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An Interview With D.K. AbbottTell us a bit about yourself. What would you like us to know about you? I am a writer. And although I've been published for many years, it's wonderful to be able to say at last, "I am a author." What are you doing now? (Career? Married? Single? Children? Pets?) I'm married to Ronnie. We lost our oldest son Troy Bryan in a car accident in 1992 at the age of 26 - he remains in our memories and we always include him during our family celebrations. The mourning never ends but we rejoice that we knew him. Todd and his fiance' Veronica leave near us and their devotion to us as we enter our senior years is wonderful. We have six 'grand kittens' and a very confused Doberman. What is your favourite food? Give me Italian and Mexican (neither hot). What is your favourite colour? I like all the colors of blue. What is your favourite sound? The sound of my family's laughter. Who is your favourite person? My mother. She taught me to love and be kind and to accept things I can't change. What is your favourite place? My backyard where I can kick back and watch the clouds tell their own story. What is your favourite memory? My memories that I shared with my family. They blend together and make me smile when I'm down. What is your favourite article of clothing? My pajamas. What is your favourite word? Persevere. I've had this word on a piece of paper and actually taped on every typewriter, every computer I've ever owned. For me, it's my inspiration. It sums up the life of a writer and the goals we strive for. What is your favourite writers' quote and why? Open a Vein ... because writers have to do this each morning for inspiration. What is your most favourite quality about yourself? I am true to my friends, very protective with my family, and take joy in seeing everyone comfortable and happy. I love to feed everyone, dress everyone and make sure I never forget their special occasions. I cry for their joys and their sorrows - and they inspire me with their dedication to me. I like where my life has taken me, and I want to think I leave a part of myself when I move on. What is the least favourite quality about yourself? I procrastinate. I sit down at the computer to work on one project, but end up doing something completely different on-screen. I have one story I've been working on for 7 years. I just can't finish it and it's only a short story. My lists that I make the first of each month (things to do/things to finish) usually end up in the shredder by the 10th. If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why? After traveling the country for 35 years, I am where I want to be right now. Ronnie has retired and we've settled into the 'second half' of our life together. We've returned to where we met - high school sweethearts - we have our old friends, our son, our pets and an endearing love that only grows deeper as we age. We are/I am truly blessed. What inspires you to write and why? So many things inspire me. Friends, my family -the music I listen to, books that I read ... I sleep with my journal next to my bed and often awaken in the middle of the night with ideas. I carry my journal with me always and each night I transfer my thoughts to my computer under the heading 'Possible Stories'. What is your favourite book and why? I've always loved Gone With the Wind ... I love the way the writer weaved the story around Scarlet, and I believe everyone can find a piece of themselves in the character. As self-centered and childish as she was, the reader learned that everyone has that inner strength to help you overcome any obstacle. What is your favourite genre and why? List your three favourite authors (any genre) and why? Victoria Holt (Historical Romance) What do you think makes a writer successful? I believe to be a successful writer, you must read, read, read. See what the readers want and then add my own imput. Whta is it that makes you successful as a writer? Simply that I love to write. I love to take a character and develop it into this special person, with goals, flaws, desires and needs. I want my characters to become real in my readers' eyes. I want my readers to see how my characters handle various situations in hopes that, someday, they may remember and use it to get them through tough spots. And I love the fact that I can sit at my computer, write for an hour, and then realize that I had become the character. That the character had written those scenes and not the writer. What are your goals as a writer? My goals are simple - to entertain on paper. To make my readers look for my work and to pass it on to their friends and family. What is the best tip you can give to fellow writers? Keep writing - remember: a rejection isn't saying the work is bad, but that isn't what the editor is looking for at the time. When I first started writing, I took each rejection and taped it to the wall in front of my desk. This was to tell myself I had more to learn, more researching of the markets - more honing of my craft, so to speak. And when I sold my first story, I threw one of those rejections away. When I ran out of rejections on that wall (and there were more added over the years), I realized that I was 'catching on' to the whole writing thing. What do you hope to provide your readers with through your writing? I want my readers to fall in love with my characters and be eager to turn the page. And when they finish the book, I want them to tell their friends about it, to pass it on to others, and to keep a part of it in their hearts. Most of all, I want them to look forward to seeing more of my work in print. List your three favourite online writer-resource sites and why (include URLS). If you have published a book, tell us about your publishing success (title, publishing date and company, where it is available to purcahse). The Path Taken (Pseudonym: D.K. Abbott) How long did it take you to write your book(s)? My book was written several years ago and then put away. One day, a friend asked me whatever happened to it and I admitted I hadn't thought about it in years. I dug through boxes and file drawers and finally found the notebook - the pages dog eared and yellowed with age. I dove in, updated it as I put it into my WORD program - and within 2 months it was ready to go. I've never looked back. What would you do differently if you could repeat the same publishing experience? Because this was my first book, I don't think there is much I would do differently. Maybe when I sell my second book, I'll approach the marketing from a different angle; however, right now I'm in the learning stages. What have you learned about the publishing world? I've learned that the easiest part of get a book published is the writing. I've never had trouble selling my work, and when I decided to finally write a book, it sold to the first publisher I submitted it to (Vintage Romance Publishing). The hardest thing is 'getting it out there'. The marketing is one of the greatest challenges I have faced. But through the process, I've learned a lot about myself as well. I've learned patience, perserverance, and to be more aggressive when it comes to dealing with the public. This is your chance to 'Talk Back' to your readers. What would you like to say to them? Keep reading. Read when you're happy. Read when you're sad. Read for the pleasure the words give you. And when you've read all you can, pick up another book and read it as well. What's the one thing that you want them to know about your writing? I want them to know I write for myself as well as for them. My writing is my life and most of my stories revolve around what I've seen and done in my lifetime. Writing is a reflection of the writer's life, just created around different characters. |
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