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Her fertile imagination moved forward when she learned to
write, and grasped the complexities of light verse poetry. A fan of Ogden Nash
and limericks, she embarked on a (very bad) poetry writing phase. She can
remember only part of one, because overall, they were not memorable.
A fan of Allan Sherman song parodies (which she can
remember with annoying accuracy) she started writing her own version of her
favorite songs. You haven't lived until you've heard her version of Michael
Row the Boat Ashore – only about soybeans. (You had to be there).
Fortunately, by the time she got to high school, she had
moved on to humorous essays like those written by James Thurber. With this writing
talent burgeoning inside, she joined the speech and debate team, and went on to
win prizes in oral interpretation of prose and poetry.
Always enjoying the bright lights of the stage, she got
involved in drama club, and appeared in several of the school productions. In
college, she was a theatre major and found the fun of working backstage, rather
than on. She spent several years on set crew, moving on to box office, before
deciding upon costuming as a focus. She still loves to design clothing, but hasn't
got the time to pursue that, since she's now an author.
After college, Dellani married. As a wife and mother, she
had to set the stories aside, though the character voices nagged at her from
time to time. She wrote short stories and plays, to keep that creative gene
alive. It wasn't until after she quit her job and moved to Florida, that she
found the time to write. That book isn't finished yet, and may never be, but
she hasn't given up hope.
She had an interesting plot twist in life, when she went on
a field trip with her oldest son, to historical St. Augustine, Florida. She was
shepherding 10 rowdy boys up the broad, stone steps of the Castillo de San
Marcos, when she got pushed into the wall. That collision knocked something
loose that had been bottled up, and she heard a young woman's voice speaking to
her. The character refused to be silent, and kept yammering until her story was
told. That moment birthed Dellani's first published novel, Indian
Summer.
Since then, Dellani has gone beyond the historical romantic
suspense, to contemporary romance, romantic suspense, mystery, fantasy, and
futuristic romance. Having a character talk to her is commonplace now, and she
welcomes the voices inside her head. They tell their stories, and she types
frantically, trying to copy them down.
Dellani's books include Indian Summer and
it's sequel, Savage Heart. She has a futuristic romance series
– Lone Wolf, Shakazhan, The Maker, and a companion collection of
short stories – Lone Wolf Tales. She has a romantic
suspense series staring one of her favorite characters, Deputy Marshal Marice
Houston – Room 103, Room 203, and Room 303 are
published. She is currently doing edits of Room 403 and is
working on Room 503. She has several books published with Irish
company, Tirgearr Publishing, as well as quite a few more which she has
published independently.
Not only is Dellani an author, she works with Owl &
Pussycat Book Promotions, who help other authors advertise their work. She
hosts two Blog Talk Radio shows a month – Dellani's Tea Time every 2nd Monday,
and What's Write for Me every 4th Wednesday.
She's still a busy wife and mother, but her children are
grown, and she's entered the world of grandparenting – which she loves. She
lives with her husband, and whichever of her boys happen to be there, in
Daytona Beach, Florida.
Check out all my interviews/reviews for Dellani Oakes!
THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY - Lone Wolf Series
Connect with Dellani:
Website:
https://dellanischoice.wordpress.com/
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Dellani-Oakes/author/B007ZQCW3A
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2013144.Dellani_Oakes
Bookbub:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/dellani-oakes
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/dellanioakes
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/dellanioakes/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/DellaniOakes
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