1: What is the most productive time of the day for
you to write?
I tend to write at all hours of the day, although I
like to write in the early morning hours the best. I seem to be more creative
and fresh right out of the gate. Life doesn't always allow for me to write when
I want to, so I've learned how to get motivated when I need to finish a scene
or complete a manuscript.
2: Do you start your projects writing with paper
and pen or is it all on the computer?
I've never been able to start a novel on paper.
Sometimes I scribble out details-- names, descriptions, a stray arc-- but I
always, always write on the computer.
Every time I try and write longhand these days I get frustrated and impatient.
I would have been in big trouble years and years ago before the PC and
typewriters!
3: What do you draw inspiration from?
Apparently, I have a very deep well of creativity.
I've never lacked for ideas. I get
inspired sometimes by old myth and lore and am fond of twisting the stories around
to suit my writing needs. I also enjoy creating my own worlds and intermingling
them with this one. For years, I've kept my writing mostly to myself or to
smaller groups of fellow writing fiends. Now that I've let it loose, I'm even
more inundated with stories that are dying to see the light of day.
4: Do you set goals for yourself when you sit down
to write such as word count?
Thanks to National Novel Writing Month, I learned
how to live up to either my personal goal or someone else's. Sometimes I go by
word count, sometimes by scene. Sometimes I work off a deadline I've set for
myself and I'm a stickler for getting it done exactly on time, if not sooner.
It sits ill with me when I miss my own deadline.
5: Are you a published or a self published author
and how do you come up with your cover art?
I decided at the last minute to go self-published.
I'd done an extensive amount of research between traditional publishing and the
'indie' route. I figured if I was going to have to do all the marketing and
promotion myself anyway, why not keep most of the profit? I couldn't see doing
all this work for someone else's benefit. I wouldn't be opposed to going the
traditional route if the situation was right.
Originally, for my first book, I designed the cover
myself. I didn't like how it looked as a thumbnail and sought out some
background art for the current cover. All I did was add text over the top. For
my up and coming book, I designed the whole thing myself and am happy with the
results. I dabble in graphic design, so I had a small leg up in that
department.
6: What drives you to choose the career of being a
writer?
This has only been a reality for me since November
1, 2009. That was the day I decided to actually throw myself into this full
time. I'm driven mostly by my need to write and tell stories and because
writing fulfills me in ways nothing else does. Completing a novel is a
challenge, wholly and truly, and I've discovered in life that if I'm not
challenged, I feel stale and bored.
7: Do you own an ebook reading device?
Actually…I don't! I've never even held one in my hand. They intrigue me
though, definitely.
8: Who are some of your favorite authors and What
are you reading now?
Dean Koontz has to be my all time favorite. I have
at least three quarters of his work. I also like Robin Cook, John Saul and Kat
Martin. I just finished Koontz'
The Taking and am currently reading One Little Sin by Liz Carlyle.
9: What do you think of book trailers and do you
have any plans to have any?
I think book trailers that are well done are an
asset to any book, but I don't think they will really convince a reader for or
against a story. Maybe I haven't
seen the right trailers. My co-author and I have talked a little about one for
our second book, but we haven't cemented any ideas in stone. I won't be doing
one for Dréoteth.
10: What are you working on now that you can talk
about?
I just published Dréoteth in June. It's a book about dragons and humanity
with a lot of emotional conflict and tension. Currently, I've just completed the first draft of my second
novel, Bound by Blood. My
co-author, Kimberly Hoyt and I, wrote Bound two years ago and decided to make
it a novel this spring. It has vampiric and time travel elements that are
intertwined in a very cool way. It
moves from modern day to the Tudor court and back again. You can catch upcoming
excerpts on my site, www.daniellebourdon.com in the next several weeks. The
tentative release date is September 1st, 2010. To close out this interview, I'd
like to say a huge thanks to Kipp for some great questions and the opportunity
to talk about what I love.
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