Tip of the Iceberg

DC Lozeau hails from northern New England where he resided until 2004. He relocated to Richmond, VA, where he now lives with his wife and their three cats. He only started his writing career three years ago and has already written his first novel, Tip of the Iceberg. It was published and released in Jan. 2013. His book is a fiction crime mystery and is set in the windy city of Chicago. DC Lozeau is currently working on his second novel, a sequel to his debut novel, titled Destiny's Fate. He is hoping to have it published later this year.

DC's also a member of James River Writers in Richmond, Va. JRW is a collection of writers, readers, playwrights and other persons whose love of the written word helps the literary community of central Virginia by connecting and aspiring writers and readers of the region.

When he is not crafting his current creation, DC can be found on his blog, "Paying It Back" at dclozeau.blogspot.com.

Welcome, DC.

Tell us more.

Thanks, Susan. I have written and published just my debut novel, Tip of the Iceberg. I am currently working on the sequel to it titled Destiny's Fate. If all goes well, I am planning on having it out by late 2013 or Spring of 2014. I am also writing a fantasy story called The Fantastic Time Book which is being published, with weekly chapters (Fridays), on thedanobrienproject.blogspot.com.

I truthfully can't say that I grew up wanting to be a writer. I can remember always loving to get writing assignments in school, as it gave me a chance to exercise my imagination and put it on paper. It wasn't until late in life, when my wife, a very avid reader, prodded me into trying to  write a book. Her knack for discovering the 'villain' in a mystery before the end of the story gave me the challenge I needed to write a novel that would leave her on the edge until the very last minute. My debut novel did just that!

Give a short synop of your book.

Tip of the Iceberg is a crime mystery that takes place in the windy city of Chicago. It involves a young man, Anthony 'Tony' Thomas, who at the age of seventeen, sees his mother killed by a drunk driver, and decides to follow in the footsteps of his father and become a Police Detective. Once he makes the ranks, he gets promoted to the Homicide Department and from day one, is thrown into some horrific mutilation murders. The story follows Tony's journey to uncover the truths about the murders, as Tony also has to deal with his innate suspensions about his new partner, Denis Logan. Tony soon finds out that as he gets closer to the truth, he is also putting the ones closest to him in jeopardy.  And as the title suggests, things don't always appear to be what they really are!

What challenges did you face while writing this book?

That's easy. In the beginning of my bio, I mentioned what an avid reader my wife is. She loves crime and forensic novels. When I finally decided to write Tip of the Iceberg, I had one goal in mind. That was to stump my wife's uncanny ability to figure out who the 'bad guy' was in the story. Keeping in mind that she reads a lot, and knows all the tricks that name-brand authors use to misguide, if you will, their readers from coming up with the villain, I really had to put my thinking cap on and come up with ways to derail her and lead her off into different directions. And I succeeded!

What do you think is the greatest lesson you've learned about writing so far? What advice can you give to new writers?

I can answer both those questions with one word, Susan. Patience! When I first started writing, I would often get frustrated trying to make the story flow in such a way as to make it exciting, but realistic. Sometimes the words just weren't there. I knew what I wanted to say or have my characters do, but just didn't know how. It wasn't until I just stopped writing, sat back and thought things through in my mind, that things came together. Sometimes you just have to 'stop and smell the roses!'

Where do you store ideas for later use: in your head, in a notebook, or on a spreadsheet?

Believe it or not, I still have a 'day job'. I've been a machinist for thirty years. In doing my normal work, I sometimes have machine times of fifteen, twenty, or even thirty minutes. That means I am just standing there, or sitting, and watching the machine do its thing. That's when I do all my thinking. I carry a small note pad in my back pocket and when an idea hits...it goes on paper. At the end of the day, I may have two dozen 3 by 5 pieces of paper in my pocket just waiting to be sorted out and put into my story.

We all know how important promoting our work has become. How do you get the word out both off and online?

For one thing, I have a traditional publisher. Tate Publishing. They have done, and continue to do, a lot of footwork as far as sending out media blurbs and making press announcements about any  upcoming events. I do my share as well, using social media and the like, and doing what we are doing right now. When you first start out as a writer, you are a virtual unknown. You have to 'make friends and influence people' to get not only the name of your novel out there, but your name as an author as well. One of the best ways to do this is to join a writer's group, as I did. Joining James River Writers in Richmond, Virginia, was the best thing I've done since getting my novel published.

Can you tell us your future writing goals/projects?

In the near future, my goal of course, is to finish my sequel. And as I mentioned earlier, I am currently writing a weekly fantasy book, The Fantastic Time Book. I am hoping to start writing as a freelance writer in the real near future. If all this becomes a reality, then maybe I can think about retirement and getting out of the work force and become a full time writer/author.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

I post almost daily on Facebook at Dave Lozeau or on my book page at DC Lozeau. I have a dedicated website for Tip of the Iceberg at www.dclozeau.tateauthor.com. I do use Twitter, but not as much. (@DCLozeau)

Are your books available in print and ebook formats?

Yes to both. They are available through BARNES & NOBLE  and amazon.com/  as well as through my website.

Thanks for the interview, Susan.