Five quick questions 5
• When and where did your journey as an author begin?
I started writing books when I was twelve. I wrote in my bedroom. Those were the days before mobile phones, so I had little to distract me. At school, I won a competition for one of the stories, and from that moment I decided I wanted to be an author. This took a lot more years, but I never gave up on my dream.
• What is (or has been) your proudest moment as a writer?
Every time a book comes out I’m proud. There’s something so exciting about seeing your name on a cover. But, as for my proudest moment: my novel Christmas in the Scottish Highlands, which was published in 2021, got to number seven in the UK Kindle Charts. It stayed in the top one hundred for weeks. I received so many wonderful messages from readers telling me how much they loved the story and the characters. That made me very happy and proud.
• Who or what is your greatest inspiration?
Other writers inspire me. There are lots of these, but in particular I have a good friend/author buddy in Jules Wake/Julie Caplin. We met each other around twelve years ago at a writing group in Tring, Hertfordshire. We were both new writers who were determined to be published someday. We swapped chapters of our books, encouraged one another through each rejection, read each other’s work, discussed plots and characters, and we still do. Jules’s dedication, work ethic and success inspire me every day.
• What is coming up next for you, fiction-wise?
I write summer and Christmas romances, and have one of each coming out this year. I’m also going to write a women’s fiction series of linked, emotional stories. I’m really excited about this new challenge.
• What is your top tip for writers still on the journey towards publication?
My advice is don’t give up. Writing is an emotional journey with many highs and lows. But don’t let the lows stop you continuing, because they’re just part of the process. The difference between a writer who is published, and one who isn’t, is that the published writer kept going.
Website: www.donna-writes.co.uk/