I’d like to introduce you all to a fellow historical fiction/romance author, Gina Danna. Like me, she writes in different time periods and locations. I’ll give you her professional bio and then hop right into the interview. Enjoy!
A USAToday
Bestselling author, Gina Danna was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and has spent
the better part of her life reading. History has always been her love and she
spent numerous hours devouring historical romance stories, always dreaming of
writing one of her own. After years of writing historical academic papers to
achieve her undergraduate and graduate degrees in History, and then for museum
programs and exhibits, she found the time to write her own historical romantic
fiction novels.
Now, under the supervision of her dogs, she writes amid a library of research
books, with her only true break away is to spend time with her other life long
dream – her Arabian horse – with him, her muse can play.
You can learn more about her and her books at www.ginadanna.com, or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.
Betty: What genre(s) do you write in and why?
Gina: I write historical fiction and historical romance – most of the time combined in a historical fiction with romantic overtones and some straight historical romance. For my Ancient Rome and Civil War, they have to correct, especially the Civil War, which means having the history and historical persons in it. My Regency tend to be more romance, though with historical background. If that makes any sense.
Gerard Jennings had done his duty for God and Country and returned to England to assume a title he had never wanted nor deserved. Sweat and blood were not all he left behind in war-torn France, he’d also left his heart with the woman he’d loved and lost. Forced into a society that no longer fits the man he’s become, the new Marquis of Linnwood drifts through a sea of debutantes to fulfill the family obligation of finding a wife. None attract his attention until he meets the one who tugs at his reluctant heart – Lady Charlotte.
A runaway pup, a damsel in distress, Lady Charlotte is rescued by Lord Linnwood only to have her reputation ripped to shreds by petty gossip. Her fiance withdraws his proposal, leaving Charlotte forever ruined. The dashing Marquis again comes to her aid by making her his wife.
Though deeply in love with her husband, Charlotte can’t bridge the distance between them and spends night after night alone. His haunted past shadows their lives and she must find a way to not only dispel his ghosts but ease his grieving heart. Will it be enough to also save his tortured soul?
Betty: Do you have a specific place that you write? Revise?
Gina: No, not really. I work a full time job so my co-workers see me lugging my laptop with me and I get as much as I can get done at work as well as home.
Betty: Do you have any writing rituals while you write? Did you have a special drink, or music, or time of day that you gravitated toward?
Gina: I need quiet – which can be amazingly hard to get when you have a job like I do and live in an apartment!
Betty: What helped you move from unpublished to published? A mentor or organization or something else?
Gina: I think what drove me was the first RWA group I joined – Missouri Romance Writers (MORWA). Very encouraging group. Great support!
Betty: What comes first when you’re brainstorming a new story: setting, situation, characters?
Gina: Timeframe – of course, but after that, it’s the characters. My main people are very loud, so they’re the driving force by all means.
Betty: What is one recent struggle you’ve experienced in your writing?
Gina: A recent struggle was working to finish a novella for a summer anthology, putting the 4th book in my Civil War series aside so I could finish, only to have the group literally fall apart. So I had this book just waiting. It’s being released on June 17th. J
Betty: Do you participate in NaNoWriMo? Why or why not?
Gina: I did so for a couple of years and succeeded – Go Me! But my current job now steals a ton of my time. It’s a busy season for us, so I haven’t been able to even think about it…
Betty: When you’re writing, do you read in the same genre as your work in progress or something else?
Gina: No, I try NOT to read the same genre/time period as my current works in progress. Fear it will mess my muse so I avoid it till after I’m finished.
Betty: Do you have a “day job” or do you write full time?
Gina: Yes, I have a day job – I work for Southwest Airlines
Betty: What advice do you have for new writers?
Gina: Keep writing! Listen to your muse! Not the market. If you try to write just for the market, that’s a tricky thing. It changes rapidly in comparison to writing so don’t do it.
Betty: Any hints of what you’re next writing project might be?
Gina: Well, I have a Christmas Regency novella for this winter (total romance) and finish the 4th book in my Civil War series, hopefully start on book 5.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing about your interesting background and your writing process. Best of luck with your future writing career, too!
P.S. If you haven’t already, please consider signing up for my newsletter, which I send out most every month, including news like new covers, new releases, and upcoming appearances where I love to meet my readers, along with recipes and writing progress. Thanks and happy reading!
Visit www.bettybolte.com for more on my books and upcoming events.
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