TUESDAY TALKS

Spotlight Author:  DEBBIE DADEY

I'd like to introduce you to my Spotlight Author, Debbie Dadey. 

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 am from Henderson, KY (western KY.) and I am a full time writer.  I used to be a first-grade teacher and then became a librarian.  My favorite part of the teaching day was sharing stories.  It was my dream to write a book.

Would you describe yourself as an introvert or an extrovert?

I’ve always thought of myself as more of an extrovert, but I think every writer is a bit of an introvert.  I just love tucking myself into my little home office and creating new worlds.

Do you have any pets?  Yes, I have three dogs.  Bailey is a mix, Skip is a Maltese, and Shadow is a Schipperke (I’m sure I spelled that wrong!).  They are my writing assistants as they lay all around me while I write.

What are your favorite books to read?  Right now I’m reading The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, which is way out of my comfort zone as far as language and such, but I loved the character so much in the first two books I had to read on.  I really enjoy reading children’s stories. 

Where is the most unique place you have traveled?  I went on a school visit to Cairo, Egypt and took along my son.  The Cairo American College mothers were such wonderful hosts and made sure we had a lovely time.  I hope they are all well now.  My son was in eighth grade and I promised my daughter I’d take her along on a school trip to someplace like that, but I haven’t gone anyplace as exciting (no offense to Kansas and other states).  So if you live in a unique place I hope you’ll invite me!

Aside from your successes in the writing industry, what in your life has given you the greatest sense of accomplishment? My marriage to my husband and my three wonderful children are blessings beyond my wildest dreams.

How many books have you written and how many of those are published?  I have sold 151 stories to be made into books.  I have written many, many more stories that weren’t and probably will never be published.  My first book was Vampires Don’t Wear Polka Dots which turned into The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series.  My most recently published book was The Wrong Side of Magic, part of the Keyholder series.  A complete list of my books can be found on my website, www.debbiedadey.com.

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?  I like my children’s books to have humor, suspense, and some mystery. 

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) ?  I am definitely a planner.  I do character sketches and an outline.  I have some examples on the writing page of www.debbiedadey.com.

Prior to becoming a published author, how many rejections did you receive?  How did you handle the rejections?  Way too many!  First, I cried-then I got mad.  In the back of my head, I always had this idea that they’ll be sorry when I win the Newbery!  I’m ever hopeful!

How and when do you write? Do you keep yourself on a schedule or do you work while the muse is with you?   I usually write in the morning and early afternoon before the kids get home from school.  It is a bad day when I don’t get to write.  Except, I never write on Sunday as that is my day of rest.

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

I am so delighted to have been working on a new series that comes out in the summer of 2012 with Simon and Schuster.  It is a chapter book series that I’m having great fun writing and researching.

If you could give one piece of advice to writers trying to get published, what would that advice be?  Persistence.
What's up next for you and your writing? I love writing chapter books, but I also have this longing for writing novels.  So I’ll keep writing!

Anything else you'd like to share with my blog readers?   My favorite part of writing is the actual writing; it’s the rewriting that I hate.  But I know that’s the difference between an okay story and a much better one.  So, I’ll do my best to keep rewriting!  Reading my story out loud is a great way to find mistakes.

Where can we read more about you and your work?  www.debbiedadey.com

Debbie, it has been a pleasure getting to know you and your work a little better.  Thank you for being my spotlight author today.  God bless you in your future endeavors.  J