I had always considered writing to be a fun hobby of mine throughout my life, but I had never taken it that seriously really. I wasn't an author. Growing up, I was a math geek. I hated writing essays. Once an adult, I had a career, a husband, and two children to focus on. Those were the things that defined me. It wasn't until this story started to develop in my head that I even thought about writing a full length novel. And let me tell you, it scared the crap out of me. Not the story itself, but the notion of telling people I was writing a book.
When the idea for The Dangerous Ones hit me, my kids were very young and sucked up a lot of my time. I would write here and there when I could, and I even quit a couple of times, telling myself I was being ridiculous. It wasn't until around 2014, with my girls having gained some independence, that I dug in and decided to finish what I had started. I told people slowly, those closest to me first. I had to tell my husband because otherwise he might think I was having an internet affair with all the time I spent on the computer. I also had to do a lot of research on uniforms, ranks, weapons, security, etc., and I needed someone else to be able to back me up to say it was solely for the purposes of writing fiction :)
It took about a year to finish, and it was massive. After some trimming, I entered a few romance contests and used that feedback to do some rewriting. Then I had the book edited and did some more trimming and rewriting. All in all, it took about two years to come up with this. I can only hope the number of hours are reflected in the quality of the writing. Book two, The Silent Ones, was a little easier. I don't know if it was because I was more of an expert, I'd like to think so, or maybe it was the fact that some of that "trimming" provided me with some of the material for the sequel. Either way, it seemed to just ooze out of me, much faster than the first.
I am currently writing the third in the series. My husband and two daughters have been my biggest supporters. They read, edit, and make great suggestions. I also have a dear friend, Joanne, to thank. She was the first person ever to read any of my work, and she kept my confidence going every time she demanded more. Right now, she is reading along with the rest of you, right here on Wattpad. This will be her third time through this book. You just can't ask for a better friend!
If you have any feedback, questions or suggestions, please leave a note below. As time passes, I will post some of the questions, with my answers, right here in this section. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy the sequel, The Silent Ones, as much as I enjoyed writing it. I am hoping to publish all three books this summer. Fingers crossed!
Donna