Author Bio
Short Version:
When she’s not being outpaced by Rosie her chihuahua, aka Pocket Rocket, on their daily walks, Donna is doing yoga (loves it!), strength training (not so much!), reading (three books at once!), writing (of course!) or complaining about the heat (no matter the temperature!). A child of the Appalachians who was transplanted to Texas by her Italian husband, Donna returns to her mountain roots as often as possible, and takes us with her in the Books of the Kindling.
Long Version:
The granddaughter of a coal miner and the great-great-granddaughter of one of the Muscogee people, Donna was raised in the shadows of the Appalachian Mountains, in the beautiful hills of East Tennessee. She was lured away from her mountains by an admittedly gorgeous Italian guy, who married her and carried her off to very flat (they call hills mountains down here) and very hot (no seriously, people bake cookies in their cars) Texas. Donna has made her living doing a little bit of everything, including a stint as an IRS tax auditor, a few years managing bookstores, and a long career writing and managing writers in the corporate world.
Besides writing, and all the wonderful things that go with it, Donna enjoys being walked by her chihuahua Rosie, doing yoga, and reading – LOTS of reading. And you can certainly see the influence of the science fiction books on her keeper shelf – Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, Anne McCaffrey, Lois McMaster Bujold, Ray Bradbury, and so many others – on her books. But the ancient and magical and beautiful mountains that surrounded her childhood are probably the biggest influence on the Books of the Kindling.
Author Q&A
Why romance?
Because life is tough enough that any ending other than a happy one, or at least a happy-for-now one, is not my cup of tea. Romance is the only genre where a happy ending is guaranteed. If it has anything besides an HEA (happy-ever-after) or an HFN (happy-for-now), it’s not romance. I read other genres, primarily science fiction and fantasy, but I always check out the endings in advance. And I figure there are a lot of folks out there like me.
When did you start writing?
I was rewriting the endings of books when I was in grade school, and I started writing fanfiction in my early teens, before I even knew what fanfiction was. I never really shared my writing with anyone. I just wrote it for myself. I kept writing it for a while, including even writing scripts for some television shows, again, not sharing them beyond a few close friends. Then I got really busy with my career and my family and didn’t write for a while. I have written fanfiction more recently, but I’m not telling which fandom!
Being an author was always my lifelong dream. My career was in technical writing and training, and eventually managing other writers and programmers. When I retired, I decided to pursue my real dream. And here I am.
Why go indie?
My first book was acquired by Samhain Publishing, Ltd. who then published the next two books in the series. I was preparing to continue the series when Samhain went out of business. I acquired the rights to the books and decided to republish them myself, but make it clear that the series is a fusion of genres. Despite them being categorized as paranormal the first time around, that is not one of the genres!
It is tough for an author to get a publisher to seriously consider and properly market a cross-genre or hybrid-genre book. Understandable, since the classification/categorization system for books and most book promotion services, are very rigid in slotting books into genres or categories. (I keep hoping this will change!) Going indie allows me to properly market the books myself as a fusion of genres.
What inspired the Books of the Kindling?
I wrote the Books of the Kindling series to introduce readers who love to read romance (like me!) to the realities of the slow-motion destruction of our environment. Too often fiction, despite succeeding in spotlighting the slow violence that is degrading our ecosystems, raising sea levels, decimating biodiversity, and ultimately, threatening human existence, goes either too dark or too preachy.
My intention is to be uplifting and entertaining (and making readers swoon is fun) while delivering just a bit of information and education at the same time. If my readers who love romance finish the books with even a slightly increased understanding of our natural world and how we can preserve it while saving ourselves, I’ve done my job. Love will always be at the forefront, but hope will be riding its coattails.
Does Woodruff Mountain exist? Patton Springs?
I hope so. But seriously, the Appalachians are one of the oldest surviving mountain chains on Earth. The range began forming more than 450 million years ago and, in the Blue Ridge, where Woodruff Mountain sits, some underlying rocks and minerals date back over a billion years. Any mountain that’s been around that long? Well, it probably does have some really old “magic” in its bones.
Patton Springs is based, a bit loosely, on the town of Hot Springs, North Carolina. If you ever get a chance, visit Hot Springs. It is a wonderful little town with a vibrant culture. There is no better place for enjoying the outdoors, listening to great music, and savoring delicious food. And there is absolutely nothing like the natural beauty of the Blue Ridge, no matter the season.
Have you traveled to Italy? Specifically Florence?
My husband was born in Italy and we made many trips to visit family and enjoy the beauty and culture of the country. Florence, with its wonderful museums and gardens and piazzas and gelato and people, is my very favorite. You can probably tell from the scenes in Origami Dreams set in Florence. But I love my husband’s little home town village in the south as well. It is an amazing country.
Do you have any advice for people who want to write?
Just do it. And do it your way. Books and blogs and courses are great, but you have to follow your muse, not someone else’s. And don’t measure yourself against other authors. Join some indie author groups and listen. Always ask other authors you trust about offers from marketers, reviewers, or anyone that seem too good to be true, especially if they are asking for payment.
What’s the best thing about being a writer?
Having even one reader who tells you how much they enjoyed your book. Having another tell you that they learned something – about synchronous fireflies or worker bees or environmental issues – from your book. And yet another tell you that your love story made them swoon. It is very fulfilling and makes up for all the long hours and tearing out of hair and wincing at edits and struggling with formatting and dealing with marketing… It’s all worth it.
What’s your favorite drink while writing?
Hot black tea with lots of sugar.
Who or what keeps you going?
Those fabulous readers I mentioned above. My characters, who just will no shut up about their story. And my fur babies, especially my chihuahua, Rosie, aka Pocket Rocket – a rescue who has been through more in her short life than you can imagine, and still keeps doing zoomies and making me laugh.
What are you currently working on?
Marketing in anticipation of the release of Book Four – Looking-Glass Lost, cleaning up Book Five, and doing some minor surgery on Book Six, while I wait for the line edits for Book Four. It’s always something!