Author name: Danielle M. Orsino
Please tell us about your publications/work.
A fantasy epic adventure of heartbreak, hope and rebirth — Birth of Fae: Locked Out of Heaven. The book was born from my time working as a nurse and treating a patient who needed some distraction during long I.V. treatment sessions. I jump into the realm of angels, fairies, dragons and mermaids retelling their origins from a new perspective .
How did you become involved with bundles? (For Bundle Authors)
Stephanie Rabell my PR rep.
Do you think the written word (or art) bring power and freedom? Yes it levels the playing field and gives people a voice.
What piece of advice do you wish you’d had when you started your publishing journey? so much, there are scammers just waiting to pounce, don’t doubt yourself. The whole “if you write it they will come.” line doesn’t work. YOU have to work at it. The publishing world is a game like anything else and you need to learn it.
What’s your greatest networking tip? Book clubs, and the bookstagram community are phenomenal be appreciative of them.
If you could have dinner with any literary character or author who would you choose, and what would you eat. Shannon Mayer or Laurel K. Hamilton. I have to know how Laurel writes her sex scenes and how Shannon can write so many different characters and tie her universe together she is truly prolific. A food old fashion Italian family style dinner.
How much research do you do for your work? What’s the wildest subject you’ve looked at? I have done a lot of religious text research and looked at tons of conspiracy theories for book four. So probably the shadow government stuff dealing with the supernatural was pretty weird.
How influential is storytelling to our culture? It’s ingrained in our culture when you think about it, storytelling was our first real source of verbal entertainment.
What’s the best advice you’ve received about writing/publishing? Be yourself.
What’s the worst piece best advice you’ve received about writing/publishing? Change for your audience.
If you could be any fantasy/mythical or legendary person/creature what would you be and why? A Fae.
Which authors have influenced you the most? Ann Rice, Laurel K. Hamilton, for their fearlessness. Jim Henson and Walt Disney for their ways of showing how to craft a story.
What is your writing space like? I handwrite all my books first so my space is anywhere.
Tell us about your latest piece? I am editing book four, but we are getting ready to release Book two in which the Fae will see what happens when you can’t remember why you started a war and how it has affected their kin and their human worshippers. We will see the Fae in the end of Tudor England and the beginnings of Queen Mary the first.
What’s your next writing adventure? In book Four the Fae will be in the 21st century and I am currently editing book four and about 25 chapters into book five.
What are your views on authors offering free books? Do you believe, as some do, that it demeans an author and his or her work? NO I think the more people who read the better, price and money should never be an obstacle, reading is not a privilege it is a right that everyone has.
What are your views on authors commenting on reviews? Depends. if the review is inaccurate and coming from a nasty place and the author feels they are being demeaned it is up to them same if it’s a touching review and they want to say thank you they should.
How do you deal with bad reviews? I am working on dealing with the reviews. I negate the best and the worst, together. Each review has merit. The ones that bother me are when its clear the person has a bias because I am a female author. An example is the subject of romance; I have had reviews about people wanting more romance. I have said book one has no romance. But because I am a female author they feel I should have romance. The reviews are bad because it is someone else’s opinion about me as a female author and their assumption. The book does not really get a fair shot. I have also had a few people have issues with the religious subject matter so I have warned people of the religious undertones some are offended by that and the violence which once again coming from a woman colours their view and the book. The reviews usually say something like “the religious stuff doesn’t bother me but…” and they go one to pan the book. It is clear the religious subject matter was an issue or “The violence is not appropriate for YA readers.” but my book is not listed for YA, I had someone write “for a woman she is angry and violent.” I am a world-class martial artist of course I write great fight scenes! Those are the types of reviews which bother me but, I am learning to deal with them. Everyone in entitled to their opinion and I respect it.
Sort these into order of importance:
Great characters
Good plot
Awesome world-building
Technically perfect
With the influx of indie authors do you think this is the future of storytelling? I hope so, I think the big publishing machine has controlled and limited the voices long enough it is time for a change.
Is this the age of the e-book? Are bricks and mortar bookshops in decline? no I don’t think physical books are in decline but the way we shop is changing, the versatility of e-books can’t be denied. I think to each their own, I love the way a book feels in my hand and the magic of opening it.
Are indie/self published authors viewed with scepticism or wariness by readers? Why is this? I believe there is still a stigma and lack of validation that a big publisher did not “chose” you to publish so readers are still unsure to spend their hard earned money on you as an author which is unfair, many indie publishers have educated themselves on the ins and outs of the publishing world and do not want to be anchored to the contracts and want control of their works.
What is your greatest success? Sitting down to write and having the guts to introduce my version of the Fae to the world.
How important is writing/art to you? it has become like air.
What are your hopes for the coming year? To have more readers enter into the Veil and perhaps forget their reality for a little while. The greatest joy for an author is to be someone’s tour guide into the world they have created.
Tell us a silly fact about yourself. I dressed up as Wonder Woman every year for the first 10 years of my life every Halloween. Then I went to see Lynda Carter perform a few years ago in concert and I dressed up as Wonder Woman because it was a few days before Halloween. Guess what I was the only one dressed up.
What did you want to be when you ‘grew up’? Wonder Woman I wrote essays about it
Links to book
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/birth-of-the-fae-danielle-marie-orsino/1136777080
https://bookshop.org/books/birth-of-the-fae-locked-out-of-heaven/9781734764505
https://www.amazon.com/Birth-Fae-Locked-out-Heaven/dp/173476452X
