Top Shelf Books: Author Interview - Denise Dowdell-Stent @valaoakley

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Author Interview - Denise Dowdell-Stent @valaoakley

at 5:00 AM

How do you write – lap top, pen, paper, in bed, at a desk?

I always write by hand, either on the sofa or in bed, in a large hardback notebook.

Where do you get support from? Do you have friends in the industry?

Other than my family and friends, I have had invaluable support from Bronwyn and Alex Hemus at www.standoutbooks.co.uk. I do have friends that have published books but do not have any contacts in the industry.

How much sleep do you need to be your best?

Between 8-9 hours though I rarely get that much!

Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge and thank for their support?

There are so many – my son Andrew, husband John and parents – Marie and Robert Stent, Bronwyn and Alex Hemus, my other family and friends, including Aunt Elaine and Said Alame for their awesome reviews, Trevor French for his stunning CG backgrounds for my trailer, Mark Pirrie, my Producer and Director – for sharing my vision and translating it to film, Dion Johnson, who provided the awesome camera work, editing, photography stills and amazing book cover, Jon Enkel on cameras, Tim Janis – the infinitely talented composer of ‘Water’s Edge’, the evocative and beautiful soundtrack to Eternal, Elizabeth Demmer of the Tim Janis Ensemble for her kindness and help, Guy Adams – my very dashing Elvar! And all the staff at Anglesey Abbey, Cambridge, Harvey Edgington – Film Unit Manager for the National Trust and Rev. David Busk of St. Mary the Virgin Parish Church, Godmanchester.

Every writer has their own idea of what a successful career in writing is, what does success in writing look like to you?

Making the bestsellers list would be good as would securing a traditional publishing deal and seeing my book grace the shelves of major bookstores where I would be asked to do book signings. Having a company buy film rights would also be rather nice!

It is vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your writing, tell us about your marketing campaign?

As mentioned in Question 22, I have a website: www.eternaluk.com featuring information on my book, a biography, a photo gallery, trailers, a blog, a newsletter, sample chapter downloads, a media kit, and links to retailers selling Eternal. I use Twitter, Facebook, Google + and Pinterest and have had a newspaper interview. Additionally, I have had several author interviews, guest blogs, and am awaiting a professional book review.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

I started writing because I was born with a wild, unstoppable imagination; dreams and stories would form in my mind and I needed a way to express them coherently.

When and why did you begin writing?

I started writing at four years of age, though probably not terribly expressively until I reached the age of six – my mind was just bursting with ideas and stories, sometimes from dreams, and I was compelled to write them down and share them. I first considered sharing these stories publicly after winning a short story contest at seven years old – it gave me the confidence to continue and the realisation that I had something wonderful to share with the world.

How long have you been writing?

Since from around the age of four.

When did you first know you could be a writer?

I didn’t consider it professionally until after that fateful game of Rory’s Story Cubes last year. However, I did consider professional script-writing as a career whilst at university, though it obviously never came to fruition.

About the Author

Denise Dowdell-Stent is a YA Fantasy Fiction author but also writes scripts, poetry (published in various anthologies such as 'A Passage in Time' and 'Speaking of Love' by Forward Poetry), song lyrics, and maintains a blog at http://www.eternaluk.com.

She has just released her debut novel, Eternal as an ebook on Amazon, iBookstore, Kobo and Google Books (retail links on website). She lives in Cambridgeshire, UK with her husband and young son. Eternal is a YA Arthurian themed Fantasy, chock full of adventure, romance, suspense and intrigue.

Website: http://www.eternaluk.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/eternaltrilogy

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/valaoakley

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRIOmPViSbI

Amazon (USA): http://amzn.to/1ecaVA8

Amazon (UK): http://amzn.to/1fU46yX