Hi
Donna! The last time I saw you was in March at the Write Stuff Conference. What
the heck have you been up to, lately?
And so great to see you there! Too much
going on, but it’s all good. I am promoting my debut novel, A Human Element,
editing a middle grade adventure novel, writing a sequel to A Human Element,
blogging away and doing wonderful interviews with people like you! Oh, and
somewhere in there is that pesky day job.
I don't know how you do it!
Congrats
on A Human Element coming out! You’ve gotten some awesome reviews, how
ya feeling?
Thanks! I’m very surprised that people I
don’t know actually like my book! Kind of euphoric. They aren’t old friends
trying to do me a favor. LOL.
When
writing your stories, do you have story boards which you work off of?
I don’t. When I write a new novel idea it
generally comes to me in one sitting. I write the preliminary synopsis, a few
pages, and work off that. Then I write bulleted chapter points. I keep all the
visual in my head.
You’ve
written a few novels. How long does it normally take you to complete one, start
to finish?
About seven months writing part time as I
also do freelance copywriting for an Ad Agency and work about 25-30 hours a
week. This doesn’t include editing time of course!
Darn day jobs always get in the way!
What
surprised you most when it came to becoming an author?
That once you write a book you’re not done.
You haven’t reached some pinnacle. There are more mountains to climb. Another
book to write, tons of social media interaction to do, and a public presence to
maintain. You cannot live your anonymous life anymore in a quiet zone alone.
Some days I miss the days of just me and my writing.
I showed up to Baseball tryouts incognito! It was really fun to observe everyone. :)
You
always read the first and last page of a book before buying it. I read the last
line then skim the whole book, then go back and read it. (After buying it, of
course!) Is there something wrong with us?
Totally
not! I need to know what I’m getting myself into before I buy a book. Kinda like test driving a new car and seeing
if it actually does go up to 110 mph, or if that ultimate promise of an awesome
climax is a lie. LOL.
LOL I love you!
FOR FUN
How’s the kitties?
Awww,
love my kitties. They are more like dogs really. Follow me around. One can open
our farmhouse latch doors. He hangs on to the handle and bites down on the
handle with his teeth to open while his fat belly swings about and his little
legs kick to nowhere.
Hot bubble baths or hot tub?
Actually
neither. I can’t waste time sitting around in warm water. And hot tubs skeeve
me out. All those germs breeding and multiplying. Ewww…
Is your son looking forward to the summer?
Him.
Yes. Me. No! It means camps to arrange, playdates and swim club time. All of it
= OFF SCHEDULE. I don’t like off schedule. How can I get in my writing time
when it’s “Mommy, play with me!” time. They should go to school year round.
Oh, my, gosh, YES!
If you could have any car, what would it
be?
Ahhh,
miss my Fahrvergnügen. It was frigngruvn. That’s Volkswagen speak. Would love
to have an original VW bug convertible. My first VW was a 1972 white Beetle –
like Herbie. Had it in Hawaii.
The driver side door wouldn’t open nor would the window roll down. But it
floated great when caught unaware in a torrential rain flood. It also had that
great Bug sound and beep beep horn I
love. Then I had a VW Fox. That was sweet.
Perfect typist or chicken pecker?
Pretty
fast typist. About 80 words a minute. My brain works too fast though for my
fingers to catch up. My husband, who is on the computer all day long, hen
pecks. Drives me nuts!
LOL I do 70 and people always ask 'how'? You know the amazing thing is if I'm writing with a pen, I get all fumbled up!
What’s the largest/strangest pet you’ve
ever had?
I
had a Rhodesian Ridgeback dog growing up. They are noted to be from Rhodesia, Africa
and used there to hunt lions. They have this ridge on their back and when they
get angry it stands up like a Mohawk. Lovely dogs though. Good for roaming the
woods with and talking to. They never talk back.
BACK TO WORK
How
do you get to know your characters?
In bed under the covers. Seriously, they tell
me what’s going to happen and what they’ll say. Their conversations come to me.
Sometimes from scenes far ahead or even the end scene, which I tend to write
first (like reading that last line of a book before buying!).
When
you were younger, did the voices in your head (because lets face it, all us
writers do hear them) make you feel different from everyone else?
No, I was in the closet about it! The
conversations came to me and I wrote them down. Sometimes they got used later
on. I kept them all secret. J
Does
music influence your writing?
Oh, yes. I create soundtracks for my
characters and their specific scenes. I listen to their songs and then sit down
to write. But I write in silence. When I want to feel their pain, love, or
torment I listen to the song related to that. I take my imaginary friends with
me. I even sneak off to be with them over real people. Weird, I know!
Nope, not weird at all. ;)
Do
you get to have your own writer’s office, or is it a community place full of
noise and clutter which you work?
I do have my own office upstairs. I write
there half the time or on the couch by the fire with blankets and kitties. The
other half I enjoy going to Wegman’s Café and working in the dim light and low
buzz enveloping me. There I feel alone in a sea of people.
What
inspires you to write?
Going for walks. That is always where my
inspiration hits me, where my story lines and conversations come alive. It’s
the one place my brain is uncluttered.
Nature is a wonderful thing.
What’s
the first thing you’d do if your stories catapulted you to celebrity statue?
Buy a re-furbished historic stone house out
in the country with ten fireplaces lots of nooks and crannies (a ghost or two)
and complete with barns, a pond, and a guest cottage (to write in of course!).
Or have me and the family down!
Advice
for aspiring writers on what not to do?
Don’t think your
work is perfect and has no need for improvement. I have seen this with numerous
writers. They ask for advice then never take it, and keep asking for the same
advice. They really want to hear it’s great and don’t want to do the hard work
to make their project the best it can be. This gets you nowhere. Be humble. Learn
from the master’s. Know you can keep learning your craft and keep doing it
better. If you don’t, you may never get published.
So true!
Thanks for having
me on Rebecca! You are too much fun!
You're the best, Donna!
A HUMAN ELEMENT:
One by one, Laura Armstrong’s friends and adoptive family members are being murdered, and despite her unique healing powers, she can do nothing to stop it. The savage killer haunts her dreams, tormenting her with the promise that she is next.
Determined to find the killer, she follows her visions to the site of a crashed meteorite–her hometown. There, she meets Ben Fieldstone, who seeks answers about his parents’ death the night the meteorite struck. In a race to stop a mad man, they unravel a frightening secret that binds them together. But the killer’s desire to destroy Laura face-to-face leads to a showdown that puts Laura and Ben’s emotional relationship and Laura’s pure spirit to the test.
With the killer closing in, Laura discovers her destiny is linked to his and she has two choices–redeem him or kill him.
Readers who devour paranormal books with a smidge of horror and steam will enjoy A HUMAN ELEMENT, the new novel about loss, redemption, and love.
Reviewers are saying… “A HUMAN ELEMENT is an elegant and haunting first novel. Unrelenting, devious but full of heart. Highly recommended.” –
Jonathan Maberry, New York Times best-selling author of ASSASSIN’S CODE and DEAD OF NIGHT
“A HUMAN ELEMENT is a haunting look at what it means to be human. It’s a suspenseful ride through life and love…and death, with a killer so evil you can’t help but be afraid. An excellent read.” –
Janice Gable Bashman, author of WANTED UNDEAD OR ALIVE, nominated for a Bram Stoker Award.
BIO: Donna Galanti is the author of the dark novel A Human Element (Echelon Press). She won first place for Words on the Wall Fiction at the 2011 Philadelphia Writer’s Conference. Donna has a B.A. in English and a background in marketing. She is a member of International Thriller Writers, The Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group and Pennwriters. She lives with her family in an old farmhouse in PA with lots of nooks, fireplaces, and stinkbugs. Visit her at:
www.donnagalanti.comLIKE Donna’s Author Facebook page for news and updates! Her tour runs through April 11th with book giveaways, more guest posts, and interview fun, and a chance to win the big prize giveaway! So pop over to
her blog to see the
full tour schedule.Connect with Donna here:
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/DonnaGalantiFacebook:
http://www.facebook.com/DonnaGalantiAuthorBlog:
http://blog.donnagalanti.com/wp/Purchase A HUMAN ELEMENT here:
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/A-Human-Element-ebook/dp/B007IIIZUO/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_2Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-human-element-donna-galanti/1109435439?ean=2940013900530&itm=1&usri=donna+galantiI love when you come to visit, it's always such a good time!
Have a Sparkling Day!
Rebecca Rose
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