“Start now and don’t wait. I know three people who tell me every time they see me about these awesome, original ideas they have. They tell me they’ve been developing these concepts for years, and it’s not ready. I keep repeating the “Just DO IT” mantra, but they’re afraid. It’s not ready. I’M not ready. I’m not in the right headspace, I’m not sure, blah, blah, BLAH.” ~ Donna Milward

Here’s my interview with Donna Milward, one of the talented authors who collaborated with me on Suppose: Drabbles, Flash Fiction, and Short Stories. Her stories “How to Tell if Your Human Worships You” and “The Guardian’s Angel” have elicited excellent feedback from readers.

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Thanks for agreeing to do this interview, Donna.

Thank you, Kathy, for having me, and for involving me in your project Suppose. It was good for me.

What first attracted you to writing, and how long have you been writing?

I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing in some way or another. I remember writing my first book, complete with hand-drawn pictures when I was in grade two. It was about the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, inspired by the song by Gordon Lightfoot. I guess it was cute at the time. When my Grandma Bessie passed, we found journals I had written in crayon that were apparently for a grade one school project. I don’t remember writing those, but those were definitely my stories. I remember telling them.

What was your favorite book as a child?

I was a HUGE Dr. Seuss fan. My favorite was an obscure one called Scrambled Eggs Super or something like that. It was about how to cook the eggs of all these colorful wacky birds and how they taste. It was colorful and bizarre.

As an adult?

I read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury in grade twelve, and it shaped how I view censorship, freedom of speech, and the media. It showed me what it meant to die for what one believes and for the right to think independently. I still get shivers when I see how accurately Ray Bradbury predicted the world I live in.

What are your favorite genres, both for reading and writing?

I read anything paranormal, fiction or non-fiction. From Atlantis to UFOs, if it’s weird, I’m into it.

What’s the best thing about being an author?

It’s such a joy to see the ideas in my head come to fruition. When it works out, it’s what I imagine motherhood feels like.

What’s the worst thing about being an author?

The stuff that ISN’T about writing. The business end, especially marketing. I’m not very good at it. I hate being a pushy salesperson. I really believed when I became an author that it would be someone else’s problem. Not so much.

Where do you get your inspiration and ideas?

I’m a vivid dreamer with an active imagination. Whether I’m awake or dreaming, my mind just spits things up. Thoeba was based on a nightmare I had when I was fourteen. There’s a creature in my WIP that was so terrifying to me, I woke up sweating and had to draw a picture of it before I could sleep again. I couldn’t believe my brain had imagined such a freak of nature.

How do you keep track of them?

I’m a firm believer in journals. I’ve always kept a diary, dream log, poetry collection, or journal of some kind all my life. I wish I’d kept them, but where would I put them all?

Do you have a daily writing goal?

I try to write or edit every day, no matter what. It’s tough when life, Facebook, Pinterest, work, and everything else gets in the way. I used to stick with only one project at a time, for fear I’d never complete anything, but it’s worked to my advantage to have two or three going. I make myself open at least one file a night. If nothing happens on that one, I open another and hope that will work better. It’s not a perfect system, but I find I’m getting a lot of work done. Sometimes I really get going, and I get a little something done on all of them. Then I get no sleep!

Do you develop detailed plots before writing, or are you a pantser?

I’m mostly a plotter. I usually have a beginning and an ending, plus a few ideas. I jot them down in point form with spaces in between for new ideas or plot solutions. If new ideas come up, they’re added in, and I adjust my notes accordingly. I also like to do character profiles with things like hobbies, favorite music, occupation, etc. Just so I can see their feelings and attitudes before I write them.

Can you tell us something about your first two books?

Both books are different from each other in a lot of ways. Thoeba focuses on angels and demons, where Aphrodite’s War has mythological gods. Both are from the same universe or my “brand” if you will. They’re written with the idea that gods, angels and demons exist because of God, or the “Energy.” Having said that, it’s FICTION. I’m not trying to be L. Ron Hubbard, and I’m not trying to start a new religion. (Yes, I caught some negativity on that.)

How did you come up with the titles?

In the dream that inspired Thoeba, I WAS Thoeba, and it was the only word I could say. For Aphrodite’s War, I thought I was being clever. Everyone knows the cliché “All is fair in love and war.” Those who enjoy Greek mythology know that Aphrodite and Ares were lovers. He’s the war god, she’s the goddess of love. When she fights him, what else could it be but Aphrodite’s War?

What inspired you to write them?

Thoeba was a nightmare from long ago. Aphrodite’s War was just two ideas smacked together. What if Aphrodite and Ares were bored and sick of each other? And what if two ill-suited people got together to “practice” at dating without the intention of falling in love?

How did you research the details?

I love Google, but a lot of my research comes from a lifelong obsession with the paranormal, reincarnation, and mythology. These are three subjects I’ve studied for decades and can never get enough of. This sounds silly, but some of my research came from living certain details. I’ve been a paranormal investigator, a Kendoka student, and I have a love of airplanes thanks to my father, who had a pilot’s license. I took up Kendo for a year just for the character of Adrian Olsen. He needed a cool pastime, and I needed the exercise. It was great, but I just don’t have the dedication or discipline to keep it up.

If you were creating a movie, who would you cast for the lead roles in your books?

Elizabeth Banks IS Thoeba, and I think George Clooney or Henry Rollins would be good as Peter. I’d like Michael Rooker or Jackie Michael Haley as Jim. As for Aphrodite’s War, the only cast member I’ve thought up so far is Jason Momoa as Ares.

Where can we find your books?

I’m available on Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and iTunes. So far.

How do you get book reviews?

I’m still in touch with many previous reviewers and bloggers from Staccato Publishing, but like everyone else, I politely ask my readers to leave one.

Have you ever tried blog tours?

Yes, but I’m not sure how effective they are. I think they were a good idea, but now they’re overused. I receive several invites to other blog tours several times a week, and I also say “maybe” because I’d love to attend, but there’s too many of them. I can’t possibly go to all of them. I’d never get anything done.

Did they work for you?

I didn’t see an increase in sales. A lot of people who attended were already friends, fans, or fellow authors offering support. I think social media itself works, but I struggle with that too. I try to provide a little of myself, a personal touch on social media because I have a theory. If you like the author, you’ll like their work. Unfortunately, that doesn’t get you a lot of likes or sales if you’re marketing-shy.

Do you ever get discouraged?

All the time. It happens when I blog and see that even my closest friends didn’t read it. I’ve been blogging for five years and have only 90 followers to show for it. It happens when I read a bad or mediocre review. It hurts when I give a beta reader a copy of my new work and I don’t hear from them for months, and when I finally ask …They wince and tell me they “just couldn’t get into it.” I see my sales and think that maybe I’m just not that talented. But to be honest, I can’t stop writing. It’s my art, my passion, and a huge part of who I am. I can’t just surrender to doubt.

What do you do to break out of a slump?

I went back to work! Hahaha! But I do find that changing it all up, whether it be a new job, a new hobby, or just anything out of my ordinary, it does the trick. It kind of makes me chuckle when I notice how productive I’ve become as a writer after I got two jobs.

What’s your current project?

I have a couple of things going. I’m finishing up on edits for Chasing Monsters … again. Stupid typos! That one asks, “What happens when a paranormal investigator meets a demon with a soul?” I’m also getting ready to send the first of a novella series out to beta readers, based on the human incarnations of an angel named Sage. I’m writing a new novel with the working title Elaina’s Fate, and it’s about a cynical assassin who falls in love with the man she was sent to kill. I’m also proud to say that I’ve been asked to contribute a short story to the Sophie Lancaster Fundraiser anthology, due out next year. That one is about two angels who bend the rules of life and death to save an old hippie and a homosexual Goth kid.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I’m a prep cook for a traditional English Pub (in Canada) and a new delicatessen, and that takes a lot of my time. I also like gardening and am a devoted cat slave and wife. In that order.

Do you have any advice for writers?

Start now and don’t wait. I know three people who tell me every time they see me about these awesome, original ideas they have. They tell me they’ve been developing these concepts for years, and it’s not ready. I keep repeating the “Just DO IT” mantra, but they’re afraid. It’s not ready. I’M not ready. I’m not in the right headspace, I’m not sure, blah, blah, BLAH. Start now. Get it going, and write it. Don’t let your legacy be “Should Have.”

What advice would you give to your younger self?

About writing? I don’t know. Steady as she goes? My younger self never really stopped writing, never really gave up, even though her sci-fi series sucked. She kept trying because she wanted to be a writer, and believed it to be her true calling. It’s the reason I’m still on the journey.

Do you have a favorite quote?

I did. It’s unfortunate that it belongs to that creep Bill Cosby, but it’s totally me. It was “Decide you want it more than you are afraid of it.”

What famous person, alive or dead, would you like to meet and why?

Bruce Dickinson, lead singer of Iron Maiden, and he is my muse. He’s my father’s age, and not only is he a singer/songwriter, but he’s an author, commercial pilot, world-ranked fencer, radio personality, and philanthropist. He just beat throat cancer, and has started his own aviation company and still found the time to help organize a music program for disabled kids. How does one person fit all that into one lifetime?

Where can we find you on the Internet?

I’m on Twitter as @DonnaMilward, I have a Facebook page called Donna Milward, Author, and I have a blog called Earth to Thoeba. I’m also on Pinterest if you’re into recipes, gardening, cats, and more.

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