Guest’s Book Tour: Dawn DeBraal

Welcome to my guest page. Here, every few days, I’ll be sharing a conversation, over tea and cakes, or maybe a glass of something stronger, if they are not driving, with a friend about their work in progress, or latest book release. I’ll be talking to all sort of writers and authors at different levels of their writing careers.

Hello Dawn so lovely you could make it here today. I hope you enjoy your coffee, not too much milk I hope. Let’s start by asking you, when you first begun your writing journey what drew you to your chosen genre? 

I think finding Black Hare Press. I am a prompt writer, meaning I work best if given a prompt. Black Hare does this. So I ended up writing horror. I write other genre’s too, but that’s how I began.

Tell us a little about your latest writing project.  Is it a new idea, or one you have been mulling over for some time?

I’m currently working on my Lord’s Prayer Series. Terror House Magazine has been wonderful at publishing my stories. The fifth story will be out August 30^th. I take each line from the Lord’s Prayer and write a horror story to it. I am enjoying the process of writing these stories.

Do you write a synopsis first or write the first chapter? (If you only write short stories, or play or poetry do you plan your story ( poem), or let the characters lead you?

I am a pantser. I start at the beginning and write to the end. Sometimes a thought will occur to me. So that I don’t forget it I will go to the bottom of the document and write “Anna is the suspect, but she gets murdered.” Then I will write in that direction. I don’t like to plan things because when the twist comes, I am just as surprised at the reader.

Were any of your characters inspired by real people?

All of my characters are inspired by real people. A nod of their head, a phrase, the way they walk, etc. They are a conglomeration of several people. I am a people watcher and I love developing something I’ve observed into one of my characters. I am not above eavesdropping in a restaurant for a conversation line either. Beware! (I shall be watching out for an English character in one of your stories, Dawn 🙂 )

What did you learn when writing your book (story, play or poem)? In writing it, how much research did you do?

I’m terrible at research. I write short stories so to do a two-thousand or three-thousand-word story develop the characters, etc. It doesn’t take much research, thank goodness.

Did you uncover things about yourself while writing your books (or stories, play, poem) whether that be a long forgotten memory, a positive experience etc?

There’s always a hint of truth or experience in a story you write. Whether it is a memory, or something you’ve seen. You change the names to protect the innocent!

How long on average does it take you to write a book (story, poem, or play)? 

I’ve never written a book on my own. Currently I have a co-written book with Julie Eger, something we started nine years ago, but life got in the way. We finally finished “What the Hell Happened to Joan?” and submitted it to an agent and are still awaiting Joan’s fate. I started writing a book several years ago, but I don’t know its purpose yet so it is still waiting for that to develop.

As always it’s a delight chatty with you, Dawn.

Dawn’s writing can be found in Black Hare Press anthology One of the Seven Deadly Sin: Sloth

Spirit Walker published by Zimbell House Publishing.

In Volume 1 and 2 of the Women of Horror anthologies published by Kandisha Press.