Danyelle
Ferguson discovered her love for the written word in elementary school. Her
first article was published when she was in 6th grade. Since then, she’s won several
awards and has been published world-wide in newspapers, magazines and books.
She’s grateful every day to work in her dream jobs – author, editor, and
nurturing her readaholic tendencies.
She grew up
surrounded by Pennsylvania’s beautiful Allegheny Mountains. Then lived for ten
years among the majestic Wasatch Mountains. She is currently experiencing
mountain-withdrawal while living in Kansas with her husband and four
angels-in-training. She enjoys reading, writing, dancing & singing in the
kitchen, and the occasional long bubble bath to relax from the everyday stress
of being “Mommy.”
Connect with the Author here:
"Be careful
what you wish for . . .
Delphine Baudry
wished to be a best-selling author, and now instead of celebrating and jumping
into her next novel, she's frozen with fear. What if she turns out to be a
one-hit-wonder? What if all her new fans hate the next book? To top it all off,
she can't even discuss the situation with her favorite brainstorming partner,
her mother, who is losing her memory to Alzheimer's. Taking a cue from some
teens tossing Euros into a fountain, Delphine gives into some whimsy and wishes
for her next book plot.
Jean-Paul
Chassériau wished to start an online marketing company in La Rochelle. Now the
real work begins. Feeling pressure to live up to his father's name in
traditional marketing and far enough away to be out of his shadow, he has a
million ideas but no clients. When he finds a funky old Franc lodged between
cobblestones near a fountain, there was only one thing to do. Make a wish.
When their coins
collide, Delphine and Jean-Paul's wishes become intertwined, changing the
course of their futures and teaching them that wishes are sometimes fulfilled
in unexpected ways."
Q & A:
1. If you had 3 wishes, what would they be?
#1: To slow down time. My kids are growing up way, way too fast. #2: To be able
to see into my son's autistic mind and really know what he's thinking,
processing, and feeling. #3: A really awesome home makeover. With four kids and
our crazy schedules, our home could use a little pampering.
2. Where do you write? When I'm at home, I
usually write in a recliner that's placed in a bay window nook of my bedroom. I
love the happy sunshine! A few times a week, I escape the house for an early
lunch, then stay to write for a few hours until it's time to pick up the munchkins
from school.
3. How long does it normally take you to write
a novel? My full length novels take about 3-6 months, depending on how busy
our family is during that time frame. Autumn is our busiest time with sports
and marching band competitions. So I generally try to be in editing mode at
that point. Most of my writing time is in the spring and summer months.
4. What are your inspirations? Music is my
main source of inspiration. Often when I'm driving, I'll be singing along with
the radio and a scene idea pops into my head. A lot of my brainstorming happens
in the car, using my voice recorder.
5. How did you come to write this particular
book or series? I was so excited about writing a novel set in France! I was
an exchange student to France, and spent a lot of time in La Rochelle, the city
where Once Upon a Wish takes place. Originally, I had another book idea all
brainstormed out and was planning to write it at a retreat with some friends.
When I arrived and was all set up, I realized I had packed the wrong notebook!
I had three days of writing time and knew I needed to get a good chunk of the
story written that weekend. I ended up sorting through a Book Ideas file on my
computer, until I came across one that was centered around a wishing fountain.
From there, Delphine's and Jean-Paul's stories bloomed and came to life.
6. What was the hardest part of writing your
book, and how did you overcome it? For me, the hardest part of writing any
book is simply finding a way to balance writing time with my family schedule.
My family always comes first, but that also doesn't mean they get to take over
my entire day. Most days I have time to write, but there are days, or even
weeks, when there are big things happening with my munchkins and I'm in super
mama mode. I take all of that into consideration before I commit to a deadline.
=)
7. What is your writing drive? The power that
keeps you going when your writing gets difficult? I'm very deadline driven.
When I know something is due, I power through - even if I'm not thrilled with
the direction the story is going, because I know I can fix it in editing mode.
8. How did you come up with the title?
Remember that writers retreat I mentioned? I'm very much a writer who likes to
have a good working title before starting a project. As a group, we bantered
around with different title ideas, some played off of France and other themes
in the novel. But when Once Upon a Wish came up, I knew that was it.
9. Name one entity that you feel supported you
outside of family member? This one
is a no-brainer. Lisa Swinton and Heather Justesen are my go-to cheerleaders.
They kick me in the butt when needed, cheer me on when I make progress, and
have the best listening ears & feedback. I couldn't do this without them!
To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page
This was such a fun interview! Thank you for hosting Once Upon a Wish on the Great Summer Reads Countdown Blitz. =)
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