Author Bio:
Delynn Royer is the older, funnier more ornery alter ego of award-winning author Donna Grove, who, as a young mother, published four historical romances. The first, A Touch of Camelot, won a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award. Soon after that, Delynn set aside her pen to concentrate on her day job and raising her two sons.
Motherhood never ends but kids fly the nest. Delynn has returned to her first love, writing, and is happy to be at work on new titles that she hopes will entertain and lighten readers’ hearts. Aside from delving into the historical research that inspires her romance and mystery novels, Delynn enjoys classic movies, reading, travel and yoga. She lives with her husband in Pennsylvania.
What inspires you to write?
So many things. Music, especially movie soundtracks. Character types I may want to explore—scam artist, gunslinger, detective, femme fatale, magical child. There are tropes, themes or story elements I may want to put my own spin on—magic, mystery, revenge. Maybe most of all, there are certain times and places that fascinate me. What would it be like to travel back in time to the old American West, Manhattan in the 1920s, Pompeii before that fateful day, or Britain in the Dark Ages?
Tell us about your writing process.
I’m a seat of the pants writer, which drives me crazy because I’m not a seat-of-the-pants person. I wish I could plot ahead, but I rarely can—at least, not in detail. I usually start with the glimmer of an idea and a time and place, and then I begin to research the time, place, characters and rough plot points to see if the idea grows legs. After that, I may do more character sketching but never fully. I don’t get to know my characters until I begin to write them.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I can’t say I talk to them, but I certainly listen to them. Sometimes they’re difficult to hear, sometimes they’re impossible to ignore!
What advice would you give other writers?
I don’t feel like an expert in craft or marketing, but I did spend some time in the business back in the day and then returned many years later. There have been a lot changes, but some pitfalls and struggles remain the same. I’d caution new writers to keep their eye on the ball, which is the writing and protecting one’s passion for it. That can get lost very quickly as soon as one publishes and sales and promotion move up the priority list.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I was traditionally published in the 90s, then left the business. When I returned to writing, it was over ten years later, and I thought it would be just for fun. By 2012, though, self publishing was possible, even for someone like me who isn’t particularly tech savvy. Getting my rights back to my backlist titles seemed to make sense. It was the right move for me. Updating my historical romances and putting them out in digital format has been so fun and has allowed me to reach new readers. My next step was to submit to a digital publisher and the result is that I have an ebook out from Carina Press—my first historical romantic mystery—and I’m thrilled with that.
I think new writers should explore and research all their publishing options. One doesn’t exclude the other and both have their challenges and rewards.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
If only I knew! I hope self-publishing remains an accessible option for new writers to find readers and for established writers to spread their wings creatively.
What do you use?
Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer
What genres do you write?
Historical Romance, Western Romance, Romantic Mystery, Historical Mystery
What formats are your books in?
eBook
Website(s)
Delynn Royer Home Page Link
Link To Delynn Royer Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
http://twitter.com/delynnroyer
http://www.pinterest.com/delynnroyer/
