Danielle grew up as an only child of divorced parents in Brooklyn, New York. Her imagination was developed at an early age. Surrounded by stuffed animals and imaginary friends, she transported herself into a fantasy world full of magic and wonder. Books were the gateway between her play world and reality.
Danielle always loved dialogue and in elementary school began writing plays and short stories. This is when she began to understand she could not only bring her fantastical world to life for herself, but she could enchant others as well.
In 2007 Danielle collaborated with Charlotte Doreen Small to write songs for her CD More. Danielle wrote the lyrics for Take My Hand, and Goodbye, while Charlotte contributed the melody. In 2011 her Debut novel For Always topped Amazon charts in the Young Adult category.
Danielle graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with honors, and currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, three children and their family dog.
When and how did you
know you wanted to be a writer?
In the third grade I started writing short scenes of dialogue. On Fridays in school we were given weekly readers with short plays at the end of them. Those were my favorite.
After a while I started writing my own short plays, then short stories and it took off from there.
Did you have any influencing writers growing up?
I loved books for as long as I can remember. As a child I would read books over and over. Once I hit adolescence, like most young girls at the time I turned to Judy Blume.
By twelve or thirteen I discovered John Saul. He definitely influenced my early writing style. He will always be one of my favorite authors.
Are any of your characters based on people in real life?
Yes and no.
All of my heroines have a piece of me at their core. Because I try to make my characters relatable I do take traits, good and bad, from people that were important and special to me.
Where do you draw your book inspirations from?
Definitely from real life. Many of the unusual or funny situations I place my characters in are based on things that actually happened, like the smokey bus scene in For Always or the bathroom scene in Man Up Party Boy.
Regret Me Not was inspired from a conversation I had with a woman I had recently met. Several times while writing that book I considered scrapping it but found myself the listening ear for women with similar stories and felt compelled to finish it.
Do you use have a basic outline when starting a new story or do you let the characters lead the way?
I start my stories with a basic idea of where to start and how I want it to end.
From there I try to pick a midpoint and two events, one that I want to happen between the beginning and the midpoint, and the other between the midpoint and the end.
I do sometimes change or alter the events based on where the characters lead me, but this helps me move the story along and has worked well for me.
When you are picturing the characters in your book, do you have a cheater photo for inspiration?
Sometimes I do. Especially early on. It helps solidify the character a little bit more for me.
Many people read as a form of escape and relaxation. What is your favorite way to sit back and relax?
Reading and writing.
I am an avid reader, although I don’t binge on a particular author like I did when I was younger. Especially when I read a book I really enjoy I try to follow it up by reading a different author I haven’t read yet.
Who are your favorite current authors to read?
There are so many amazing authors out there I don’t really want to limit myself by choosing favorites.
What are your favorite books by others?
There are so many books I fell in love with that have remained with me through the years.
I fell in love with Dracula years ago. Hopeless by Colleen Hoover.
One book that destroyed me was This is Falling by Ginger Scott. There was a part that not only hit home, it hit it with a wrecking ball and left no survivors.
Do the locations in the stories have any meaning to you?
Yes. For Always takes place in Brooklyn, NY which is where I grew up.
The Heart Waves series was set at the Jersey Shore which is one of my favorite places and where I spent much of my summers as a teenager and adult. It’s a place that I loved to go to with my children.
Some of the other settings are more generic, but then having moved to NC I set Broken Pieces in NC. I love it here so I’d expect to see more books set in NC.
Do you write in single or multiple POV?
I do both based on how I feel the story can be best told.
I even wrote To My Hero: a Blog of Our Journey Together in second person POV because I thought the reader would have a stronger connection to the heroine that way.
What do you find to be your best research tool?
Real life and the internet.
Do you write under a pen name? Also, do you write under more than one name?
At this time no. When I first started publishing I think authors had more leeway about experimenting in different tropes within their genre, but today it looks like readers are looking for a more specific book when they read multiple books by an author.
What genre do you write and why is this your preference?
Romance. Who doesn’t want to fall in love over and over again? The angst and heart-stopping emotion keeps me young and my imagination soaring.
Tell me something about yourself outside of writing. Jobs, accomplishments, family, quirky trait...what led to you being you?
So when I was fifteen my father took me to see Anthony Robbins and I was absolutely NOT going to do the firewalk. Until someone pushed me on the bed of red hot burning coals and I quick stepped it to the other side.
Very proud that I did it without burning myself and I’m glad that I actually did it instead of being a bystander.
What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?
Don’t ever give up on your dreams.
Read, write and repeat.
Although a story plot may have been used before, no one else has told it in the unique way you can.
How do you deal and process negative book reviews?
I reread the positive ones, lol. No matter what you do you will never please everyone.
I do read all reviews because even though I don’t focus on the negative ones, if there are multiple reviews saying the same thing, maybe it’s something I can tweak in my writing, address in a later book if it’s a series, or better set the expectation for readers in the blurb.
What is the most difficult part of your writing process?
Finding the time and quiet to write.
My primary job is being a mother and while my children are older, it’s still important to support them and be there when they want to talk. Ironically I thought I’d have more time when they got older and so far it’s the opposite.
What do you need in your writer’s space to keep you focused?
Coffee, my computer, and my music.
What is your schedule like when you are writing? Do you have a favorite writing snack or drink?
I used to write mostly at night when the kids were in bed and my drink was Mike’s Hard lemonade.
Now I’m too tired at night so I try to write early in the day and my drink is most definitely coffee.
Do you listen to music when you write – what kind of music is your favorite?
I do, and it depends on the book I’m writing.
Sometimes it’s upbeat pop, sometimes it’s more depressing songs of heartbreak and heartache.
I change genre’s too, from pop to metal, to punk, to eighties music. My favorite though seems to be pop punk.
Have pets ever gotten in the way of your writing?
No. My dog will sometimes keep me company and just lay at my feet while I write.
What is your kryptonite as a writer? What totally puts you off your game?
My kids and the many interruptions that occur when I sit down to write. It’s really slowed me down.
Have you ever killed off a character that your readers loved?
Yes! In the second book of the Heart Waves series Breaking Waves. I thought I might be lynched at the time.
How do you celebrate after typing THE END?
Taking a day away from writing to do something fun and /or relaxing, whatever that is at the moment.
I hope you enjoyed this interview!
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