About Dorothy Callahan:
Dorothy Callahan lives in New York with her wonderful husband, a pride of demanding cats, and two loyal dogs, all rescued from shelters (well, not the husband). Her love of both animals and writing prompted her to start READ AND RESCUE, an organization where animal-loving authors and readers can find one another. The unique aspect to this group is that each author pledges a portion of proceeds to his/her favorite animal cause.
When Dorothy is not writing, she enjoys shopping for antiques and renovating their pre-Civil War house. If you are interested in learning more about Dorothy or how to help other animals in need, please visit her at her website, dorothy callahan dot com.
What inspires you to write?
I’d like to say it’s something beautiful, like a brilliant sunset, or melodious, like the wind whistling through the summer reeds, but in reality, I am a slave to the voices in my head. I might be in the middle of reading a great book when suddenly an unknown character comes to life, demanding I write a scene. I won’t even have any idea of who the character is, but I get to my keyboard ASAP and write that scene down. Then I work out the details!
Tell us about your writing process.
It involves a lot of cat shuffling. When I’m at my keyboard, my cats multiply like coat hangers in an empty closet. One blocks my tower. One blocks my screen. One tries to step on the keyboard while another tries to climb on my shoulders. Four start fighting, eight knock something over, sixteen start screaming for dinner and next thing I know, I’ve somehow managed to get twelve hundred words written, one for each cat!
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Oftentimes it’s like I’m watching a movie play out. I can see the scene, then I try to write it. With this last scene I wrote, I wasn’t sure how I wanted to word any of it. It was going to be an emotional scene, and I wrote, “She said….” and I could picture that character, mouth open, kind of eyeing me, waiting, giving me this look like, “Are you going to make me sit here with my mouth dangling open, or give me actual words to speak?” So I wrote, um… “She said….”
What advice would you give other writers?
Be brave and follow the advice others have given you. Seriously. When I first started writing, so many people advised me on places to go for classes, where the best conferences were, etc, but I was so pathologically shy that I never followed through. I believe I could have shaved ten years off my publication date had I just been brave enough to try something new.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I submitted to Crimson Romance, and they started my journey. I am truly grateful for everything they have done to pave my path. They are wonderful editors and always keep us in the loop.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Yeesh, here I go not being brave again. I quiver in fear when I think of all the changes that will ultimately unfurl, meaning I’m going to have to learn more techno stuff!
What do you use?: Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Romance, paranormal, time travel, YA
What formats are your books in?: eBook, Print, Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Dorothy Callahan Home Page Link
Link To Dorothy Callahan Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Pinterest
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.
