Please help me welcom fellow Resplendence author, Cerise Deland. So Cerise, when and why did you begin writing?
Not counting my writing from age 8 as anything professional, I would tell you that more than 25 years ago I began to write for newspapers, magazines and then corporations and finally fiction! (Although I often say that what I wrote in the corporate world was also fiction, the time I spent there was invaluable in terms of character studies. And because it was Capitol Hill in Washington, I learned ever so much more!
Q: What do you feel is the most important aspect for all new authors to remember when writing or creating their own stories?
Tough question! I think making it realistic is the biggest challenge to any writer. This means so many aspects, such as dialogue, action and period details must be accurate.
Q: Do you have a specific writing style?
I am a good mimic. That quality made me a good speech writer on Capitol Hill and it makes me a good dialogue writer. Given that, I think my voice changes according to the period, but my themes do not. What are they? Ah. I have discovered them (as I think most writers do, over a long period of time just by writing) painstakingly. They are that romance and love are essential to a full life. That love, when honored, soothes the wounds of reality and makes life joyful.
Q: What books have most influenced your life most?
KATHERINE by Anya Seton I read when I was a teenager and it inspired me to write historical fiction that was accurate, dramatic and yes, romantic. Kathleen Woodiwiss’s novels were the next most influential, because I saw that this kind of writing could be commercial and accurate.
Q: What are your current projects?
Under my real name, I write a non-fiction book, but also a big novel about an American nurse on the battlefields of World War I. Also with my son, I write a screen play about a woman who saved French art from Nazi destruction in World War II.
As Cerise DeLand, I am finishing two projects –both erotic thrillers—with my dear good friend, Desiree Holt!
Q: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
I would not be where I am without the guidance and inspiration of those who head ROMANCE WRITERS OF AMERICA, a wonderful organization that has helped to make female authors of fiction respected in this industry.
Q: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
One allllllllllllways wants to change something! That’s why every author writes The Next Book!
Q: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Plotting. Plotting. Plotting!
Q: Where can readers find you on the World Wide Web?
My new website (not yet complete but working) at www.cerisedeland.com
or my blog, http://cerisedeland.blogspot.com
Join me on Saturday when we read an excerpt from Cerise’s Hat Trick!
Tina
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