Author Bio:
God has blessed me with a wonderful husband and three dynamic children, all of whom are destined to make wide, colorful splashes in this world. We reside in northern New Jersey where we have four seasons and three dogs. I have no hobbies to speak of unless you include writing. I don’t.
What inspires you to write?
The desire to write has always been there, since I could hold a pencil. I consider writing my ministry, even though I write just as much secular as Christian romance. There is always something to be expressed through the written word that reaches hearts and minds like nothing else and I want to be part of that.
Tell us about your writing process.
I wake up, commute to my office across the hall from my bedroom, and sit down for a productive day cranking out words. LOLOL. Yeah…no. While that is always my intention, I'm a procrastinator by nature, and on top of that, I'm easily distracted, so the worst thing that can happen when I sit down to write is…anything. A sound from the other room will give me a reason to get up from my desk and if I get a text that has the potential of turning into a conversation, I'm pretty much done with work for the next hour. It's a miracle I've published anything. For me, noise-canceling headphones are a must and I listen to either instrumental music or the sounds of the ocean or woods, depending on the mood of the story I’m telling. On a good day, I can get out 1,500 wds 🙂 But it's usually 200-300 wds 🙁
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I know my characters intimately, and while it's super important to know how they'll react in a given situation, I have to leave room for different expressions of that personality (i.e., fleshing out a character). An example would be: Josiah is pissed. Will he grind his teeth and walk away? Or will he punch Ben in the mouth and then walk away? I'm still being true to his character by having him angry, but when variations of how to express that spring to mind, I try them on and see how they work. Never has a character dictated to me how or where a story should go. *Psst… They're not real 🤭
Who are your favorite authors?
Nora Roberts was "queen of romance" for me for years. There are just too many books to name, but her books set in Ireland are probably my favorites, as well as her time travel, Time and Again. Then I discovered Stephanie Laurens and fell for her historical romances, which is surprising since I don't write historical at all.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
At the time I started, indie books had a bad reputation for being sub-par, cheesy, riddled with errors, etc., and for good reason. It was kind of the dumping ground for books that couldn't make it through traditional publishing houses. That has changed. In the last ten years, indie authors have really stepped up the game and most of the books that I've seen are every bit as polished and engaging as trad. published. I started with a traditional publisher, for the reasons I mentioned (I'm still with Pelican Book Group), but have since expanded to indie as well. The royalty is higher and the time between finishing a book and seeing it available for sale is much shorter in indie.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I believe the future is bright. People will always be escaping into the world of books. E-publishing has taken off, including audiobooks, but the smell and feel of real pages in your lap is something that will never go out of style, so there's something for everybody. Whether or not brock and mortar stores remain viable is another matter.
What genres do you write?
Romance – paranormal, speculative, Christian, contemporary, fantasy, suspense, mystery, YA, supernatural
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print
Website(s)
Dana Pratola Home Page Link
Follow Dana Pratola On Amazon
Author’s Social Media Links
Goodreads
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All information is provided by the author and is presented as it was submitted so you the reader get to hear the author’s own “voice” in their interview.