Interview with Award Winning Author Dana Davis

Welcome to my blog interviews with novelists, short story authors, scriptwriters, and more.  Today’s is with author Dana Davis

Photo by Phyllis Boyd

Armen: Hello, Dana. Please tell us something about yourself, and how you came to be a writer.

Dana:  Hi, Armen. Thanks so much for inviting me! I really can’t remember when I wasn’t writing something. When I was young, I wrote really bad poetry then angst prose as a teen and young adult. I spent several years adapting or writing scripts for children’s theatre. But I didn’t get into writing novels until after I decided to leave my previous career in Hollywood. I got burned out of the Hollywood craziness and wanted a new career, one that would allow me to set my own work schedule, so I went back to school to focus on writing. Things just snowballed after that and I’ve been writing novels ever since.

Armen:  You left a Hollywood career to begin writing, how cool is that!  Why did you begin writing and what inspired you to write your first book?

Dana: My brain is chock full of junk and I’ve been making up worlds in my head since I was very little. I began writing as a kid to get some of that craziness out of me. As for my very first book I ever wrote, I never finished that one. To this day it sits in a folder, where it will probably stay forever because it’s not good enough for publication. As a writer, that’s pretty normal. We have to cut our teeth somehow. <smiles>

Armen: What have you had published to-date? Do you write under a pseudonym?

Dana: I have ten books published, all under my real name, and another is due out at the end of this year. Three of my current books are for tween/teen readers and I plan to write more in the future.

Armen: Which authors did you read when you were younger and how did they impact you as a writer?

Dana: I really enjoyed Madeline L’Engle and Tolkein, but I was disappointed there weren’t any girls along on the adventures with Bilbo Baggins. I read a lot of Star Trek companion novels as a kid, too. Yes, I’m a proud geek. Those books influenced my writing in a lot of ways but after reading so many books in the sc-fi/fantasy genres that usually starred boys, I just had to give my adventures to girls, so readers will always find a female lead in my books.

Armen: No need to apologize to me for liking Star Trek, geek is cool!  As for girls, I know exactly what you mean.  One of my goals in writing my first book (Misaligned:  The Celtic Connection) was to create a fantasy series with a female lead.  Do you have any tips for anyone thinking about writing in the tween/teen market?

Dana: Do your homework. The publishing industry has changed enormously in the last few years and I think it will continue to do so, especially with technology. Be mindful of the age group you’re targeting. Adult situations might be fine for older teens but many parents don’t want younger kids reading about that. Also, read what you enjoy writing. You can learn so much from other authors. I’m always shocked when I hear someone tell me they want to be a writer but they hate reading.

Armen:  I agree with you about the reading connection.  I can’t imagine getting to the writing stage without first loving to read.  Are your books available as eBooks, paper, or both?

Dana: All of my tween/teen books are available as eBooks, Kindle and Nook included. One is currently in paperback – The Mask of Tamirella – and the rest will be in paperback within the next year or so.

Armen:  Do you have a favorite of your books or characters?

Dana: Books are like children for me and my favorite is always the one I’m working on at the time. That said, they’re all my favorites. I love them each in a different way. See, I told you they’re like children. <grins>

Armen: What are you working on at the moment?

Dana: Right now I’m finishing up a series for adults. I’m under contract for one more book. I’m also gearing up to do marketing for the upcoming paperback versions of all my books. I have several books waiting for me to write them. I’m going to be busy for a long time and I love it.

Armen: Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

Dana: The main plot is always there in the beginning but I get all kinds of surprises as I write. Nothing stamps out my creativity faster than doing an outline. That’s fine if I need to write non-fiction, but for fiction, I need to let my mind run free. My characters are renowned for not always doing what I want. Some bully their way into the story. Others refuse to do certain things. I’ve learned that if I force a story to go a certain direction just because I planned it that way weeks or months ahead and the characters are going a different way, it won’t work. So I let my characters guide me.

Armen:  I get what you’re saying.  I typically write a very loose outline so that I don’t lose any ideas.  It’s never more than a page and I have no issues with wandering.  Do you have to do much research?

Dana: With anything in the sci-fi genre, yes. I can create worlds that don’t exist in our reality but they have to obey the laws of physics. Science is changing all the time so I have to keep up with the latest theories when I’m writing that genre, which means a lot more research. Fantasy is a bit different, especially when dealing with magic. I can make my own worlds with my own rules, but I do have to stick to those rules once I make them. Sometimes I write fantasy set in our current world. When I do that, I have to research whatever area I plan to use as my setting.

Armen: Have you had any rejections? If so, how do you deal with them?

Dana: <laughs> A big fat yes to that! I have an entire folder full of them and I’m very proud of that. I wouldn’t consider myself a successful author if I didn’t have a slew of rejections. I worked hard to get where I am today and spent years submitting my work so it’s nice to have evidence. When I get a rejection, I file it and move on to the next submission. I’m very busy so I really can’t afford to dwell on them.

Armen:  That’s a very healthy attitude.  I always thought of it as being a bit like dating, it only takes one yes <laughs>.  Do you do much marketing for your work?  Do you think of yourself as a brand?

Dana: I have to market all the time. It’s the only way to get book sales. My work is slanted toward the female reader so I tend to market that way. If you visit my website you’ll see this disclaimer: Fantasy/paranormal/sci-fi novels starring women and girls!

Armen:  Writers are often described as a different breed of cat.  Do you have any interesting writing quirks?

Dana: It would probably be easier if I told you what was normal about me because that’s a much shorter list. My office is full of things that inspire me. I even have a vintage “Alien in a Can” on one of my shelves, as well as a light up ghost and a magic wand. Characters constantly walk into my head and tell me what they want to do in this or that scene, which distracts me if I’m around other people. And I sometimes talk to myself when I’m working through dialogue, to make sure it doesn’t sound stilted or forced. I try not to do that in public though. Even in LA, people sometimes get uncomfortable when you talk to the air. <snickers>

Armen:  Do you have a favorite quote or catchphrase from one of your characters or from someone else?

Dana: Actually, my favorite quote comes from the famous author, Jack London – “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” It’s so very true, especially in the writing business.

Armen: Very nice!  What do you do when you’re not writing? Any hobbies or eccentric habits?

Dana: I’m a world traveler and love any place with castles or ruins. I’m also a ghost hunter, but I haven’t had much time to do investigations, lately. I really want to get back to that. When I just want to relax, I’ll read, walk to the beach, or see a movie with my husband. He’s a great inspiration for me.

Armen: Where can we find out about you and your writing?

Dana:  I have a website, blog, Facebook and Twitter pages.

http://www.danadaviswriting.com/

http://danadaviswriting.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/DanaDavisbooks

https://twitter.com/DanaDavis

Armen: Dana, thank you so much for sharing your time.  Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

Dana:  Thanks so much for having me, Armen. I’ve had a fabulous time. And I think it’s important to find something you really love when deciding your career path. I’d go loony if I couldn’t write.

Dana’s tween/teen books:

1. Quest for Freedom – sci-fi with a touch of romance

Kidnapped. Enslaved. Trapped on an unforgiving world far from home.

Fifteen-year-old Janai, a healer’s apprentice from a planet called Kritine, volunteers to lead others to freedom. Along the journey, she finds she’s attracted to a boy from her homeworld, but now is not the time to choose a life-mate. She must remain strong as she fights to overcome old and new enemies that don’t want her to find freedom.

Will she succeed? Or is the free-zone merely a fanciful story spread by desperate children? Janai risks her life to find out.

Amazon affiliate link: Quest for Freedom

2. The Mask of Tamirella – Award-winning post-apocalyptic adventure

Sixteen-year-old Caitlanna Mullen lives in a harsh world where technology no longer exists. In her post-apocalyptic society, she salvages artifacts for trade. One artifact is especially desired – The Mask of Tamirella. Cait steals the Mask from another sanction, putting her own sanction at risk. As punishment, she must travel through a mutant forest without becoming a sacrifice and into Rotted City, where toxic ruins hoard an ancient disease.

To complicate matters, the man she loves accompanies her group. Because of their age differences, an intimate relationship with him is strictly forbidden and would bring severe punishment, perhaps even exile. Cait’s life takes an unexpected turn when she uncovers secrets she never imagined.

Amazon affiliate link:  The Mask of Tamirella

3. Breach of Worlds –fantasy adventure

How can a destitute orphan get an ordinary life? Seek out the valley sorceress, of course, a woman rumored to ride dragons and eat young men.

Armed with only her wits and a stolen map, Nara goes in search of the famed sorceress. At age fourteen, when her own powers begin to manifest, she becomes a target for evil. This adolescent girl must help defeat the shadow ones before they destroy everything she has come to love. Orphanage life was difficult, but her future terrifies her as she embarks on a harrowing journey fraught with magic and peril.

Nara’s life will be anything but ordinary.

Amazon affiliate link:  Breach of Worlds

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