Interviews
Listen up.
I enjoyed talking with Maggie Smith from the Women’s Fiction Writer’s Association, Hear Us Roar Podcast.
Interview with WCIA.
March 1st, 2023, I was able to discuss my novels, The Truth, and The Whole Truth. We discussed not only the writing process, but the necessity behind emi-autobiographical novels.
Listen up.
I enjoyed talking with CJ Hasello today, on Riverbender Daily Show. Listen in for the “announcement” I made. My interview begins at the 20:00 minute mark.
Interview
Written By DF Kennedy
How long did it take to write The Truth?
From start to finish, it took a year to come up with the final draft. And then a few more months of edits. It was my first novel and I wrote enough words for two books and cut it down to one!
What was your favorite part of writing it?
I liked the idea of creating these characters and moving them around like puppets. If I like them I want you to like them. I like that I can make him hug her, or someone leave, or someone commit crimes. If I don’t like the character, I type a crash scene. Maybe it’s my inner teenager, but I got to relive my story and tell it how I wanted to tell it. It was like misbehaving with no consequences.
What kinds of challenges did you face when writing the book?
I was rubbish. I had no clue what I was doing. I sat down at he keyboard and let the words fall out. That was wonderful. The challenging part was when it came time to make it something people would want to read. Deciding what POV, then changing my mind half way through and having to change it. Also, writing entire chapters and erasing it. OUCH.
What did you find most interesting/cool/surprising while researching?
I decided to base the homes of the characters places I’d personally never been, other than England, and I learned so much about New York, Santa Barbara, Glasgow, Edinburgh. I can’t wait to visit each location. I feel like they are all my hometowns now.
Was it difficult to relive the parts of the story that are semi-autobiographical?
Honestly, parts of it made me cry. The book has authentic characters, and all the feels. But some of those feels will tear your heart to pieces.
Who was your favorite character to write?
Roland was my favorite character. I created every character from someone that inspired that person. Roland was based off a real movie star that I think is wonderful. I researched him, listened to every interview, read everything I could find about him and realized how much I respect the actor. Then I got to fantasize and make him Dahlia’s love interest and move them around like chess pieces. I definitely enjoy writing romance.
Do you have a favorite line or scene from the book you can share?
My favorite scene is at Tonight Show and at the club afterwards when she is nearly trampled. It was like I was there and living it as I wrote it. I could see it and hear it. I’ve said in other interviews there is at a minimum one truth in every scene of the book. In real life I found out I was pregnant in the emergency room after I fell.
Are all the characters based on real people?
The four main characters—Dahlia, Roland, Sylvia, Bob are based on real people. Daniel is as well except he is a combination of several different people I rolled up in one.
What would you like readers to know?
I’m so thrilled to have this book out in the world. I love it so much and worked so hard on it! It’s the first thing I’ve ever written. Book two will be out in the next month or two and book three next year after! And I’ll be so, so happy when those are out, too, because it means I’m finally done writing it all. Many reviews end by saying they can’t wait until the next installment and I want each book I write to get better and better with experience. I’m proud of the first book. I hope I look back on it one day and laugh at my errors. I’ll always love this novel because it was not only cathartic to write, but it will always be my first.