Sean Ellis Interview

Okay, I admit it.  I'm a sucker for an edge-of-your-seat adventure with a hero I just can't get enough of.  That's why this month I invited Sean Ellis to talk about 'The Adventures of Dodge Dalton' - a new soon-to-be series packed with fast-paced action and unforgetable characters you are sure to love. 
The first book in the Dodge Dalton series is 'In the Shadow of Falcon's Wings', an electrifying journey with a classic pulp-era action hero who snags your attention right from the start.

But enough of my own critique.  Let's let Sean tell you about it himself!  Welcome Sean!

First, thanks for having me over for a visit.

Tell us a little about Dodge Dalton. --


Dodge Dalton is the name of the hero in what will be a series of adventure novels set in the 1930’s or what I call “the Golden Age of Adventure.” The series is an homage to the era of pulp magazines which really peaked in that time period, and particularly a subset called the hero pulp. The best example of hero pulp would be the Doc Savage stories, which featured a protagonist with superlative strength and intelligence traveling the earth, fighting evil. You can still hear the echo of the pulps in today’s adventure fiction. Indiana Jones is based as much on the pulp hero characters as he was on the matinee serials of the day. Both Clive Cussler and James Rollins have cited Doc Savage

 specifically as an influence in their work, and there’s a rather vibrant pulp community still putting out original material through independent press outlets.

With respect to the character, Dodge Dalton is himself a pulp writer, and when the first novel opens, we learn that he has achieved success with a series called The Adventures of Captain Falcon. Dodge’s co-writer, has always claimed that the stories were based on his own experiences with the “real” Captain Falcon, and Dodge soon learns there’s more than a little truth to the fiction as he sets out on a desperate quest to find the real Captain Falcon.

The first novel “In the Shadow of Falcon’s Wings” is very much about passing the torch. I started with a concept like this: Doc Savage has gone missing. It’s up to a young hero to track him down, and along the way, he’ll become a hero in his own right. Of course, I couldn’t use Doc Savage because of licensing, but I think you get the idea.

What do you hope readers to come away with when reading you Dodge Dalton?--

An overwhelming desire to rush out and buy my other books. But seriously, my mindset has always been to write the kind of books I’ve love to read. There is a lot of action, some close calls and some hopefully unexpected twists, and if I’ve done my job right, some characters that the reader will care about. I think of my books as the literary equivalent of a popcorn movie. If a person reading my book says: ‘This would be an awesome movie,’ then I’ve accomplished exactly what I set out to.

What surprised you most in researching for this book? --

First, let me just say I love doing research. Alot of my research is done to add texture to the story. I focus on getting little details right so that the reader will feel a little more grounded for when I ask them to suspend disbelief for the really ‘out there’ stuff. Because this is a period piece, I really have to double check almost everything I write. Whenever there’s a car or a plane, I have to hit the books to figure out exactly which one I’m going to use, and then make sure that I’m representing it correctly in the historic context.

The centerpiece of the story is the Boeing 314, an airplane that we mostly remember simply as the Clippership. In fact, there were a few different planes that were called Clippers during this era, but the Boeing Clipper is the one we remember most, partly because it shows up in a lot of movies (including my favorite, Raiders of the Lost Ark) and often as an anachronism. In fact, the Boeing wasn’t used in commercial service until 1939, so in this story, it appears as an experimental prototype that’s been stolen by the villain. Recently, I did a little feature for the Dodge Dalton Facebook page in which I wrote about the planes in the novel, and I discovered that there’s still a lot of confusion about the when and where for the Clipper.

Who or What encouraged you to become a writer? --

I think I’ve always had an affinity for creative storytelling. I know that my desire to write my own stories came directly from the stories I was reading and the Saturday morning cartoon shows I loved watching. I guess I couldn’t get enough, so I decided to write my own. I can specifically recall that my first big writing project was an epic fantasy that I undertook in 6th grade (7th maybe? Can’t quite remember). My only desire then was to simply get the story written--longhand--but a school counselor (whose name, alas, I cannot remember) asked to read it, and then to my complete surprise, typed it out for me. That was probably the first time anyone ever showed some interest in my ability as a writer.

My first attempt at writing for publication began back in the late 80’s when I tried my luck with some short stories in science fiction and horror magazines, but those markets were already in decline and that went nowhere. It wasn’t until a few years later, that I cranked out my first adventure novel and made a real effort to get it published.

What inspired you to write adventure stories? --

Two words: Indiana Jones. As a kid, I loved science fiction and as I started building my personal library, there were a lot of science fiction and fantasy titles there. I loved the sword & sorcery genre, especially the Conan stories, but also the big epics--Terry Brooks and Stephen R. Donaldson made a real impression on me (much more than Tolkien). Then one day my parents decided to take us to this new movie produced by the guy who made Star Wars. I didn’t know much about it going in, but coming out…everything changed. I fell in love with the idea of archaeology and treasure hunting, and pretty soon there was a new shelf in the library. Pretty soon I discovered Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt series, and that was probably the final push I needed to get me--creatively speaking--out of the science fiction/fantasy universe, and into adventure.
Are you currently working on any other projects? --

The first Dodge Dalton book has probably been my most successful release to date, and I want to build on that by getting more Dodge books out as regularly as I can. At least one a year. Book #2 is with my editor and I’m building up steam on #3.

But aside from Dodge, I’m gearing up for the release of the second novel in a contemporary action-thriller series featuring a character named Nick Kismet. The first Nick Kismet thriller, “The Shroud of Heaven” was released as an ebook in 2008, and in print in the summer of 2009, and I was eager to move forward with the second book, but unfortunately my publisher shifted their focus exclusively to romantic fiction, so Kismet #2 was homeless for a long time. But my publisher for the Dodge Dalton series is very excited to bring Kismet into the fold, so later this year, Kismet #2 “Into the Black” will be released. Ideally, I’d like to get a Nick Kismet title out once a year as well, so I’ve got my work cut out for me.

I’m also shopping a novel that features a mildly precognitive treasure-hunting heroine, and that could develop into a trilogy depending on how it’s received. I have a tentative commitment from another publishing house for that novel, but nothing definite.

And other than that, the wheels are always turning.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?--

I love outdoor recreation. Surfing is my first love, though I’ve been landlocked for a couple years now. I love snowboarding, mountain-biking, trail running and hiking. A few years ago, I got into adventure racing and off-road triathlons, though never competitively, and I even managed to do a marathon in Afghanistan in 2007.

Unfortunately, I don’t get out into the fresh air nearly as often as I like. Part of that is because I’m working on finishing up a degree in Natural Resources policy at Oregon State University. I hope to put that degree to good use in the field of wildlife conservation or possibly wilderness management, but right now, it’s all I can do to spend time with my family, get my schoolwork done, and sometimes, late at night, do a little writing.

Thank you so much, Sean, for spending the time to share your work with me.  I look forward to reading more of Dodge Dalton's great adventures!

To find more information about The Adventures of Dodge Dalton, other works written by Sean Ellis, and just about everything else going on in his universe, check out his website at http://seanellisthrillers.webs.com/ - where saving the world has never been this much fun!