OBS owner and reviewer Dawn sits down for a fun chat with author Donna Milward about her first book entitled “Thoeba”, where they talk about character development, angel theories, publishing and her upcoming works. Enjoy!
You can read “Thoeba” book review here.
Dawn: What was the inspiration for your theory of the creation of angels and humans?
Donna Milward: It comes from a combination of ideas I’ve collected over the years. My parents believed in reincarnation, but we were encouraged to choose our own religion. After years of study and practice, I drew the conclusion that reincarnation made the most sense to me…but I’m still confused sometimes. My husband and I were discussing it and he thinks we’re ALL probably wrong—that humans haven’t even fathomed the real possibilities yet. I started playing with the idea that we’re ALL correct—that Christianity, mythology, reincarnation and other religions of the world were somehow intertwined. I mixed them together until I came up with my creation myth “The Sacred Truth”. (You can read it at earthtothoeba@blogspot.com)
Dawn: If this is your first book, you did a damn good job. I rarely read an author’s first book and have nothing to complain about. How much time and effort went into making Thoeba a well-rounded story?
D.M.: Thank you! I worked very hard to perfect it. It took about a year to write, editing with a critique partner as I went. After that first official draft, I think I spent anywhere from three to five months re-editing it. Then I sent it to Beta readers and edited again. There must have been at least six overviews.
Dawn: I enjoyed the development of Thoeba’s character. Did you have a vision for her from the beginning? How did you flesh her out as a strong character but at the same time show her growth as a person without having it be a weakness? (I hope I’m making sense!)
D.M.: I’m glad you liked her so much. I wanted her to be sympathetic, but I wasn’t interested in molding her into the perfect heroine. She still had a personality of her own. Sometimes I think of characters like her as real, after all she practically wrote herself. I love it when they do that. I hope I’M making sense!
Dawn: Was it a difficult process getting Thoeba published?
D.M.: Yes and no. I still went through the same channels as everyone else, and didn’t get very far. I lucked out when a fellow writer I knew through Facebook recommended me to Vamptasy. Getting the contract was easy, but when that company downsized, I was out just as fast. My former publisher recommended me to Heather Savage at Staccato, and she believes in Thoeba one hundred percent. I believe that little hiccup happened for good reason, but at the time it felt like the death of a dream.
Dawn: What can we expect from you next? Are you currently working on any other projects?
D.M.: I just sent my second novel, ‘Aphrodite’s War’ in to Staccato, but right now they are busy promoting Thoeba, so I don’t know what they think of it yet. I’m currently working on my third ms, with the working title ‘Chasing Monsters’. I still have my blog, earthtothoeba@blogspot.com and my paranormal group is currently doing fundraisers for our documentary ‘Entities Unknown’. (I’m the writer, plus part-time investigator) I’m also writing a sci-fi erotica called. “Earth Men Need Tails”.
It’s interesting the different process authors go through to get their books published. What did you think of this interview?
