Interview with Danielle Gavan


When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I can't say I made a "conscious" decision to be a writer until late 2009 when I made the choice to submit a short story to a local contest. Things happened, choices were made and the story was never submitted. Instead, I chose to expand the 2,500 words into a full novel and pursue a career as an author.

Before that, I'd been writing short stories and other things for myself and friends since middle school. I filled dozens of spiral notebooks with stories of us married to our favourite actors, pop/rock stars and other celebrities. I can't tell you how many times I married Jon Bon Jovi and had a dozen kids with him, on paper anyway.

What genre do you write and why?

I write erotic romance and urban fantasy. Ardeur, my first novel, is urban fantasy and my favourite genre to write in. I love the world building involved. Creating new peoples, places and all of the details that go along with them is fun and lets my imagination flex its muscles.

Erotic romance is something I got into courtesy of my good friend, C.J. Ellisson. She put a call out in 2010 for any writers interesting in joining her with a new venture she was starting called Everything Erotic. I'm of the opinion that if you don't try it, you'll never know if you're any good at it. Of course, I jumped on the opportunity and never looked back. I've released four erotic romance novellas in the last year and have no plans to stop writing in that genre any time soon.

Tell us about your latest book.

My latest book is called, The Lists. It's an erotic romance novella with a holiday theme about one of Santa's elves, Crispin. Here's the blurb:

Ever wonder what Santa’s Elves do during the off-season? Some of them are the keepers of Santa’s infamous Naughty and Nice List.
Crispin Winters is one such elf and he’s been in love with Santa’s daughter, Rissa Claus, for longer than he can remember. He’s torn when assigned to watch a human woman, Anna, who could pass for Rissa’s twin. Pass up the opportunity to cure Anna’s naughtiness himself or go after who he really wants?
Risking everything he’s worked so hard to achieve—the cushy spot on the Naughty List night shift, his cozy apartment, and the respect of his peers—Crispin chooses his carnal path with care.

Where it leads him is more unexpected than he could ever have imagined.

What marketing methods are you using to promote your book?

My biggest marketing tool is Facebook. I have a fan page (http://facebook.com/daniegavan) where fans can come to interact with me, find about new or upcoming releases, enjoy free reads and find out what's going on in my world. I do use Twitter (@DanielleGavan) but not as much as Facebook. I'm not a fan of text speak and getting a coherent thought out in under 140 characters can be difficult. Also, fans are welcome to visit my blog (http://dgavan.blogspot.com), and my website (http://daniellegavan.net).

Another fabulous tool that I used when relaunching my first novel, Ardeur, was Virtual Book Tours. I loved the experience so much that I've since started my own publicist company, Red Hot Promotions (http://redhotpromo.com).

What formats is the book available in?

With the exception of Ardeur, which is also available in print, all of my books are available in eBook format. Readers can find my work on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords and other online retailers.



What do you like to do when you're not writing?

When I'm not writing I'm usually hard at work looking for bloggers to add to the list of Tour Hosts for Red Hot Promotions, researching other ways to promote myself and the authors who sign up for blog tours with my company, or indulging in some of my hobbies. I love to read, bake, listen to music and do other artsy things. I find that if one creative channel is blocked, engaging another form of creativity will help loosen things up and get the muses back on track.

Who are your favorite authors?

I'm glad the question says authors, plural. I have two favourite authors - Diana Gabaldon and Laurell K. Hamilton.

What advice do you have for other writers?

Keep writing, no matter what. Learn your craft, take classes, find yourself a wonderful critique partner (or a half dozen...lol), hire a professional editor (seriously) and cover designer (unless you've got weeks to waste perfecting your craft with photo editing software). The last two only apply if you're going the self-pub route.

What's the best thing about being a writer?

Being a writer, for me, is the best job in the world. I can be who, or whatever, I want to be. I can be when, or go wherever, I want to. A new universe, an alternate one? Nothing is off limits to my imagination and where it can take me.

Where can people find out more about you and your writing?

Fans and readers can find me on my website (http://daniellegavan.com), on my blog (http://dgavan.blogspot.com), on Everything Erotic (http://everythingerotic.blogspot.com), on Facebook (http://facebook.com/daniegavan) and on Twitter (@DanielleGavan).

5 Comments

  1. Unknown19 January 2012 at 00:10

    Thanks for having me on the site, Jo! Sorry I didn't get by to visit yesterday, my schedule got the better of me.

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  2. M.K. Elliott19 January 2012 at 00:18

    Great interview! Totally agree on the comment about 'best part about being a writer'. Being able to live in a whole, brand new, exciting world certainly makes life more interesting.

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  3. Kellie Kamryn19 January 2012 at 04:19

    Great interview Danielle! Nice to learn more about you. All the best with your books and Promotions venture!

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  4. Jo Linsdell21 January 2012 at 22:37

    Thank you all for taking the time to comment.

    I love the no limits aspect of our job too.

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  5. Write a book5 June 2012 at 09:30

    Great Interview Daniellle... i am glad to learn from you.

    ReplyDelete

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