I’d like to welcome Alan Warren to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

Hardest thing about being a writer: The hardest thing for me about being a writer is probably gaining the confidence while doing a story. Feeling sure about what I am writing people will like.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Researching and learning from history. For example if I am writing about something that happened in the 1960’s, in order to put myself into the frame of mind to help capture the sixties, I’ll do nothing but watch old live television shows from then. Including news, games shows or live entertainment.

Things you need for your writing sessions: Atmosphere has to be right for me. What’s going on around me,

Things that hamper your writing: Too many unexpected distractions. I quite often take a break from writing after a couple of hours, and then let’s say I will walk my dogs, then go back to writing for a couple of hours. But when something happens that I didn’t expect, like aphone call, which I have to go out and do something I hadnt planned, that wrecks writing fo rme fo rthe day.

Last best thing you ate: Raisin Brioche

Last thing you regret eating: Choclate Brioche

Favorite music or song:My favourite music has always been something with energy to it. Dance , or Rock both work for me, so it could be Madonna or Led Zeppelin.

Music that drives you crazy: Music that sound like a commercial on TV or something you would hear at a chorus show in Vegas.

The last thing you ordered online: Ink Toner cartridges for my printer. They were a knock off brand and only a quarter of the price of the name brand ink.

The last thing you regret buying: The name brand printer ink toner!

Things you always put in your books: Humor

Things you never put in your books: opinions, I let the readers have those

Favorite places you’ve been: France both Paris and Nice.

Places you never want to go to again: There really isnt anywhere I would NEVER want to go again, probably places that are really hot like Arizona. I didn’t care for it being that hot.

Favorite books (or genre): History of any kind. Even fiction books like Dracula.

Books you wouldn’t buy: Romance

Favorite things to do: Walk my dogs

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: cutting the lawn

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: I have had a radio show interviewing authors, producers, and film makers for over 15 years now.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: A book called Last Man Standing which was a true story about a man who had been released from prison after being convicted and sentenced to a murder that he didn’t commit. It ended up being a learning lesson for trying to sort out the many stories that you hear from people who were involved with the family and crime. There are so many rumors abound that can be impossible to figure out. At the end of the book after the release I soon learned that you can’t please everyone, so don’t try. Just tell the story.

The first 8-track, record, cassette, or CD you ever bought: Beatles 1962-66 Double Album

A type of music that’s not your cup of tea: Big Band

Your favorite movie as a child: The British detective show called The Avengers.

A TV show or movie that kept you awake at night as a kid (or as an adult): nothing kept me awake, I watched plenty of horror and sci-fi, all was good!

About Alan:

Alan R. Warren is a Canadian bestselling true crime author, producer, and lead host of the internationally syndicated radio show and podcast House of Mystery. The show airs across North America on multiple stations, including Los Angeles, Riverside, Palm Springs, Salt Lake City, Seattle/Tacoma, and Phoenix, reaching a wide audience of mystery and true crime listeners.

A respected authority in true crime nonfiction, Warren has authored 38 books covering serial killers, cults, human trafficking, history, and memoir. His work is published by major true crime publishers including RJ Parker/Vronksy Publishing (Canada) and WildBlue Press (USA). He has been a contributor to True Case Files Magazine since 2013 and continues to write for Serial Killer Magazine.

Warren’s bestselling titles have been featured on major television networks, including CNN, Oxygen, Reelz, Vice TV, and Sundance Channel documentaries. Notable works include Beyond Suspicion: The True Story of Colonel Russell Williams, The Killing Game: Serial Killer Rodney Alcala, and Doomsday Cults: The Devil’s Hostages. In 2024, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Writing from Reader’s House in London, UK.

Alan R. Warren is frequently sought out by media outlets for expert commentary on true crime cases, serial killers, cult behavior, and criminal psychology.

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Website: https://www.alanrwarren.com/