Guest Author Day with Donna Steele

Please give a warm welcome to author Donna Steele who drops in for a chat today at the Reading Nook about their latest book, Another Time.

Thanks for stopping by to talk a little about your writing! Let's jump right in. When did you begin writing and why?

I’ve said that I always wrote, but I can prove it now. When my husband and I downsized and moved to our condo, I found a manuscript that I wrote when I was seven. The stories in my head needed to be set down and kept (though that one from seven years old won’t see light any time soon.

Do you have a favorite genre? Is it the same genre you prefer to write?

My favorite to read is Science Fiction/Paranormal. That started when in 3rd grade my mother saw I had taken the paperback of Slan by A. E. vanVogt to school for spare time reader. She took it from me and said girls didn’t read science fiction – sealed my fate, I didn’t read anything else for years.

Yes, it is my favorite to write, because I can’t always find what I want to read in the genre. I like stories that could happen, just with a little twist…

Do certain themes and ideas tend to capture your writer’s imagination and fascinate you?

I always throw in some ecology references. Since I have kids and now a grandkid, I worry about global warning. I’ve written some books specifically about the phenomena, but I mention it in every book.

How do you balance long-term thinking vs. being nimble in today's market?

I’m not good at writing for the market. I tend to write what I want to read and I’m always thrilled when someone finds it and enjoys it as well.

How do you find readers in today's market?

Good question. I’m fortunate to have a group that has been reading me since I wrote fanfic for the X-Files and followed me into publishing. They have been a “street team” for me since before I knew what that was. I hope they continue and people continue to find me.

Do you come up with the hook first, or do you create characters first and then dig through until you find a hook?

I’m a committed pantser. The characters come to me and demand that their story be told.

How do you create your characters?

Sometimes I believe they have created me. At times I’d say I was channeling them rather than writing them. When they take over, I give them their head. They’re usually right because they know themselves better than I do at the beginning of the story.

What's on the top of your TBR pile right now?

I just picked up No Darker Place by Debra Webb tonight and I’m loving it.

Tell me a little about the characters in Another TIme.

I write strong women, women that have broken away or reinvented themselves on their own. In Another Time, my heroine, Dr. Dee Stevens, a trauma doctor meets Dr. Dustin Williams, a scientist who works on green energy at a bar when both are at their lowest. Dee isn’t looking for a relationship, working on her career at a new hospital. Dusty doesn’t do relationships at all. He was at the bar feeling sorry for himself because of his job. When they find themselves lost in 1891, the only ones who know what is happening to them, they both grow in ways they didn’t see coming and learn that having someone at the back can come in handy.

In 1891, prior to women even having the vote, Dee is a fish out of water and subtly begins to push women’s rights. Dusty spends his time teaching the children in town about recycling and green energy to counter things that “might” happen in the future.

Where’s the story set? How much influence did the setting have on the atmosphere/characters/development of the story?

The story is set in a community near Washington, DC in 1891. The proximity of the capital near a small town where two people can make a difference is vital to the changes they inadvertently make in the timeline.

If you had to write your memoir in five words, what would you write?

High school was not the apex!

How often does your muse distract you from day to day minutiae?

Constantly, especially with this time travel – loading the dishwasher, the laundry, so many things weren’t available to them would send me on a tangent often.

What do readers have to look forward to in the future from you?

I have the second book in the series back from the publisher for editing now – A Different Time continues the adventures of Dusty and Dee.

Guardians of Now Book 1

Paranormal Romance

Soulmate Publishing

Available at Amazon

When Dusty Williams goes into a strange bar to contemplate the ruination of his career, the last thing he expects to find is a compelling woman. He’s not even in the mood to get laid. He just wants to escape from all humanity.

Dee Stevens can’t believe she’s in a bar at all. She’s just lost two patients due to drunk driving. Whatever could have drawn her into a strange bar tonight of all times?

When the two meet, and they feel that odd vibration that seems to pull them together, they have no idea what’s ahead, or behind, them and what it can mean for mankind.

Teaser:

“You’re in Braddock Crossing.”

The name meant nothing to Dusty. From her expression, the same held true for Dee.

Dee opened her mouth to ask another question when a scream came from the rear of the store. The storeowner raced to the back with Dusty and Dee only a half-step behind.

A young woman held her hand out, staring in horror at the blood dripping from a deep cut.

“Daphne!” The older man raced to the young woman but Dee moved faster, seeing a patient in need of her help. She had already rounded the counter, snatching up a clean, folded cloth. She pressed it rmly against the cut.

“Get my bag.” She tossed the words at Dusty, not bothering to look up. “You’re going to be okay,” she assured the young woman. “Let me examine your hand.”

“W-who are you?” The girl tried to shrink away but Dee had hold of her wrist.

“Let go of my girl!” The owner tried to grab Dee’s arm, but Dusty stopped him.

“She’s a doctor. Let her check the girl out.”

“A doctor? She’s a woman, and a strange one at that.” Dusty held the man’s shoulder and inspected him closely.

The man stared at Dee’s jeans and his daughter’s bloody hand with the same fascinated horror. Dusty eyed Daphne warily; the girl cowered behind the counter, weeping as Dee examined her wound.

She wore a long dark skirt and a high collared, long- sleeved white blouse. Pretty, until the blood ruined the fabric. The shop owner’s shirt appeared to be linen and sported a high, banded collar. His large apron covered his trousers. Had they found an Amish village? No, there wasn’t one this close to D.C. that Dusty could recall. The clothing worn by the other men on the street also looked like something out of an old photograph.
He stepped between the women and this strange man.

“My name is Dustin. This is Doctor Stevens. She’s not going to hurt Daphne. What’s your name?”

Author Bio and Links

Donna writes science fiction, paranormal and small town romances about women coming into their strength and having the courage to find and accept love.

Now that she has retired from going into an office every day, she created an office at home and writes full time. Talk about living the dream!

She was the girl at the party who was yearning for the quiet corner and a book to read (go Rory Gilmore!), and has been writing in her head since she learned to read. Getting those stories down on paper (or in her laptop) has been more fun than she ever imagined it could be.

The possibilities of science fiction have always drawn her and she’s read them all, there just needed to be a little more romance in them. She finally got up the courage to write them herself and is delighted to be able to share these stories with you.

She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal Chapter of RWA and the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers. She can be reached at

www.steelestories.com
www.facebook.com/donnasteeleauthor
https://twitter.com/steele_donna