industrial revolution, fervent nationalism, the secret police, political propaganda, and fads and fashion because of improved literacy and communication. Napoleon himself was so complex and contradictory that rival biographies sometimes seem to be talking about an entirely different person."
I asked how Ethan Gage compares to modern thriller heroes.
"He is quite deliberately modern in his skepticism, in his wry sense of humor, and in his opportunism. He doesn't have the stiffness and earnest certainty of the late 18th Century: Ethan enjoys more freedom and possibility than the real people of that period, who were so tightly confined by birth, class, race and gender. Ethan is unlike modern heroes, however, in that his world-view is smaller, his weaponry is primitive, and his travel-time is slow, so he doesn't have the jet-set efficiency of a James Bond. What modern heroes can do with a machine gun, Ethan has to do with one shot because it takes a full minute to reload! He doesn't know what we know, and in fact some of his predictions about the future are dead wrong. Finally, most modern thriller heroes are more heroic than Ethan Gage, who is a likeable rogue."
Dietrich has also written a couple of novels involving Antarctica. "It's the closest I've been to being on a different planet." It's an area he finds intriguing. "Antarctica is like time-traveling to the Ice Age, and is so beautifully hostile that it hammers home how thin our biological veneer really is. Dazzling sunlight and daunting desolation. When I couldn't generate interest in another non-fiction book, I decided to write ICE REICH, a bioterrorism historic thriller based on a real-life pre-war Nazi expedition to claim a slice of the continent."
Dietrich's descriptions of settings are so realist, they actually become "characters" in his stories. To his credit, he doesn't bog the reader down by over-describing scenes. "I covered the environment as a reporter and am a native of the Pacific Northwest, which has very beautiful and dramatic landscapes. Geography is emotional to me. In all my novels, I feel the landscape is another character that the human characters are reacting against. I also try to give readers a little sense of time-travel and travelogue without being heavy-handed about it. I dislike novels that stop too long to lecture."
With historical thrillers, research plays a big role. I asked Dietrich if he instinctively knows how much to include.
"I wish there was a formula! Like many authors I write books to please myself, so I include the kind and amount of historical research I find interesting. That means leaving out 90 percent of what I learn so the story keeps moving. What I look for are those 'gee-whiz' facts I can drop into the narrative so quickly that the reader is not consciously aware of my homework, and yet comes away from the book feeling they've learned something enjoyable."
Dietrich's point can't be understated. Historical or not, the fiction author's number one goal is to entertain his or her readers, not educate them. This brings up another interesting concept. At the 2008 ThrillerFest, I heard a speaker say, "In a great book, you don't notice the writing." Dittrich subconsciously takes this to heart --his writing style is seamless.
It seems New York Times bestselling authors James Rollins and Steve Berry agree:
"William Dietrich's 'The Dakota Cipher' should be read by anyone who loves adventure at its grandest, or humor both smart and sharp, or romance with a wild heart. For that matter, why even qualify it? The novel should simply be read by everyone." -- James Rollins.
"William Dietrich is a born stylist, moving characters around on an historical chessboard with the assured hand of a master novelist firing on all cylinders. Ethan Gage is a wiry, battle-scarred hero, with great decency, who rings absolutely true. And 'The Dakota Cipher' is a supple, elegant thriller that carries the reader triumphantly from one exciting climax to the next." -- Steve Berry.
That's pretty high praise from two of the industry's "big dogs."
On a more personal level, I asked Dietrich if he needs to carve out "private time" for writing -- blocks of time when he isn't to be disturbed unless the house is on fire.
"My children are grown and my wife teaches elementary school, so I'm pretty spoiled right now. I did do my early writing when everyone was home and had a corner near the kitchen where I could work when things like homework or friends were going on. It helps to have worked in a newsroom, where you get used to noise, distraction, and working on a deadline."
When asked if he'd ever give up teaching at Western Washington University, he said, "I enjoy teaching, and when I've tried writing at home without working at anything else I've found it isolating. It's nice to see a human being! The students' youthful enthusiasm also rejuvenates my own. However, I'm just a half-time assistant professor. If my book career accelerated to the point that it made creative and financial sense to devote 110 percent of my time to it, I wouldn't hesitate. I've yet to find perfect balance in the writing life, and doubt one exists."
Regarding the craft of writing, Dietrich believes in using an outline. "An outline saves me a lot of time and relieves a lot of worry because without one, I have a tendency to write myself into an illogical corner from which I then have to extricate my story. Especially for thrillers, which are so plot-dependent, I recommend it. However, I understand the counter-argument that outlining can rob writing of its excitement and sense of invention. I'm in awe of writers who can apparently make it up as they go along and have it all make sense at the end."
Dietrich has nothing against them, but he doesn't use a freelance editor before submitting a manuscript to his publisher.
"I do show it to my wife! I've also tried to train myself to think like an editor, anticipate what they're looking for, and send in copy that doesn't require major surgery. I've had quite a few editors and most have been supportive and hands-off, except for the necessary nitpicks and corrections. It's also difficult to deal with more than one editor at a time because they don't always agree."
Winning a Pulitzer Prize is a huge honor. I asked if it had significantly changed his life.
"Not in ways you might expect. It was great fun, but it didn't bring any pay raise, promotion, or job offers. I'd already negotiated my first non-fiction book contract, so it didn't help start my book writing career. Nor did I want to do a book on the Exxon Valdez oil spill, which is what I shared a Pulitzer for - I was sick of the subject. It helped very much in less tangible ways. It gives you some identity in the crowded publishing world and probably was a plus in getting contracts. It can lead to a few more speaking engagements (a mixed blessing.) It gives self-confidence, and freed me from that journalism goal so I could try something else, like fiction. It can also cause a little jealousy, or anxiety about living up to the honor. As humorist Russell Baker remarked, at least you know how your obituary will start."
I try to ask this question of all the authors I interview: What advice or encouragement would you give to aspiring authors who have yet to break through?
"I feel like I'm still trying to break through! 'Success' is an ever-receding goal. But, here goes: you need basic writing aptitude, but real talent can be developed by constant writing and reading. Perseverance, hard work, and the willingness to rewrite are the most common attributes of successful writers. Don't give up easily: 'Harry Potter' was rejected 14 times, 'Lord of the Flies' 30 times, etc. etc. Luck is preparation plus opportunity: be ready for your break when it comes! And make it a career, not a hobby. Most authors have written many books before becoming 'overnight successes.'"
William Dietrich is a scholar and a gentleman. His historical thrillers featuring Ethan Gage, have sold into 28 languages. Dietrich is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist for his coverage of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and he's also a professor at Western Washington University. Dietrich has written a dozen books, both fiction and non-fiction, and his research has taken him from the Great Pyramid to the South Pole.
Contributing editor Andrew Peterson
is working on the next novel in a planned series featuring Nathan
McBride, a former Marine sniper. FIRST TO KILL is a finalist for the
Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Awards for Best First Mystery. Andrew
enjoys flying helicopters, scuba diving, long range target shooting,
and a very sad round of golf. He also works as a volunteer
firefighter. Andrew and his wife Carla, live just north of Paso
Robles, California. More information about First to Kill by Andrew Peterson, can be found at AndrewPeterson.com
The Ethan Gage novels take place during the Napoleonic era. Dietrich's fascination with the era helps drive his stories. "The period has melodrama. When you see the brilliant uniforms and risqué dresses and lurid furnishings, you realize these people lived life as grand opera, with glorious charges, magnificent ships, and turbulent careers that could end with a bullet or the guillotine. There's enough heroism, lust, romance and glory to satisfy any reader. The world still seemed new; when Napoleon landed in Egypt his troops knew almost nothing about the country they were invading. It is also the era our modern world begins. It was the start of the industrial revolution, fervent nationalism, the secret police, political propaganda, and fads and fashion because of improved literacy and communication. Napoleon himself was so complex and contradictory that rival biographies sometimes seem to be talking about an entirely different person."I asked how Ethan Gage compares to modern thriller heroes.
"He is quite deliberately modern in his skepticism, in his wry sense of humor, and in his opportunism. He doesn't have the stiffness and earnest certainty of the late 18th Century: Ethan enjoys more freedom and possibility than the real people of that period, who were so tightly confined by birth, class, race and gender. Ethan is unlike modern heroes, however, in that his world-view is smaller, his weaponry is primitive, and his travel-time is slow, so he doesn't have the jet-set efficiency of a James Bond. What modern heroes can do with a machine gun, Ethan has to do with one shot because it takes a full minute to reload! He doesn't know what we know, and in fact some of his predictions about the future are dead wrong. Finally, most modern thriller heroes are more heroic than Ethan Gage, who is a likeable rogue."
Dietrich has also written a couple of novels involving Antarctica. "It's the closest I've been to being on a different planet." It's an area he finds intriguing. "Antarctica is like time-traveling to the Ice Age, and is so beautifully hostile that it hammers home how thin our biological veneer really is. Dazzling sunlight and daunting desolation. When I couldn't generate interest in another non-fiction book, I decided to write ICE REICH, a bioterrorism historic thriller based on a real-life pre-war Nazi expedition to claim a slice of the continent."
Dietrich's descriptions of settings are so realist, they actually become "characters" in his stories. To his credit, he doesn't bog the reader down by over-describing scenes. "I covered the environment as a reporter and am a native of the Pacific Northwest, which has very beautiful and dramatic landscapes. Geography is emotional to me. In all my novels, I feel the landscape is another character that the human characters are reacting against. I also try to give readers a little sense of time-travel and travelogue without being heavy-handed about it. I dislike novels that stop too long to lecture."
With historical thrillers, research plays a big role. I asked Dietrich if he instinctively knows how much to include.
"I wish there was a formula! Like many authors I write books to please myself, so I include the kind and amount of historical research I find interesting. That means leaving out 90 percent of what I learn so the story keeps moving. What I look for are those 'gee-whiz' facts I can drop into the narrative so quickly that the reader is not consciously aware of my homework, and yet comes away from the book feeling they've learned something enjoyable."
Dietrich's point can't be understated. Historical or not, the fiction author's number one goal is to entertain his or her readers, not educate them. This brings up another interesting concept. At the 2008 ThrillerFest, I heard a speaker say, "In a great book, you don't notice the writing." Dittrich subconsciously takes this to heart --his writing style is seamless.
It seems New York Times bestselling authors James Rollins and Steve Berry agree:
"William Dietrich's 'The Dakota Cipher' should be read by anyone who loves adventure at its grandest, or humor both smart and sharp, or romance with a wild heart. For that matter, why even qualify it? The novel should simply be read by everyone." -- James Rollins.
"William Dietrich is a born stylist, moving characters around on an historical chessboard with the assured hand of a master novelist firing on all cylinders. Ethan Gage is a wiry, battle-scarred hero, with great decency, who rings absolutely true. And 'The Dakota Cipher' is a supple, elegant thriller that carries the reader triumphantly from one exciting climax to the next." -- Steve Berry.
That's pretty high praise from two of the industry's "big dogs."
On a more personal level, I asked Dietrich if he needs to carve out "private time" for writing -- blocks of time when he isn't to be disturbed unless the house is on fire.
"My children are grown and my wife teaches elementary school, so I'm pretty spoiled right now. I did do my early writing when everyone was home and had a corner near the kitchen where I could work when things like homework or friends were going on. It helps to have worked in a newsroom, where you get used to noise, distraction, and working on a deadline."
When asked if he'd ever give up teaching at Western Washington University, he said, "I enjoy teaching, and when I've tried writing at home without working at anything else I've found it isolating. It's nice to see a human being! The students' youthful enthusiasm also rejuvenates my own. However, I'm just a half-time assistant professor. If my book career accelerated to the point that it made creative and financial sense to devote 110 percent of my time to it, I wouldn't hesitate. I've yet to find perfect balance in the writing life, and doubt one exists."
Regarding the craft of writing, Dietrich believes in using an outline. "An outline saves me a lot of time and relieves a lot of worry because without one, I have a tendency to write myself into an illogical corner from which I then have to extricate my story. Especially for thrillers, which are so plot-dependent, I recommend it. However, I understand the counter-argument that outlining can rob writing of its excitement and sense of invention. I'm in awe of writers who can apparently make it up as they go along and have it all make sense at the end."
Dietrich has nothing against them, but he doesn't use a freelance editor before submitting a manuscript to his publisher.
"I do show it to my wife! I've also tried to train myself to think like an editor, anticipate what they're looking for, and send in copy that doesn't require major surgery. I've had quite a few editors and most have been supportive and hands-off, except for the necessary nitpicks and corrections. It's also difficult to deal with more than one editor at a time because they don't always agree."
Winning a Pulitzer Prize is a huge honor. I asked if it had significantly changed his life.
"Not in ways you might expect. It was great fun, but it didn't bring any pay raise, promotion, or job offers. I'd already negotiated my first non-fiction book contract, so it didn't help start my book writing career. Nor did I want to do a book on the Exxon Valdez oil spill, which is what I shared a Pulitzer for - I was sick of the subject. It helped very much in less tangible ways. It gives you some identity in the crowded publishing world and probably was a plus in getting contracts. It can lead to a few more speaking engagements (a mixed blessing.) It gives self-confidence, and freed me from that journalism goal so I could try something else, like fiction. It can also cause a little jealousy, or anxiety about living up to the honor. As humorist Russell Baker remarked, at least you know how your obituary will start."
I try to ask this question of all the authors I interview: What advice or encouragement would you give to aspiring authors who have yet to break through?
"I feel like I'm still trying to break through! 'Success' is an ever-receding goal. But, here goes: you need basic writing aptitude, but real talent can be developed by constant writing and reading. Perseverance, hard work, and the willingness to rewrite are the most common attributes of successful writers. Don't give up easily: 'Harry Potter' was rejected 14 times, 'Lord of the Flies' 30 times, etc. etc. Luck is preparation plus opportunity: be ready for your break when it comes! And make it a career, not a hobby. Most authors have written many books before becoming 'overnight successes.'"
William Dietrich is a scholar and a gentleman. His historical thrillers featuring Ethan Gage, have sold into 28 languages. Dietrich is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist for his coverage of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and he's also a professor at Western Washington University. Dietrich has written a dozen books, both fiction and non-fiction, and his research has taken him from the Great Pyramid to the South Pole.
Contributing editor Andrew Peterson
is working on the next novel in a planned series featuring Nathan
McBride, a former Marine sniper. FIRST TO KILL is a finalist for the
Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Awards for Best First Mystery. Andrew
enjoys flying helicopters, scuba diving, long range target shooting,
and a very sad round of golf. He also works as a volunteer
firefighter. Andrew and his wife Carla, live just north of Paso
Robles, California. More information about First to Kill by Andrew Peterson, can be found at AndrewPeterson.com
