Author Interview with Danielle A. Vann
Today I’m interviewing Danielle A. Vann, author of YA novel “The Whizbang Machine”. Welcome to my blog!
Author Interview
When did you know you wanted to become an author?
This is easy for me to answer. I have wanted to be an author since I was a small child. I wrote short stories often and even saw success with writing contest early on.
When I graduated from high school, I knew I wanted to do something that involved writing. I selected television news and became a scriptwriter and producer. I was very lucky to be reporting and anchoring before I graduated from my university. I often say writing chose me, I didn’t choose it.
What inspired you to write The Whizbang Machine?
I received a photo of an antique typewriter from a dear friend. Knowing that I have a love for all things antique, she snapped the photo and sent it my way. It was early one Sunday morning, so when I heard my phone ding I ignored it. When it dinged again, I got up and looked at my phone. Within minutes of seeing the photo, the idea of The Whizbang Machine was born. I went straight to my office and began to outline chapters. By mid-morning, the first chapter was written. I like to say the entire story is serendipitous.
What is your editing process like?
I edit as I go. I work from an outline for all of my books. When I finish a chapter, I thoroughly go through it several times. When I’m satisfied, I move on to writing the next chapter. When I’ve completed the entire book, I print every page and go through ever word and line with a sharp eye. This is the most painful part of writing for me. I force myself not to do rewrites during this process. I’m looking for plot holes, editing, odd sentences, etc. I make those corrections on the printed sheet and then make them in the document. It’s slow. It’s methodical, and it’s my least favorite part of my job. When I have finished my edits, the document is sent over to my editors. I always say the editing process takes longer than the actual writing.
What do you find the most challenging about being an author?
Balance. When I get involved with my characters, they take over. I write very quickly. It takes me generally three to four months to complete a novel. With that being said, it is difficult for me to back away from my computer and enjoy the world outside during those writing spells. Once a story starts, I like to see it to the end before doing anything else.
Are you working on something now?
I just completed the second book in the series, Tunney’s Curse. It is set to release in August of 2017. I am currently doing research for the third book in the series. Once my research is complete, I will begin writing.
About the Book
Title: The Whizbang Machine
Author: Danielle A. Vann
Genre: YA
After years of running from his tragic past, Jack Yale books a flight home. With him is a typewriter that is intended to be a gift for his granddaughter, Elizabeth. The minute Elizabeth’s fingers cradle the large black and cream keys the machine responses: popping, sizzling, and roaring to life with a Whiz-Whiz-BANG!
Elizabeth quickly discovers the typewriter has powers beyond anything she has ever seen. The more she types, the more the machine spells out guarded secrets. Each secret leads them deeper into a haunted past. Each secret must be revealed in order to set history straight and remove a curse that has been on their family for centuries.
To solve the mystery, Elizabeth Yale, alongside Jack, will have to crack the code of the Whizbang Machine. What they find challenges their most basic assumptions of their family, the history of the typewriter, and even Elizabeth’s father’s death. The ultimate goal is to remove the curse.
The question is: will Jack and Elizabeth be able to carry out their mission?
Author Bio
Danielle A. Vann lives to write. When she was small, she spent endless days writing and crafting wild characters out of thin air. As Danielle grew, that love for writing sparked a career in journalism. She began her career as a scriptwriter and then moved into a flourishing career as a news reporter, food reporter, and morning/evening news anchor. That career earned her an Associate Press Award.
After becoming a mother, she was inspired to write children’s books for her three adorable children. While she holds children fiction especially close to her heart, she also loves to write books for all ages. These genres include Young-Adult Fiction, Adult Fiction, Young Reader Fiction, and Non-Fiction.
When she isn’t writing you can find her doing “mom” things, digging in her organic vegetable gardens, running, finding her Zen in yoga, or playing chef in the kitchen. She currently lives in Mansfield, Texas.
Danielle is also the author of Gracie Lou and The Bad Dream Eater, November 2016 release The Whizbang Machine, and September 2016 release The Very Tall Tale of Ranger, the Great Pyrenees, and his Adorable Friend, Miss Keys, and October 2016 release Building Faith Through A Carpenter’s Hands. To learn more, visit www.authordanielleavann.com.
Links
Website: http://authordanielleavann.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorDanielleA.Vann/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorDanielleV