Interview with Danielle Rohr

[Jennifer, Bookworm]

Danielle Rohr has been kind enough to let Insomnia Book Club interview her. She is the author of multiple books but her most recent one was Water Falls Down. With an intriguing plot description and somewhat of a mysterious book cover, take a dip and submerge yourself. Water Falls Down can be purchased here.

Ms. Rohr has a unique background behind her, which she mentions in this interview. Take a moment and let this fascinating author thread her words around you.


IBC (Insomnia Book Club): Was there any inspiration for Water Falls Down?
Rohr: My inspiration came from "The Box Car Children" series by Gertrude Chandler Warner. Warner's stories had a special way of transporting me to a provocative world without parents, where the kids used nature, and ingenuity to live life outside the box, by living life inside a box-car. The characters in Water Falls Down are much more dark, wild, and create drama around every turn.

The second inspiration that influences this story is based on the idea of teenagers in institutionalized environments. I have a slight professional background dealing with teens in institutions that range from juvenile detention facilities to mental health treatment centers. I also have my own personal experiences. You could say I have been collecting these interactions and events with the intention of one day writing them down.

The third inspiration is the idea that although Yosemite National Park is a beautiful iconic place that people visit on family vacations, or rock climbing challenges, there is a dark side to this extreme expression of nature. Yosemite is an overwhelmingly popular location for suicide and unexplained deaths in California. The concept that the mentally unstable teens were lured there, is not simply a coincidence.


IBC: Which one of the books that you have written is your favorite?
Rohr: As a writer everything becomes so internalized, it's difficult to separate myself from the story too much. So I'd have to say the favorite of the moment is "Sideways Snow" which is scheduled to be published sometime in February of 2014.


IBC: How do you handle a bad review on a book you've written?
Rohr: I love this question. I really respect feedback from my readers, and can't really relate to labeling a review as bad. Some reviews are more critical than others, but in my experiences I've had the good fortune of having some really intelligent critics who specifically explain what they didn't like about a book. Some of the negative reviews are the ones I believe help me to become a better writer. I want to know where and how I can improve.


IBC: If you could choose only one genre to write about for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Rohr: Biographical Memoirs. I think because I'm so connected to my writing, sometimes I feel like it's my own soul manifested into ink and paper. I've also had a life full of volumes of potential stories, like : snow camping without gear, or spending the night in a Switzerland train depot, or running away to Alaska twice. I lived at a ski resort for two years, just because it was fun . . . I'd love to write about that.


IBC: If you had to offer advice on life to your readers in no more than three sentences, what would it be?
Rohr: “When we are true to ourselves, and follow these impulses that sweat from our compressed and broken souls we may just find the beauty, and the oh-so amazing way life can sneak up and smash us in the face!”


IBC: Last but not least, what made you decide to start writing novels?
Rohr: The fear that if I didn't try, I would never know.