Local Exeter College alumni, Tom Dawn, has recently published his first novel. Tom completed a series of adult Creative Writing courses with the college. We caught up with him to find out more about the novel and how the classes helped him finish it.

Why did you enrol on the creative writing course and what did you hope to gain from doing it?

Since I had the idea when I was twenty, I’ve meant to write a book. I thought the course would give me some added oomph, which it did. Also I do enjoy the social aspect of evening classes, and it turned out to be a very friendly and talented group of people. We still meet up on alternate weeks.

How did the course help you write the book?

I think we all have it in us to write, and we just need to practice. The course makes you do that, and it added some formal ideas on top of what I already knew instinctively. That was very helpful.

Where did the ideas for the book come from?

There are lots of ideas in the book and it evolved a lot as I went along. When you’re writing a book you puzzle over the how and the why a lot, and some of my best ideas are solutions to the problems that I was tussling with in the evening as I went to bed. I’d often wake up in the middle of the night with the answer. So a short answer to your question is: sleepless nights.

The thing that surprised me is how the characters came to life. Sometimes they ‘did’ things which I wouldn’t have thought of. That might sound a bit weird, but they have become real to me now!

Tell us a bit about the plot.

A guy called Marc is the main character. He loves diving until he’s involved in a tragic accident. Then he loses it completely. I mean he loses his job and his best buddy and his confidence. He has a kind of a mental meltdown and, as the saying goes, the Devil makes work for idle hands. He begins a relationship with just the wrong person and before he knows it, he’s been sucked into a life-or-death intrigue and has to find the will and the means to survive.

What are your plans for the future?

I’m writing a sequel to the first book. It’s code-named The Lonely Island, but it will probably have a different name by the time it comes out. Will there be a third? One thing at a time, please!

How did you go about getting the book published?

I self-published, which is relatively easy to do nowadays. There’s still a learning curve, but I enjoyed the challenge. People are sometimes a bit rude about self-published authors, but read the book first and then make your judgement! I will look for a publisher for my next book though, even though everyone says it’s tough.

If you would like to buy Tom’s book then it is available for purchase on Amazon or from Crediton Community Bookshop.

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