Today I have with me hot romance writer Daryl Devore. Her latest book is Two O'clock with the Billionaire, which can be found on Amazon both as an e-book and in print.
Daryl: Let's start at the beginning. I'm female and my name rhymes with Karl. The feminine version of the name has one spelling - D-a-r-y-l. The male version has several. The name is old Celtic and if you could see my red hair and freckles, you'd understand.
Sage: Excellent! Who are some of your favorite authors?
Daryl: I am a murder mystery fan. My books and TV viewing all reflect that. Currently i'm restarting the Midsomer Murders series on Netflix. I own all of Dame Agatha Christie's works, Dorothy L. Sayers' and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's.
Sage: Very intriguing. What are some great books you've read recently?
Daryl: Without getting political, Hillary Clinton's book, What Happened, is the only book I've read in months that wasn't a romance. I do beta reads and chapter critiques for my author friends, so I do read a lot, but it's mainly at the unpublished stage.
Sage: What types of books do you enjoy in your downtime?
Daryl: I, generally, go up to my library (which just sounds cool - massive bookshelf) of British murder mysteries, grab one and settle down for the afternoon.
Sage: What sort of research did you do for this book?
Daryl: It truly does depend on the story. This one takes place in New York City. I will try and put in actual street names or restaurants, landmarks etc so it sounds real to someone who has been there. Also, I like to check out the little things. If they are drinking an expensive wine, I'll track down a vintage and either use the brand name or something similar.
Sage: What does a typical workday look like for you?
Daryl: Sorry. No such thing. One day I could spend all day - 8 in the morning to midnight - on my laptop - writing, researching, promoting. Then not even touch it for the next couple of days because life pops up.
I'm not a disciplined writer. Not one of those who sits down at 8 and writes until noon every day. I've attempted to do that, but then emails pop up, FB. Plus have to check out whats on Twitter. And that doesn't include my cat who wants out - in - out - in - to be fed - to be scratched - to sit on my laptop, etc.
Sage: *laughs* Yes, I know how that goes. My cat is the same way. Do you outline books ahead of time, or are you more of a by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer?
Daryl: I'm a pantser. My book What Happens in Bangkok - my hubby and I were driving down to visit our daughter - a song came on the radio - I grabbed my laptop - no, I wasn't driving at the time - I grabbed my laptop and wrote 3 chapters of a book I hadn't planned on writing. Those 3 chapters turned into a trilogy.
Now, if I get truly stuck I have a CP (critique partner/friend) who I can bounce ideas off of until the stuck part breaks open.
Sage: What do you do in your free time when you aren't writing?
Daryl: I adore yoga! Adore it. Also I dance Baladi, which you would understand as being belly dance.
Sage: If someone is brand new to your books, which one do you think they should start with?
Daryl: I write under two pen names, Victoria Adams is my other pen name. So I would have to ask, "How hot do you want the book to be?" If it is mild to sweet then I'd name a Victoria Adams book. If the reader wanted hotter - I'd say start with What Happens in Bangkok.
Why not the book I am showcasing today? I'm not knocking the book, just, a new reader should discover my style before diving into this one. Elements might scare a reader off, but those who know me know what to expect.
Sage: What is your favorite part of the writing and publishing process?
Daryl: Most writers will agree, the best part is typing The End. It is an exhausting moment, but what a relief.
Favourite publishing part - when the book goes live. It is out of my hands. Done!
Sage: And what are your least favorite parts?
Daryl: Least favourite part of writing - edits. Quite often I don't see how the edit is any better than what I wrote. It's just a different way of saying the same thing. No, my ego isn't so big that I think everything I wrote is perfect, but I don't see the difference between -
I like a bit of butter on my toast
Or
I like a tad of butter on my toast.
That's not an actual edit, but it is representative of some.
Least favourite publishing thing - marketing. We authors are just supposed to know how to market our books. People go to university to study marketing, but somehow, we're just supposed to know what to do. Luckily, the writing community is very generous and shares what they've discovered. There is always a blog post roughly titled How I marketed my latest book. Success and failures in marketing. Is Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat/Instagram/(whatever else) the new thing or on the way out?
Sage: Is there anything about the writing life that is misunderstood by the public?
Daryl: Yes - there are dozens of things that are misunderstood. I'm going to pick on my biggest two annoyances.
#1 - we are not rich. We do not make a lot of money from our writing. The majority of writers' earnings are below poverty level. That statistic is from a Publisher's Weekly article published last year and sorry, I can not find the link. yes, some writers make money - most don't.
Reasons being a writer makes so little - readers demanding books be free or 99 cents. We authors spend days/weeks/months/years writing our book and a lot of readers don't want to pay for it. You pay more for a cup of coffee at your local coffee shop and that coffee took a couple of minutes to make.
Sage: *nodding in commiseration* And that coffee is gone soon after, whereas you can keep a book practically forever.
Daryl: #2 - This happened just recently. I belong to a FB group that is dedicated to a specific author. They have intellectual conversations about the books, etc. The author has long since passed away. A new author has taken up the challenge of writing books in the style of the famous author. One person, impatient for the new book snapped, "How long could it possibly take to write and publish a book?"
It does not happen overnight. It can take years, even for an experienced writer, to write a book. Sometimes the story flies out of your fingertips and sometimes it must be ripped from your soul one word at a time.
Then there is finding an agent. Several agents demand a 6 month exclusive. Which means your book sits there for 6 months. If you're rejected, then on to another agent and that could mean another 6 months. Let's say you've finally been accepted by an agent. Now she has to find a publisher. That can take several months.
A publisher accepts the book. Now book goes into queue to an editor. Editor reads as fast as she can, but still carefully to find mistakes. When author gets those edits, then author works on them. Sometimes, that's simple and other times soul-crushing, but time-wise - it can take weeks. Then it goes back to the editor - same process. There is easily a third time.
Book goes to proof-reader. Hopefully this is not a long process because 99% of the errors have been fixed.
Book is now ready to print or upload - wait - you aren't the only author at the publisher - book goes into queue. Could be several months before it is released.
Have you ever wondered why there are ads promoting the author's next book and saying it will be released in (some date 3 months in the future)? It's like a movie trailer - they tease you about the movie that's coming out in 3 months.
And yes, if the author already has an agent or is already established with a publisher - then a section of that time is eliminated, but still it can take several months to a year. No matter what - IT TAKES TIME.
So, we work hard and don't get paid. Yup, the writing life. You gotta love it.
Sage: So very true! Well, thank you so much for your time and your insight. I really appreciate you stopping by!
Here is Daryl Devore's bio:
Two writers in one. Daryl Devore writes hot romances with sexy heroes and strong heroines. Victoria Adams is Daryl Devore's alter ego when she's inspired to write sweet romances with little to no heat.
Daryl (@daryldevore) lives in an old farmhouse in Ontario, Canada, with her husband, a large saltwater aquarium full of fish, a black cat named Licorice and some house ghosts. Her daughter is grown and has flown the nest. Daryl loves to take long walks on her quiet country road or showshoe across the back acres, and in the summer, kayak along the St. Lawrence River. She has touched a moon rock, a mammoth, and a meteorite. She's been deep in the ocean in a submarine, flown high over Niagara Falls in a helicopter, and used the ladies room in a royal palace. Life's an adventure and Daryl's having fun living it.
Blog - http://daryldevore.blogspot.ca
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Daryl-Devore/280168402052520
Twitter - http://twitter.com/daryldevore
Google+ - https://plus.google.com/u/0/107866370365154406917 (or Daryl Devore)
Goodreads Author Page - http://www.goodreads.com/DarylDevore
List of books at Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/4686566.Daryl_Devore
Amazon Author Page - http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004TJ1354
LinkedIn - ca.linkedin.com/pub/daryl-devore/58/b42/792/
Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=Daryl%20Devore