Interview with D. Marie

Whenever I review a book, I contact the author to tell them. D. Marie is one of the authors who wrote back, and she was so excited that I reviewed her book, that I asked her if I could interview her!

What are your published works? (books, articles, etc.)

Journey to the Glass Hill (2019)

Journey to the Noble Horse (2020)

Journey in the Waiting (2021)

Have you won any awards? Which ones?

No awards.

When did you start seriously writing?

After retiring as a Kindergarten teacher in 2014, I wrote down the Norwegian folktale, Princess on the Glass Hill, that my stepfather told me as a child.  Many years ago, I had added an extra twist to this story and shared it with my children and my Girl Scout troop during a camping trip.  It was only four pages long.  The story never mentioned the mom, just the dad and his three sons.  Therefore, I went back in time to include a mom.  I knew the beginning of the story and the end (the Glass Hill contest), but the rest of the story was like taking dictation.  Fortunately, I found a Christian editor who used to be a minister (he is currently a minister again).  He took 'pity' on me and had to teach me the fine arts of writing.  Never having any classes or instructions, I was green as grass.  My first attempt for publication was with a self-publishing company.  It was an expensive learning lesson, but I retained the rights to my book and was able to use the printed book as an example to work with Amazon's free formats.  I am not techie, but I figured it out.  The 2019 date is with Amazon.  

How long have you been an author?

Length of time is about seven years of being an author of the three books.  After I wrote the first book (it was intended as a stand alone), I pondered what folktale could I use to give it a Christian perspective.  Hmm, Princess and the Pea came to mind using the same characters but have a big time gap.  One night while in bed, the Lord let me know 'that is good but put a book in between and connect all three books.'  The trilogy was born.  Book 2 was mostly written before I published Book 1 on Amazon as Book 1 needed a little tweaking to connect the storyline at the end to flow into Book 2.  I cannot take full credit for the three books as the plots were given a sentence/paragraph at a time.  That is why I use a pen name for not wanting to use 'God's thunder'.   When the last book of the trilogy ended, there was no more inspiration flowing.  I have been asked several times if I wanted to write another book.  The short answer was not really.  The time, energy, and money invested in these books was costly.  If the stories bless and encourage the reader, then it was all worth it.  If and when the Lord wants another story written, I am ready.

What is your favorite genre to write?

Christian fiction is my all-time favorite.  These stories are meant to spiritually benefit the reader.

What is your favorite part of writing?

So many times, the characters would wake me up early in the morning wanting to move on with the storyline.  They were my 'friends' as I watched them grow in their faith and trust or being the mentor for others.  A big expense was the illustrations.  Most books have a few or none for the reader.  These illustrations are for the reader to connect with the characters or the items discussed in that particular paragraph.  Do you know what a 1600's baby bottle looks like?  Since there is a time change, you can watch the characters grow up.  I have a few favorites, one being at the end of Book 1 where Johann is hugging his brothers when they sought his forgiveness.  The Lutheran minister who did the artwork captured that moment perfectly.  He did all three books.

What the hardest part of writing?

The hardest part of writing is wanting to write instead of cleaning the house.  Can you imagine that?   It was difficult to stop sometimes.  Being awakened early in the morning had its moments, but as soon as I started typing all was forgiven.  I never had a dry period or writer's block.  The words and thoughts always flowed.

What advice to you have for other writers?

With the benefit of self-publishing, especially on Amazon, the book market is flooded with books to choose from in every genre.  Getting your book noticed is very difficult.  It requires running ads.  Most of the time, expenses are higher than profits.  Some authors have the ability to create extremely different plots for every book they write.  This fascinates me how that is possible.  Remember, mine was given to me line by line.  If you have a story to tell, write it down and save it.  Use Amazon's free formats to create your book.  You will always have the satisfaction of having your book in hand.  Only a small percentage of people can say, "I am an author."  Be one of those instead of saying, "I was thinking about writing a book." 

What do you like to do besides writing?

Volunteering is my go-to activity.  All Faiths Food Bank, Resurrection House (a day place for homeless to get needs met), African Vision of Hope (Christian Schools in Zambia), and Jesus Saves Ministries (my daughter's) keeps my days full.  I'm currently applying to help with a Christian Ministry to help women in the last 2 years of their incarceration term.  (I'm going to get fingerprinted after I complete these questions.)

What is your favorite book?

The Bible is my favorite book.  I read it every morning.

What is your favorite Bible verse?

John 3:16, most know that one.  Romans 8:28 is my go-to verse when I am administering someone that needs prayer and for my personal need of encouragement.

Do you have a website or blog that we could check out?

www.DMarieBooks.com 

Thank you for coming! Readers, come back soon for another interview!