For my Chat With me Thursday this week, I have an interview with Danielle Young, author of five YA books, including her latest release, Failure, which released on April 30, 2020.
You can check out Danielle online here through her website, Facebook, Instagram, Bookbub, and Goodreads
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1.Can you tell me a little about yourself?
If you ask me there isn’t much to know, but I will give it a shot. I am a mother to five incredible boys. They have been my motivation and light through everything and they are the reason that I currently have the job I do. By day, I am a high school culinary arts teacher, sharing my love and passion for the foodservice industry with youth. By night, I can be found writing or binging my favorite shows *coughs* The Last Kingdom, Merlin, Bones *coughs* or loving on one of my four cats and two dogs.
2. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I always sort of wrote as a kid. My friend and I used to lock ourselves away in closets and write stories through the night. But as I got older the desire to write was replaced with my need to be a mother. Then it was replaced with all the things that go with what society says being an adult is. I ventured into book blogging as a way to share my love of reading with others. It was that process and the connection with the Indie author community that helped stoke the writer in me back to life. I had an idea and some amazing Indie authors that I know and love encouraged me along the way.
3. How long did it take you to write Failure?
It took me about four years to completely write Failure. I started it while finishing the finale book in my trilogy, because I just couldn’t wait to start writing it.
4. Out of all your novels, which was the most difficult to write and why?
I currently have five published books and Failure was by far the hardest to write because it is a deeply personal story to me. Every book I write has a piece of my soul, in all honesty I think every book contains a piece of the writer. But with Failure this is my what could have been story, what could have been my life if I had not accepted the loss of my mother so well in high school. What could have happened if I didn’t have a support system. So, everything about this story is me in a way. Some of the things that Chris experiences in the book are my own personal experiences. Of course, told from a guy’s POV. :) Let’s just say I cried a lot writing this one.
5. What's your favourite part of writing?
My favorite part of writing is connecting with readers and hearing their thoughts on what I wrote. If my story finds even one reader, then I consider it a success.
6. Do you have any routines that help you write?
For me it is all about music. If I don’t have the right music I struggle with the story. I have to find music that speaks to my characters, once I do that, I can write.
7. What was the publishing process like? Was it different than you expected?
When I first published I would say I thought it was both easy and hard. The overall process I found easy, it was the individual steps that I often struggled with. Of course, I have gotten a lot better at it, but I still have a lot more to learn. But I think that’s how you become successful in anything, you try it, make mistakes, then work to do better next time.
8. How do you get rid of writer's block?
I have yet to figure out the answer to that one actually. That is part of the reason it takes me so long to write a book from start to finish. All I can say is that it is okay to step away from your writing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you if you don’t write every day. You have to do what works for you. And for some that means writing when the mood hits. It doesn’t matter if it takes you a month, year, or three years to write a book. All that matters is that you are doing it.
9. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
My advice for aspiring authors is to write. Don’t let fear stop you. If you have a story, then tell it, you are the only one who can tell it that way.
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That wraps up this week's Chat With Me Thursday! Special thanks to Danielle for allowing me to feature her!
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