THE WRITE PATH with Dorothy Callahan

Dorothy Callahan

In The Write Path, guest bloggers tell us about finding their way through the writing landscape. My guest today is Dorothy Callahan, author of Taming the Stallion, Loving out of Time, Third Eye’s a Charm and her new book, A Decade for Darius.

So let me hand over my mic. The next voice you’ll hear will be Dorothy’s.

1. What made you want to be a writer?

I think it’s one of those things that people naturally gravitate to in their childhoods – some ride stunt bikes, some learn slight-of-hand, and those who are driven to do what the voices in our heads tell us to become writers. By middle-school, I was already writing poems and short stories. By fifteen, I wrote my first novel, a fantasy heavily inspired by my idol, Piers Anthony. Personally, no matter where I go or what I do, I identify with being an author. When my first book got published, I had never been prouder to say, “Hi, I’m Dorothy Callahan. I’m an author.”

2. What is the toughest part about writing?

For me, I’m a pantser, and sometimes the hardest thing is getting my characters to play nice and do what I want them to do. For instance, the story I’m working on right now has two characters who HATE each other, but I know they’ll be together by the end. I wanted them to have their first kiss in this chapter. I intended it. They are still antagonistic. She just shoved him away from her. I can’t win.

The weaknesses are definitely trying to self-market. I’m generally shy and reserved, so finding the drive to get gung-ho about selling my stories is a hat I haven’t yet learned to wear.

3. Have you experienced an aha moment, a piece of advice or a moment where something fell into place?

I’m sure I’ve had many over the years – each aha moment is a series of steps, always going up, up, until I look back and see how far I’ve come, but the top is still eons away. Writing is a craft, and crafts morph and change. (Look at ebooks from 5 years ago.) I’ve taken wonderful classes, from Deb Dixon to Margie Lawson to Mary Buckham, and each instructor pushes me, makes me focus and grow. I think every author who has followed the traditional steps to publication has experienced this.

The moment I saw the light was the email saying, “I’d like to buy your manuscript.” My husband had just come up to my computer, saw me staring at the screen saying, “Oh, my God, Oh, my God,” about twenty times, then the floodgates opened. I started leaping around, crying like a little girl, jumping into his arms and saying I need to call every single person I knew in the next fifteen minutes. I don’t remember much after that.

4. Whose style do you admire, or is there a line you wish you’d come up with?

I am totally enamored with Deborah Cooke’s Dragonfire series and Mary Buckham’s Invisible Recruit series. Brenda Novak is skilled in this arena, as well. I admire authors who can take a group of people, make them flesh-and-blood real to the reader, and then give each one his/her own story. (I started a dragon series about the same time as Ms. Cooke, but they are totally different stories. Plus, hers are published. Mine are in the perpetual edit phase.)

5. Describe your ideal reader.

My ideal reader is one who likes action mixed in with the romance. Even as a teen, my first novel had a giant battle scene in it. I’m still growing a fan base, so I don’t feel qualified to say “who I write for.” I can say that I am always thrilled to hear how my story has affected someone: what they liked, didn’t like, what I could change. I love feedback. In my twenties, my best friend would call every few days, ready for me to read what I’d written thus far. It was so rewarding to hear her shock, gasps, concern, laughter etc, as the story played out.

I guess one thing that will almost always show up in my books are animals, either real or fantasy. My characters love pets, mostly because I’ve had them my whole life. I have two published books right now that are set in a humane society. I thought it would be fun to write a “shelter series,” with the common setting being an animal shelter, but I’ve only partially explored that one.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to join your blog. Anyone interested in more can find me at www.dorothycallahan.com, Dorothy Callahan Author on Facebook, or Dorothy Callahan @Callahanauthor on Twitter. Want to chat? Email me at dorothycallahanauthor[[@]]gmail.com. I would love to hear from you!

Why not check out my books?

Taming the Stallion:
www.amazon.com/dp/B00AWWONEA

Loving out of Time:
www.amazon.com/dp/B00CJJVI9M

Third Eye’s a Charm:
www.amazon.com/dp/B00IKVF00Q

A Decade for Darius:
www.amazon.com/dp/B00KETDW16