TUESDAY TALKS

 Spotlight Author:   R O N N I E    D A U B E R

Before we get started talking about your books, tell us a little about yourself.  Where are you from?  What is your occupation outside of writing? 

I live in Ontario, Canada with my husband, seven children and twelve grandchildren.  I enjoyed a legal career as a court reporter until a couple of years ago when I was forced to retire due to injuries sustained in a car accident. Now, I’m a full-time author and writer, and although my life was forced to make this unexpected and traumatic change, I don’t regret it. It gave me the time to return to college and earn diplomas in literature, and now I’m now doing what I’ve always wanted to do and that is to write books, and I can do this from home, which is very convenient for me at this time.

What are your favorite books to read?

I enjoy reading books that are action-packed, but my favorites are biographies of people who have influenced my life or who have led amazing lives and overcome obstacles to become successful in spite of them. These have been an encouragement to me in my own writing career.

Aside from your successes in the writing industry, what in your life has given you the greatest sense of accomplishment?

My children have given me a tremendous sense of accomplishment. They all accept the need for quality education and have graduated from either college or university to pursue excellent careers. Some have children of their own and have had to wait to pursue their career while others dove right into it. But all the grandkids are being raised with their moms at home and with love and positive instruction, and that makes me very proud.

How many books have you written and how many of those are published? 

Mudslide – This is my first book, a young-adult adventure and it was published in September of 2009. It’s the first in a series called, ‘The Survival Books’.

Web Secrets – This is my second book, an adult suspense/thriller that was released in January of 2011 and is available at online bookstores as well as at Lebrary.com, which is a newer online portal for e-books.

Do you have one particular genre that all your books fall under (i.e. suspense, romance, etc.)  or do you write in many different genres?

The Survival Books are all directed to young adults, although I have received comments from many adults around the world who read Mudslide and love it and are waiting for the sequel.

Web Secrets in my only adult suspense/thriller at the moment, although I have started a second novel, unrelated to this but in the same genre called Providence, and when I’m finished writing the Survival Series books, I will likely complete this book at that time.

How much character and plot detailing do you plan out before you begin writing a novel, or are you a “pantser” (fly by the seat of your pants) ?

So far, the stories have just come to my mind along with all the conflicts and characters. However, when I get to the point in all of my books when I’m ready to begin writing, I stop and research details of the situation such as location traits, weather conditions and general culture so that my story is believable, relatable and as realistic as possible.

Prior to becoming a published author, how many rejections did you receive?  How did you handle the rejections?

I had many rejections from Mudslide, too many to count, really. That’s when I began to research the publishing market on my own to learn what publishers do for the author and what the author’s responsibilities are to getting their book marketed. I wanted my books to be quality and within all the guidelines of the traditional publishers, so I did some hunting, found a reputable book printing company and paid to have my work edited professionally. I also studied networking and how to get my book out there to get noticed so that I could have every opportunity for success. I may not be at the top yet, but I believe that I’m on the right trail.

If you have a new release coming out, tell us about it.

I just had my latest book released a couple of weeks ago, and that’s really exciting for me. This is Web Secrets and it’s an edge-of-the-seat suspense/thriller for readers who enjoy becoming one with the protagonist in a quest for survival. Madison Richards is a young bride who, while investigating a personal issue, becomes unwittingly drawn into a terrifying web of deception and revenge. As her friends and family members slowly begin to disappear, unusual things happen and the authorities consider her as the main suspect. She’s left with only one friend in cyberspace to help her and that’s when Madison learns that she’s the target of a psychopath killer.

 If you could give one piece of advice to writers trying to get published, what would that advice be?

I would say that this masterpiece you have created deserves the best attention, and that as an author you must handle its publication wisely. You really only have one chance to make a good first impression, so be patient, research thoroughly, don’t dive into any quick print or self-publishing options that you don’t understand just because they’re inexpensive or fast. Above all else, make sure that your book is edited by a professional editor because they have the knowledge and experience to ensure that it’s written well, and it’s very easy to make typos or confuse story facts that can ruin the integrity of your book. There are lots of self-published books on the market today but many are not quality books, so be patient, develop your reading audience slowly and let your reputation proceed your future books.

 What's up next for you and your writing?

I’m currently writing a sequel to Mudslide, the second in the Survival Series, called Fire Storm. This book is just as fast-paced as the first one, and has all the action and conflict that made Mudslide great. It features the two cousins who will, of course, be in all the series books. I hope to have it published by June of 2011.

I have the sequel after that semi-plotted out in my mind and it’s called Cold Revenge and again, will be a fast-paced adventure. I’m hoping to have it completed by the end of the year but then, life does have a way of interfering at times, but I’m hoping.

The next and possibly final of the Survival series will likely come out right after that, and it’s called Power Failure, and again it will be a heart-racing adventure of man versus nature.

And then I plan to return to my second suspense/thriller and continue with it.

Where can we read more about you and your work?

I have my own professional profile blog at www.ronniedauberauthor.com where readers can follow my writing activities and even link to the blogs of my current books.