INTERVIEW with Dyanne Davis
Dyanne, thank you for this opportunity to learn more about you and your books.
1. Please start by giving us some background about yourself. What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?
I’ve been married going on thirty-nine years. Bill really and truly was God’s gift to me. He’s my hero, my love and my friend. We have one son, Bill Jr. I’m a nursing with an up to date license though I haven’t worked in my occupation for years. I still going to lunch with the office staff, dinners and parties and they still believe that I’m willing to be on call. (LOL) Bill came to me about eleven years ago with a proposition that I should stop working and attempt to write and become a published author. If this didn’t happen I was to return to work. It didn’t happen and I was ready to fulfill my end of the bargain. Bill said, “No, keep trying. I know the question was to give you background on myself and to do that I have to include Bill. If you wanted me to get really mushy I’d tell you how much my Mom loved him and how he helped in her physical care during the last weeks of her life. He’s one of the good guys.
As to what I enjoy doing when I’m not writing that’s easy. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. Twice a month Bill and I close the drapes, take the phone off the hook and enjoy each other without interruptions. But, I’ll bet you’re looking for the, I enjoy reading, movies, skating sort of thing aren’t you? Well, I do but skating isn’t a weekly thing that I like anymore. I go because Bill loves it and we’re a team. I worry too much about falling now and being older. Writers have really strange thoughts I think.
2. Why did you become a writer? Who influenced you?
I became a writer because I had all of these characters running scenes by me from a young age. I thought to create something that someone would enjoy was a magical process and I wanted to be a part of that. No one writer influenced me, but the Bible and Greek Mythology revved up my creative juices and made me wonder what if. I began reading at four and still continue my love affair with the written word. I have books in my car, in both bathrooms, in the kitchen.
Even though I said no one writer influenced me especially in the beginning there are two author that I really admire. L.A. Banks and Robin Schone. Both are super successful but down to earth gifted writers. I love reading their work.
3. As a multicultural author, did you have stumbling blocks placed in your way or was there a fresh market for your books?
When I first began my career as a writer it was not with being a multicultural author in mind. As for the stumbling blocks I think I placed them there by not submitting to publishers who were taking the kinds of stories I was writing. The market is more diverse today than a few years ago as far as which publishers are now taking multicultural stories. There is a long way to go to bridging the divide that keeps readers of other genre from trying our books. I’ve heard it said dozens of times that the readers can’t relate to the characters in a multicultural novel. I find it odd that readers have no problems relating to vampires, demons or shape shifters. I’m looking toward the day when I won’t even remember this time period because readers will read all books for the story value.
4. What do readers look for in your books?
I’m going to answer this judging on what my readers write me. They look for characters that reflect some part of their lives. My stories are intended to make readers think, to maybe say, hey that sounds like …. Or So and So you should read that book because the woman is crazy, she makes me want to slap some sense into her. She reminds me of you. But she did something about her problem in the end.
5. Please tell us about your current releases,
Thank you. I have three recent books, The Critic, In Blood we Trust, and my first anthology, Continental Divide in The Lotus Blossom Chronicles 2. But I’ll tell you about The Critic because it’s up for Best AA Book of 2008 (romance) It’s a story about an uptight Baptist writer Toreas Rose who wants to write romance but the voice of God and her church fills her head.
Jared Stone is a small time cable show host on a mission to defame romance writers and readers. It’s a funny book without any of my usual angst. I really enjoyed the writing of it.
6. What was your favorite book or character to write?
I have to give you two books since I write as Dyanne Davis and F.D. Davis. As Dyanne Davis my favorite book is, Let’s Get it On. I fell in love with Hamid, the hero. As F.D. Davis my favorite book is, In The Beginning and my favorite character is Adam Omega my vampire. He’s so arrogant. He’s been getting really great reviews even though at the end they say, not a HEA. It was never intended to be. (smile)
7. Do you have any up coming projects that you would like to share?
In July my first of a psychic trilogy will be coming out. To Live Again. It’s a mainstream fiction. A married woman has an affair with her husband from a past life.
8. What is a typical writing day like for you?
My writing day begins between 2:30 to 3 am. Bill’s retired and we do a lot of retired things like going to Wal-Mart. Somehow this works. I’ve never missed a deadline.
9. Is there anything else that you would like your readers to know about you?
I think I’ve pretty much told you my entire life story. When I say I enjoy hearing from readers I truly mean it. I copy and laminate each one.
10. How may we, as readers, learn more about you and your books? (Websites, blogs, etc.)
I post the first chapters of all of my books on www.authorsden.com. I also post on my sites. www.dyannedavis.com and www.adamomegavampire.com ( Adam insisted on having his separate website.) I have a yahoo blog, blogger account and I blog on Amazon.
Thank you so much for taking time out to talk to us at CataNetwork.
Thank you for the opportunity. It was fun.
Lisa said:
Hey, great interview! Thanks for the information.
anton said:
one must be brave enough to change his job. if you don’t enjoy a job. you are a slave of your life. good luck dyanne, you are a brave one.