One of the things I love best about the publishing process with Prism Book Group is the sense of community between the authors. Each and every one has been extremely supportive of me, always willing to answer questions or offer encouragement.
But Danele J. Rotharmel...well, she
takes the cake. She’s one of the most thoughtful, selfless, and inspiring
people I’ve ever met. It’s an honor to have her on my blog today.
Thanks so much for joining me, Danele!
Your debut novel, Time Tsunami, was just released on Friday and has already
received tons of positive feedback. As a new author, I’m curious to know how
the experience has been for you, and some of your writing secrets. What
motivates you to write?
Thank you, Emily! I really enjoyed
being here today! You are an incredible person, and I feel very blessed to know
you!
My motives have changed down through
the years. When I was in school, I wrote because it was a BLAST! Writing
stories was so much fun! And when I became ill, I wrote as a way to distract
myself from extreme pain. Now, I want to write as a way to glorify God.
When I first became ill, I was so
angry at God. I didn’t understand why I had to suffer. I yelled at God, I
ignored Him, I even tried to deny His existence. But even though I was acting
like a spoiled child, God continued to love me. He helped me. He gave me peace
and restored my joy. I want to spend the rest of my life serving Him.
What an amazing testimony and great use
of your God-given talents! Some people would say there’s a wide gap between
serving God and writing science fiction. I think some readers assume that
Christian-themed books are “boring” by nature. (We, of course, know that’s not
true!) So take us through your process a bit. Why did you choose to write about
time travel?
Time
Tsunami
started out as a short story for a college creative writing class. I was a
cadet teacher at the time, and I was wishing for a way to warn my students
about pitfalls they might encounter. I have a quirky brain; so naturally, my
wild imagination ran right to time travel.
Later, when I became ill, I had a
box full of old stories that I could revamp into novels, but I chose Time Tsunami because of the time travel
aspect. You see, I desperately wished that I could travel back through time and
prevent myself from being poisoned by that faulty furnace. A simple $35 carbon
monoxide detector would have saved me from years of suffering and pain. I used
to fantasize about going back through time and placing a detector in my house.
It’s amazing how the human brain
works, taking a difficult situation and turning it into a best-selling novel.
As an avid reader myself, I always love to learn how authors come up with their
stories. I’m also curious how other writers create their characters. What’s
your strategy?
I like to think that my characters
create themselves. I don’t want to just record what my characters did; I want
to understand why they did it. As my imagination roams, I begin to know my
characters inside and out. They become very real to me. One of the hardest
parts about writing has been keeping some of my characters’ backstories to
myself—I want to share every detail. But that would make my books WAY too long!
With such detailed backstories for
your characters, it seems as if you’d never experience writer’s block. But
being an author myself, I know better. ;) How do you handle it when it happens
to you?
Writer’s block isn’t fun, and I
think the best way to tackle it is by analyzing where it’s coming from. I tend
to split the condition into three categories: mental, environmental, and
tactical.
Mental writer’s block needs to be
attacked head on. I usually get it when I doubt my abilities or when I’m not
sure how to proceed with a scene. When this happens, I force myself to write
even though I’m worried I’ll be cranking out junk. Some of my best passages
have come from “tough-love” sessions.
Environmental writer’s block happens
when I have cabin fever. In these cases, the best thing I can do is get outside
and take a brisk walk. Looking at the blue sky will usually brush the cobwebs
from my mind.
Tactical writer’s block comes when
I’m forcing myself to concentrate on only one area of my book. I avoid this by
making sure my stories revolve around several sets of characters—that way if
I’m stuck in one area, the other areas are usually still flowing.
I like that - determine where the
issue’s coming from so that you can address it directly. I might just have to
try that myself! So, one last question for my readers who may not be familiar
with everything that goes into getting a book published. What has been the most
difficult part of the publishing process for you?
For me it’s been waiting. When I was
in high school, I was voted the most optimistic in my class, but I was also
voted the biggest procrastinator. I thought the “procrastination” title was
extremely funny until I got to college and realized I needed to reform. When I
do something, I tend to do it thoroughly.
When I decided to change, I reformed
to the extent that I now tackle problems head on—no waiting—no dillydallying. I
want to plow thorough every task and put it behind me. But you can’t do that
when it comes to the publishing process. You have to work around other people’s
busy schedules. Impatience is a killer. It’s much better to trust God with your
life’s timetable.
I completely understand the struggle
to have patience. I think that’s the most difficult part of many Christians’
lives: learning to wait for God’s perfect timing. We want everything to happen
when it’s convenient for us, even though we know God’s timing is flawless. Thanks again for joining my blog
today, Danele, and for all the insight. I wish you continued success with your
release!
Thank you, Emily! I really enjoyed
being here today! You are an incredible person, and I feel very blessed to know
you!
For my readers, here’s a brief
synopsis to whet your palette. Below the synopsis you’ll find links to buy the
book and connect with Danele. Happy reading!
To
stop a cruel serial killer, she must travel twenty-four years into the past…
Gil Montgomery, a cadet in the
Temporal Counseling Program, can’t wait to pass her field exam and become a
professional time surfer. The TEMCO program targets death-row offenders for
time-based counseling while they’re children.
For her exam, Gil will travel twenty-four years into the past to counsel
ten-year-old Danny Winston before he murders his abusive babysitter, Rick
Olsen. Preventing the stabbing should
stop the chain of events leading to Danny’s eventual execution. Gil’s
assignment seems simple until her adviser, Dr. William Ableman, learns that
Rick is a serial killer targeting Danny’s mother. If Gil stays and protects the
Winstons, she might not survive.
William wants the woman he loves to
be pulled from the field, but if Gil fails to complete her assignment, it will
unleash a Time Tsunami and destroy the timeline. As TEMCO undergoes an
emergency lockdown, and Gil’s fellow cadets try to figure out what’s happening,
Gil and William learn the importance of faith and the price of true love.
Everyone’s fate is resting in Gil’s hands, but does she have the strength she
needs to defeat a ruthless serial killer intent on annihilating everyone in his
path?
Will
she return from the deadly mission?
Buy the book:
·
Barnes
& Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/time-tsunami-danele-j-rotharmel/1123153640?ean=2940152530919
Connect
with Danele: https://dragonflydanele.wordpress.com/welcome/
