Interview Chat with Author Dee Julian - PART ONE!

I hope you will help me welcome Dee Julian author of The Macgregor's Daughter for a “series” interview.

I know from personal experience that it is hard sometimes to get time to read a long interview blog, so I hope you will like this format even if you have to come back several times to read the entire interview. And if commentors ask questions, I think Dee will be gracious to answer those for the next post if not in the immediate chat.

The interview will be in four parts:
Friday October 2, 2009 Part One – Questions about the writing process.
Wednesday October 7, 2009 Part Two – Questions about the book.
Friday October 9, 2009 Part Three – Questions about the publishing/promoting process.
Wednesday October 14, 2009 Part Four – A few personal questions!

PART ONE - QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WRITING PROCESS:

M:  Dee, The Macgregor’s Daughter is your debut novel and I am curious - what made you want to write in the first place?

Dee:  Movies that ended badly. Totally opposite from the romance books I’d read, these flicks did not end with the hero and heroine walking off into the sunset holding hands. They ended with break-ups or death. To me that’s not a romance. It’s a tragedy. Sure, sometimes that’s real life, but when I’m nose deep in a good book, I don’t want real life. I want fantasy. I finally realized that the only way to get a disappointing movie out of my head was to think up a really great ending. That strange ritual just naturally led me to creating a story of my own.

M:  Now that is an inspiration I had never heard!! But I see your point Dee. I guess that’s why I read more than I watch movies.

Would you say you write from experiences or imagination?

Dee:  Both, I think. The experience comes into play when I’m molding my characters. The hero and heroine must be bold, brave, honorable, and strong though slightly vulnerable. I have to be familiar with those characteristics to instill them. Of course, I don’t follow this rule when it comes to the bad guy or villain. He can be as mean and as nasty as he wants to be. The imagination begins after my characters personalities are set. I simply place them in a certain setting or story line then allow them to take over. Sometimes they wake me up in the middle of the night begging to be heard. I’ve learned to keep a pen and pad on my nightstand just for these little impromptu visits.

M:  Ha! Dee – I think I saw that nastiness in Pirate Quinn! Funny too that I have met (online) several authors who seem to do a lot of work at night!! Do you suppose authors are insomniacs?

Dee:  Probably. With me, late nights are the only time I get my mind all to myself.

M:  I think lots of us can relate to trying to find time to get our minds to ourselves... although I never heard it put that way.  *G*

Did you need any help staying motivated or getting any element of your story to cooperate?

Dee:  For the most part, no. Unless you count my critique partner, Elaine. She stayed on me constantly about ‘getting more writing done’ or ‘getting that book finished.’ She is tenacious and kept me well on track. But sure…there were times when I wondered if I would ever get published and a few times I wanted to give up. Every writer has gone through this phase at one point or another because no one likes receiving rejection letter after rejection letter. Then there was the occasional writer’s block, but that never lasted long.

M:  So nice you have a critique partner you can rely on to push you a bit.

Why did you write historical romance and do you have plans to write in any other genres?

Dee:  I feel comfortable writing in the historical genre because I am truly fascinated with history. The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries seem to have cornered my muse. I try to stay away from any time period below the seventeenth century. The verbiage would be the challenge there. As to the question of switching to another genre…probably not. “Stick with what you know,” I’ve always been told. Oh, I enjoy a good paranormal from time to time, but I’m just not creative enough to come up with those kinds of spooky tales.

M:  Since I really enjoyed your historical I have no problem with you sticking with this genre! :)

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Come back and join us next Wednesday October 7, 2009 for Part Two – Questions about the Book!  And click on the title link above for the review and Giveaway!