Q&A With John DeDakis 

I’m honored and excited about doing this Q&A with author, manuscript editor, public speaker, podcaster, writing coach & former senior copy editor for CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, John DeDakis! John is the author of the mystery suspense thriller novels Fast Track, Bluff, Troubled Water, Bullet in the Chamber, Fake, and Enemies Domestic. All his novels allow us to enter the behind-the-scenes world of real-world journalism! That sounds so exciting! 

Q: John, would you please give a brief description of each of your novels? 

A: Sure. And thanks for this opportunity to hang out with you, Bianca.

• Fast Track: This is my baby because it took ten years to bring it into the world. During that time, it underwent 14 major revisions and was rejected by 38 agents before finding a home with my agent, Barbara Casey. We’ve been together for 20 years now. In Fast Track, my twenty-something female protagonist, Lark Chadwick, unravels the mystery surrounding the car accident that orphaned her as an infant. Lark goes from being vexed about figuring out what to do with her life to pursuing a career in journalism, mentored by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Lionel Stone.
• Bluff: In this novel, Lark helps Lionel solve the mystery surrounding his daughter’s death. To research this, I hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru.
• Troubled Water: Lark moves from Wisconsin to become a cops and courts reporter at a kick-ass daily newspaper in Georgia. On her way to the new job, she discovers the strangled body of a teenage girl, the first victim of a serial killer. Lark has the inside track on the investigation, but it nearly gets her killed.
• Bullet in the Chamber: This book is personal for me because the subplot is ripped from reality: the accidental heroin overdose that killed my youngest son, Stephen, in 2011. This novel begins on Lark’s first day as a White House correspondent for a major wire service. It’s also the day the Executive Mansion is attacked, and the president goes missing.
• Fake: I started writing this novel when Donald Trump was running for president in 2016 because I was troubled by his false assertion, “Journalists are the enemies of the American people.” So, I made Lark the victim of “fake news” to show that lies can have fatal consequences.
• Enemies Domestic: In this story, Lark is the White House press secretary. She’s pregnant, ambivalent about becoming a single mom, abortion is a crime, and a dictator becomes president. What could possibly go wrong?

Q: Would you say that being a senior copy editor for CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer helped with writing your books? 

A: Yes. I didn’t intend to become a novelist, but when I started experimenting with writing fiction, I discovered that my experience as a reporter and writer prepared me perfectly for writing books. A fiction writer should have a journalist’s skill set: curiosity and the ability to write tight and fast. Oh. And it didn’t hurt to work with Wolf Blitzer, who, in my opinion, is a journalist’s journalist—he cares about facts and fairness. 

Q: How long does it take you to write a book and does inspiration for the characters within those books come from bits and pieces of real people you know?

A: First, you need to understand that I am a master procrastinator. Consequently, it takes me longer than the average person to write a novel. If I were disciplined, I could bang out a first draft in six to nine months. However, it can take me as long as four years to write down the story because my plate is full of other stuff. 

My inspiration comes from reality. I’ve discovered that most of my creativity is buried in my subconscious and doesn’t bubble to the surface until I’m writing. If I can get my characters talking to each other, then I’m fine. In my opinion, writing is like dipping a straw into your subconscious. Moving your fingers is like taking a sip from the creative wellspring within you, causing the liquid of ideas to spill onto the page. 

Q: What do you hope readers learn and feel once they turn the final page of your books after they finish reading your novels?

A: I love this question. I hope readers will come away feeling they’ve learned something about journalism that they didn’t know about before, especially now when journalism itself is under attack. I also hope readers will wonder about Lark and my other characters long after they’ve closed the books. It’s heartwarming when someone reaches out to me and asks, “What’s happening with Lark? I need another Lark book.”

Q: Are you currently writing another book? If so, can you reveal any details?

A: I just finished writing a piece of nonfiction. The working title is Plot Twists: A Memoir on Writing and Living. In it, I identify the pivotal moments in my life that led me to where I am now. I’ve also begun work on Book 7 in the Lark Chadwick series. Working title: Cradle in the Crosshairs. My wife, Cindy, is my alpha reader, just as she was with every fresh chapter of my latest novel Enemies Domestic. I should quickly add that you don’t have to read my books in order.

Q: You are a very busy man, John! How do you juggle being an author, manuscript editor, public speaker, podcaster, & writing coach? What is your advice for anyone wanting to do everything that you do & how to juggle it all? 

A: Try not to do them all at once! Instead, focus on practicing mindfulness. We spend our lives regretting the past or worrying about the future, making us less effective in the present moment. Therefore, my advice is to slow down and take life one step at a time. It’s all about perspective.