Dani knows what she wants to write and is successful doing what she loves to do.
I asked Dani about her writing routine and what she does on her downtime.
Dani:
I do write everyday. Typically I fool around on social media and answer any urgent emails first thing, while I drink my tea. Then I make a pot of coffee and attack my word count (or revisions.) If it’s a first draft, I shoot for 2k/day. Some days are better than others. Midday I come up for air and go for a walk to get the mail (about 5 km round trip) or I go to the gym and get the groceries. Then I either finish my word count or attack things like blog posts or other admin tasks. When things are running smoothly, I knock off around five and make dinner, then sometimes work after cleaning the kitchen or, if I’ve been a good girl, I binge watch Netflix. I do write on the weekends and I work 10 or 12 hour days if I’m running behind. It’s a juggle, but my youngest just graduated high school so we’re basically empty-nesters and I can give my writing career a lot of time and I like to! It’s actually hard for me to stop working.
Charlene: What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
Dani: Well, um, as I inferred above, I don’t do much except work. I do have a vegetable garden that I quite enjoy, but I’m not above neglecting it if I’m on deadline. It’s a jungle at the moment.
Charlene: What really inspires me about you, is that you write for two publishing houses and you manage to consistently put out new books. How do you do it? Are some books easier to write than others?
Dani: Absolutely some books write themselves and others are two steps forward, one back. But those don’t fall neatly into one publisher or genre. Some just arrive as fully formed ideas and others have to be worked out along the way.
I feel very lucky to write for two different publishers because the books are quite different, stretching different muscles so I don’t get burnt out on one genre. All of my book are quite sexy and emotional, but I write the glitz and tycoon alpha male for Presents, then I switch it up with something more down to earth and small town for Montana Born.
One thing that has helped me put out so many books is the fact it took me so long to publish. I literally have a backlist that no one has seen. I’ll actually be putting out two single titles later this year as indie titles because I have them and what use are they sitting on my hard drive? But when I was writing around little kids and a day job, I learned to focus and get the words on the page. That training has served me well and now I show up and do the work and sometimes it’s great and sometimes it’s horrible and I have to make it great another day. And then I have wonderful editors who definitely help me hammer the stories into shape when I’m struggling.
Charlene: I enjoyed your book, Scorch, published by Tule Publishing. Can you tell us about your new Harlequin novel, The Secret Beneath The Veil? What’s it about?
Dani: Thanks! I loved helping Jacqui and Vin find their HEA.
In The Secret Beneath the Veil, Viveka takes her sister’s place when her sister is about to be married off to a stranger with a bad reputation, Maksym. No one knows until Maksym lifts the veil and discovers the wrong girl. Viveka runs away, but nearly drowns, Maksym saves her, then he kidnaps her onto his boat. Maksym is the grandson of a notorious criminal and he’s trying to prove the family has gone straight. The marriage would have accomplished that and Viveka has ruined things. She is also now in danger of retaliation from her stepfather for helping her sister escape, so Maksym ‘keeps’ her and persuades (seduces) her into becoming his mistress. He’s very much a scarred hero who doesn’t know how to love and she’s very much an innocent who deserves to be loved. It's a rough road to their HEA, but so worth it.
Charlene: I enjoyed your book, Scorch, published by Tule Publishing. Can you tell us about your new Harlequin novel, The Secret Beneath The Veil? What’s it about?
Dani: Thanks! I loved helping Jacqui and Vin find their HEA.
In The Secret Beneath the Veil, Viveka takes her sister’s place when her sister is about to be married off to a stranger with a bad reputation, Maksym. No one knows until Maksym lifts the veil and discovers the wrong girl. Viveka runs away, but nearly drowns, Maksym saves her, then he kidnaps her onto his boat. Maksym is the grandson of a notorious criminal and he’s trying to prove the family has gone straight. The marriage would have accomplished that and Viveka has ruined things. She is also now in danger of retaliation from her stepfather for helping her sister escape, so Maksym ‘keeps’ her and persuades (seduces) her into becoming his mistress. He’s very much a scarred hero who doesn’t know how to love and she’s very much an innocent who deserves to be loved. It's a rough road to their HEA, but so worth it.
Find out more about Dani...
http://danicollins.com
http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=66020&cid=226
http://tulepublishing.com/authors/dani-collins/
http://danicollins.com
http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=66020&cid=226
http://tulepublishing.com/authors/dani-collins/
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