WWR: You've said you write "gentle" romance. What do you mean by that?
Sierra: Hmm, that was a funny choice of words, wasn't it? I think I was searching for a word that sounded less prissy than clean and less bland than wholesome. My publisher, Avalon, calls for stories with no profanity or overt sexuality. When you write with that in mind, it's surprising how much you can imply without saying it outright. A couple of my friends told me they were surprised what an effective kissing scene I could write — and they read the final version, after I'd toned it down for publication!
WWR: Love on the Air has been called "refreshingly sweet," "well-crafted," "a fun read," and "down to earth." How excited were you to receive so many good comments from readers about your first published novel?
Sierra: Very happy! I did find Love on the Air a very enjoyable book to write, and I guess I managed to communicate my enjoyment to the reader. That's so satisfying.
WWR: In Love on the Air, you introduce several characters who seem destined to have stories of their own. Do you have plans for any of those characters?
Sierra: Yes, although Yvonne — the heroine's co-worker and friend in LOVE ON THE AIR — has been giving me trouble! She jumped off the page at me so fully formed in the first book, I'm having trouble creating just the right man for her. I think she wants someone to really sweep her off her feet, so I need to make her hero a little bigger than life. But he still needs to be REAL. I know Yvonne, and the reader, won't settle for anything less.
I have much more definite ideas about the right woman for Rob, the nighttime disc jockey. But his character's got a little more growing up to do, and I see him as the last holdout at the radio station when it comes to forming a permanent commitment.
Sierra at her first book signing for Love on the Air.
Photo courtesy
Sierra Donovan
WWR: What's been the most memorable moment of your writing career?
Sierra: Getting The Call was great, and holding the published book in my hands was awesome. But my biggest thrill comes every time I hear from someone who read my book and really liked it. That probably sounds so clichéd, but it's true!
WWR: What (or who) inspired you to write romance fiction? Have you ever considered writing in another genre?
Sierra: My best friend Sharon gave me a Nora Roberts book for Christmas. I hadn't read straight-out romance since I was a teenager, but when I read it I was hooked. I read another and another and another — and then decided I just had to try it out for myself! I hadn't pursued my fiction writing in close to ten years, but that was just the burst of inspiration I needed.
Did I consider another genre? Absolutely. I was going to be the female Stephen King. Never mind the fact that my first attempt to write a book, a vampire novel, was more romance than it was horror — at the time I felt like I should apologize for that. Now I know the seed of romance was in me all the time — although I still love a good scary book or movie!
WWR: We love to hear about the journey to publication. Would you tell us about your journey? How many years did you spend writing before you had your first sale?
Sierra: What a long, strange trip it's been! I always liked to write, and started submitting short humor pieces to SEVENTEEN when I was still in high school. Within about a year they bought one for the princely sum of $15. I started submitting short stories to women's magazines in my early 20s, and sold my first (to WOMAN'S WORLD) when I was 24. A few more sales followed, to genre magazines like WEIRD TALES and AMAZING STORIES ('cause I was going to be a horror writer, remember?). Then I started on the ill-fated vampire novel, which I may return to some day — if I can ever figure out how it ends!
In my 30s, I got married — had children — and trying to write was like hitting my head against a wall. Mostly, I think it was because most of my energy went into the kids when they were small, and that was as it should be. The fact that I spent my days writing radio commercials at may have also had something to do with that. By the time I sat down to write at night, I came up empty.
When I got that book for Christmas and started writing romance, I was 42. LOVE ON THE AIR, the first book I ever finished writing, was rejected by the first publisher I sent it to, but I hit pay dirt on my second try, with Avalon.
So, total years writing and submitting romance? One. Total years writing and submitting? Twenty-eight, with some interruptions.
WWR: So, how many books do you expect to have out this time next year? Please, give us the titles and dates of your upcoming releases, and if you can, tell us a little something about your current work(s) in progress!
Sierra: I'd be thrilled to have one book out by next year! My second manuscript has had its first rejection, and it's now on its way to a second editor. It doesn't help that I don't write very fast — my kids are now 9 and 5, and still require a lot of my time and attention! I have two wips now warring for my attention. One is the sequel to LOVE ON THE AIR; the other is a Christmas story that started calling my name loudly this past holiday season.
WWR: Do you like to hear from readers? What's the strangest comment or question a reader has ever sent you?
Sierra: I love to hear from readers, and I'm so glad I thought to include my e-mail address in the copy for the jacket flap. I've heard from several readers who checked my book out of the library, including two girls who were still in high school. (That's another great thing about writing a romance that's "gentle," or clean-cut — I don't have to worry about being a bad influence!)
I wouldn't say I've gotten any strange comments, but one letter was especially surprising. It was from an 82-year-old man who said he wasn't sure why he'd picked my book off the shelf, but he was glad he had.
WWR: If you could give someone only one piece of advice about writing romance for publication, what would it be?
Sierra: ONLY one? Ouch! I'd say to be persistent, because that covers so much. Be persistent in your writing, whether it takes you a couple of months or over a year to finish a book. Be persistent in submitting; don't give up after one publisher, or one manuscript. Be persistent in improving with each manuscript — but DON'T obsess over fixing the same one over and over. Keep writing and keep growing!
