This Q & A had and still has me nervous. The very first of what I am hoping turn into many Author Q & A's. Dawne caught my attention and with her latest book, Anchor Line, I couldn't resist. Both her book covers I absolutely fell in love with.
I am currently, in the middle of getting to know SSG Conrad Renner, to say this book is HOT is an understatement. I have fallen in love with Dawne's writing style. I can imagine her telling the story as I read. Love when I pick up a book and can totally see them telling me about the book.
Dawne, thanks for letting me pick your brain for a bit. I absolutely love going back and forth with you on Facebook, don't forget we have a venture to start thanks to your amazing one and only CONRAD RENNER. Much continued success. Hugs mujer, your familia loves you.
RB: How long have you been in the Military? Can you share a bit of what you do for the Army? Places you have been too?
DW: I was in the Army just under ten years. I was a flight medic while deployed, but at home, we didn’t have that mission, so I worked in the Aviation Med Clinic. I did deploy to Iraq, I also did a 30 day stint in the Bahamas when we had the Drug Interdiction Mission to help out there. It wasn’t all beaches and sunbathing. Most of the time, it was radio watch. Other than Basic Training in Fort Leonard Wood, MO, then on to Fort Sam Houston, Tx, and Fort Rucker, AL for schools, I stayed put at Hunter Army Air Field, in Savannah, GA.
RB: Did you grow up in a military family? What was that like?
DW: I did grow up in a military family! IT. WAS. AWESOME. I got to see so much of Europe and live there. The lifestyle in Europe and the UK is so much more laid back than in the States. I loved the castles and the fantasy of it all. Growing up in Europe was like a loooong vacation. Everyone, just once, should go visit Europe and the UK.
RB: At what point in your military career did you decide to write?
DW: I started writing when I was deployed. I had a few journals with me, and at first it was things we’d done, day to day stuff, capturing the emotion of flying into Iraq. All kinds of things. And then I just needed that escape...so I started to write short stories...and yes, some of those will make it into novels, but not all of them will be happily ever afters.
RB: I noticed on your profile it says you have a journalism degree, why did you pick that major?
DW: I think my love for reading and writing propelled me to that field. While in school, I wrote for an Internet based Hockey Magazine, ‘In The Crease’. I wrote about the hometown Minor League New Mexico Scorpions. I loved it.
RB: What was your favorite book as a child? As an adult?
DW: I was an eclectic reader. Still am...but as a child, The Wonderful Adventure of Nils by Swedish author Selma Lagerhof. Then you have Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary and the Judy Blume books. I also enjoyed the Hardy Boys much more than Nancy Drew because they were more adventurous. As an adult, I got into Autobiographies. Maureen O’Hara, Audry Hepburn, John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, Laura Bush. Then I like the Tom Clancy Novels and The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw (incidentally, I read The Greatest Generation while deployed to Iraq).
RB: What inspired you to write romance?
DW: That’s a great question. I tried my hand at mysteries and suspense. I have no patience for it. I’ve always wanted a happily ever after, so when I looked back at a lot of my journals and read the short stories, they all in some way shape or form were happy. SO, you throw in a little drama in the form of real life and some hey how are ya’s, great sex and...BOOM!
RB: Who are/were your influences?
DW: There are soooo many women that come to mind. Authors, Felicia Lynn, MJ Carnal, S K Hartley, Liz King. They’d all published books by themselves. I was like, if they can...so can I. But in this decision, it was really my sister from another mister, Debbie White who really ENCOURAGED me to get writing and find out if this was something I could do. After bugging Felicia to death about where do I go for this and that and she was so incredibly patient...Viola...here I am.
RB: Any recent new favorite books you have by any of the authors you know? So, MJ’s whole series The Moretti Novels, Sophie Hartley’s The Bad Boy Series, then Sophie Monroe’s novels, and Ker Dukey, Harper Sloan...the list goes on and on.
DW: How does your family feel about you writing and publishing romance novels? I’d say that the majority is pretty excited. My dad just picked up my first book Wait for Me...not sure how I feel about that yet! Nothing like having your family download your book and then search all the naughty words and report back to you on how many times you used (insert word here). My brother doesn’t approve and I’m okay with that. You can’t please everyone.
RB: If you could go back in time and met one author who would it be and what would you say?
DW: Jane Austen. What would I say...I think I’d be tongue tied and look like a fish out of water. But, I’d ask her what her drive was when she was writing. Sense and Sensibility was like a woven tapestry. But by far my favourite was Pride and Prejudice. LOVED it and I guess I’d ask her if there was more to the story.
RB: Author events. What was it like to attend your first one?
DW: My first event was hosted by Heather Gunter who did a really bang up job! Great first event! Frankie Guerra was with me and we had an absolute blast! It was awesome to have people come up to you knowing that you only have the one book out and say ‘I loved it’ or ‘I hate cliff hangers but your book was great.’ To be in an event with other authors was amazing. You truly are in some AWESOME company.
RB: How many do you have coming up and where?
DW: Southern Girls Author Event in Greenville, NC July 19
Indie Mashup Tampa, FL Sep 13
Down and Dirty Author’s Bash in Orange Beach, AL Sep 27
Twisted Signings Birmingham, AL Jan 24
The Book Splash...a CRUISE February 9-13
Kiss & Tell Author Event in Harrisonburg, PA Jul 25
Authors in Atlanta, Convention Center Atlanta, GA Sep 5
RB: I always here… Write what you know. I see you did that with Anchor Line. It has a military story line. What or who inspired this book?
DW: What inspired me....those men and women who volunteer to jump out of (almost) perfectly good airplanes. I certainly couldn’t do it! I love to watch the chutes come down. It’s amazing.
RB: How did it feel when you finally typed “THE END” on Anchor Line?
DW: Actually, I was frustrated. I knew how it was going to end. But there was sooooooo much more that I didn’t put in there because it was going to be a HUGE book to print. But there comes a time when you have to say enough! But I might do a novella next year.
RB: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
DW: WRITE! You can’t start a book if you don’t write. Women love romance.
RB: What would the perfect date be like for you?
DW: A perfect date for me...I’m a bit of a tomboy...so, a hockey game or Steelers football. NO fancy dinners. Going to shoot pool or throw darts over a few beers, a burger and fries.
RB: Oooohhh … I must ask, Favorite Book Boyfriend and why?
DW: This is a really tough one. GOSH! I don’t have a favorite ONE...but Kevin Merck from Taming Casanova by MJ Carnal is standing out. He’s a little cocky but down underneath that whole exterior he’s a softy at heart.
RB: Cover models. You have picked some pretty handsome men for your covers. Frankie Guerra and Justin Keeton, how do you go about picking the men that will be on the cover of your books?
DW: Actually, both were very serendipitous in landing on my covers! With Frankie I was looking for a Hispanic model and I had just posted it on my Facebook, when I saw that one of my friends had ‘liked’ Frankie’s fitness page. I went BONKERS and messaged him. He wrote back that he was interested in being a cover model and that he’d never done that before. Our first phone conversation was over an hour and we realized that we had a lot in common. I used some of Frankie’s favourites like his Vodka-Cran in the book, his car. Little things. But, I can’t say as that I’ve ever seen a Hispanic or Cuban cover model on a book before and I, being a ‘fan of tan’ like to break the mold of the typical cover model. I think most Indie Authors do...going for the tattooed pierced guy or what have you! With Justin, Golden Czermak knew I was looking for a cover model, so he sent me a message and said, this guy is in the National Guard. So I asked Golden if Justin would put on his uniform for it, Justin agreed and BOOM! Another first! So it happened quite backward actually. You usually ask the guy to go on your cover and they agree. This time it went through the photographer. Both young men...AMAZING gentlemen! Very humble, very sweet! I am truly blessed with having some great young men to cover my books.
RB: Justin looks perfect on the cover of Anchor Line, He will soon be every ladies HOT book boyfriend, SSG CONRAD RENNER, He looks perfect on the cover. Wondering what made him standout for this cover?
DW: Every model or Fitness guru has an attraction about them. With Justin, it’s not just the uniform. It’s the hidden confidence in holding open his ACU Shirt.
RB: What is the most frustrating part about being a writer?
DW: Currently, I’m having compatibility issues with my computer and the publishing page. Unfortunately, what I uploaded didn’t come out on the other side correctly. So, I’m fixing it...but in the meantime, you get people who are looking for that perfect edit. Some people are just looking for the story line. Incredibly frustrating when that happens!!! At other times it’s trying to anticipate what your reader wants. You could have the perfect story, edited perfectly, formatted perfectly and the cover perfect...but someone is not going to like it or approve of it. It’s life. It’ll be okay. You aren’t going to get it right 100% of the time. Accept that fact and you’ll be fine. Fix it and go after it again!
RB: Is there anything you would like to share with or tell your fans?
DW: I like to think that I have Familia or readers instead of fans. But, THANK YOU! In all honesty, thank you isn’t enough. I really enjoy the interaction. And sometimes I’m a little slow getting back to you, I apologize, that inconvenient forty hour a week job I do does get in the way. It really is great though. Being an Indie writer, it’s not about money. It’s about sharing a passion for telling a good story.
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