Author Spotlight

Welcome Author and Blogger Priscilla Danita!

Priscilla Danita is an author and book blogger who has been visiting worlds inside her head for as long as she could remember. In 2012, she began the task of writing down what her mind showed her and thus began her writing career. Her first book Love's Moodswings: The Discovery, The Choice and The Surrender to Love was published in 2012 through Author House. Her second book His Fated Mate is the first book, non-cliffhanger, in a new paranormal romance series. His Fated Mate was released July 2018 on Amazon. Writing has become a very important part of Priscilla's life however it has not replaced her love for reading. When her head and focus are not on books Priscilla Danita spends her time with her daughter. She credits her daughter as her motivation to reach for her dreams and press on. Priscilla Danita's favorite saying is "the sky is always purple somewhere" which means that anything is possible if you know where to look.

Tanisha D. Jones: Today, Priscilla is here to talk about the first book in her paranormal romance Silver Creek Wolves series, His Fated Mate.

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Fairytales talk about the beauty of finding a mate, but what happens when your past caused the mate you never met a lifetime of pain? Asher and Devina are about to find out how connected their mating bond is.

Being the first born means nothing when you grew up in a wolf pack, only the strong will rule. Betrayed and beaten within an inch of his life Asher’s brother banished him from his pack and left him for dead. Five years later with the help of his inner wolf, Asher is finally getting his life back together when his past showed up at his door. As if that wasn’t enough he soon discovers his painful past affected others.

Broken Bones and bruises do not magically appear on someone, or so the doctors told Devina’s parents nineteen years ago while accusing her of self-harm. Since then Devina’s been a resident of Saint Michael’s Asylum. The death of her grandfather allows her the chance to venture outside for the first time in nineteen years. Nothing the doctors taught her could prepare her for what she discovers in the new town. Will an encounter with a wolf prove the doctors right?

TDJ: How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?

PD: I read and write for two reason to inspire me and/or to escape the drama of life. I find it so much more entertaining to read about made up worlds and/or people with magic powers while it also makes it easier for me to forget about the stress of the real world. I also love how I can get wrapped up in someone else’ life and not have to worry about how good or bad they have it because they aren’t real. When I decided to write I drew from my love of things that are completely made up, my book is a paranormal romance about a shapeshifter trying to reclaim his life. It also has a message of empowerment. For me it’s the best of both worlds.

TDJ: That’s great. Books are a great escape for so many. Where did your love of books/storytelling/reading/writing/etc. come from?

PD: I didn’t always love reading even though it was something that I always wanted to love. I didn’t learn to love reading or writing until I learned it was okay not to follow the trends of reading. Genre is as important as a well written story in terms of enjoyment. I have a hard time enjoying books about everyday humans unless they are written with amazing character. That doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a well written book non paranormal book just that it’s harder for me to connect with them. I read lots of different genres for my blog and have been surprised by liking things I wouldn’t normally pick out. When people would recommend books to me growing up I wouldn’t enjoy reading them I would feel like I was broken. Now whenever someone says they don’t like reading I tell them to change what they read because there are different types of books for every different type of person.

TDJ: Very true. It depends on what sparks the imagination. Trying to like something just because someone else feels you should never works.

PD: Exactly I was trying to fit into everyone else’s bubble and it did nothing but ruin reading for me. Now I’ll tell everyone I read books that make you question my sanity and I’m completely okay with it.

TDJ: What were your goals and intentions in this book? How do you plan you achieve them?

PD: His Fated Mate is my first novel although my second published book so my honest answer is that my goal was to write something that was more than a short story. My first book was a collection of 3 short stories and this was proof to myself that I could stay focused and write. My intentions are a little different because I want people who read it to walk away knowing that even if bad things happen and we feel like it’s not going to get better it can if we believe it will.

TDJ: Was your other book paranormal as well?

PD: No, Love’s Moodswings was pure women’s fiction. It consisted of three short stories based on the theme of love not romance. I loved my first book and will forever be proud of what I created but I feel like I wrote someone else’ interpretation to my dreams by not writing in the genre that was speaking to me.

TDJ: What was the hardest part of writing this book?

PD: Trying to come up with a new idea for something that has been done before while staying true to the genre. As a reader of paranormal there are certain things that makes a shifter a shifter and I needed to make sure I included it but I also wanted to make sure that I put my stamp in the genre. Shifters aren’t new but I wanted my story to be new and it took me a while to figure that angle but once I did the words flowed. The second hardest part for me was making the supporting characters interesting enough that readers would want to read them showcased in other books but not to interesting that they stole the show.

TDJ: Having dynamic side characters also help color a world. It’s easy to focus on the lead, but the characters on the periphery bring more to the story and give that world validity. It also helps the reader get a better feel for the main characters.

PD: I agree. A few people who have read His Fated Mate have contacted me wondering if the next book will be about the supporting character because they need more from him. Their comments are motivation that I did things the right way.

TDJ: What inspires you?

PD: My daughter is my biggest inspiration because she sees the good in everything around her. As far as in my writing most of it is my imagination translating my emotions. Oh and life because I feel like I’m supposed to say life inspires me lol.

TDJ: I understand. I have a daughter as well and she inspires me simple because she believes I can do anything. Kids put everything into perspective.

PD: That they do. I always say I asked God to show me purpose in life and he gave me my daughter.

TDJ: Exactly. Who are some of your favorite authors that you feel were influential in your work?

PD: My top 4 authors in no order are Toni Morrison, Imani Wisdom, Gena Showalter and Rebecca Zantiffi.

TDJ: What impact have they had on your writing?

PD: All of these writers have been able to pull emotions from me as a reader and or make me think about things long after I read their final word in a book. Now that I write I do so based on my emotions because I feel that it’s the only way my books can have that same effect on readers. I also have made the decision to write with purpose even if all I do is get readers to think about the world around them.

TDJ: Are there any books in particular that inspired you? What set off the spark about their writing to make you want to write?

PD: Toni Morrison’s Song Of Solomon inspires me because of its complexity, every time I read it I discover something new about it. Imani Wisdom’s short story Zion’s Road inspires me because it proved that it’s not the amount of words you use but how you use them. Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld and Rebecca Zantiffi’s Dark Protector series both inspire me by the way that were able to connect characters throughout multiple books while giving everyone of them their own voice.

TDJ: What process did you go through to get your book published?

PD: In my publishing research I have come across traditional publishing, self publishing and what I like to call self publishing with assistance. His Fated Mate was self published on Amazon July 2018. The reason that I decided to self publish was that I truly believe that there is a reader for every book and I didn’t want to have to depend on a traditional publishing company to accept my work and decide that they had the readers for me. My first book was published with Authorhouse one of the companies I would consider self publishing with assistance. I paid them to do all the leg work from getting my book into the stores to creating the cover and everything in between. During the process I thought it was amazing but once published I realized I have no control over my book now that it’s out. I have to pay to change everything with it including if I wanted to run a price drop promotion. This time around I love the control that I have. For me self publishing is the way to go.

TDJ: I also write paranormal romance and have found that being a black female author makes it a little harder. Traditional publishers and agencies don’t seem to know how to market me. Have you run into any of those issues?

PD: Unfortunately, yes I have. When I first started promoting my book I was told I didn’t write like a black person or that other black people wouldn’t buy my books because they weren’t urban fiction. It was because of people like that I created Paranormal In Color an online book fair that showcases writers of color who write paranormal, horror, fantasy and other. The first fair was during Halloween weekend last year and I was so happy that so many authors took part to show what we have to offer readers.

TDJ: I would love to be a part of that. It sounds amazing. Are there any downfalls to self publishing you have found?

PD: It’s time consuming but worth it. Even though I’m publishing on my own there are people that provide services that I use such as editors, cover designers, formatters. Since this was my first time around I didn’t have a list of people that I knew would be great so I had to research people and find those who could help bring my book to life. Compared to what I paid last time using Authorhouse it was about the same although I found some great cost saving services like Fivver for my book cover.

TDJ: I self publish and I completely understand. Some people think self publishing means you have a constant influx of money. That it’s easy, they don’t really understand that you are basically a one woman operation. I think that perception may be changing a little now.

What makes your book stand out from the crowd?

PD: I think what makes His Fated Mate stand out in the sea of other paranormal romances is that while it is about a wolf shifter who falls for a human it’s also about overcoming hardships, believing in yourself and fighting for those that you love. Most while not all books in this genre that I read are entertaining with fights between enemy and sex between characters but they don’t really motivate readers.

TDJ: My characters are extremely diverse, my main characters being black demi-gods surrounded by a various array for other ethnicities. Are your characters diverse or do they cater to the “mainstream”?

PD: My characters are diverse for the genre I guess because they aren’t fair skin with straight hair. I made a point to write powerful black characters who are able to rise above the odds.

TDJ: What do you like to read in your free time?

PD: Aside from paranormal reads I love to read true series. A true series to me means that books don’t end on a cliffhanger and showcase supporting characters of previous books. I also like regency romances, horror and Greek myths although I admit I will try any type of book to find that priceless gem in a flea market.

TDJ: You should try Sherilyn Kenyon if you haven’t already. She has two series that showcase supporting characters. Her Dark Hunter series even has Greek gods and goddesses. She inspired some of my characters as well, since I also incorporate several mythologies.

PD: I have the first few books on my kindle but haven’t read them. Goodreads recommended them to me after finishing the Lords of the Underworld series because it also is a play on Greek myths. Now that you mention them I’m going to add them to me next to be read list.

TDJ: What projects are you working on at the present? What do your plans for future projects include?

PD: The second book to the Silver Creek Wolves series will be out this summer and the third book has a basic character outline and will be out later this year. I know that it will at least be a trilogy but I play around with adding a short story or two to the series. I also know that each book will have a different theme of empowerment.

TDJ: So many series now are published as trilogies. Do you feel that maybe that is the new norm or should the trend fade out? Should it be used as simply a starting point for writer’s who want to start a series?

PD: In my case I looked at the trilogy as a starting point. I didn’t want a standalone because I thought of me as a reader and how I love getting lost in a good series. Being that this is my first series I wanted to reach high but keep my goals realistic so three seemed like the best number for that.

TDJ: Thanks so much for sharing with me. I look forward to the next book in your series, keep me updated so I can post your new releases in my monthly newsletter.

PD: Thank you for having me it was a pleasure.

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