Author Interview ~ Daniel Kalla

Daniel Kalla was born and raised in Vancouver where he continues to reside along with his wife and two young daughters. He spends his days (and sometimes nights) working as an Emergency Room Physician at an urban teaching hospital.

His latest release, RAGE THERAPY (a psychological thriller), came out in hard cover from Forge Book in October 2006. In it, Kalla plumbs the depths of forensic psychiatry and the emerging fields of impulse and rage control therapy.

In 2005, he was featured on the front page of the Globe & Mail Review section and was interviewed on national TV on the Vicki Gabereau Show. CNN, CBC radio, The National Post, City TV, and The Vancouver Sun have also interviewed him.
He received his B.Sc. in mathematics and his MD from the University of British Columbia.




What book or project is coming out or has come out that you’d like to tell us about?


RAGE THERAPY is my current hard cover release. It’s a dark psychological thriller flavored with my behind-the-scenes medical experience.

Dr. Joel Ashman, a young widowed psychiatrist, narrates two stories. One follows the fatal beating of his mentor Dr. Stanley Kolberg, and the other the suicide of a beautiful but emotionally fragile patient. A year apart, on the face of it the events are unrelated. But as the investigation into Kolberg’s murder wades into an ugly world of sadomasochism and patient abuse, the relevance to his patient’s death grows. After the murder of a second psychiatrist, Joel realizes he is on a crash course with someone willing to do anything to distort the past.

Who killed Stanley Kolberg and why? The answer lies in a lurid underworld of violence and predators—and in the tortured past of a disturbed young patient.

Tell us about your journey to publication. How long had you been writing before you got the call you had a contract, how you heard and what went through your head.

Oddly, my very first submission, a feature script I co-wrote with two friends fresh out of an introduction to screenwriting course, was optioned within a week. And I thought this writing gig was a joke. Then, a failed production, two novel manuscripts, three agents, and five years later, I wasn’t laughing! However, on my third manuscript, my third agent got a big bite from Tor/Forge books in New York. And I have to say, receiving that confirmatory email was one of the highlights of my life. A kind of mix of elation and validation that still feels good to remember.


Do you still experience self-doubts regarding your work?

All the time! Now I’m working on my fifth novel for Tor/Forge (that has a guaranteed pub date in 2008), and I question myself more than ever. But that’s not necessarily bad. As long as the self-critic does not paralyze you as a writer, then I think it can actually be constructive.


What mistakes have you made while seeking publication?

I think all agents (even the high-powered A list ones) have a tough job in pitching and selling new authors. If you have an agent you like and trust, you’re in a good position. And when I was waiting / hoping to find a publisher, I think I let my impatience sometimes get the better of me. I regret that. And I wished I had concentrated on simply writing more and letting the agent do his or her job.


What’s the best advice you’ve heard on writing/publication?

Someone once said that publishers love to find stories that are similar and comparable to other “hot” titles, but trying to be derivative of another writer or book is the worst career mistake a writer can make!


What’s the worst piece of writing advice you’ve heard?

Write what you know. Obviously, it has its inherent wisdom, but if you write fiction, eventually you have to make stuff up!


What’s something you wish you’d known earlier that might have saved you some time/frustration in the publishing business?

There are terrific books and websites available on finding agents and publishers. I would suggest the Jeff Herman book, but there are numerous others. When I finally found them, the work of shopping my work was cut considerably!


Is there a particularly difficult set back that you’ve gone through in your writing career you are willing to share?

I had a near miss when a major publisher expressed interest but did not make an offer. For whatever reason, I was crushed, but the sky did not fall and other opportunities came along.


What are a few of your favorite books? (Not written by you.)

Gold Coast – Nelson DeMille
Summer of Katya – Trevanian
Skinny Legs and All – Tom Robbins


What piece of writing have you done that you’re particularly proud of and why?

I am the guest writer in the Vancouver Province’s inaugural novel-writing contest. Briefly, we’re writing a collaborative thriller novella, with a new chapter chosen every week for twelve weeks. There are a few swank grand prizes. And I was allowed to introduce the story any way I wanted. And I will write the final chapter on December 10th. Every week in between readers (unpublished writers) have been vying for the the next chapter. We’ve had up to 360 entries one week, and you would not believe how many talented writers are emerging from the woodwork. I am proud of the project and the opportunity it has given other writers. (You can check it out at:
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/features/thriller/index.html)

Do you have a pet peeve having to do with this biz?

It seems to be a reactive business. By that I mean the importance placed on a new title and its orders are driven by who, what, and how many sold last year, rather than what will be great this year.


Can you give us a view into a typical day of your writing life?

I hold a day job as an ER physician, so I write when work and family demands are not too much. As long as I have something to say, I can writer anywhere, anytime.


If you could choose to have one strength of another writer, what would it be and from whom?

John Irving’s genius for wrapping the reader up in his characters.


Do you have a dream for the future of your writing, something you would love to accomplish?

Yup. Inside this thriller writer’s exterior is a poet waiting to emerge. Just kidding! But I do have an idea for a historical novel that I’m chomping at the bit to write.


Was there ever a time in your writing career you thought of quitting?

No.

What is your favorite and least favorite part of being a writer?

My favorite parts are writing and celebrating the release of a new book with the friends and family who made it possible. My least favorite part is stressing over sales figures and the economics of the biz.


How much marketing do you do? Any advice in this area?

Aside from what my publisher chooses to do, the only marketing I believe a writer in my position can do is network with readers, booksellers, and other writers, especially in person. And I do that at every opportunity.


Parting words?

Wish I had something wise. Instead, I’ll just wish the best of luck to my fellow writers out there.