K. Dawn Byrd is an author of inspirational romance. She holds a masters degree in professional counseling from Liberty University that she believes gives her better insight into the minds, feelings and emotions of individuals, which helps her to better understand her characters and develop them more fully. Queen of Hearts, a WWII romantic suspense will release April 1 and Killing Time, a contemporary romantic suspense will release August 1, both with Desert Breeze Publishing. When not reading or writing, K. Dawn Byrd enjoys spending time with her husband of 14 years, walking their dogs beside a gorgeous lake near her home, and plotting the next story waiting to be told.
[Anne] When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
[K. Dawn] I don't think I ever work up one day and said, "I want to be a writer." For me, it was more of a journaling experience. I thought that one day, I might want to write and I wrote down personal experiences that I might later use in writing. For example, I worked as a counselor in a regional jail for a while and jotted down some notes about those experiences such as the smell, sounds, sights, etc. Before I knew what had happened, I had fictional characters in my head wanting me to tell their story. Killing Time was born. It's actually the first book I wrote and will release from Desert Breeze Publishing in August.
[Anne] Tell us about your latest book.
[K. Dawn] Here's the blub from my publisher:
Daphne Dean is proud to be serving her country stateside during WWII as a reporter and an Office of Strategic Services operative. When the photograph she takes of the crowd at a murder scene places her on the mob's hit list, she's forced into hiding in a vacant mental asylum in the middle of nowhere with terrifying secrets of its own.
Daphne believed herself to still be in love with her ex-fiancée, Kenneth, until she spends several days locked away in the asylum with Vito, the mob boss' son. Can she put the terrifying events that occurred there behind her and allow herself to pursue a relationship with Vito? Or, will she return to Kenneth who has turned his back on his country by becoming a draft dodger and a black market racketeer? One thing's for sure, it won't matter if she can't escape the mental institution alive.
[K. Dawn] Queen of Hearts was my NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) project. I'd finished two romantic suspense books and wanted to try something a little different. I enjoyed writing a historical.
[Anne] How did you go about researching your book?
[K. Dawn] Actually, I've been a WWII buff for years and didn't have to do much research at all. Since the book was my NaNo project, I had only thirty days to write it. Because of this, I went into it with a pretty detailed plot and knew where I wanted to go with the project.
[Anne] Do you have anything new in the works?
[K. Dawn] I'm currently finishing up the edits for Killing Time, my August release from Desert Breeze Publishing and finishing up three non-fiction projects. Designing Destiny, Lessons from the Open Road, and Witty Quotes for Readers and Writers will be available soon on Amazon.
[Anne] What is your writing process like? Are you a plotter or a panster?
[K. Dawn] I'm a plotter, but my characters normally take on a life of their own and take me down roads I never planned to travel. That's okay though because in many cases, they improve the story.
[Anne] If you could be anyone of your characters, which one would you chose to be and why?
[K. Dawn] I would want to be Mindy McLaurin. She's the heroine in Killing Time and even though she's faced with insurmountable obstacles after being wrongly accused and incarcerated, her faith in the Lord remains strong.
[Anne] Say your publisher has offered to fly you anywhere in the world to do research on an upcoming book, where would you most likely want to go? (Okay so maybe this isn’t very likely to happen but since I’m asking the questions…)
[K. Dawn] Hawaii. My husband has always wanted to go there.
[Anne] You’ve just been informed that your latest release was a NY Times bestseller and Hollywood wants to turn it into a movie. What actors would you choose to play your main characters?
[K. Dawn] Daphne- Isla Fisher; Vito- Lucas Black; Kenneth-Chance Crawford
[Anne] What type of books do you like to read when you’re not writing?
[K. Dawn] Romantic suspense are my favorite.
[Anne] Name three things you can’t live without (excluding spouses and family because that’s a given).
[K. Dawn] My Blackberry (my husband says I'm married to it), my netbook, and the internet.
[Anne] What advice would you give to any aspiring writers out there?
[K. Dawn] Learn everything you can about the craft. I bought and studied dozens of books on writing before becoming published. It's hard out there. It seems like "everyone" is writing a book. I'm still studying and learning and hope I never stop.
[Anne] Where can we find you on the web?
[K. Dawn] If you Google my name, you'll come up with dozens of sites where I've blogged. My bog address is www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com. I give away several books per week there, most of them signed by the author.
[Anne] Where can we purchase your book(s)?
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-70/Queen-of-Hearts/Detail.bok
http://www.amazon.com/Queen-of-Hearts-ebook/dp/B003EV5T3K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1270176182&sr=1-2
1 comments:
An interesting interview and interesting that you keep a journal you can use in your writing. I'm sure your work as a psychologist helps you with your characters, such as Mindy. I have a sister named, Mindy, and she's a very strong person too. Best of luck with your writing.
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