1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
Writing was therapy for me. I came out late in life, so when I did, writing was the obvious way to “let it all out”.
2) What inspired you to write your book?
I’ve been in a fabulous writing group for many years. Each month we write short stories for each other’s entertainment. A couple of people in the group were published and I thought, why not me? I didn’t have a big novel burning inside me, and throughout my life I’d written almost exclusively factual content, for news, documentaries, and magazine articles. But I’ve always loved mysteries .
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
A Death in Berlin is set in Germany in 1933 just as Hitler becomes Chancellor. I want people to understand that fascism can resurge at any time, and nobody spots it happening at the time.
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
I’m fascinated by the events of the twentieth century. So much technological development, so many wars, so much social change. I think it’s the most intense centuries in terms of what happened. Plus it’s well documented so it’s easier to write about than any other century.
5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?
The character of Bill (real name Florence Miles) is based on a real person called Florence Milnes. She was the first executive appointed by the newly formed British Broadcasting Corporation in the 1920s. I’d like to ask her how on earth did she manage to rise to such a senior position in those times, when she was both a woman and a lesbian.
6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
I suppose Goodreads. Readers can be pretty hurtful on there, but the praise outweighs the negative comments so it’s worth it. I don’t understand the apparent glee with which some readers write vile comments, either about my or other people’s books. There’s a real lack of respect among a (fortunately) few people.
7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Write! It’s a muscle that must be exercised. Self-editing is the worst blockage to writing. The first draft of anything is never going to be perfect. And that inhibits a lot of people. You have to overcome that and get something written down.
8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
I’m planning the third book in this particular historical mystery series. It’s going to be set in Paris at the outbreak of the second world war and features Noël Coward very heavily.
About the Author
Men in love, men in jeopardy.
David C. Dawson is an award-winning writer of page-turner thrillers with a gay theme and the occasional romance.
His latest novel A Death in Bloomsbury was published in November 2021.
His debut novel, The Necessary Deaths, won bronze for Best Mystery & Suspense in the FAPA chairman’s award. It became the first in the Dominic Delingpole series. The other two books are The Deadly Lies and A Foreign Affair.
His first mystery romance For the Love of Luke was published in October 2018 followed by Heroes in Love.
David lives in London with his boyfriend and ageing motorbike.
You can read his blog here: http://bit.ly/DavidCDawsonblog
In his spare time, David tours Europe on his ageing Triumph motorbike and sings with the London Gay Men’s Chorus.
https://www.davidcdawson.co.uk/
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