Dante is the author of the new novel The Base. She also has written the book Sex, Death & Diane. In addition to writing, she is also a baker and a gardener.
Q: What inspired you to write The Base, and how did you create your cast of characters?
A: My first inspiration came to me while I was gardening and noticed a pill bug, the bug that has one hundred names – also known as a Roly poly, potato bug, berry bug and more. It is the tiny almost beetle-like bug that when you tap it turns into a perfect ball and rolls away.
I looked up videos about it and was drawn into the universe of bug geeks which inspired the character “The Bug Man” from the book, who is an expert on insect anatomy in the military and designs weapons and more based on their structure.
It doesn’t take too much imagination to see the similarities between a helicopter and a dragonfly; perhaps this is how he got his start.
I had the idea of a super top-secret base where the military sends personnel that they have observed to have an extraordinary skill and expertise in a subject to work with other experts to complete projects that are far ahead of their time.
Q: How did you research the novel, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?
A: I had tons of research to do for this book to make it as accurate and plausible as possible. I did most of it online and in the library and I was surprised to find that there are current research races happening now for some of the elements I had envisioned.
The race to make artificial cartilage, which the scientist Cullen has as his specialty, is actively occurring now. Imagine a world where the knee replacement becomes irrelevant and we can repair ourselves with a simple injection. That world may be possible one day in the not-so-distant future.
Q: Did you know how the story would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?
A: This book woke me up at night – often. I would turn in for the evening to go to sleep and be awakened with more ideas.
My original path veered way off course but I think that helped very much in the character development. I needed more detail to paint a clearer picture of them and it helped define the story more precisely to the reader. I’m glad that I wasn’t afraid to rewrite and revise because I ended up with a stronger, more cohesive story.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A: A wish was fulfilled when some of the readers became really attached to The Bug Man and asked for a sequel. They didn’t want him or the story to end with Book 1.
I also hope that readers will be more curious about the possibilities in science, and that they will read below the surface to find the good vs. evil thread in the book.
We may envy the material things and the wealth of the super villains in the book but at the end of the day, I don’t think the reader would want to trade places with them, or live next door to them.
Q: As you mentioned, this is the first in a series—what’s next?
A: The sequel has been written, proofread and copyrighted. We had a photoshoot this weekend with actors portraying the book characters and two vintage Jeeps. The sequel is a great roller coaster ride on the framework of Book 1 with more characters and more challenges.
I am working to place the series in film or television also. The cat and mouse game between the scientists and the spies is wildly entertaining and there are some very memorable characters there that actors would have a lot of fun bringing to life.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I am the “other” Dante who writes books. Spoiler alert! Dust devils happen on all seven continents and Mars! They are most often seen on baseball diamonds on hot days, and are universally thought of as a bad omen.
You can get your copy of “The Base – Book 1” on Amazon. More news is available on the website https://www.danteterese.com/
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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