Interview D. H. Parker

by

Rhobin Courtright

1) This is your second book with Wings ePress. The first was a paranormal romance, and I see Donovan’s Dream is listed as an Ozark fairytale on your webpage. Does it have paranormal elements, too? And can you tell us a little about the ‘fairytale’?

I’ve never really heard a definitive answer on what constitutes “paranormal” and the differences between “paranormal” and “fantasy”, but given what I think they mean, yes. Donovan’s Dream has some paranormal elements, although it will be listed at Wings as a fantasy romance. If I could create my own unique listing, I would call it a fairy tale mystery with elements of romance. How’s that for mixing genres? The ‘fairy tale’ refers to both some of the legends (and some of the people) in the story and the story’s general composition. I love happy endings. By the way, readers can visit my webpage at http://donnaparker.w4aw.org

2) What in the paranormal genre attracts you as a writer?

The play and tension between what people perceive as real and what they perceive as unreal fascinates me. So does this question: Who gets to define reality?

3) Was the second book as hard to write as the first, or do the words just flow naturally?

Each book has its easy and hard parts. The strange thing is, by the time I get to the point of publication, I can’t really remember how hard or easy any given part or procedure was.

4) What is the premise of Donovan’s Dream?

Here’s the back cover blurb: Lyssa Winfield grew up in the big city, but her heart stayed on her Grandad and Grandmom Donovan’s Ozarks farm. After their deaths, she goes back to the farm they left her, but the peace she found there during her childhood has vanished. Even Gabe Inglehardt, boy next door and once her very best friend, has some deep darkness troubling his soul now.

Lyssa and Gabe must untangle the farm’s hidden secret, and in the process discover the truth about each other.

5) Can you tell us a little about what makes the characters in this book special?

The most special “character” in Donovan’s Dream is the farm, which is a fictionalized version of a farm I knew well during my childhood. Of course, the fantasy bits are purely imagination, but the farm, with its three houses and unique construction, still exists in real life.

6) Where do you find your characters? Are they completely made up or based on people you know?

Most of the time I have no idea where they come from. They aren’t based on any one person, though I may, knowingly or unknowingly, borrow a trait or two from various people I’ve met or seen. I usually start with a name, then the characters just evolve as the story idea progresses. In a way, it’s like meeting new friends. In the beginning you may know only their names, but as you spend time with them situations arise and you learn how they react, and begin to see their personalities and values.

7) Is Donovan’s Dream a fairytale specific to the Ozarks or a story you fit into the setting?

There are ties to Irish folklore, but no, this story couldn’t have happened anywhere else.

8) In what other genres would you like to write? Do you always have ideas brewing for another story, or, what is your next book?

I think everything I write, even if it is supposed to be a different genre, turns out to have a strong mystery element, and something paranormal or fantasy-like tries to creep into it. I’ve managed to keep the fantasy out of the cozy mystery series (from another publisher), but it’s been hard. I do want someday to do a novel set in the 1920s-1930s. It’ll be a mystery for sure, but I want to keep the fantasy out of it, too. We’ll see what happens.

9) You were born in the Ozarks (beautiful country), do you live in the Ozarks now? Where? Does your location impact on your stories?

I married an Alabama boy, and haven’t lived in the Ozarks since I left for college many years ago. We do get to visit there a couple times a year, and I soothe my occasional fits of homesickness by going there in fiction. You might say my location impacts my stories. If I still lived in the Ozarks, I’m not sure I could write about them.

10) You mention your religion is important to you, and you write family-rated stories, are they inspirational as well?

My books all have some characters whose Christian faith shows more in their day-to-day lives than in their conversations. The stories don’t contain profanity and the romance is very gentle. The books aren’t “inspirational” in the sense that word is usually applied, although I do hope my readers will find them uplifting to their spirits.

11) What do your family and friends think about your stories? Has writing changed anything in your life?

My close family, extended family and friends have been nothing but supportive and I appreciate that more than I can say. All of them have helped me so much! Writing hasn’t changed me in any noticeable way because I have been writing since I could hold a pencil. Being published is another story. I’m a very shy person, so trying to promote and sell books has definitely been pushing me out of my comfort zone. It’s probably very good for me, but it’s not easy.