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danmcdowell.org Uncaged welcomes Dan McDowell Welcome to Uncaged! Your debut novel, Level Zero, will release on May 13th. Can you tell readers more about this suspense thriller? Level Zero is a novel of terror, intrigue, and suspense. It hits heavy on the complexities of interpersonal relationships and the burdens carried through life in the midst of a terrifying backdrop. What may strike some readers differently is my choice to tell the story through multiple character’s lenses to make their thoughts visible in a given scene. Some people enjoy the first person point of view. Others may prefer second or third. I’m still deciding what I like best. I think it all depends on what the story demands. Each one has different needs and lenses required to view it optimally. I found out early in the writing process that Level Zero was too big a universe to focus on a single character. It’s essentially the gateway into a universe of stories I hope to write that we’ll be branding “A Nightmare in Riverton.” You write quite a bit of short stories on your website. Are these ever going to be published or are they just to be published on your blog? There have been some talks with publisher(s) in the past about an anthology of my short stories. Short stories are where my I began my creative writing journey in 2019. At present, I have written about thirty. Most of them fall into the mystery/horror/thriller category with a few lighter and campy/corny stories in there as well. Short stories are an important tool for writers, both new and
emerging, and for the seasoned bestsellers. In my opinion, telling a story concisely takes a lot of discipline. Sometimes, it may even require more than a novel or novella because of the age-old “show don’t tell” rules for writers and limited opportunities for character dialogue. What are you working on next that you can tell us about? I’m pleased to mention that the next Nightmare in Riverton Novel, Oak Hollow, will release with Black Rose Writing in October. We are currently prepping it for pre-sale and will debut the cover in the near future. It’s my hope that it will make Level Zero a richer experience retrospectively and offer further depth into The Oak Hollow Hotel and the property’s troubled past. I had a fun time writing it and broke away from some of the conventional approaches to keep the writing more dynamic. It’s my hope that these adjustments make it both engaging and thought provoking to the reader. Thrilling fiction often has many layers, and can often mean something different each time we look at it. Outside of the Riverton universe, I have a few other works in progress including a completed first draft manuscript for a new psychological thriller/horror novel -- working title “Truth or Consequences.” It takes place in dystopian New Mexico shortly after the US has split between East and West. The premise of the story is about a teenager struggling with addiction issues. His parents opt to have a chip installed to adjust dopamine and cortisol levels in his brain to curb addictions and cure his depression and anxiety. Unfortunately, the protagonist’s’ installation does not go well, and he’s sent to an experimental rehab facility as a result. Upon arrival, a curious and charismatic overseer uses cult-like approaches to cure residents with the help of emerging simulation technologies. Elsewhere in the facility, struggling counterparts and supervisors exhibit bizarre behaviors in their quest for a state called “tendom” during rehabilitation. As the body count increases around him, he finds that the lingering side effects of the chip may not be worth the cost. Issue 58 | May 2021 | 89
