Sharon Donovan's Her Biggest Fan

Sharon Donovan lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her family. Prior to the loss of her vision, she was a legal secretary for the Court of Common Pleas where she prepared cases for judges in Domestic Relations. Painting was her passion. When she could no longer paint, she began attending creative writing classes and memoir workshops. After a long and winding road, a new dream arose. Today, instead of painting her pictures on canvas, Sharon paints her pictures with words.

Sharon writes stories of inspiration and suspense. She has certificates in business and medical transcription. Echo of a Raven, a narrative non-fiction about her struggles with diabetic retinopathy, received a CTRR award for outstanding writing, and The Claddagh Ring is a 2009 CAPA nominee for best inspirational of the year. Other books by Sharon Donovan are Mask of the Betrayer, Touched by an Angel and Lasting Love. Her Biggest Fan and Charade of Hearts are coming soon from The Wild Rose Press. You can visit Sharon at http://www.sharonadonovan.com/. Welcome, Sharon.




Tell us about Her Biggest Fan. Is it available in print and e-book formats?

My latest release is Her Biggest Fan, a romantic suspense published by the crimson line of The Wild Rose Press. It is available in both print and eBook format. When New York Times bestselling author Tess Kincaid wins the RITA award for her romantic suspense, little does she know she is being photographed. But when she finds a letter in her mailbox, hears her favorite classical song playing on her stereo, and receives an obscene phone call at midnight identifying himself as her biggest fan, she realizes she is being stalked. Plagued with fear, Tess flees to her childhood home, a century-old New England manor overlooking Frenchmen’s Bay. And when the psychotic fan follows her, Tess becomes ensnared in a bizarre game of cat and mouse. Using wax gargoyles, flickering candelabras and eerie music, her biggest fan sets out to drive the pretty little princess insane. But when Tess calls the police, all the props disappear. And when a ball of fire rolls down the hillside, threatening to burn her century-old estate to ashes, Tess calls the fire department. When they arrive, there is no sign of fire. No one believes the spoiled beauty with the bewitching green eyes. Authorities think she’s crazy as a loon. But sensing evil from deep in the woods, Tess Kincaid would bet her life someone is keeping vigil from the watch tower. With the help of her very handsome neighbor, Sheriff Mike Andretti, Tess is bound and determined to prove her biggest fan is real and put an end to this bizarre game.

Wow! how intriguing! Do you think your writing has improved since your first attempt? If so, in what way?

Oh, yes. As writers, we never stop learning. Smart writers learn from their mistakes, and I’ve certainly learned by mine. Initially, going back ten years ago, I had no concept of pov, no idea of how to create subplots or follow a constructive outline, or how to determine a sub-genre or for that matter even a general genre at times. These are all signs of the novice writer, and editors and agents will pick this up in a New York second and toss your carelessly put together manuscript in the slosh pile. Learn the genre you are marketing; otherwise, you’re just wasting your time and the time of the agent/editor. The best thing to do is to carefully read the guidelines of each publishing house that you want to submit to before submitting. Find out if they’re accepting your choice in genre, the word count the font, etc. But most of all, present the most flawless manuscript that you can, free of errors. Joining critique groups for constructive criticism is the best way to improve writing, aside from writing often. Readers are our biggest fans, and ultimately we must please our readers. If more than one person reads the ms and is lost, you have a problem that needs addressed before you submit to a house. These are the words that I live by. I’m a better writer than I was yesterday, but not as good a writer as I will be tomorrow.

Were any of your books more challenging to write than the others? If so, why?

Mask of the Betrayer was my biggest challenge. The main character is a twisted sociopath and serial killer. The mind has always fascinated me. It can bend. It can break. It can snap. In order to write Michael DeVeccio’s story, I had to get deep inside his mind, and in order to do this, I took psychology classes to best understand and study the complexity of the mind and its many disorders. For the most part, sociopaths have been severely traumatized in early childhood, causing their psyche to crack and unravel in later years. Getting into Michael’s head and telling his story from his pov was a frightening place to be. Research for me is everything, and if the facts are misleading to the reader, I haven’t done my homework and have no right stating so in print.

How do you develop characters? Setting?

Certain characters are roughly defined from people I know, while some are strictly from my imagination. Others stem from old television shows or movies or soap operas, combining several characterizations into one. I’ve been known to incorporate some of my own traits into characters, mingling the vulnerable with strengths. For setting, naturally the best way to bring one to life is by visiting the town or country. My visit to Ireland inspired me to write a mystic tale about The Claddagh Ring, and vacationing in the wild and majestic Hawaiian Islands was the backbone to my upcoming suspense Charade of Hearts. But since I can’t go to all the locations I choose to write about, I research the town or country thoroughly and often interview people who have first hand knowledge.

What are your protagonist’s strengths? Flaws?

In both the protagonist and antagonist, each has to have a little of both to make them human. Who do you know that is all good or all bad? I can think of certain people that consider themselves flawless, but in reality, are anything but. If I created a heroine that was so squeaky clean and so perfect, who could relate to her? She would come off as cold and unfeeling, not to mention selfish and snobbish. The same with the hero. What woman wants a man who is too perfect for words? How could she let her own hair down if she was afraid to let Mr. Perfect see her flaws or see her naked face without a ton of makeup? This would make for boring life and boring fiction. We all have our flaws, and it’s been my personal experience that admitting to them and finding the humor in them makes people relate to me and admit to a few of their own. Tess Kincaid is my heroine and the protagonist in Her Biggest Fan. She is a beauty with mahogany hair and bewitching green eyes and has been treated like a princess all of her life. On the downside, Tess is prone to migraines when under stress and anxiety attacks requiring medication. In Mask of the Betrayer, Margot Montgomery is polished and sophisticated and highly disciplined. But her flaw is something that she falls prey to, binging and purging when under stress.

How do you determine voice in your writing?

Oddly enough, through music. Music sets the scene for me and invites characters to form de mentions. For instance, in Her Biggest Fan, the song I use is "Midnight Sonata". The haunting piano keys of this old classic strum up an aura of mystery and has been the prelude for many a murder scene. I find the spiking of piano keys chilling when they reach a crushing crescendo, and this song plays from the antique phonograph in the old ballroom, adding the perfect ambiance for an eerie and otherworldly setting. It’s one of those songs that will stick in the head of the reader, sending chills skating down the spine. I hope this is what I’ve created for my readers in Her Biggest Fan.

For Mask of the Betrayer, I used the childhood nursery rhyme "The Farmer in the Del", changing the lyrics to “A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go. Heigh ho the dairy-o, a hunting we will go. We’ll catch a fox and put him in a box. Heigh ho the dairy-o, a hunting we will go." You can view the book video on my website:

www.sharonadonovan.com

Music sets the scene for drama, suspense and murder!

Where do you write? When? What do you have around you?

I write in my makeshift office and am surrounded by good luck charms and my collection of Mardi Gras face masks. I’m a dream weaver of mystic legends and lore, superstitions and a believer in magic and happily ever afters. My books are all inspired by the legends I collect, and Her Biggest Fan is no exception. My mother is from a small coal mining town in Shamrock, Pennsylvania. When she was growing up, there was a ball of fire that would roll down the hill every night at midnight. If anyone tried to get close, it would disappear. One day, it just vanished and the mystery was never solved. Some say that one of the coal miners lost his life in the shaft and was keeping vigil, protecting other coal miners from death. When my mom and her sisters were together a few years ago at a holiday get together, they talked about this bizarre ball of fire on the hillside. Even though Her Biggest Fan is not about a coal miner or a coal mining town, the ball of fire inspired me to write the book, and I dedicated it to my mother and the unsolved mystery of Shamrock.

Any current projects?

I am hard at work on Vendetta, the sequel to Mask of the Betrayer. Charade of Hearts will be released in December by the crimson line of The Wild Rose Press as part of the Jewel of the Night series. It stars Oliver, my sexy cyber butler.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

The best place is my website for book releases, excerpts and reviews. You can also learn what I’m up to under NEWS and don’t forget to sign up for my news letter. Oliver will be happy to serve you a drink with a smile and a wink and direct you to my blog. My website will direct you to my publishers where you can purchase my books. Thanks for reading, and Susan, thanks for the interview! Here’s my website:

www.sharonadonovan.com



Her Biggest Fan

The Wild Rose Press

www.thewildrosepress.com



Mask of the Betrayer

Whimsical Publications

http://www.whimsicalpublications.com/sharon_donovan/mask_of_the_betrayer.html


Sharon, you are truly an inspiration to all of us! Tremendous success!

T.V. Sweeney's Serpent's Tooth

Toni Sweeney was born in Georgia after the War between the States but before the Gulf War. Her writing career began during an extended convalescence following an automobile accident. Marriage, parenthood, divorce, and a variety of occupations ranging from dancer to medical transcriptionist assistant took precedent over writing for several years. She has survived hurricanes in the South, tornados and snow-covered winters in the Midwestern United States, and earthquakes, and forest fires in California.

Toni says," I’m a native-born Southerner but I currently live in the Midwest with my son who’s a math teacher. I was residing in Orange County, California but when I hit age 65, he decided I’d better “come home” so he could keep an eye on me! We’ll see…"

Toni, welcome to the blog. Tell us when did the writing bug bite, and in what genre(s)?
I’ve always loved to read and writing just naturally seemed to follow it. I’d read a story, then find myself thinking over certain parts—the beginning, the ending—and rewriting it with my own spin. Sometimes, it would be, “what if…?” or “If this had happened instead…” I loved English class, especially Composition, although I hated standing in front of the class and giving reports. I’m a terribly shy person, almost agoraphobic, and going to conventions and being in the public eye terrifies me but I do it.
Anyway, I’ve always like adventure stories—Tarzan, Flash Gordon, Roy Rogers—anything that had plenty of action and cheeky humor, and little dashes of romance, like the Three Musketeers, Robin Hood, Treasure Island. I also like mystery, thrills and chills, and the supernatural. So, I write what I like, and generally my stories have some or all of these elements in them. That’s why I like to say I don’t write romances but romans, which were the stories the wandering troubadors told, stories combining adventures, action, supernatural elements, and love.

When you started writing, what goals did you want to accomplish? Is there a message you want readers to grasp?
Most of my stories deal with the hero or heroine’s search for belonging. This is especially obvious in my Sinbad series and the Kan Ingan Archives series, and a little less so in the Chronicles of Riven the Heretic. Sinbad’s a smuggler and a very successful one but all he wants is a home and family, and once he achieves that, he discovers that he’s also become a very law-abiding, and rich, man in the process—all because of the woman he loves. Aric kan Ingan loses all for love but regains it, only to lose it again because he’s still searching for that one perfect love. Riven kan Ingan, his ancestor, tried to find acceptance by being a social climber and marrying into wealth. Instead, he fell in love with a barbarian warrior woman and ended up becoming the progenitor of a race of kings.
So, if there’s a message in my stories, it’s that everyone wants someone to belong to and sometimes that someone may not be whom they expect. Other than that, I just want people to read my stories and enjoy them.

Briefly tell us about your latest book. Series or stand-alone?
Currently, I’ve got two books in the burners. Sinbad’s Pride, third in the Adventures of Sinbad series and Serpent’s Tooth, and these two books couldn’t be more different. They came from the same mother but they’re definitely fraternal twins. Sinbad’s Pride is sci-fi, set several centuries in the future, and Serpent’s Tooth is a contemporary horror novel.

What are the hooks for the books?
The Sinbad story deals with family obligations. It begins with Sinbad arranging, against his better judgment, a marriage between his infant daughter and an adult cousin—and if that doesn’t pique readers, I’ll be disappointed! It progresses from there to his realizing that coming home and becoming his grandfather’s heir involves more than he expected…namely that he’s going to have to do certain things that are politically motivated, such as taking concubines to cement relationships with their families. This is especially difficult since Sinbad loves no one but his wife and has never looked at another woman since the moment he met her—and now he’s being told he has to have not one but two other women in his life as secondary wives? Whoa! Things go downhill—or up—from there, depending on where you’re standing.
Serpent’s Tooth opens with a famous rock star contemplating suicide. The choices he made to bring him to this moment provides the story, which involves a naïve midwesterner’s corruption by Tinsel Town and his attempts at redemption.

How do you develop characters? Setting?
I have absolutely no idea! Sometimes a word or phrase or a scene just pops into my mind and I start expounding on it. I’ve always said that if I think about something for three days and can’t get it out of my head, I have to write about it. That’s generally true, although recently, I’ve hit a kind of slump. So far, I’ve managed to hold the ideas at arms-length for several months. The book I’m working on right now, The Seventh Mothman, I’ve fended off for almost two years!

LOL. That happens to me as well.
It’s been said that in sci-fi/fantasy, you can set a story wherever you want and no one can refute it and that’s so, but you still have to have a realistic basis floating around somewhere. It can’t be too fantastic or far-out or you’re going to lose your audience before you’ve even captured them. So a little believability is always needed.

Do you have specific techniques you use to develop the plot and stay on track?
I Know I should, but I don’t. No outlines, no character studies. I did that with Wizard’s Wife, had an outline, extensive synopsis, a list of characters, etc. Then, I promptly lost it. It turned up again about a year ago then disappeared again. I had three chapters written but had only one in the computer, so I scrubbed it and started over and wrote the whole thing from scratch. I keep telling myself I should write all the ideas down but I’m so darned lazy, I just never do it.
Mainly, I just sit down and start pounding the keyboard. So far, I’ve worn out five computers and eight printers.

LOL. That's serious pounding.
How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?
For sci-fi/fantasy? Not much. Generally the whole things is made up or based on some medieval lifestyle which I tailor to fit the story. I have a couple of books on life in Ancient Times/the Middle Ages which I consult faithfully for my novels. I used them extensively in the Chronicles/Archives series. Also, if I hear or read an interesting fact about a specific time period, I write it down for future reference. I have a notebook just for that sort of thing. For something like Serpent’s Tooth, I did use a bit of observation about kids in the ‘80’s idiolizing rock-and-roll stars, but because I was never a “teeneybopper,” I got most of my information from watching much, much earlier TV shows such as American Bandstand and Ed Sullivan, etc. I remember the night the Beatles were features and Elvis Presley, and I wove that adoration and idolatization of those singer into the story.

What are your current projects?
Sinbad’s Pride, third entry in the Adventures of Sinbad. In this one, Sinbad is in his thirties to forties (The earlier books were about his childhood and youth). It shows his changing attitude toward the things he’s always held dear as he matures, and how his love for his wife matures along with it, and also the things he has to do, sometimes against his will, because of the responsibility he now holds. It’s being published by Double Dragon Publishing.
Serpent’s Tooth covers 25 years in the life of a very successful rock star—how he was discovered, and the things he’s done that come to so appall him that he chucks it all and disappears at the height of his career. When he reappears 20 years later, he thinks he left all the unpleasantness behind but just when he’s again found happiness, the past rears its ugly—and deadly—head.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?
My website is www.tonivsweeney.com. I update it weekly. I also have a newsletter, and if anyone wants to be put on the mailing list, they can send their e-mail addresses to tvsweeney@neb.rr.com. I also have a My Space, Facebook, and YouTube accounts also a blog page at amazon.com’s Author Central. I also blog of various blogging groups, such as the Pink Fuzzy Slipper Writers and The Wild Rose Press.

Thanks for a fun interview, Toni.