Author Bio:
God has blessed me with a wonderful husband and three dynamic children, all of whom are destined to make wide, colorful splashes in this world. We share our New Jersey home with three dogs. I have no hobbies to speak of, unless you include writing. I don’t.
What inspires you to write?
God gave me the desire to write romance. Some of my characters are Godly, moral people, some…not so much. And while I do try to reveal God’s loving nature, these stories are not populated with virgins and goody, goody pacifists. No topic is off limits.
Tell us about your writing process.
My process…oh boy. I usually start with a spark of an idea, maybe just a line I overheard in Star Bucks, or something an image I saw flashed on the TV. I build from there and usually write a random scene from which I’ll build. Often, that scene won’t make it into the book, but is just used to hit the ground running. I work hard on my characters and try to keep things moving. I don’t like to be bored and I don’t want them to be either. If we’re excited to see what happens next, the reader will be, too. And since I like to keep things flowing, I use an overview – not an outline. An overview is the story spread out in blocks that can be rearranged, added to or deleted. It sometimes surprises me to see what’s been left behind in the final work.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I hope I’m not that far gone yet, LOL. But because I spend so much time on backstory (that the reader never sees) and personality development, I know what they’ll say, how thay’ll act, and we all move forward together. Like a potato sack race. Hmm. Maybe I’m more gone than I imagined :-/
What advice would you give other writers?
Always write what you want to read. Don’t let anyone tell you you should do this or try that. If YOU feel you should, you’ll know when the time is right. When possible, get advice from other writers – not about how to schedule time, or what writing books to read, but about the work on the page itself. Sometimes objectivity has gone bye-bye and you need another set of eyes. That being said, don’t take all advice. Use your reason, trust your instinct.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
My first novel, The Covering, was published through Pelican Book Group (White Rose), I always assumed that was how I would do it, and God worked it out quite simply and brilliantly – as He does all things. I never considered indie publishing, in fact, looked down on it, because it had such a bad (and at the time, well-deserved) reputation for being “less than.” Many indie authors didn’t seem to care much about professionalism, only being published, and were churning out sub-par work. But, a good writer friend of mine opened by eyes to the “new indie.” and the books were as good as traditionally published, some better. With the benefit of being able to keep most of my royalities, I thought I’d give it a shot. Now I do both 😀
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I hear a lot about houses closing and how e publishing is going to take over the world, but with pros and cons for indie and traditonal, there’s room for everyone. With so much competition, authors are really stepping up their game and it’s exciting to see, especially as a reader.
What do you use?
Professional Cover Designer
What genres do you write?
romance, paranormal, suspense, Christian,
What formats are your books in?
Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Dana Pratola Home Page Link
Link To Dana Pratola Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4770755.Dana_Pratola
http://www.facebook.com/DanaPratolaAuthor
http://www.twitter.com/DanaPratola
http://www.pinterest.com/danapratola/
