I am so excited to have Dawn Hosmer on the blog today! Check out her interview below and be sure to reach out to her on social media!
Can you tell me more about yourself?
I am the mother of four fabulous children, 3 of whom are now adults, and a wife. I’m a lifelong resident of Ohio but I love to travel whenever I can. I spent the majority of my career in Social Work. I have a passion for helping others, as well as writing. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease about 15 years ago which has had a profound impact on my life. I am no longer able to work outside of the home which has been a blessing in that I can devote more time to my writing. Now if only I could find the energy, that would be perfect. I signed with my publisher, Ant Colony Press, in May 2018.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
My writing Kryptonite is definitely my fatigue/exhaustion from having a chronic illness, as well as the pain and brain fog that accompanies it. No matter how much motivation I have to write, my body sometimes will not cooperate. It doesn’t matter how long I sleep, it NEVER feels like enough. Sometimes, I am able to push through and write anyway but I’ve noticed that I write a lot slower now that my disease has progressed. It seems that it takes me longer to finish writing a first draft because I don’t have the energy for long writing sessions.
What first inspired you to start writing?
I’ve wanted to write since I was in the second or third grade. I’ve always loved reading. My mom and I would read “The Little House on the Prairie” series together at night when I was in elementary school, which I loved. Now that I’m a mom, I know what an act of love that was to take turns reading with someone who is in the early stages of reading – a practice in patience for sure.
I studied Sociology in college and at that time, I envisioned myself at some point doing research and writing academic type books (that never happened). Once I had children, I wrote several children’s books and queried them, but they never got picked up so I shelved them.
About twelve years ago, I was inspired by a true story that had a profound impact on my life. A story idea instantly came to mind and I couldn’t NOT write it. Writing it was truly cathartic – it helped me in my healing process and to make sense of an unthinkable situation.
Where is your favorite writing spot?
It depends on if I’m alone in my house or not. Lol If I have the house to myself, I love to sit in my recliner with my laptop and let the words flow. It is easiest to write there because of pain. But, since my recliner is in the family room where the only TV and game console in our house resides, that doesn’t work so well if others are home. Sometimes I can tune everything out and write there anyway but other times, I have to slip away to another area of the house for some quiet.
Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
That’s an interesting question. I think there are bits of real people in all of my characters. But, I think I combine pieces of a lot of different people into one character. All of my books however are inspired by real life events. Of course, the story line and characters are then fictionalized but I can tell you what the real life inciting incident was for all of my writing.
What author has most influenced your writing?
This is a hard question. I would say Jodi Picoult in that I love everything she writes. I am typically a very fast reader but whenever I read one of her books, I force myself to read slowly to savor every word. I hope someday to be even one-quarter of the writer that she is in terms of drawing readers in and making them rethink life in shades of gray rather than black and white.
Tell us a little about your plans for the future. Where do you see yourself as a writer in five years?
My debut novel, Bits & Pieces, released last week in paperback. The e-book releases November 30th. My biggest hurdle right now is coming up with some kind of effective marketing plan, which is quite overwhelming. I have a book signing and an author event coming up in the next month as part of my book launch. I also just signed a contract with a narrator through Audible which I’m super excited about.
My second novel, The End of Echoes, is scheduled to be released in mid-2019, so in addition to marketing Bits & Pieces, I also need to work through edits on it. In addition, I am currently about 40,000 words into the first draft of my third novel. I hope to finish the first draft of it by the end of the year (originally my goal was to finish by the end of November but that didn’t happen).
In five years, I hope to have at least three books published. I have so many story ideas floating around in my head so I hope to be still putting them on paper for many years to come.
Of all the characters you have created, which is your favorite and why?
Now, that’s like asking me to pick my favorite child – not a fair question at all! I truly can’t pick a favorite character because there are things I like about each of them and what they’ve taught me about life and/or writing. I hope that’s not a cop-out but it’s true. Although the reverse is also true, there’s things that also annoy me about each of them.
What literary world would you love to visit for a day?
Even though it may be cliché, I would love to visit the world of Harry Potter because I really need one of those magic wands! I have a list of things I’d love to be able to just wave my magic wand and have them be fixed. Although fighting evil sounds a bit tiring so I wouldn’t want to stay longer than a day. Just set me lose with that magic wand for a day and I’d be happy.
What do you love most about the writing process?
Writing the first draft because, as a pantser, it really is me telling the story to myself. I love how the characters take on a life of their own and help me write a story much different than what I envisioned when I began. I don’t edit as I write so that first read-through of my first draft is always thrilling, even when it’s a mess. It’s when I finally see the bones that I have to work with during the re-write process.
Back Cover Copy of Bits & Pieces:
A chance encounter with a stranger traps Tessa within the mind of a madman.
Tessa was born with a gift. Through a simple touch she picks up pieces of others. A “flash” of color devours her, the only indication that she’s gained something new from another person. Red equals pain; purple, a talent; yellow, a premonition; orange, a painful memory; and blue, a pleasant one. Each flash blurs the lines between her inherent traits and those she’s acquired from others. Whenever she gains bits of something new, she loses more pieces of herself.
While assisting in search efforts for a local missing college student, Tessa is paralyzed by a flash that rips through her like a lightning bolt, slicing apart her soul. A blinding light takes away her vision. A buzzing louder than any noise she’s ever heard overwhelms her, penetrates her mind. As the bolt works its way through her body, images and feelings take over. Women’s dead eyes stare at her as her hands encircle their throats. Their screams consume her mind. Memories invade her of the brutal murders of five women.
Will she be able to find the killer and help save the next victim? Can she do so without completely losing herself?
Bits & Pieces is a fast-paced, riveting Psychological Suspense with supernatural elements that leaves the reader guessing until the end.
Dawn Hosmer is a lifelong resident of Ohio. She and her husband have been married for 18 years and they have 4 children, although 3 of them are now adults. She has spent her career in social work and has a passion for helping others. She was diagnosed with Crohns disease 15 years ago which has been both a blessing and a curse. Her illness has prevented her from continuing to work (the curse) which allows her to pursue her passion for writing with many less time-restrictions and focus her energy on being a wife and mother (the blessing).
Dawn’s writing is often sparked by a true story which creates a cast of fictional characters/situations in her mind. In addition, Dawn sprinkles pieces of people’s true -life stories they’ve shared with her throughout the years into her fiction as a way to honor many of the tragedies and joys that people live through.
In addition to God, her family and writing, Dawn loves coffee, traveling, reading, HGTV and naps. Dawn believes that a story lives in all of us and that it’s important to share ours with others, never knowing who will benefit from what each of us has to say. Sharing our stories not only helps others, it changes us as well.
Author Links:
Website: www.dawnhosmer.com
Twitter: @dawnhosmer7
Instagram: @dawnh71
Goodreads: Dawn Hosmer
Facebook: Dawn Hosmer
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