What drew you to speculative fiction?
I’ve read speculative fiction since I picked up a copy of A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. I love it because it’s a genre where anything can happen. It challenges both the readers’ and the writer’s imagination.
Tell us about your writing process.
I get an idea and write out the briefest of a synopsis, basically telling the story from beginning to end as quickly as possible.
Was there some part of writing a book- fight scenes, dialogue, descriptions- that you struggled with? How did you get over that struggle?
I struggle with descriptions. I love to write dialogue, and sometimes I skimp on physical space descriptions to get the characters talking. After reading a few books on the writing craft, I learned to force myself to “set the scene” at the beginning of each scene I wrote so the characters were interacting in some unknown space.
I also learned to add (or try to add) at least three of the five senses in each scene. For example, if I were writing a scene taking place in a mall, I might describe the bright lighting, the cries of an infant in a passing stroller, the smell of cookies from a nearby store. In doing so, it compels me to slow down and describe the scene and by doing so, hopefully, improve the narrative.
Do you have any blogging advice for those starting out?
Make a list of topics that interest you. Research them. Write about them. Then, make a list of topics that spring from your research. Write about them. Repeat. Don’t try to write something you’re not interested in. The readers will know it and you’ll be bored.
Do you find your stories have common themes? Was that intentional or did it sneak in?
My stories definitely have the common theme of a Black heroine, and that is deliberate. However, even within this theme, there is diversity. I try to have my heroines cover aspects of the “character spectrum” which means they range from the evilly selfish to the wide-eyed woman in danger. It’s important to have that kind of variety in my characters. It keeps things interesting.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Keep writing. There’s someone out there who wants to hear your story. Seek out opportunities for publishing. Finish what you start. You can’t sell a story that’s incomplete. Above all, have confidence in your work.
Where can readers find you online?
Website – http://darkindigohearts.com
Facebook Profile – https://www.facebook.com/DahliaDeWinters
Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/authordahliadewinters/
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/DahliaDW/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/darkindigohearts
Google Plus – https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DahliaDeWinters
After not having seen her grandmother for two years, Annie is thrilled that her husband is letting her visit for the summer. However, her husband, Richard’s motives aren’t as pure as they seem. While he may have other plans for Annie and her grandmother, a mysterious painting may have more in store for them than they think.
Dahlia DeWinters a romance writer who flirts with the dark side. While many of her stories still dabble in the hearts and roses genre, it is often against a sinister backdrop. She is a lover of all things scary, even though she tends either to watch them while gripping her husband’s arm or between her fingers. Her enthusiasm for found footage horror, surprisingly, has rewarded her with a few gems. Drawing, fiber arts, and gardening are a few of the things she does in her spare time, when not dreaming up stories of zombies, mysterious happenings in gothic mansions or screening horror films.
