Book talk with Daniel Donovan, author of Memoirs of a Death Row Inmate
This post has not been edited by Plain Talk Book Marketing. What you read is directly from the author.
What is your favorite part of this book and why?
There is a scene in this book where the main character, James Bryant, is having both a mental breakdown and an emotional breakthrough. The life he had been living was built around a lie he had been telling himself for months.
Everyone around him walked on eggshells, praying they weren’t going to be the one to break his delusion in a way that would do permanent damage to his psyche. I worried the scene wouldn’t make sense or wouldn’t seem realistic. Everyone who had the chance to read the book in advance was asked about this one chapter, to make sure it had the impact on the story, and the reader that I had hoped. IT DOES! It becomes a massive turning point in the book and in the Bryant’s character development. It makes him more relatable, and his pain more understandable.
It is both deeply moving, and heartbreaking. I hope you have the same reaction when you read Memoirs of a Death Row Inmate.
Are your characters based on real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
My characters are a healthy balance of both real-life inspirations and my imagination. I worked with some incredible people when I was in law enforcement, many of whom inspired characters in the book. I wanted a way to pay tribute to the officers who inspired and encouraged me, or took me under their wing when I was a rookie in need of guidance. I owe them a debt I cannot pay, and believe they are some of the best people I could have worked with and learned from in my law enforcement career.
Why is Memoirs of a Death Row Inmate a must-read?
In first world countries, we live incredibly soft, comfortable lives. Life has never been this easy at any other point in human history. That doesn’t mean the world is perfect or that evil doesn’t exist to inflict pain, suffering and trauma on people who will never again have the voice to tell their own story. This book is a voice for the victims who will never be identified.
The abused wife who suffers in silence so she can be there to take care of her kids.
The child who is being preyed upon by someone who is charged with their protection, taking away one of the only places that child could go to ask for help.
The law enforcement officers who respond to suicides, gruesome automobile accidents, drug overdose fatalities where all they can do is pray and give CPR, even when it won’t save someone.
The one’s who suffer in silence; the cops who will be lost to suicide after a career of traumatic cases, helpless victims, and remorseless perpetrators.
This book is a beacon of hope, encouraging everyone who reads it to stand up in the face of evil and say, “Never again.” For those too scared to speak up for what is right, to advocate for victims, and understand that every time a criminal walks free, the innocent suffer. This book is for them. FEAR NOT!
There are things in this life worth fighting for and we can’t stand idly by as evil predators exert their will to dominate, control and harm those around them. As a culture, we have lost sight of the necessity of accountability.
A society who will not hold anyone accountable will find their selves overrun with evil-doers. When this happens, we tend to turn to people for help who are just as evil, just as controlling, and just as dangerous as those from whom we seek to liberated.
Evil is real, and good people must be willing to stand up and fight back.
Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?
Most of my characters come to me as I write. As the story unfolds, characters become necessary to carry the story forward. I love writing a story and introducing a new character which allows me to become creative with how that character will impact the rest of the story. By coming up with them as I write, it allows my stories to be a surprise to me as I write them, making the writing process that much more enjoyable.
What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?
To make a fictional story resonate with the reader, it needs a touch of realism; and then a little more. This proves to be quite the challenge with story concocted out of thin air. The research I do is on the locations where these events are alleged to have taken place. A familiar place brings the reader into the story with a stronger grasp, making them feel as if they are walking in the shoes of one of the characters, which is especially unsettling when that character is the killer.
About Memoirs of a Death Row Inmate
Memoirs of a Death Row Inmate by Daniel Donovan
Genre: Psychological Thriller
James Bryant is a relatively unknown detective with an otherwise average career. But for one detail: he caught a notorious serial killer from the Midwest. A psychopath, dubbed the South Side Sadist, Richard Allen Fenton, is locked up in the El Dorado Correctional Facility, awaiting his execution on Christmas day. Though a relatively unknown serial killer, Fenton is a master of manipulation whose killing spree lasted over three decades, spanned five states, and claimed eleven victims…so far. Although the two have not been in the same room since the final appeal, Fenton has one more game to play. Striking a deal with the Department of Justice, Fenton agrees to reveal the identities and locations of his other victims. He asks for only one thing in return; to have the cop who put him away take down a series of confessions, find the bodies, and write all of Fenton’s misdeeds into a three-volume set to be published for the world to see.
Bryant, a functioning alcoholic battling his own demons, is offered a choice; take the deal or hand in his badge. Against his will and at the detriment of his ever-degrading mental health, Bryant agrees. Backed by a task force with the FBI, Bryant is forced into weekly meetings at the Correctional Facility with Fenton, who torments Bryant at every turn. While Bryant thinks he is just “serving his time,” Fenton has other ends in mind. In their regularly scheduled meetings in the prison, Fenton tortures Bryant with the horrifying details of his murderous career, while an unhinged disciple of Fenton’s seeks to wreak havoc on the task force on the outside. In prison or out, Bryant fights to stay one step ahead of the killers as they seek to destroy his life and that of everyone around him.
**On Sale for October – Get 20% off the Paperback listed at 19.99 & 40% off the ebook listed at 7.99!**
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About Daniel Donovan
Daniel Donovan was born in Missouri and raised in Kansas for most of his life. He always had a passion
for creative writing, but it wasn’t until he spent four years in law enforcement that the spark for crime
thrillers was really ignited. Donovan aims to bring his readers into the novel by incorporating real-life
details into his works of fiction while giving readers the thrills and chills they seek.
Connect with Daniel on his Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads
This sounds like a really interesting read.
Thanks for stopping by.