Not the Plot
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Not the Plot
Danni Line - Redemption through Romance
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Danni Line has been hooked on reading since childhood and fell in love with writing in her senior year, thanks to a crush on her English teacher. She writes Romantic Suspense and Paranormal Romance where her characters find redemption through romance. When Danni isn’t juggling life as a wife, mum, and wannabe baker who wishes she could sing, she is the Aspiring Authors Ambassador for Romance Writers of Australia. In this episode of Not the Plot host Teena Raffa-Mulligan Danni reveals her favourite phrase for prompting story ideas, how she keeps her characters under control and alerts readers to look out for hidden 'easter eggs' in her stories.
You can find out more about Danni on her website at https://danniline-author.com
Thank you for listening.
Find out more about Not the Plot host Teena Raffa-Mulligan at https://www.teenaraffamulligan.com or follow her FB author page https://www.facebook.com/TeenaRaffaMulligan You can also sign up for her occasional newsletter at http://bit.ly/2gqsJz3
Hi, and welcome to Not the Plot, a podcast that seeks out the inside stories on the creative lives of writers and artists. I'm Tina Rafa Mulligan, lifelong reader, writer, sometime artist, and daydream believer. I've always been interested in finding out what inspires writers and artists to create what they do and how they navigate the inevitable highs and lows of their creative life. Let's find out what today's guest has to say. Danny Lyne lives in coastal southern Western Australia with her family and a border collie cross named Dante. Hooked on reading since childhood, she fell in love with writing in her senior year thanks to a crush on her English teacher. She writes Romantic Suspense and Paranormal Romance, where her characters find redemption through romance. Her books have won an ARA Award and placed in competitions in the United States and New Zealand. Her short stories feature in various anthologies throughout Australia. When Danny isn't juggling life as a wife, mum, and wannabe baker who wishes she could sing, she's serving as the aspiring authors ambassador for Romance Writers of Australia. Danny, welcome to the podcast.
SPEAKER_01Thank you so much for having me, Tina.
Teena Raffa-MulliganIt's a pleasure. Let's get started with a key question. Why do you write?
SPEAKER_01Oh, that is a good question. And it's probably got lots of different answers. I have an overdeveloped sense of what is fair. And I know that life isn't always fair, but in my books, my characters receive the justice they deserve. Whether that's the justice they want might be another thing. Story ideas, my favourite phrase is, what if? What if magic was real? What if she'd said no instead of yes? A writing prompt can give me a story idea. Sometimes a photo can do a same. A one-off story can create characters who make me want to know their story too. And the next thing I know, I have a series. Sometimes a story takes life on its own, and I can't imagine me not writing. I'm not sure what else I would do if I wasn't writing and getting stories out of my head and onto the page.
Teena Raffa-MulliganYou mentioned in your bio that I looked in online that coffee is your liquid inspiration and that chocolate is a food group. Would you like to comment on that?
SPEAKER_01I'm afraid I have a terrible sweet tooth and it's a quick pick-me-up because I sometimes get so into the zone that I forget to eat properly. And sometimes I don't sleep as well, and it's probably a lot to do with the fact that I do have too much coffee and chocolate.
Teena Raffa-MulliganDo your characters stay with you overnight and you visualize scenes about what could happen the next day?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yes. They don't leave me alone until I finish their story. They're always talking to me and telling me what they're going to do next, and I'm arguing back with them, but but that's not what I've got planned for your story. And it's uh yes, I that's probably what keeps me awake night too. I'm too busy trying to tell my characters that they're supposed to do what I want them to, and they've got minds of their own.
Teena Raffa-MulliganSo, what do you do in that situation? Do you follow what your characters feel they should do? Or do you say, no, I'm the boss of this story and you're not having your say?
SPEAKER_01I think we have to compromise because sometimes they might be right, dare I not to admit that. And then sometimes it's like, no, but this is where it's going. I know this is what's working. So yes, we have to compromise when we talk to each other.
Teena Raffa-MulliganWhat's been the most important thing you've learned about yourself through your creative life?
SPEAKER_01I love that I like planting Easter eggs in stories that seem casual at first but later become pivotal, whether that's across books or within a single arc. And I'm I love when readers spot those connections. Um Easter eggs are like a hint or a character that happens early in one story or in one book, and then they appear in a later book or later in that story, and you sit there and go, Oh, that's why they said that or they did that, or that name popped up there, because it's relating to something else later.
Teena Raffa-MulliganThat's interesting. I'll have to pay very close attention when I read anything that you've written to see if I can see any Easter eggs popping up. You tend to write the same kind of stories in terms of you write series, you write romance, you write paranormal romance. Have you ever thought that you might explore other genres?
SPEAKER_01I love spooky stories. A lot of my short stories that I've won in competitions for are ghost stories, and there's not necessarily any romance in that. They're more onto the horror side of things or just the eerie things that make you look over your shoulder and wonder what's there behind you. I always thought I was a horror writer before I discovered that my characters like that kissing stuff and realised I was a romance writer too. But yeah, I do love the ghost stories.
Teena Raffa-MulliganYes, I like a bit of a spooky story too. When I was a kid, I used to go to the library with my dad to the adult library, and while he picked out his books, I would be exploring the shelves and I would scare myself silly reading real life ghost stories about the most haunted house in England, etc. He never knew that that's what I was reading while I was waiting for him.
SPEAKER_01I would have done the same thing.
Teena Raffa-MulliganDoes your love of books go back to childhood?
SPEAKER_01I think the very first book that I read that is still with me today is uh The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. And I was so fascinated about the magical world and the characters, and they I love that book as much now as I did as a child. And I'm like everybody else that loves this book, you know, we'd be waiting for that sneaky little wardrobe exit to go into the land of Narnia that unfortunately never appeared. But yeah, that was just magic to me, and I wanted to be part of that magic.
Teena Raffa-MulliganThat's as good a reason as any to write stories. Would you do anything differently now if you were starting out as a writer?
SPEAKER_01I probably wish that I'd started younger and had a bit more confidence because there's a lot of market employees now where people making videos of themselves and chatting and that sort of thing, and that sort of makes me a little bit nervous. Because I think the the younger generations have a more confidence than I did at that age. Maybe that, but everything else is learn, be open to experiences, and don't think there's only one way to learn how to write, and what's right for another author isn't necessarily what's right for you, and there's nothing wrong with that.
Teena Raffa-MulliganExactly. My feeling too. Do you ever experience writer's block? And if so, how do you overcome it?
SPEAKER_01I think I'm the opposite. I get too overwhelmed and don't know where I want to start next, or which voice is chattering the loudest in my ear. Um, if I get a scene where I'm not sure how it works, then then I will I'll get up and I'll go for a walk in the garden or take the dog for a walk, or what I call proc procrastinabaking, and I'll go bake something in the kitchen for a while and and think about it, then come back and like, oh yeah, that's what I need to do. But I wouldn't necessarily s necessarily say that's writer's block.
Teena Raffa-MulliganWhat's been the biggest challenge for you then in becoming a published author?
SPEAKER_01I think I was very lucky with becoming published that I uh entered an anthology uh uh request, and although I didn't make it into that anthology book, the owners, the publishers loved it so much that I ended up getting a three-book deal out of it, which was the beginning of the Trinket Bay series that I'm I'm currently writing the last book now. But for writing challenges in general, I think that the hardest thing I found is trying to find the time to do everything that I want to do. And I've I'm going to be terrible and admit horrible things here. When I'm in the writing zone, I have no concept of time. I was almost like to pick up a child from school once, and they might have had toast and eggs for dinner a few nights because I was too busy writing them at all time. And there's a lot to learn about writing that I don't think I realized at the start with the marketing and social media and learning the craft and balancing family life so your family doesn't forget what you look like and self-care and being protective of your boundaries. And I think you've got to try and get that all together. I I'm laughing in the background here, of getting that together to pursue your dreams, whether that's traditional publishing or self-publishing, or however you want to get your stories out into the world.
Teena Raffa-MulliganAnd it is a balancing act sometimes between finding the space and the time to express our needs creatively and looking after all of those practical, everyday things that we need to do.
SPEAKER_01Yes, if somebody could work that out and tell me how to do that, that would be great.
Teena Raffa-MulliganYes, I I think there are a lot of us who would like the answer to that question. We all just find our own way. How important is social media to you as an author? You've touched on it briefly and said that's part of one of the demands of a writing career. How do you feel about that?
SPEAKER_01It is part of it, and I don't know that I'm fabulous at it, but I know I need to learn it. So I'm I do quite like Instagram, but I'm and I'm learning that. And I'm going to have a big cheat because I've got daughters who are that age that know all about Instagram, so they help me. Yeah, it's it's learning. You have to it's part of it and you have to learn it, whether you embrace it openly or probably begrudgingly, as like I'm trying to do, but it is part of it. I wish I was better at it.
Teena Raffa-MulliganI can relate to that. Is there something you would be doing if you weren't a writer?
SPEAKER_01Oh, that's a good question too. I was always going to write a book, so I think I was always going to write. I think in my younger dance, I always wanted to be a dancer or a singer. But I think my creative creativity is definitely in the writing field. If I had to choose something, it would probably be a teacher or a teaching assistant.
Teena Raffa-MulliganOkay, so let's think about what actually inspires you most to express yourself creatively. Do you do anything aside from writing in terms of being creative?
SPEAKER_01Not unless you count baking when I'm procrastinating.
Teena Raffa-MulliganI definitely count baking.
SPEAKER_01I pot around in the garden and talk to the plants because I'm that kind of person.
Teena Raffa-MulliganIs it important to you to connect with other authors, with other people who are creating things in the book world?
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Writing can be such a lonely pursuit. You're obviously sitting there at your desk or by yourself or wherever you love to write, and you're so busy concentrating on what you're doing, the world around you seems to fade. And people who aren't writers, while they might support you, don't always get where your mind is when you're writing a story. So when you connect with other writers who get what you're saying and how you feel because they're feeling it too, and you can tell them, oh, I I killed such and such, this person, they don't look at you like you need to be carried off by the police. They understand that you've killed a character, not a real life person. It's that mentality, and you need to connect with people who make you feel that you're not quite as mad as you might think you are, perhaps. It's that sense of community is important.
Teena Raffa-MulliganYou've done a lot to support other writers through your involvement with romance writers of Australia. So can you touch on that a little bit? What drives you to support other authors?
SPEAKER_01I will have been the aspiring ambassador 10 years in next April. So I've had that volunteer job for a little while now. I love it. I love making other authors feel like they're in a safe environment where they can ask for help and express themselves without feeling judged. And that was the whole idea of what I put into the aspiring group.
Teena Raffa-MulliganFor someone who was dreaming of becoming an author and not really knowing what direction they should take, is there any advice you would give them?
SPEAKER_01You can go to your local library and find if there's any writing groups there. So find your community, find people that you can talk to about writing and all the experiences with there.
Teena Raffa-MulliganWhat advice would you give to someone who wanted to become a writer?
SPEAKER_01I think I've touched on it before. There is no one way to write. You can listen to advice and try different things to find out what works for you. But don't think that you're a failure because somebody else, what works for somebody else, doesn't work for you. You're still finding your groove. Read a lot. Connect with other writers, find a community, um, join a writing or critique group. If they don't feel like the right fit for you, find another group. You don't have to stay in that group if you don't feel that that's where you need to be. Um, and do your research, even if most of it never appears in your book.
Teena Raffa-MulliganSpeaking of research and finding the right way to write that works for you, can you just step us through your particular writing process?
SPEAKER_01I am what they call a plantster. So I don't plot out my book so that I know every single detail and every step of the way. And I am not a pantser, which means I just start writing and see where the story leads me. But I am definitely a bit of both. So I will have a I don't write a thing until I've got story and the characters in my head. So I don't write anything down until I know my characters, I know how the book ends, and I know how the book begins. I do have a problem of having a what they call a sogging middle, so I might get stuck somewhere along the way. And the first half of the book with me built my world building and thinking about my characters is probably a little bit longer until I get to that halfway point, and then everything sort of just flows. I love the second half of the book more than the first half when it comes to writing, but I will have maybe like a fish scale, I don't know, they still call it this, a fish scale plan. Well, I'll have an expected, for example, I'm going to write 30 chapters in a book, and I'll have four to five sentences of where each chapter of what I think is going to happen. And for the most part, I will follow those guidelines, whether they're prompt sentences or they're ideas. And then sometimes my characters will go, but no, I want to do this, so I'll go off on a little tangent. But I've always got that guideline or that fish go of chapters to bring me back into line again. So that was probably a roundabout way of saying how I work.
Teena Raffa-MulliganThat makes sense. I'm trying to be more of a planner than a pantser because too many times I end up at the end of a chapter and have absolutely no idea what happens next. So it's not what I would recommend for anyone who uh really likes to know this happens and then that happens and then that's how we finish the story.
SPEAKER_01We're all different, and that's a good thing.
Teena Raffa-MulliganAnd obviously, too, there are so many different readers out there that there is a reader for everyone. As long as you write the best story that you can and find that reader who will connect with the story that you've written. Are there any particular authors that have had a very strong influence on you as a writer?
SPEAKER_01In the early years when I loved all the spooky stuff, I have s I love Stephen King and Dean Coots because they have a gift of turning something ordinary and every day into something so much more sinister, and I loved that. Um so then my characters decided they were doing all this kissing stuff where I was like, okay, maybe I'm doing embrace romance. Um, but there are a few local authors here that I love. Uh Carolyn Wren, I would read everything she writes. Louisa West, because she's she's a very amazing paranormal story, so that brings in my whole witchy vibe and the curses and the whole what if thing. Uh Polly Holmes is another favourite. She writes cozy mysteries. And uh Tina yourself, I loved your after goodbye book.
Teena Raffa-MulliganOh, thank you. Thank you for that. Yeah, we never know when we're writing a story what sort of a reception we're going to get. Uh have you ever had a review that really put you off track? Or do you just think, okay, some people are going to like this book, other people are not, and I shall just carry on regardless?
SPEAKER_01Uh Wenita Keyes, oh, I attended one of her workshops and it was talking about the the dreaded one-star review and how you turn that around, and you can either be upset about it for a little while but move on from it, or you can think about did they have a valid point? Is there something you can work on? Or you can simply look at that review and go, they are not my reader. And I loved that. And I thought, yep, that's it. So if I see a one-star review, they're not my reader. I I've I had one recently and all that they wrote was another writer who can't write a book without putting in a swear word in it.
Teena Raffa-MulliganAnd that was that's all it was. We simply don't know what's going to offend a reader or appeal to them. So as you say, we write what we write because that's who we are and what we need to write in terms of storytelling, and then we put it out there in the hope that it will reach the readers that connect with it, because we have no control once we've actually put a book out there over the response of those who read it.
SPEAKER_01That's correct. I've also got on my website what I called a content chat, and then I'll just have little notes about my books and what you sh what to expect in them, and um if if you are upset by a certain thing that might be in this book, then maybe this book isn't for you. But it's like a a warning or a a guideline disappears in this book.
Teena Raffa-MulliganDo you think that seems to be required more now than it's ever been? I never heard of trigger warnings when I was uh younger and just reading anything that I wanted to read, and if something bothered me, I just put the book aside. I didn't expect the author to have given me a warning that you might be upset by this scene. So that seems to have changed to me.
SPEAKER_01I I see it a lot more, and I thought, well, maybe it'd be the right thing to do a very basic overview on my website. I don't put it in my books. But the thing is, we we can never know what's going to upset somebody. And uh it's hard to say you can't be responsible for another person's reaction to a story.
Teena Raffa-MulliganExactly.
SPEAKER_01So I yes, I can understand what you're saying, so it's it's a hard one. I'm not really sure.
Teena Raffa-MulliganThere's also a lot more talk about censorship and about what we should be allowed to write and what we shouldn't be allowed to write. Do you have any thoughts on that?
SPEAKER_01I think that comes back to research. If you're going to write a c about a character who is outside of your lived experience, there are sites where you can connect with people who would maybe read the scenes that you're concerned about and give you advice. I don't I try not to write characters outside my lived experience, and I wouldn't without with some help, without some guidelines.
Teena Raffa-MulliganI feel the same way. You mentioned early on that you can't imagine yourself not writing. So here's hoping that you continue to produce your stories for a very long time to come and that they find the readers who really connect and appreciate them. Thank you so much for joining me today. It's been lovely to chat with you.
SPEAKER_01Thank you so much again for having me.
Teena Raffa-MulliganThank you for listening to this episode of Not the Plot. I hope you've enjoyed the conversation and will join me again as I find out the inside stories on the creative lives of writers and artists. Until then, I'm Tina Raffa Mulligan, saying goodbye for now and happy creating.