Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Summer Countdown Blitz: Day 15



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."


~ Amazon ~ Amazon UK


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!


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1 comment:

  1. 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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