#MotorCityBookExperience

Author: Dana Littlejohn

@liljohndana

Motown Writers Network Interview Link

Tri-Romance-by-Dana-Littlejohn-2-200x300
Where are you from? I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, but I live in Indianapolis, IN now.
Tell us your latest news? 2016 is my tour year. I am hitting as many cities as I can and I’ve started a newsletter to keep my readers up with where I am and what I’m doing.
When and why did you begin writing? I wrote my first short story when I was in the six grade.
When did you first consider yourself a writer? I’ve always considered myself a writer.
What inspired you to write your first book? I had a dream about the story. I wrote down what I remembered and then expanded on it.
Do you have a specific writing style? I don’t know. LOL No one has ever mentioned if or what my style is so I have nothing to compare it to.

How did you come up with the title? Tri-Romance is a play on words. There are three main characters and they were set against trying romance but when they did it changed their lives for the better. 

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?Not intentionally.

How much of the book is realistic? A lot. I’m hoping the readers will be able to connect with the characters because they see some of themselves in them.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life? No. I try very hard to keep me and my life out of my books.
What books have most influenced your life most? Piers Anthony’s Xanth series. They were the first fantasy books I read. They showed me that in the fantasy world anything goes.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?Bertice Small. Her books were the first that I read that didn’t have a ‘damsel in distress’. Her Sky O’Malley was strong, beautiful, wise and powerful in her own right in a time when that wasn’t heard of. I wanted my main characters to be that way too.
What book are you reading now? Elf Quest LOL I love graphic novels.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? I haven’t read any new authors lately.

What are your current projects? I have a few, in fact. Completed and in rotation waiting for me to do edits I have a Greek goddess novel, urban fantasy, Aphrodite’s Day Off,  an African goddess novel, fantasy, Daughters of the Sky and a vampire novel, urban fantasy, The Dioni Clan. I just finished last edits on book 1 of my married couple series, Happily Ever After: By Any Means Necessary; Seven Year Switch will be released June 17, 2016.
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members. Can I plead the fifth on this one?:-)
Do you see writing as a career? Absolutely! I’m trying to make it MY career.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book? Nope. I love it as is.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated? No. I remember writing short stories in elementary school.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? I think just coming up with different characters is difficult. The more books you write the ore people you have to build and they all have to be different.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work? I really like Jackie Collins. I love her characters and how even the really rich ones have real world problems.
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)? Not specifically for my books, but I do travel a lot so I  take advantage of that by incorporating the places into my books.

Who designed the covers? DusktilDawn Designs did the Tri-Romancecover.
What was the hardest part of writing your book? Adding the people who have died into my books. I use their names as characters to keep them alive and with me forever.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it? This was my first full length novel. I learned what ‘the devil is in the details’ really means during the editing process.
Do you have any advice for other writers? Yes. Always strive to improve your craft. You want to be a writer, learn to write. No matter how good your book is, if people have to trip over mistakes on every page no one will read it.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?Yes. My monthly newsletter has fun facts about me, info on my books, free reads and you can also win prizes by sending in questions for me to answer.
More from author:  www.danalittlejohn.net 
Connect with author:
 www.facebook.com/liljohndana 
www.twitter.com/liljohndana 
Purchase Tri-Romance: http://www.amazon.com/Tri-Romance-Dana-Littlejohn/dp/153012963X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1464048556&sr=8-3&keywords=dana+littlejohn