Interview with D. K. Graham
Published 2016-07-01.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in Petoskey and Grand Rapids, Michigan from birth to age 13, and Camarillo, California for 8th grade, high school and college. Small town living gave me the background for most of my stories.
When did you first start writing?
When I was in 8th grade, I wrote poetry for our school newspaper. In high school I was senior class editor of the yearbook. As a mother of a middle school student, I started writing my first work of fiction while waiting for her during her confirmation classes at church. I put that work aside until I retired in 2011, and resurrected it, edited it, and published it as an eBook. It was fairly well-received, so I continued writing. I now have 13 full-length eBooks published.
What's the story behind your latest book?
The current works in progres (WIPs) are a children's book, inspired by my grandson's love of dinosaurs and adventure, and a sequel to my Heartland Trilogy.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
My sister's friend Jerry Goodwin is a published author through Smashwords, and he guided me through the process of publishing my first eBook. My sister and her grandson, for whom the first eBook was written, said I should publish the stories. So I continued writing them until I had 35 individual stories about "Warrior Atticus the Great". I published the eBooks first in groups of 5 stories each. When I had reached 7 "books", I put them together into one volume of "Complete Adventures of Warrior Atticus the Great". The process was easy enough that I continued to publish my other works for older teens and adults through Smashwords, as well.
How has Smashwords contributed to your success?
Smashwords makes it easy to self-publish, and provides easy-to-use links for each of my eBooks, as well as to my Profile Page.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
It gives me an outlet for stories that continuously run through my brain.
What do your fans mean to you?
They are the reason I write and publish! I love it when someone says they enjoyed one or more of my works, and ask when the next one will appear.
What are you working on next?
A children's book "Solomon, Lucy and the Sollyasaurus", and a sequel to my Heartland Trilogy "Heartland Series: After the Storm - Emily's Story"
Who are your favorite authors?
Debbie Macomber, Fern Michaels, and J.K. Rowling
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
Wanting to see what each day holds for me and my family.
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
With grandchildren, playing games on Facebook, attending movies with my husband, reading
How do you discover the ebooks you read?
Through Bookbub.com and Early Bird Books
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
Yes, "Warrior Atticus the Great - Books 1 through 5"
What is your writing process?
I just sit down at the computer, type the opening paragraph, and let the characters do what they will. I never do an outline; I prefer to let my characters surprise me! :D
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
No, I have been going to the library ever since I was in early elementary school, just learning to read, somewhere around the age of 6. I have read so many books and stories that I can't remember the first, but the impact must have been to inspire me to continue reading!
How do you approach cover design?
I use the cover design app at CreateSpace.
What are your five favorite books, and why?
"Gone with the Wind" is my all-time favorite ... it's easy to get lost in its pages.
The entire 7-book Harry Potter comes in next. I love getting involved in the magical world of Hogwarts!
Everything by Debbie Macomber is great ... Her small-town stories make it easy to feel a part of the communities she writes about.
The drama and romance in Fern Michaels' books make it hard to put down one of her stories.
What do you read for pleasure?
Mostly romance and comedy
What is your e-reading device of choice?
Kindle Fire
What book marketing techniques have been most effective for you?
Facebook posts and book signings for my paperback books
Describe your desk
Printer to the left, all-in-one computer to the right of that, small glass holding pens and scissors between the PC and the land-line phone, pile of note-pads in front of the phone next to my reading glasses, a calendar with spaces to write in lots of stuff in a stand-up holder in front of a goose-neck lamp is on the right edge of the desk. The base of the lamp holds my stapler and a paperclip holder, which has rubber bands around it. In the far right corner is a stand-up nylon and wire mesh basket that holds miscellaneous cards, labels, and articles that I want to keep.
Where can my eBooks be found:
On my profile page which can be found at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/DianaKGraham
Smashwords Interviews are created by the profiled author or publisher.
