The Book Connection...: Interview with Thomas White, Author of The Siren's Scream

Thomas White began his career as an actor. Several years later he found himself as an Artistic Director for a theatre in Southern California and the winner of several Drama-Logue and Critics awards for directing. As Tom’s career grew, he directed and co-produced the world tour of “The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Coming Out Of Their Shells”. The show toured for over two years, was translated into seven different languages and seen by over a million children. Tom served as President and Creative Director for Maiden Lane Entertainment for 24 years and worked on many large-scale corporate event productions that included Harley Davidson, Microsoft, Medtronic Diabetes, and dozens of others. The Siren’s Scream is Tom’s second novel that follows up Justice Rules which was nominated as a finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association 2010 Literary contest.

Visit his website at www.thomas-white-author.com or connect with him at Twitter and Facebook.

Where did you grow up?

Tough question for me always. I was not a military brat but I’ve lived all over. Born in Lowell, MA. Went to grade school through 6th grade in Rockville, CT. Moved to Scottsdale AZ for 7th grade through high school, and I guess that’s where I consider to be my hometown. Went to Univ. of AZ for two years in Tucson and then finally moved to San Diego where my heart told me I was home. I lived in So Cal for 25 years until I was married with kids starting school and we moved to Spokane, WA for 20 years. I now live in Las Vegas. Whew!

That was a fact dump if ever I saw one.

When did you begin writing?

In the 90’s two things happened. The first, I began traveling all over the world for work as a corporate event producer. The second, the invention of the laptop.

My greatest motivating factor when it comes to writing is boredom. Sitting on a plane for hours on end became my fortress of solitude. I would open the laptop and start to write. It was random at first but soon I developed a storyline and then I had a manuscript and then I realized how bad it was, so I stuck it away for a decade. I wrote for work, video scripts and executive speeches, but it was hardly anything tremendously creative.

What is this book about?

About 490 pages. Just kidding.

The Thornton Mansion with the giant tide pool in the backyard has terrorized Santa Cruz for over a century. Throughout the years there have been dire and mysterious deaths connected with it. It is now Darcy Wainwright's turn to face the perils of the mansion. The mansion becomes her first sale as a novice realtor, and she becomes intricately and inevitably connected to the house and the pool.

It is the pool that beckons her, and it is the pool that would decide if she lives or dies.

What inspired you to write it?

I was sitting on a dock at a lake and there were fish swimming beneath me. A slight altercation between them sent one poor fish darting away and, as he did, he flipped over so that the rainbow underbelly was exposed. The image intrigued me and led me down the path of mermaids and sirens. But as we all know, the mermaid myth is as old as time, and I struggled with a new way to approach it. Awhile later, and I do mean a while, probably several years, I was at a family dinner with a particularly challenging sister and it occurred to me; do mermaids have families? Is there a siren lineage? Where do mermaids come from and how are they created?

After considering the perceived differences of mermaids, the beautiful vixens of the sea with their puka shell bras and soft flowing hair, compared to sirens who viciously lure sailors to their death, a story began to emerge that answered a lot of the lineage questions and led me to a fresh perspective of these mythical creatures and I discovered a possible answer on how they came to be.

How is it similar to other books in its genre? How is it different?

Well, its similar in that there is an ominous evil that pursues our heroine. Imminent danger is always around the corner. The origin of this evil I believe is unique in that the story is not set in the ocean and the origins of the siren are quite different from mythology. I have also been told lately that it is quite sensual, sexy. I never intended that but there it is.

What is the most important thing readers can learn from your book?

Don’t get impregnated by your brother-in-law and then kill your sister. Bad karma all the way around.

Where can readers purchase a copy?

Thomas-white-author.com
https://www.amazon.com/Sirens-Scream-Thomas-White/dp/1088067816

What is up next for you?

I wrote a screenplay that was never produced a while back, and I have recently discovered that it will make a wonderful novel. It’s an amazing experience writing in the two genres. In a screenplay, you write action and dialogue. All the scenic elements, the costumes, the character’s movements, everything visual are left to others on the creative staff. Now, I get to go back and write it the way I would have directed it with the vivid descriptions and character motivations that are in my head and not on the page.