Interview with Dale Cruse, Author of HTML5 Multimedia Development Cookbook

Dale is the author of our recently published HTML5 Multimedia Development Cookbook. It contains recipes for practical, real-world HTML5 multimedia driven development.

Dale Cruse is the author of "HTML5 Multimedia Development Cookbook", a web developer, and standards evangelist. At the Allurent division of Jenzabar in Boston, he is the HTML5 lead, transitioning the entire product line from Flash/Flex/ActionScript to HTML5/CSS3/JavaScript. For more than a decade, Dale was known for being a freelance hired gun, developing websites for high-profile clients ranging from the U.S. Army to Bloomingdale's.

Never happier than when hosting a dinner party, Dale recently spent a year drinking champagne daily & writing about it at http://drinksareonme.tumblr.com. Dale is available for speaking engagements.

Do visit his blog at http://dalejcruse.com

Packt: Your book is published now. How does it feel to be a published author?

Dale: Sometimes I can hardly believe it. I started my career as a journalist and have been published by the U.S. Army, U.S. Military Academy at West Point, & CBS News. But none of that quite has the feeling of holding a book in my hands that I wrote. It’s a dream come true.

Packt: What benefits did writing a book bring to your specialist area?

Dale: Credibility. People in the technology field take me more seriously than ever before. I always kept an updated LinkedIn profile so job recruiters could contact me often. But now that I’m a published author, my phone is constantly ringing!

Packt: Our authors usually have full-time jobs whilst writing for us. Was this the case for you and how did you approach managing your time?

Dale: Luckily my employer was flexible & gave me some time that I needed. I also found having a patient girlfriend in my corner was invaluable.

Packt: Whilst writing your book, did you find that it overshadowed personal life in any way? How did you deal with this?

Dale: Sure, there were a few times that I stayed home to write instead of going out, but for the most part I was able to balance my time. Just like a regular work project, writing a book has very specific demands & deadlines.

Packt: Do you have any advice for other authors who may be interested in writing for Packt, but are still unsure?

Dale: What are you waiting for?!

Packt: Do you have any tips for other authors, or tricks that you learnt whilst writing, that you'd like to share?

Dale: Set aside time every single day to write. The way to build a muscle is to flex it every day.

Packt: How did you find the overall experience of writing your book for Packt?

Dale: It took longer than I thought it would, but it was worth it.

Packt: During the writing process, did you come across any issues/ difficulties that affected your writing and how did you overcome these?

Dale: I had a co-author and I did not do a good enough job staying in contact with her. Hence, when you read the book, you can tell a different author wrote two of the chapters. That is 100% my fault for not ensuring that we had consistent tone & code sample formatting. That’s something I would really work on if I ever work with a co-author again.

Packt: Was there anything interesting that happened during the writing of the book?

Dale: My friend & former co-worker Jacqueline Stetson-Pastore changed her career from being the best information architect I’ve ever worked with to being a photographer with an uncanny eye. One day she posted a nature photo on Facebook and I asked if she had anything appropriate we could use for the book. She had an absolutely stunningly beautiful photo that found its way onto the cover and I’m super proud to have included her on this project. And you can be sure she’ll be shooting the images for any other books I write for Packt!

Packt: How did Packt’s Acquisition Editors help you - what kind of things did they help you with and how did they support you throughout the writing process?

Dale: Packt’s acquisition editors kept me focused on what I was producing & that was so valuable!

Packt: What projects, if any, are you working on at the moment?

Dale: In addition to my work as an HTML5 web developer, I’ve begun giving presentations on the subject. Speaking is definitely going to be part of the next evolution of my career. I’m also in the process of writing another book for Packt. Look for HTML5 Enterprise Application Development soon!

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