Donna Hatch is the author of the best-selling “Rogue Hearts Series,” and a winner of writing awards such as The Golden Quill and the International Digital Award.
A hopeless romantic and
adventurer at heart, she discovered her writing passion at the tender age of 8
and has been listening to those voices ever since. She has become a
sought-after workshop presenter, and also juggles freelance editing, multiple
volunteer positions, and most of all, her six children (seven, counting her
husband).
A native of Arizona who recently transplanted to the Pacific Northwest, she and her husband of over twenty years are living proof that there really is a happily ever after.
The last thing Hannah Palmer wants to do is flirt with men in a crowded ballroom, but when her sister, the Countess of Tarrington, throws a Masquerade Ball, Hannah can’t say no to the invitation.
Taking comfort behind her disguise, she dances with a charming masked gentleman, matching him wit for wit. When the glorious evening culminates in a kiss, and the two remove their masks, Hannah is horrified to discover the man
she’s been flirting with all night is her most despised neighbor, the Duke of Suttenberg.
No matter how charming the duke was at the ball, and how wonderful the kiss, he is the last man she could ever love.
When did you write your first novel? My first pathetic attempt was when I
was in 7th grade. It was basically fan fiction. Around that time, I attempted
screen plays too. I wrote my first novel that later became published (in
incarnation of it, at least) when I was in 9th grade.
What drove you to write/why did you become an author? I've always loved making up stories and have been writing them down since 3rd grade. At the time I thought they were epic but now I look back on them and want to put a sack over my head. Fortunately, I never attempted to get them published—I just kept writing for fun. Then one day, I attended a workshop at a local library where an author spoke of her writing journey and had just published her first book. That really awoke a dormant desire to see my stories in print.
How do you create your characters? It's different with each story. Sometimes, they come to me fully formed and I just need to listen to them. Other times, I have to work at it with personality types, backstory development, and character interviews.
What is one thing you love about Fall/Autumn? I love so many things about autumn! Cooler weather is high on my list which means fuzzy socks, sweaters, jackets, and spending more time outdoors hiking, walking, or just sitting on the porch swing. Also, I adore leaves turning all those gorgeous shades of red, gold, and rust. Autumn means hot apple cider and all of those amazing smells of cinnamon, nutmeg, apples, candles, and firelight. Plus, Fall means Halloween with all the fun decorations as well as costumes. Yes, I love dressing up! But one of the best parts of Fall is gathering with family at Thanksgiving. My grown children can’t always come home for Christmas, so they often come home for “Thanks-mas” where we celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday, then spend Friday decorating the house for Christmas so we can celebrate Christmas on Saturday. Usually everyone leaves on Sunday so they can return for jobs and college. We get in every family tradition that we can during the time we have.
Who is the person or group of people that most support you in your writing? My sisters-in-law were always super supportive and encouraging. Once I got published and brought home that first royalty check, my husband got on board and stopped viewing it as a time-consuming and expensive hobby, and started seeing it as a career—one that pays horribly, but still offering a monetary payoff. Now, one of my nieces is my one of my go-to proofreaders as well as one of my staunchest supporters. I also couldn’t have done it without my local RWA group, my online Regency research group the Beau Monde, and my local American Night Writers Association chapters. Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to my awesome, wonderful, amazing critique partners, beta readers, and proofreaders. They say it takes a village to raise a child; it also takes a village to raise a book.
What is your favorite Halloween Memory? One of my favorites was when my third
child was about a year old. After a dinner of baked potato soup, I put the baby
in a stroller and followed around my older two children from house to house. My
seven-year-old son was a ninja, my six-year-old daughter was a fox with big,
fluffy tail, and the baby was a fuzzy bear complete with little bear pads on
his feet. I guess animals were popular in our family. I enjoyed chatting with
the neighbors, seeing everyone dressed up, and enjoying my neighbors’ reaction
to our costumes. The weather was perfect—cool enough that the costumes weren’t
too hot but not so cold that we needed to wear jackets over them. After
trick-or-treating and gathering enough candy to get a small country high on
sugar, we went home and drank hot apple cider and handed out candy. I’m not
sure why that stands out in my memory except that it epitomized the perfect
Halloween.
Thank you so much for featuring my book on your lovely blog!
ReplyDelete