Interview with K. Dawn Byrd

» Posted on Apr 16, 2010 in Blog | Comments Off on Interview with K. Dawn Byrd


This week I’m hosting Vickie McDonough with Anonymous Bride, Stephanie Grace Whitson with Sixteen Brides and K. Dawn Byrd with Queen of Hearts. If you want to enter the drawing for Sarah’s book, please leave a comment on one of the post during the week with your email address. I will not enter you without an email address (my way to contact you if you win). If you don’t want to leave an email address, another way you can enter is to email me at margaretdaley@gmail.com. The drawings end Sunday (April 18th) evening.

Interview with K. Dawn Byrd:

1.What made you start writing?
I was employed a few years ago in a jail. I’ve always wanted to write, and at that time, thought it might be fun to write a book partially set in a jail. I began to take notes regarding the environment, what I saw, smelled, heard, so as not to forget anything, thinking that one day I might write that book. Shortly after I began jotting down notes, characters developed in my mind, begging me to tell their story.

2.How long have you been writing? When did you sell your first book?
I’ve been writing for a little over two years. I sold my first book last October. It’s the book that’s partially set in a jail and is called Killing Time. It will release from Desert Breeze Publishing in August. Shortly after that I sold, Queen of Hearts, my April 1 release from Desert Breeze.

3.How do you handle rejections?
I don’t think anyone rejections. I have received only one rejection from a publisher who said that my stories are too convoluted for them. In other words, my stories are unpredictable and take too many twists and turns. It’s not that they’re confusing, it’s just that I try to throw the reader a zinger that they never expected. I write what I like to read and I love to be surprised. I’ve had more rejections from agents than I have from publishers and hoping to find one who is a perfect fit for me.

4.Why do you write?
I write because I can’t NOT write. I tried to give it up back in the summer when I became discouraged after receiving a rejection letter from an agent. After a few days, my soul cried out for me to write something. I just couldn’t quit. The rejection spurred me on to revise my work and shortly afterward, I sold the two books to Desert Breeze Publishing.

5.What would you be doing with your free time if you weren’t writing?
Probably riding a Harley Davidson through the country. I sold my Harley about a year ago because I work a full-time job and there’s not enough time in the day for it all and writing is my passion and number one priority.

6.What are you working on right now?
I’m plotting a new book right now, but in a couple of weeks, I’ll be editing my August release again before my editor tackles it. She’s changed the formatting of ebooks and reformatting it will give me a chance to go over it again. Once I finish it, I’ll be editing my third book, the only book I haven’t sold, which is an inspirational romantic suspense about a female bail bondsman.

7.Do you put yourself into your books/characters?
I don’t put myself in my books even though I believe that some of every author goes into a book. For example, I write from a Christian worldview and I can’t keep this out of my work.

8.Tell us about the book you have out right now.
Queen of Hearts was my NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) project because I wanted to challenge myself to write a novel in thirty days. I’m a history buff and a big fan of the WWII era. I had an idea for a historical rolling around in my head and contacted my editor at Desert Breeze and asked if she’d be interested. She held an April 1 release date for me. It was a lot of pressure because I had to write it quickly and I wanted to write something I could be proud of and they’d like. Lucky for me, they did.

9.Do you have any advice for other writers?
If getting published is your dream, don’t ever give up. Continue to study everything you can about the craft. If you can’t afford to purchase books on craft, I have some great websites listed on my blog at http://kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com/p/heres-list-of-website-that-ive-found-to.html

10.How important is faith in your books?
I could have written for the secular market, but I chose to write inspirational books. You’ll find at least one strong Christian in every book. This person is usually the one who ends up with the most stressors. She or he must rely on their faith to make it through.

11.What themes do you like to write about?
I like to show that no matter what we go through, God is faithful. I believe that there are certain things we’ll face in life that we can’t make it through without God. I place my characters in these situations.

12.What is your favorite book you’ve written and why?
My favorite book so far is Queen of Hearts because I had so much fun writing a WWII romance. I love suspense and I was even scared when my heroine went into hiding in a mental institution.

13.What is your writing schedule like?
I’m either writing or editing something every day. When I’m writing, I shoot for at least 2,000 words a day. When I finish a book, I’ll put it away for a few weeks and edits something I’ve written in the past. This allows me to go back to it with fresh eyes.