Sunday, 30 November 2014

Interrogating D.D. Chant

Meet the gorgeous DD who doesn't like to have favourites, she just loves everyone.



How do you strike the balance between writing something you want to write and writing something that people want to read, in terms of the compromises you make, if any?

I think that it’s really important for an author to write the sort of stories that they themselves would want to read. For me when I’m writing a story I’m excited to see were the plot is going to go, how the characters are going to grow and change throughout the story.
Hopefully anyone that reads my books can see my enthusiasm for my stories coming through and that it gives them extra enjoyment.


What excites, attracts or appeals to you about the genre(s) you write in.

King Soloman said that there was ‘nothing new under the sun’.
I think that’s the thing that I love most when I’m writing; the fact that, at its root, every problem and desire, every mistake, has been made a thousand times over. Nothing is new; the problems and dilemmas we face now are the same humans have always faced, they’re just wrapped differently. I find that intriguing.


Do you have a box, drawer, folder etc where you keep thoughts and ideas for future stories? Such as names you have come across, bits of dialogue, ideas, characters - even if you have no idea when you might use them?

I tend to keep a lot of ideas on the ‘notes’ of my iphone! Often I’m not in the house, or I haven’t a pen to hand, when I have an idea. So it all gets written into my phone.
Sometimes I’ll have a scene, or a plot twist, for months before I find a book to use it in!
I also have word.docs on my computer with synopses of books as yet unwritten!

How do you manage plot bunnies (ideas that invade your mind that aren’t usually helpful to the story you’re writing but breed like...er...bunnies)?

I stick ‘em in a word.doc on my computer. A high percentage of them get used in other books or further along in the story.


How much of you is in your characters? Which of your characters is the you that you’d most like to be? Or be with ?

It’s hard to answer this one.
Creating characters is difficult, your goodies have to be people that readers can respect but at the same time they have to challenge their idea of what ‘good’ is.
It’s one of the things that I really enjoy exploring when I’m writing the characters in my books: is this action by my hero only acceptable to me because he’s the hero? If the villain had done the same thing would I have condemned him as evil?
Tom in my Broken City series is very kind and gentle toward his family and the heroine, but at the same time he’s a soldier. He has killed people. He’s taken lives to protect the people he loves, regardless of the fact that the people that he has killed have loved ones too. Can he still be called a hero?

Kai in my Chronicles of Discord series has been brought up to put the good of the many over the good of the few. Yet is it always right to do so? He says that difficult decisions have to be made and he needs to be strong enough to make them. Yet isn’t that just an excuse for inhumane behaviour? Can he still be called a hero?

Leofric in my Lady Quill Chronicles series points out that he and his foster brothers are no different to the mercenaries they are chasing. They make war and plunder other peoples lands. Just because they are protecting their kingdom and their king, does that really make them any better? Can they still be called heroes?

I can’t really pick a favourite to be or be with.

I love Daegmund’s irreverence and the fact that he has his own moral code and doesn’t care if people agree with him.
I love Leofric’s determination to hide his own worries from his friends and not be a burden on them. He refuses to indulge in self-pity.
I love Shin’s fairness, his desire to do the right thing and his willingness to stand by his friends no matter what the cost.
I love Kai’s reasonableness, the fact that he can be calm and hold his temper in check no matter what the provocation.  His unwillingness to give in to his own loneliness.
I love Tom’s willingness to protect those who are weak and his love of his family.
I love Ryder’s loyalty to his brother.
I love Deeta’s innocence, Astra’s strength, Adele’s understanding and Esme’s open nature.


Do you become so wrapped up in your writing that your spouse wonders if they're married to you or one of your characters?

I’m not married, in my case it’s my mum and sister. Apparently they haven’t seen me in two or three years…
They always know what kind of scene I’ve been writing because (so they say) I take on the mood of the bit I’m working on!!!


What type of book do you like reading? Is it the same genre as you write?

I read anything with adventure and mystery to it, I also like a bit of romance but not a book that is *only* about romance. Thrillers, suspense, historical, dystopian… I’ll read everything but horror.

What lengths do you go to, to convince us readers that your book has the X factor?

I usually bribe prospective readers with brownies and fluffy pillows!


How do you feel when a reader points out the spelling mistake(s) you have made?

Thankful!
I have my books professionally proofread, but errors always creep in.


What do you like most about visiting KUF/GR/forums?

I love finding new authors and talking about books, bacon and chocolate! The online community of readers has been very welcoming to me and I’m very grateful to them!


What is on your near horizon?

I’ve just released Claire and the Big Bad Bunny, book three in my Claire series of short stories.
And later on in the month I’ll be releasing the 2nd book in my Chronicles of Discord series.
I’m also working on Broken City 3!


Where can we find you for more information?




My twitter page  https://twitter.com/DD_Chant

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