The Writing Life with Dawn Brotherton, Author of 'Trish’s Team'
The recipient of the Global eBook Bronze
Award, Dawn Brotherton is the creator of Softball
Scoresheet, a book used for keeping score during games. She is also the author of two Jackie Austin mysteries, Wind
the Clock and It’s the Right Thing to
Do, and a contributing author to A-10s
Over Kosovo, a compilation of stories about being deployed for Operation
ALLIED FORCE. Dawn currently serves at
the Pentagon in Washington, DC. as a colonel in the United States Air Force.
She enjoys coaching softball, working with the Girl Scouts, and traveling. Dawn and her fighter-pilot-retired husband
live in Virginia with their two beautiful daughters.
What’s inside
the mind of a youth fiction author? I have written
adult fiction also, but I really prefer youth fiction. I like trying to see
things with my 12-year-old softball players’ eyes. Things don’t always make
sense for them in the same way it does for an adult. I have to think of another
way to explain it. It helps that I have 13- and 15-year old daughters.
What
is so great about being an author? Pink fuzzy slippers. That’s what my husband
and I always joke about. When I can work from home wearing my slippers, I am
happy.
When
do you hate it? When I have to make corrections from the editor. You reach a
point that you just want to be done with a story and go on to the next great
idea. But there is always more work to be done, and you have to look at it ONE
MORE TIME.
What
is a regular writing day like for you? There is no regular for me. I am in the
Air Force stationed at the Pentagon. I have an apartment in Arlington, but my
family is at home in Williamsburg, Va. I drive home every weekend to spend time
with them. I try to get my writing done on weeknight evenings, but life gets in
the way. Right now it’s a fundraising project for my daughter’s school.
Do
you think authors have big egos? Do you? Not when it comes to writing. Sure, I
can tell you the things I’m good at and that I have confidence in, but that
mostly pertains to the Air Force. Editors have a way of keeping a writer
humble.
How
do you handle negative reviews? Defensively at first. I think that’s natural.
Then I have to walk away and come back to it later. Then I try to dig out the
nuggets that will help me, and let the other stuff go. For example, after my
first murder mystery that has an Air Force setting, I had a reader say that the
military would never send someone to an assignment for only one year…since I
have spent a year in Korea, the rest of his comments rolled off my back. But it
did make me go back and rewrite the sections about the military that I took for
granted to give them a little more explanation for someone that has no military
background.
How
do you handle positive reviews? They put
me on top of the world. Seriously! I walk around with a smile on my face all
day long, and I can’t wait to call my sister and tell her.
What
is the usual response when you tell a new acquaintance that you’re an author? People
want to know how I got published. I understand because it was one of my first
questions when I met authors. Still is sometimes, but now it’s more about
sharing lessons learned with peers.
What
do you do on those days you don’t feel like writing? Do you force it or take a
break? Take a break. I have too many other things going on in my life that
distractions are never a problem. It’s making time for writing that is a
problem for me. I spent a weekend in a monastery to finish my first Jackie
Austin book.
Any
writing quirks? No. I’m more of a night person than a morning person, but I can
sit anywhere and write. I find white wine goes well with softball stories.
What
would you do if people around you didn’t take your writing seriously or see it
as a hobby? I think the only one that didn’t take my writing seriously was my
husband. No one else even questioned my desire to be a writer. Now, after my
fifth book, I think my husband is finally coming around.
Some
authors seem to have a love-hate relationship to writing. Can you relate? Not really. I love it. But even too much of a
good thing can get old. Sometimes I get really tired of a storyline and tend to
rush through to get it over with. Then I have to make myself go back over it
several times to get it right. I should just do it right the first time. That’s
one reason I think the kids’ books are working better for me. They are a length
I can stay focused throughout.
Do
you think success as an author must be linked to money? No. Easy for me to say because I’m not famous
yet. I track my expenses carefully and I know exactly how many books I need to
sell to break even. Then I consider it a
success, because at least I haven’t lost money. But I think that’s different
than being a successful author. Just to be recognized as an author is success
for me.
What
had writing taught you? That there is always more to learn. I am continually
finding things I can do better, that I want to try, or that I can teach someone
else.
Leave
us with some words of wisdom.
“Tell
me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I will learn.” –
Benjamin Franklin
Don’t
be afraid to try new things. You don’t
know what you are capable of unless you try.
////////////////////////////////////
Title: Trish’s Team (Book 1, Lady Tigers’ Series)
Genre:
Youth Fiction
Author:
Dawn Brotherton
Publisher:
Blue Dragon Publishing
About the Book: Trish learns what that
really means when she tries to pull a fast one to get what she wants without
thinking through the consequences. Her decision could affect the game, but more
importantly—her friends. Trish has to learn the hard way that lying to get what
she wants isn’t the way to go. She finds out that being part of a team isn’t
just about what happens on the field
Love this interview, Mayra!
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