Ask the Author: Debbie Daley
Answered Questions (7)
Debbie Daley
Hello TheBashfulBookworm. Thank you so much for your very kind comments about my first book, you have made me one extremely happy author. Thank you also for the wonderful review you wrote about it. Your comment about the tunnels and doors made me smile - a slight spoiler is that there aren't so many of them in the next books. :) I hope you enjoy my second book as much as you did the first.
My advice to you as a young writer is just go for it. Write from your heart and use your everyday experiences to influence what you write. Keep notes of the characters, places, events that you plan to write about to ensure continuity of your story. It's also a good idea to carry a note book and pen with you to jot down any ideas that might pop into your head, or if you have a smart phone record them on that so you can use them in your story later.
If you enjoy reading what you've written then it's very likely that others will enjoy it too. After I wrote book one I tried to get a Literary Agent to represent me and after numerous rejections by them I began altering the story to try to appeal to what I thought they might like. After several more rejections I decided to return to the one I originally wrote and self-publish. The feedback I've had from you and others who've read it has proved that I was right to believe in my story.
Each chapter I write I'll read over and make changes if necessary. I find writing and editing a chapter at a time easier than writing the whole book in one go and then having to go back over it and edit. In the absence of a publisher and editor, I also have a couple of good friends, plus my daughter, (my elvenites) who proofread for me - so a tip for you, if you go the self-publishing route, is to get someone you trust to read through your manuscript before publishing. I find that when I read it I sometimes read it how I meant it and fill in any missing words in my mind. Also, it's useful to get feedback from your proofreaders on how they see the story progressing. I'm not the most confident writer so it's reassuring when they tell me it's keeping them interested and intrigued.
I first published on Kindle on Amazon as it was easy and free to do. It also enabled me to receive feedback from readers in order to decide if I should publish to paperback. So that's worth thinking about.
I wrote the first book with my two children in mind and as I was writing it I knew that there was a bigger story to tell and so the other books have followed on. Some stories, however, can be told in one book. JK Rowling said she always knew she would write seven books but you don't always have to decide from the start if it's going to be just one or even seven separate books, just let the story dictate the right starting and end points. For me, I knew from book one that Lizzie was going to be involved in retrieving four sacred relics and so I decided that her adventures would therefore be told over four books.
I hope that I've been helpful but if you've any other questions or queries I'll be happy to help if I'm able to.
In the meantime, happy writing and, of course, reading!
My advice to you as a young writer is just go for it. Write from your heart and use your everyday experiences to influence what you write. Keep notes of the characters, places, events that you plan to write about to ensure continuity of your story. It's also a good idea to carry a note book and pen with you to jot down any ideas that might pop into your head, or if you have a smart phone record them on that so you can use them in your story later.
If you enjoy reading what you've written then it's very likely that others will enjoy it too. After I wrote book one I tried to get a Literary Agent to represent me and after numerous rejections by them I began altering the story to try to appeal to what I thought they might like. After several more rejections I decided to return to the one I originally wrote and self-publish. The feedback I've had from you and others who've read it has proved that I was right to believe in my story.
Each chapter I write I'll read over and make changes if necessary. I find writing and editing a chapter at a time easier than writing the whole book in one go and then having to go back over it and edit. In the absence of a publisher and editor, I also have a couple of good friends, plus my daughter, (my elvenites) who proofread for me - so a tip for you, if you go the self-publishing route, is to get someone you trust to read through your manuscript before publishing. I find that when I read it I sometimes read it how I meant it and fill in any missing words in my mind. Also, it's useful to get feedback from your proofreaders on how they see the story progressing. I'm not the most confident writer so it's reassuring when they tell me it's keeping them interested and intrigued.
I first published on Kindle on Amazon as it was easy and free to do. It also enabled me to receive feedback from readers in order to decide if I should publish to paperback. So that's worth thinking about.
I wrote the first book with my two children in mind and as I was writing it I knew that there was a bigger story to tell and so the other books have followed on. Some stories, however, can be told in one book. JK Rowling said she always knew she would write seven books but you don't always have to decide from the start if it's going to be just one or even seven separate books, just let the story dictate the right starting and end points. For me, I knew from book one that Lizzie was going to be involved in retrieving four sacred relics and so I decided that her adventures would therefore be told over four books.
I hope that I've been helpful but if you've any other questions or queries I'll be happy to help if I'm able to.
In the meantime, happy writing and, of course, reading!
Debbie Daley
I usually try to deal with writer's block by not trying to force the issue. I'll step back for a while and maybe go out for a walk or even not think about the story for bit. Then something will trigger a thought or an idea and the story begins to flow again. There's nothing more mind-numbing than staring at a computer screen waiting for inspiration.
I guess that I can do this as I am not under any deadline set by a demanding agent or publisher and so can ensure that the books are what I want them to be. I've talked to a few authors who are under deadline pressures and the stress has resulted in the block becoming worse or them not being happy with their end results.
I guess that I can do this as I am not under any deadline set by a demanding agent or publisher and so can ensure that the books are what I want them to be. I've talked to a few authors who are under deadline pressures and the stress has resulted in the block becoming worse or them not being happy with their end results.
Debbie Daley
Being able to escape from the real world while I lose myself in the fantasy worlds I write is a good thing. But the best thing is being able to share that writing with young people at the workshops or events I've attended. Seeing that my stories stimulate the imagination, and in turn the creativity, of those young minds and playing a part in inspiring them to want to write their own stories is a real privilege and pleasure.
Debbie Daley
Just go for it! I put it off writing my first novel for far too long. It took a tragedy in my family for me to realise that you shouldn't put off till tomorrow that which you should do today. Follow your dream.
I have had numerous rejections from Literary Agents and it knocked my confidence for a time, so I sat on the manuscript of book one and thought I'd just get on with my day job and raising my family. Then friend of mine, who's a successful scriptwriter, read it and said not to give up. He suggested publishing it to Kindle. So, I published it to Kindle and the feedback I got spurred me on to self-publish it to paperback with FeedARead.com. I then got on with writing book 2.
So, if at first you don't succeed just carry on. Listen to what your readers say about your writing but don't do it for the money. It's probably cost me more than I've made from selling the books but I believe in them. More importantly, I love writing them and those that have read them love them too.
I have had numerous rejections from Literary Agents and it knocked my confidence for a time, so I sat on the manuscript of book one and thought I'd just get on with my day job and raising my family. Then friend of mine, who's a successful scriptwriter, read it and said not to give up. He suggested publishing it to Kindle. So, I published it to Kindle and the feedback I got spurred me on to self-publish it to paperback with FeedARead.com. I then got on with writing book 2.
So, if at first you don't succeed just carry on. Listen to what your readers say about your writing but don't do it for the money. It's probably cost me more than I've made from selling the books but I believe in them. More importantly, I love writing them and those that have read them love them too.
Debbie Daley
I am currently writing book 3 of the Long Ears Legacy series. It's called the Light Knights and I am hoping to publish it later this Summer.
Debbie Daley
Inspiration comes from a variety of sources but mostly from my life experiences. I love people watching (I guess some would call that being nosy) and I'm also a good listener, but much of what I write comes from my own imagination. I can find inspiration from going out for walks in the countryside where I live, or wandering around the busy streets and places of London or other towns or cities. A lot of my initial inspiration came from the books I have read, particularly from the writings of the great fantasy writers such as JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Terry Brooks, etc. I also loved reading the amusing fantasy books of Terry Pratchett and especially Robert Rankin, whose books were based around the area of London I come from.
Debbie Daley
My most recent book, The Dragon Flyers, was a continuation of the story from my first book, The Harp of Elvyth. The story of Lizzie Longton, and her adventures in the human and mystical worlds, takes place over four books in the Long Ears Legacy series. The ideas come to me organically and, like real life, they sometimes take unexpected twists and turns but they generally end up reaching points that I had planned them to reach.
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