Written in the Stars Author: Diana Dawn

Interview with Diana Dawn:

Tell us what prompted you to start the series? Be as detailed as you want.

My Whispering Willows series actually started back in the late 1990s. I was part of a small online writing club. We all would write a chapter a week or so. I wrote there for several years on this same series. The writing club finally shut down in 2009. I didn’t do anything with my work for the next 10 years. Then, recently in 2019, I decided to not let all of that time and dedication go to waste, so I made the leap to self-publish my chapters into a book series.

How did you feel as you were writing the first book? Has that feeling changed between then and now? If so, how?

When I first started writing the chapters for this story, I had no idea how far it would go. I love all things Snow White, so I decided to write my story around what would happen to Snow White if she “fell” into another world. It ended up well over 200 chapters before the writing group shut down. I am proud of how far the story has gone. It’s so much more than I thought it would be in the beginning. There are more characters, emotion, and drama than I ever thought I would write!

How many times have you had a specific idea for the story but it has been derailed because the characters decide to go a different way?

Many times, but all for the best! Since the story/series grew into something much bigger than I first expected, I was able to expand my characters, and also bring in new ones… including some darker characters and deeper story themes. The series evolved from a sweet and naïve fairy-tale type story into something much deeper and exciting and dramatic!

What was the most difficult part in writing the series?

Originally, in the writing group, we were using a “shared world”. The moderator was a little…odd. She made things difficult for us. Folks started filtering out until there were only a few of us left. Then she just shut the whole thing down. The few of us left just took the group to another location and continued to write. It was much more peaceful at that point. LOL! So in putting my chapters of the “shared world” into a series, I only used my writing, of course, but I did change some character names and other things from the original version. My husband has been an important part in my converting the story into a series, believe it or not. He has a lot of feedback and gives me ideas. I record all of the books for him so he can listen on his way to work. I’ll get into his car and hear my voice, which is a weird feeling! LOL!

If you could give advice to anybody else considering writing a series, what advice would you give?

Each book in my series builds on the previous book, like a soap opera. This has made it difficult to market. Fans of my series love the cliffhangers that I have at the end of each book. They tell me it really gets them excited for the next release. But the downside of that is that readers need to start at the beginning of the series to know what all is happening. I think I would advise anyone thinking of writing a series to think more modularly. Try to have the books more standalone. They can still relate to each other in some way, but then a reader can pick up, say, book three, and not be totally lost. The relation can be something subtle that would make them curious enough to then purchase the first and second books, etc. This would be impossible for my current series. So it would take some planning on the author’s part to plan out this type of writing strategy.

About the Author:

Diana Dawn is a writer and author of the new book series, Whispering Willows. As a lover of fairy tales and romance, Diana has focused her writing on romantic fiction, with a hint of classic fables. She has been a lifelong writer and first began creating stories in grade school. When she isn’t glued to her computer or lost in her next fantasy story, Diana enjoys taking vacations with her husband and three children. She would love to hear your thoughts or feedback at http://www.DianaDawnBooks.com. Or drop her a line at Diana@DianaDawnBooks.com for a special free promotional offer related to her Whispering Willows book series!

Message from Diana:

Please visit my website for details and synopsis of my series, and a free download of some of the books! Plus, in addition to my series, I have more books coming out and a monthly newsletter with giveaways and other fun things!
https://dianadawnbooks.com/

Also, I just started a new reader’s group on Facebook, along with my Facebook author page. I would love for you to join us!
Dawning Books Reader’s Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/3109388419321551)
Diana Dawn Books (https://www.facebook.com/DianaDawnBooks)

On sale until January 31st! Get your copy before it’s too late!