Author Interview with Bonnie Dee

I was delighted to have the privilege of interviewing Bonnie Dee, a talented author possessing both vision and unique insight. Ms. Dee has written half a dozen books including Liberating Lucius , Summer Break , Bone Deep , Home Bound , Piscean Dreams and Opposites Attract (both part of the Mystical Sign Series) as well as numerous short stories. Click here for a complete list of her published works.

Can you tell our readers a little about yourself?

I am a wife and mother of three daughters ranging from seventeen to twenty-three. We have three cats, two dogs and a home in the country. I think I only recently reached a stage in my life where I was finally mature enough to pursue my writing dream.

What made you decide to become a writer?

I used to make up scary stories when I spent the night with my cousins. I still have the first story I wrote in second grade when I could barely form letters. It's in all caps on a yellow legal pad. Illustrations of ghosts and a magic talking black cat too.

In college I earned a degree in English with no intention of teaching, but no idea what else to do. For years I had a series of clerical jobs and put my writing aside. For how I got back into writing again, see next question…

The bio at your website states that you enjoy a wide variety of TV shows - Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Northern Exposure, My So-Called Life, Freaks and Geeks, Dead Like Me and Sex and the City – do the characters from those shows serve as inspiration for you? I ask primarily because the storylines of your books are very unique, as well as being fascinating and diverse.

I'm movie and TV obsessed. I'd like nothing better than to be a scriptwriter, which is probably why my books sometimes read like scripts. I see scenes like a show in my head then describe what I see.

In 2000 I was very involved in the Buffyverse and discovered fan fiction . That's how I got back into writing. Taking already created characters and making up new plots for them while exploring their psyches more deeply was so entertaining. For several years, I thought that's all the farther I wanted to go.

Then one day I simply decided to take the next logical step and write my own stuff. My first novel, co-written with a fellow fanfic writer from London , took several months to produce. I wrote with Lauren because I didn't have the confidence to tackle a whole book on my own. The book we wrote, “Finding Home” sat on one slush pile after another. Meanwhile, I discovered e-publishing and began writing my own stories.

“Finding Home” has finally been accepted and should be out early next year at Samhain Publishing . To be updated on that and all upcoming releases, people may join my Yahoo group .

What does a typical writing day look like for you?

First thing when I get up in the morning, I usually have ‘stuff' that has surfaced in my brain during the night. I go to the computer and jot it down, stream of consciousness-style, before I can forget.

My secretarial job is not taxing so I'm able to write some at work and then again at home in the evenings. As I said, with my daughters the self-reliant ages they are now, I am in a prime time of life to be writing.

I try to produce 2,000 words a day even when I'm ‘not in the mood'. It's like doing a physical exercise regimen. If you allow yourself to skip one day, pretty soon you're not doing it at all.

Is there a character from one of your books that resonates deeply with you?

I have an unpublished historical Western that has a gambler named Travis in it. When I write an anti-hero, I want him to be truly, morally bankrupt with a serious redemptive path to travel. My template, of course, is Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer . And going back even earlier in my life, the model is the Artful Dodger , whom I fell in love with at age nine.

I wrote a very similar ‘bad boy' character, Ian, for my new book that will be coming out at Liquid Silver . I can't share details yet because it's part of a new line that isn't quite official yet. He has no moral compass to guide him, which makes his story of redemption all the more interesting to me. I love when the least likely person rises to the occasion and does the right thing. I also love how the transforming power of love can help that bad boy care enough to make himself better.

Bone Deep is easily one of the best books that I have ever read. The story was so well developed – everything from the setting to the actions and emotions of its main characters. How long did it take you to write? Was there a lot of time spent on research? As with all of your books, I became immersed in the story and was amazed by the level of detail.

Bone Deep took about two or three months to write as I recall. I love the internet! Do you know how difficult a writer's job was when she had to visit the library every time she had a question? Now it's all at our fingertips. If I need to know what make and model of car was available in 1946 and how much it cost, or what the hit songs of the day were, I can have the information in a snap. I had a legal question (for a story I still haven't finished) and found a site where you could ask the lawyers any question and get an emailed answer. How wonderful is that!

With Bone Deep I tried to catch any anachronisms that might crop up. For example, in the picnic scene I mentioned paper plates and cups then realized, even though the Dixie cup was invented, it wouldn't be in general use yet. People would still bring their dishes from home to a community picnic. In the end, I think that detail was edited out anyway, but this gives you the idea of how important I think such minutiae is. Certainly if I was filming a period piece, I'd pay attention to these details.

I have a short story set during WWI in my “ Seasons of Love ” anthology and I researched Edwardian era underwear so that when the man undressed the woman she'd have the correct period underwear on.

Quick version of how I came to write Bone Deep. I was watching “ Red Dragon ” (the pre-“ Silence of the Lambs ” Hannibal Lecter movie) and Ralph Fienes character had a full body tattoo. It was hot. Then the poor twisted serial killer had a relationship with a blind woman that was really touching. I added that together with Ray Bradbury's “ Something Wicked This Way Comes ” and a dash of “ Edward Scissorhands ” and came up with alienated outsider, Tom and evil carnie, Art Reed. I knew the novel had to be set in a time period when there would still be traveling carnivals and when I decided to make the woman be recovering from her own trauma, post WWII seemed like the best option. The metaphor of the colorful tattoos representing a ‘person of color' was also intentional.

Speaking of carnivals, I did not see the HBO series “ Carnivale ” until recently. It is now my favorite series on my dvd keeper shelf. Check this series out. It's so good!

Can you tell our readers a little about what you're currently working on?

I'm literally just finishing up a story about the backstage lives of a theater touring company, called “Touring Company” for lack of a better idea. I'm a big theater buff and have been involved in our local theater both onstage and backstage, as well as writing a one-act play that was produced there.

Anyway, as much as I love theater I somehow missed seeing “ Rent ” until it came out on DVD. At first I wasn't impressed with the story or the music, but I watched it again and it grew on me. A lot! I bought the soundtrack and started listening to it every day. Around the same time, I went to a production of “ Phantom of the Opera ” which got me thinking about what a strange life it would be to be part of a traveling show.

“Touring Company” has three different romances going on against the backdrop of the theater. I found an online community called the Green Room and asked the theater folk there a gazillion questions to make sure I correctly depicted the technical aspects of a touring production.

Is there something special you do to celebrate when one of your books is released?

No. I don't really do anything at all. It's kind of anticlimactic because nothing changes. The book is just out there in the void and I have no idea how well it is or isn't doing until later. That's one thing I loved in the fanfiction world, the instant feedback from readers. You'd post, then they'd post a response and you'd get an immediate ego-stroke.

Readers, if you ever think about emailing a favorite author, but don't think they'd care, believe me they do. Getting an email from a reader telling what she liked or didn't like is wonderful! Suggestions for future improvements are also welcome.

Is there any anything else that you'd like to tell our readers or advice you'd like to give to aspiring authors?

There may be a lull in my production during the rest of 2006 as I have a number of things in process, but I should have several full-length novels releases in 2007.

For aspiring writers I would say that e-publishing is your best bet for getting your foot in the door of the publishing world, but you have to be willing to work, take constructive criticism and improve yourself. Refine your work again and again. Get rid of extraneous words. Simple is best.

Adverbs are bad--weed them out. Show me that the girl is “happily” skipping. Don't tell me. And for God's sake don't ever say she had a “sad expression” on her face. Instead say that her mouth was drawn down at the corners, a small frown furrowed her forehead or her eyes glistened. (Pick one, not all three, overkill is also bad) Visual cues add so much to a piece.

Get rid of dialogue tags as much as possible. You don't need “he said” “she said” when you make it clear who's speaking by giving a motion following the words.

“Yadda yadda.” Joe picked up his briefcase and slammed through the door.

There are actually online clinics where you can learn this stuff without having to go take college writing courses. Check them out.

If you'd like to learn more about Bonnie Dee and her upcoming releases, she invites you to join her Yahoo group and to visit her blog . Ms. Dee also enjoys receiving email from her readers.

- interviewed by Kerin