About D.L. Gardner:
D.L. Gardner is an award-winning author, screenwriter and filmmaker living in the Pacific Northwest, USA. With a passion for a good wholesome story, she dives into the adult and young adult fantasy genres. She loves a book that ignites the imagination, strengthens friendships, spurs courage, and applauds honor.
When she's not writing she is spending time outdoors fishing, hiking, and gardening.
What inspires you to write?
There are quite a few things that inspire me and each book that I write was inspired by something different. World events both present and in the past have affected my writing. I'm inspired by cultures of the world and enjoy creating new ones for my fantasy books from those that already exist. I'm inspired by legends and myths. And I'm also inspired by nature, walking in the woods or on the beach. There are so many things by which to gain inspiration in this world. Like visual art, which really is learning how to see, literary art is learning how to observe, taste, feel, and touch.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
Jordan, Sanderson, Tolkien, Abercrombie
Tell us about your writing process.
I begin with an idea and form it into a premise and then develop characters and conflict, deciding on what the plot arc will be as well as the character arcs. I then outline events that move the story forward from point A to point B. Once I have that mapped out and begin writing, I let the story thread weave itself. It's akin to building a loom. The foundation to hold the weaving is in place, the warp is threaded, the yarn spun. Now comes the creative part of weaving the threads together.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I do. I often have long conversations with them or sometimes merely ask them a question. Sometimes I'll ask them "why won't you do that?" and I usually get a quirky answer I hadn't considered. 🙂
What advice would you give other writers?
Read a lot. Study, glean from those whose books you love, and never stop learning. Never stop writing.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
My first books were published with several small presses but because of my personality and being able to do just about everything pertaining to getting a book to market I found I enjoy having the control over what I put out there. So I decided to just self-publish.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
It's changing and I don't think anyone knows what's going to happen. Perhaps we haven't even seen a hint of what the end result will look like, or perhaps there will never be an 'end result'. I doubt traditional publishing nor Indie publishing will go away, though.
What genres do you write?: fantasy and historical fantasy and fiction.
What formats are your books in?: eBook, Print, Both eBook and Print, Audiobook
Website(s)
D.L. Gardner Home Page Link
Link To D.L. Gardner Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
Thanks so much for posting my interview!