Interview with Dena Dale Crain

Published 2023-06-20.
What are you working on next?
I am developing virtual online classes to answer the call from an increasingly digital and globalized market. Even as I progress with this work, I still have a couple of ebooks that I need to publish, including Reflections and Goodbye to the Grid (titles may change).
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
I love what I'm doing! I enjoy quilting, both as a hobby and as a business. Changing circumstances in my personal life have given me an opportunity now to focus on videoing, writing, and publishing the outcome of more than twenty years as an online and international quilt teacher, author, and designer. It is rewarding to see my work in print, but even more so to know that by publishing, I leave a legacy for quilters to enjoy for generations to come.
What is your e-reading device of choice?
I love reading on my iPhone. It is with me most of the time, it's small and easy to handle, and it helps me use my time wisely. When stuck in traffic or waiting for an appointment, even catching a bite of lunch while in town for shopping and errands, I can open an ebook on my smartphone and read away. Reading on my iPhone makes the reading process seem to go more quickly. I can almost speed-read because the viewing screen is so small it lets me grasp the content more readily.
Describe your desk
My desk is my lap, wherever I happen to be. Hopefully, that's sitting on some comfortable piece of furniture. I work on a laptop, and after causing repetitive stress injury to my shoulder(!) by working on a too-high desk, I've turned to this more relaxing and less painful position.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in a suburb of Covington, a little community development called Taylor Mill, in the three-county area known amongst locals as Northern Kentucky. My mother taught me to read and write when I was old enough to hold a pencil. She had a terrific influence on me as a reader and an author. I remember well our weekly trips to the Kenton County Library, then located in the Carnegie Library, funded in part by Andrew Carnegie:

"The roots of the Kenton County Public Library can be traced back to 1899 as several distinguished citizens of Covington, Kentucky, convened to discuss the need for a public library for its citizens. In 1901 a newly appointed library Board passed rules that declared there be free library service to every man, woman, and child in Covington, making the Covington Library one of the first in the south to provide racially integrated service. With a $75,000 contribution from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie the new Carnegie Library opened on March 16, 1904, to the citizens of Covington" —this from the History of the Kenton County Public Library.

The Carnegie Library was a beautiful building built as a rotunda with an interior balcony around the second-floor rooms looking down through the center to the first-floor librarian's work area and countertops. Heavy woodwork, a silent atmosphere, and the familiar faces of the librarians upstairs and down made visiting the library a magical time in my childhood.

From children's books, I grew up reading almost every science fiction book in that library, along with my share of romance novels, histories, and biographies. Then I discovered the stacks in university libraries. I’m also a frequent user of Kentucky Libraries Online with the help of Libby. Access to free ebooks and audiobooks while traveling and living abroad has been a godsend.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
I lived in Kenya, 200 miles north of Nairobi, about as far-removed the patchwork quilt publishing industry as anyone could get! Why would an American publisher want to publish an author who lives in Kenya? That was not likely to happen.

Conventional publishers expect authors to promote and sell their books. Many quilt teachers carry boxes of their books to the classrooms in which they teach. As an online quilt teacher, I needed a way to sell hard-copy books directly to my students. I travel internationally, but who wants the hassle, added expense, and increased carbon footprint of carrying heavy books with them through international flight travel?

Then, there were the problems of storage. Hard copy books are mainly cellulosic, and who loves to eat cellulose? African termites!

Publishing ebooks was definitely the answer for me, living outside the mainstream publishing world, eager to be heard and appreciated, capable of handling the technical issues of computers and the Internet, and full of good ideas and new perspectives. I encourage anyone who wants to write professionally to give ebooks a try.
How has Smashwords contributed to your success?
I first published How to Make a Mosquito Net from Fully Illustrated Instructions. The ebook grew out of a previously free tutorial on my website. I did not write the ebook because I knew it would be a best-seller; I wrote it to gain the experience and confidence of successfully publishing ANY ebook!

Much to my great surprise, it worked, and I learned much from that experience. Following Smashword's carefully formulated instructions and guides, I wrote the ebook, format it correctly, added illustrations, and uploaded it for publishing. You can imagine my delight when the ebook was afforded Premium status on Smashwords, meaning that it would appear on all Smashwords retailer sites, including Apple, Amazon, Kobo, Barnes&Noble, and many other fine sites!

Ok, only a few copies sold, but I never really promoted that initial ebook. I merely put it "out there" for others to find. If a copy sold, that was an unexpected bonus. Smashwords showed me that anyone (even me!) could write, edit, illustrate, and publish an ebook.
How do you approach cover design?
Cover design is, for me, a fun challenge. Trained as a designer, I can apply my design skills to virtually anything, and designing a book cover is only one such project. There are challenges, but that's an enjoyable part of the job. I play with fonts, colors, spacing, contrasts, and imagery--all visual arts. Consequently, I design all my ebook covers myself.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
I love what I'm doing! I have greatly enjoyed quilting, first as a hobby and then as a business. Changing circumstances in my personal life have given me an opportunity now to focus on writing and publishing the outcome of more than twenty years as an online and international quilt teacher, author and designer. It is rewarding to see my work in print, yes, but even more so to know that by publishing my work I leave a legacy for quilters to enjoy for generations to come.
What is your e-reading device of choice?
Funny--I love reading on my iPhone! It is with me most of the time, it's small and easy to handle, and it helps me use my time wisely. When stuck in traffic or waiting for an appointment, even catching a bite of lunch by myself when in town for shopping and errands, I can open an ebook on my smartphone and read away the time! I also like the way it makes the reading process seem to go more quickly. I can almost speed-read because the viewing screen is so small it lets me grasp the content more readily.
Describe your desk.
Hah! My desk at present is a family heirloom, a roll-top desk given to my husband's grandfather! There's a chair that has always been with the desk, and the chair has a brass plaque on it carrying a congratulatory message on his marriage and dated August 21, 1899. It's still a beautiful set of furniture, and it has received the use and abuse of many generations of our family!

My MacBook Pro sits comfortably inside the desk, which lives in our sitting room. During the day, I'm at the heart of the household, so I know everything that goes on and can attend to any matter needing my attention. At the end of the day, I can roll the top down and hide any clutter, although there's seldom any clutter to hide.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in a suburb of Covington, a little community development called Taylor Mill, in the three-county area known amongst locals as "Northern" Kentucky. My mother began teaching me to read and write as soon as I was old enough to hold a pencil; she had a terrific influence on me as both reader and author.

I remember well our weekly trips to the Kenton County Library, then located in the Carnegie Library, funded in part by Andrew Carnegie:

"The roots of the Kenton County Public Library can be traced back to 1899 as several distinguished citizens of Covington, Kentucky, convened to discuss the need for a public library for its citizens. In 1901 a newly appointed Library Board passed rules that declared there be free library service to every man, woman, and child in Covington, making the Covington Library one of the first in the south to provide racially integrated service. With a $75,000 contribution from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, the new Carnegie Library opened on March 16, 1904, to the citizens of Covington" —this from the History of the Kenton County Public Library.
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
I'm most likely quilting! Otherwise, I enjoy live theatre, music, and dance, visiting art and history museums, and meeting new people. Occasionally, I enjoy cooking and entertaining family and friends, working on my family history, the rare shopping trip, and I love to travel.
How do you discover the ebooks you read?
Usually, I come across something on the Internet that interests me, and if I want to know more than what I find there, I check Libby to see if I can find any ebooks on that subject in my local library. At the moment, I'm having a good look at kitchen gardens and permaculture.
What is your writing process?
I have to outline everything! I think in a curiously circular manner, often beginning with the thought I should use to finish my remarks and working backward from there. Outlining helps me organize my thoughts in a directly linear structure that I believe makes it easier for others to follow along.

Don't believe me? Try reading the sentences above in reverse order, and see what you get!
What are your five favorite books, and why?
Fiction? The five-book series of Diana Galbaldon's "Outlander." I love the way the author integrated history and romance, and the works encompass a wide range of life experiences. Also, being one-third Scottish myself, "my heart's in the highlands."
What do you read for pleasure?
Quilt books. I'm always looking for new ideas, tips, and tricks. Otherwise, I do so much reading online, in my downtime I prefer to watch videos!
Smashwords Interviews are created by the profiled author or publisher.

Books by This Author

Darned Quilts
Price: $8.99 USD. Words: 23,960. Language: English. Published: March 4, 2021 . Categories: Nonfiction » Home & Garden » Crafts & Hobbies » Quilts & quilting
Play with identical shapes and color changes to create dynamic movement in abstract art wall hanging quilts—-fast, furious, and FUN! Build a gorgeous background from a carefully selected set of graded fabrics, augment it with a myriad of pretty sewing tricks, then chop and swap it to bits. Darn it all back together, and voilà!--you have a Darned Quilt!
Math for Quilters
Price: $8.99 USD. Words: 48,730. Language: English. Published: November 25, 2019 . Categories: Nonfiction » Home & Garden » Crafts & Hobbies » Quilts & quilting
Control design and improve the results of patchwork quilting as you master the mathematics of basic algebra, fractions, decimals, geometry, and scale. Learn to design, plan, layout, cost and price your original quilts with increased confidence. Chock full of information, illustrations and examples, Math for Quilters covers all aspects of patchwork quilting. Includes FAQ and printable pdf tables.
Structured Fabrics: Checks, Plaids and Stripes
Price: $8.99 USD. Words: 30,910. Language: English. Published: November 1, 2015 . Categories: Nonfiction » Home & Garden » Crafts & Hobbies » Quilts & quilting, Nonfiction » Art, Architecture, Photography » Crafts - Needlework General
In this clever and fun art quilt ebook, Structured Fabrics: Checks, Stripes and Plaids, explore a creative way to give new life to previously unused fabrics, scraps and embellishments in your stash. Fast sewing, with a thoughtful eye to color and value, moves the work along quickly and successfully. Make ATCs, wearables, accessories or one-off works of art—the designs and choices are up to you!
Sudoku Quilts
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 6,420. Language: English. Published: August 16, 2015 . Categories: Nonfiction » Home & Garden » Crafts & Hobbies » Quilts & quilting, Nonfiction » Home & Garden » Crafts & Hobbies » Patchwork
Did you know that Sudoku puzzles can be used to design lovely patchwork quilts? This brief e-book, Sudoku Quilts, explains how basic Sudoku puzzles can be converted into designs and plans for patchwork quilts to suit any occasion. It's all here: straightforward instructions to become a patchwork quilt designer literally overnight!
Designer Pinwheels, Art Quilts with a Twist
Price: $8.99 USD. Words: 34,700. Language: English. Published: September 13, 2015 . Categories: Nonfiction » Home & Garden » Crafts & Hobbies » Quilts & quilting
Designer Pinwheels are based on four-fold rotation of a tessellated right triangle. This e-book simplifies designing and piecing even the most difficult quilt patterns. Learn why and how to piece without unnecessary seams for beautiful results. Learn why, when and how to use embellishments to enhance the designs. Master some fun-to-do techniques, and create original Designer Pinwheels of your own!
Bind Quilts by Machine
Price: $6.99 USD. Words: 21,020. Language: English. Published: July 18, 2015 . Categories: Nonfiction » Home & Garden » Crafts & Hobbies » Quilts & quilting
Bind Quilts by Machine offers patchwork quilters three easy methods to apply quilt bindings by machine: Fuss-Free, Seamless and Double-Fold Bindings. It also shows how to add Perfect Piping to bindings, borders, even patchwork. Finally, the book demystifies mock bindings, bagging, facing and raw edges for quilts. Bind Quilts by Machine is sure to become every patchwork quilter's handbook!
How to Make a Mosquito Net From Fully Illustrated Instructions
You set the price! Words: 7,640. Language: English. Published: January 13, 2012 . Categories: Nonfiction » Health, wellbeing, & medicine » Diseases, Nonfiction » Home & Garden » Crafts & Hobbies » Sewing
General discussion about malaria, the disease's treatment and its prevention, followed by complete instructions, illustrated with sketches and photographs, for sewing a recommended mosquito net made from cotton sheeting and nylon tulle, written by an experienced textile specialist and a twenty-year veteran of life in Africa.