Guest Post: The Evolution of my Writing by Dane Cobain

Today I’m honored to bring you Dane Cobain, a very talented author (among other things!) and delightful person I “met” recently through my blog/reviews. In this first post, he will introduce himself and his work. Later this week, you’ll be treated to a fabulous poem he wrote expressly for Jill-Elizabeth.com, from a sampling of words I provided. I hope we will see more of him in the future – he’s lovely to work and speak with, and I think you’ll find his writing (in all of its forms) as enjoyable as I do…

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The Evolution of my Writing
by Dane Cobain

Hi, folks! My name’s Dane Cobain and I’m a British indie author, poet, social media marketer and occasional musician. I’ve been writing for fifteen years, and while I currently have five books out on the market, I’ve written almost three times that many over the years.

Most were self-published, made available only in a limited edition run for friends and family. Some were reworked and re-released, including the first book that I released after signing with a publisher, launching my ‘official’ writing career.

That’s why I’m here today to talk about the evolution of my writing. I’ll start at the beginning and end with a look to the future, so buckle up – we’re off on a ride through time and space!

The first book that I really worked on was a novel called ‘Annie’, which followed the story of a young girl with an abusive stepfather. I wrote the entire thing by hand, using the same cartridge pen from start to finish, often working on it at college when I was supposed to be learning about computers. At the time, I thought it was a work of art, but when I look back it, I realise that it’s unlikely to ever see publication.

But that was what pushed me to study creative writing at university. While I was there, I compiled my work into three printed volumes, appropriately called The First Year, The Second Year and The Third Year. I also worked on a bunch of different projects which are yet to see the light of day, including A Year in the Life (journals), Oceanus (poetry based on the story of the Titanic), The Lexicologist’s
Handbook (a dictionary of obscure words), Inverted Commas (a book of quotes), Scarlet Sins (a collection of short stories and poetry) and Revolution (short stories based on my dreams).

After university, I got a job as a social media marketer, and my writing and my marketing skills started to grow at the same time. I launched my book blog, SocialBookshelves.com, and started reviewing every book I’ve ever read. It also doubled up as a fantastic networking tool, and it was through the blog that I met Jesse James Freeman, VP of Community Management at my former publisher, Booktrope.

Booktrope released No Rest for the Wicked, my debut novella – I call it my debut because the previous books were printed only and not on general sale – in the summer of 2015. But interestingly enough, that book was initially written at university under the simpler and less specific title of ‘Angels’.

Once No Rest for the Wicked was released, people started to take my work a lot more seriously. The rest of 2015 was dedicated to marketing the book and building my profile. Then, in March 2016, my debut collection of poetry came out – Eyes Like Lighthouses When the Boats Come Home. I’ve been writing poetry for as long as I’ve been writing fiction, but I only started to take it seriously a couple of years ago. I memorise my poem and perform them at open mic nights – by the time that Eyes Like Lighthouses was released, I’d managed to memorise the entire book from cover to cover.​

After that, in the summer of 2016, I released Former.ly: The Rise and Fall of a Social Network. Classified as literary fiction, it’s more of a hodgepodge of influences and most closely epitomises my approach to writing. I get bored with writers who stick to a single genre – I write books that I’d like to read, and I read books in every genre. Having a book blog helps you to do that, too.

Former.ly was followed by Social Paranoia: How Consumers and Brands Can Stay Safe in a Connected World, a non-fiction book based on my experience in the field of social media marketing. And then the year was rounded off with Come On Up to the House, a novella and screenplay that started its life when I was at university, at the same time as No Rest for the Wicked.

Unfortunately, Booktrope – my former publishers – are no longer in business, and while No Rest for the Wicked is now published by Dragon Moon Press, the rest of my books are self-published. I have views on self-publishing (we all do), but if nothing else, it’s a great way to help get the word out.

And now that 2017 has hit, I’m looking to the future. I always have multiple projects on the go at any one time, but the main thing for this year will be my Leipfold series of detective novels. The first of those novels is called Driven and follows an investigation after a woman is mowed down and killed by a self-driving car. That should be out this summer, and is set to be followed by Netflix & Kill – which is book number two – and an as-yet-untitled collection of short stories.

Meanwhile, I’m finishing off the edits for Subject Verb Object, an anthology that I’m working on which features contributions from 21 different authors. I’m also working on Kiss Kiss, Death Death, my next collection of poetry.

While all this is going on, I’m also in the planning stages for a couple of future standalones – Greebos, about growing up in the Midlands in the early noughties, and Meat, which is a political novel with a message that’s set in a slaughterhouse.

And, of course, I’ll be revisiting some of my older projects – I’m planning on revamping and releasing Oceanus, The Lexicologist’s Handbook and Revolution, among others.

So 2017 is set to be a busy year, and my writing is evolving more than ever. And, thanks to my fondness for different genres, I suspect I’ll be working on a bunch of new projects that are totally new to me, too! I’m looking forward to it. Come and join me on the journey.

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Be sure to check back in a few days for a brilliant sampling of Dane’s poetry!