January 9th, 2025 → 10:49 am @ Robin Donovan
With a backdrop of Switzerland, Robin Donovan paints a beautiful picture of the countryside as she introduces new characters and brings back to stage others from previous books. Does It Count As Saving A Life If You Just Don’t Kill Someone? is the newest book in Robin’s repertoire of fun murder adventures. Combined with graphically mouthwatering food and wine descriptions, this book will leave you hungry for the next!January 9th, 2025 → 10:38 am @ Robin Donovan
(January 9, 2025)—Robin Leemann Donovan announces the launch of her forth cozy mystery novel, Does It Count As Saving A Life If You Just Don’t Kill Anyone?, published by Gracie Dancer, LLC.
Friends in real life, as well as avid supporters of each other’s books, Dominique and Robin decided to form the fictional team of Dominique and Donna to solve a mystery occurring on the ski slopes of Engelberg, Switzerland.
Dominique Gisin was the winner of the gold medal in the Downhill at the 2014 Olympics, tying with Slovenian Tina Maze. Her victory inspired many people all around the world especially because Dominique achieved it after an almost unprecedented injury record (i.e. four knee and five other operations) combined with many other setbacks. She has also won several World Cup races in the Downhill and Super-G disciplines and for many years she ranked in the top 10 skiers in the world in the Downhill discipline. Dominique also established herself in the world top 15 for three other alpine disciplines. She has authored several books on her journey to the top and currently works as a motivational speaker. She has also holds a commercial pilot’s license.
Robin Leemann Donovan is the author of the award-winning blog Menologues, a humorous, yet informative, look at the trials and tribulations of menopause by someone who’s been there. She was born and raised in New Jersey, but lived and worked in Connecticut for a number of years before moving to Nebraska in 1999 to work at the, then global company, Bozell. She recently retired and sold Bozell to a group of employees. Experiences from each place she lived have been incorporated into the heroine of her series, Donna Leigh. In this, her forth in the series, Donna Leigh shares the role of heroine with Dominique Gisin.
Donna Leigh is a menopausal former ad exec. When Donna is drawn into the friendship between her husband Jon and Olympic Gold Medalist, Dominique Gisin, she decides to explore her own Swiss ancestry. With the help of husband Jon and advice from
Dominique they are able to discover an existing family with blood ties to Donna. And so, the adventure begins.
As they continue to learn about Donna’s Swiss relatives, they are stunned by the fact that the family’s 16-year old daughter is beginning to pursue a ski racing career after overcoming some overwhelming physical odds. This can be no coincidence. It is arranged that Dominique will do some preliminary work with this young girl to help determine the best course for her to pursue. After a few weeks of working together, Dominique suggests that the Leighs travel to Switzerland to meet their relatives and watch this young athlete as she progresses through these early career stages toward her goal.
Shortly after arriving in Switzerland, there is a tragic accident on the slopes. Is it an accident or is it murder? Was the dead person the intended victim, or are some of the young racers at risk? Dominique and Donna team up to solve this puzzling and tragic event and restore tranquility to the majestic Mt. Titlis ski area in Engelberg.
As they work to solve the mystery, Dominique shares many of the fascinating insider details of training in order to become a world class ski racer.
The idea for The Donna Leigh Mystery series? was originally rooted in Donovan’s frustrations with the stereotypes about menopausal and post-menopausal women.
“As I continued on my own journey through menopause and I met many exceptional women along the way, I realized that the world was sadly mistaken about us. They needed to be told.
“Donna Leigh is a menopausal woman, but you don’t have to be menopausal to relate to her. She could be your mother or your aunt, but she could just as easily be your co-worker and friend. She’s not every menopausal woman, but she is representative of the dynamic and vivacious qualities that exist in the majority of menopausal women today.”
In this, her forth novel, Donovan celebrates the triumphs achievable by women in more than just her own now post-menopausal world. She illustrates how, in working together as a team, multi-generational women can make a significant impact in any number of endeavors. Donna Leigh, a post-menopausal sleuth and Dominique Gisin, a former world class athlete who has not yet reached middle age, combine their talents to assist Swiss police/polizei in solving a most challenging mystery. They do so in a way that immerses their audience in the world of training alpine athletes as well as that of amateur sleuthing, all the while providing entertainment and an abundance of laughter.
Does It Count As Saving A Life If You Just Don’t Kill Someone? is available for sale in paperback through the rldonovan.com or directly from Amazon Books.
About Dominique Gisin
At the age of 17 Dominique had already endured 4 knee surgeries and had been written off by most coaches, advisors, experts and even doctors. But Dominique Gisin won the Olympic Gold in 2014 in Sochi, along with many other top racing achievements. She is the author of the book Making it Happen From Engelberg to Sochi and she and her sister Michelle along with her long-time performance and sports psychologist, Dr. Christian Marcolli created the book A True Athlete. Dominique currently works as a motivational speaker and she holds a commercial pilot’s license.
Dominique hails from an athletic family. Her sister, Michelle is also a Olympic gold medal winner and her brother, Marc, has been quite successful in the World Cup. Dominique graduated from the Sports School in Engelberg, the home of an inordinately large number of Olympic medalists. She was raised in Engadin, and currently resides in Engelberg.
At Dominique’s request, 25% of all proceeds for this book will be donated to: Passion Schneesport for all the upcoming ski stars and their families.
October 13th, 2023 → 4:07 pm @ Robin Donovan
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s #Humorous #Cozy: I DON’T KNOW WHY THEY KILLED HIM, A Donna Leigh Mystery Book 3 by Robin Leemann Donovan #Recipe ~ Linguine with Tuna, Olives, & Capers
May 29th, 2021 → 4:51 pm @ Robin Donovan
Our sponsor, Women’s Writes Publishing and Author Services: https://www.womenswrites.net/PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON PAGE TO SUPPORT THESE VIDEOS: https://www.patreon.com/posts/51776022
January 12th, 2021 → 5:13 pm @ Robin Donovan
@bookologylive
elia: WHAT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF YOUR ARTISTIC PROCESS?
Robin Leemann Donovan: Editing, when I don’t have a clear picture of whether or not the editor is on board with my plans for the plot. For example, my books are mostly about comedy and secondarily about murder mysteries. One of my editors got very angry because he said instead of having my characters brought to the police station for questioning and released, I missed an opportunity of having them brought to trail and put in jail – thus missing the entire point of everything I was trying to do. I asked my publisher to remove that editor from my book – and they did.
Romelia: DOES YOUR FAMILY SUPPORT YOUR CAREER AS A WRITER?
Robin Leemann Donovan: Absolutely, although most of them don’t really know the best way to support an author (as most people don’t, I.e. tell them you love it – but also write a review, buy copies as gifts, etc.), but the encouragement and praise are priceless.
Romelia: IF YOU HAD TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENTLY AS A CHILD OR TEENAGER TO BECOME A BETTER WRITER AS AN ADULT, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Robin Leemann Donovan: I would have started writing novels much earlier. I didn’t start until I was in my 50’s.
Romelia: HOW LONG ON AVERAGE DOES IT TAKE YOU TO WRITE A BOOK?
Robin Leemann Donovan: That’s a tough one. The first one took three months – which was a shock to me – it all just came tumbling out. I wrote the second one in between editing and proofing and promoting the first book. So there were a whole lot of interruptions along the way. The same is true of the third book – I was working on editing, proofing the second and marketing both the first and second. So after the first, it was about a year to a year and a half due to stopping and starting.
Romelia: DO YOU BELIEVE IN WRITER’S BLOCK?
Robin Leemann Donovan: Not really. I think if you’re blocked maybe you’re not writing what you should be. I tried writing a fictionalized version of a very painful event in my life – I was more blocked than unblocked. When the lawyers decided it was risky to publish something so incendiary I went on to write comedic murder mysteries – and I have never looked back. the writing is more fun that I could ever have imagined, it’s actually hard for me to stop myself once I get started. And I only start when I’m in the mood – which is almost always.
Romelia: AT WHAT POINT DO YOU THINK SOMEONE SHOULD CALL THEMSELVES A WRITER?
Robin Leemann Donovan: After you have written the entire piece, edited, proofed and published it (either independently or through a variety of publishing options) and have started to market it.
Romelia: WHAT DIFFERENCE DO YOU SEE BETWEEN A WRITER AND AN AUTHOR?
Robin Leemann Donovan: For many years I was a writer. I blogged my way through the internet on a variety of topics. Technically, I authored those pieces, but I didn’t view myself as an author until I had a novel that was selling.
Romelia: HOW DO YOU PROCESS AND DEAL WITH NEGATIVE BOOK REVIEWS?
Robin Leemann Donovan: After years of getting reviews both good and bad, it becomes easy to spot the majority of bad interviews which are clearly from people who: Hate your genre or are just plain trolls. There are a few who just don’t appreciate your particular style – and that’s fair – although I personally don’t write reviews when the style I’m reading doesn’t appeal to me.
We are told to ignore bad reviews, so I do. It does annoy me that they lower my rating on amazon – but everyone gets them. I actually had one reviewer say mine was the worst book they’d ever read – I laughed out loud at that one – clearly they haven’t read much. Another troll declared they couldn’t stomach reading past page 60 – and then they complained about a scene on page 200 – there’s definitely a shady trend here.
Romelia: WHAT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF YOUR WRITING PROCESS?
Robin Leemann Donovan: Not being able to write whenever I feel like it. When the mood strikes me I just like to sit down and start writing, sometimes for eight hours with very short breaks. But I also don’t force myself when I’m not in the mood – I did that once and found that I wrote very little and none of it was good.
Romelia: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING OR WHEN DID YOU START?
Robin Leemann Donovan: I have been writing since I could first pick up a pencil, but I didn’t start writing cozy mysteries until I was in my early 50’s. And while it’s a whole lot of work, I just wish I could have started at least a decade earlier – because it has been so very rewarding.
Romelia: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A WRITER WORKING ON THEIR FIRST BOOK?
Robin Leemann Donovan: Before you even start writing, manage your expectations. Even Malcom Gladwell said in his blog “we don’t make money on our books, we hope they help us gain recognition so we can get paid speaking gigs.” And even that only happens to a small percentage of authors. That said, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Romelia: WHAT, TO YOU, ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF GOOD WRITING?
Robin Leemann Donovan: A basic knowledge of good grammar so that when you break the rules it’s deliberate. I think you also have to be a proven talented storyteller, so that you can capture the imagination of your reader.
Romelia: WHAT COMES FIRST FOR YOU – THE PLOT OR THE CHARACTERS – AND WHY?
Robin Leemann Donovan: I create them simultaneously. As I start down a road for the plot, I determine whether or not any of my existing characters will work in the scenario – and if none do, I create a new character or occasionally change that segment of the plot for one that fits my existing characters.
Romelia: HOW DO YOU DEVELOP YOUR PLOT AND CHARACTERS?
Robin Leemann Donovan: I’ll give you an example. In my first book, I had my basic cast of characters. One thing that I felt would be critical was for my protagonist, Donna Leigh, to be humble, to be able to laugh at herself and to be human enough to have clearly visible flaws. That’s when I invented her alter ego, Clovis Cordoba Seville. Clovis is an extreme narcissist who never fails to find massive fault with Donna. And even though there might be more than a hint of truth in some of her assaults on Donna, Clovis’ level of drama makes everything she says and does laughable – at least I hope it does. And it helps to elicit the characteristics I want from Donna Leigh.
Romelia: WHEN DID YOU FIRST CALL YOURSELF A WRITER?
Robin Leemann Donovan: At a very early age my parents labeled me “the writer” and my sister “the artist.” I have always been “the Writer”. – even if only through letters to friends and family – I always got great reviews on them – I could always make them laugh – and that has never changed. 15 years ago my business partner urged me to create a blog on menopause. Menologues was a trailblazer in giving women practical information on menopause that was not dry as dust. After publishing Menologues for several months, it was republished on Vibrant Nation and on all top. It also won some awards. That made the “writer” moniker feel more real. And that’s why my series features a menopausal protagonist.
At one point, A reacquainted friend from high school wrote and told me she shared menologues with a friend who was starting on menopause and feeling terrified. she swore my blog saved her life. That alone made all of my hard work completely worthwhile and so rewarding.
Romelia: HOW DO YOU USE SOCIAL MEDIA AS AN AUTHOR?
Robin Leemann Donovan: I use Facebook to connect with other authors and to find invaluable interview opportunities. Once these are public, I post them on Facebook(my home page, my author page and my series page, linked in, and my website (rldonovan.com). the connections through Facebook are more prolific than the sales.
Romelia: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE AND LEAST FAVORITE PART OF PUBLISHING?
Robin Leemann Donovan: My favorite part is when you first hold that final proofing copy in your hand. My least favorite part is waiting to find out if your newly assigned editor “gets you” and “gets your work.” When that doesn’t happen it’s a nightmare. I once had an editor tell me that I couldn’t reference the soft drink as coke, I had to call it coca cola.
Another one told me I couldn’t use “shit” when my character spills coffee on her blouse on her way into a meeting, “people really say, damn,” he corrected. Not in my world they don’t! My dialogue is extremely precise to the specific characters, messing with that messes with my whole brand. Hmmm, does that make me a diva?
Romelia: WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO AN AUTHOR WHO WANTED TO DESIGN THEIR OWN COVER?
Robin Leemann Donovan: In my experience very few people are gifted as authors and graphic artists alike. It’s not impossible, but its so rare. And by that I mean, if you design an awesome cover for your novel, maybe it’s not as good a read as you think. All of my covers were designed by designers in my ad agency. When they would ask my opinion, I always reminded them that they were the designers – I always used their recommendations for the best possible design impact. Do what you do best – don’t try to be best at everything, it’s just not realistic.
Romelia: HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE YOU WRITTEN AND WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE?
Robin Leemann Donovan: The Donna Leigh mytery series has three books: is it still murder even if she was a bitch, I didn’t kill her but that may have been shortsighted and I don’t know why they killed him he wasn’t really that annoying. All three are my babies and all three have elements that I love the most. The first was the easiest to write, the next two were more of a challenge because I didn’t want to make them formulaic. In the first book it was all about advertising in Omaha. In the second book, my protagonist has to make a trip back to Connecticut where she used to live and the third book takes place in an advertising venue, but is really all about the wine industry. They all feature pairing food and wine at some point.
Romelia: WHAT PART OF THE BOOK DID YOU HAVE THE HARDEST TIME WRITING?
Robin Leemann Donovan: My third book was the hardest to write. I forced myself to write the first half while the second book was being edited. I was afraid if I didn’t have it at least half finished I would never get around to writing a third book. That first half sat for almost 2 years. When I finally got back to it I hated it. Too lazy to scrap all that work I spent some time trying to come up with a way to make it work with minor editing.
After a few weeks, I came up with an ending I loved and a mechanism to make the first half work with that ending. Once those changes were made, I absolutely fell in love with my third book. I would not have thought that possible. I’ve never written the ending before finishing the whole book before – if I planned it, it would not have worked out as well.
Romelia: WHAT PART OF THE BOOK WAS THE MOST FUN TO WRITE?
Robin Leemann Donovan: All of the funny parts – and I hope there are a lot. I laughed my way through all three books – and when I reread them now, I still laugh out loud!
Romelia: WHICH OF THE CHARACTERS DO YOU RELATE TO THE MOST AND WHY?
Robin Leemann Donovan: My protagonist, Donna Leigh. She is roughly based on my life. Like me, she is a menopausal owner of an ad agency in Omaha, Ne. They say write about what you know and there’s nothing I know about more than myself.
Romelia: IF YOU’RE PLANNING A SEQUEL. CAN YOU SHARE A TINY BIT ABOUT YOUR PLANS FOR IT?
Robin Leemann Donovan: I have been thinking about a 4th book in the series. I already have a working title and I plan to have one of the staff members in donna leigh’s ad agency get murdered – which would keep it close to home and spawn even more drama. I would love to write a 4th book because the writing of this series is so much fun for me – but I do realize that I owe it to my other three books to spend some serious time in marketing them.
Romelia: TELL US SOMETHING FUNNY ABOUT YOUR ADULT LIFE.
Robin Leemann Donovan: My husband and I went to a colleague’s wedding. I was wearing my favorite LBD (little black dress) but still wasn’t feeling as fabulous as I’d hoped. We left the party on the early side and I was grumbling the whole time. To make matters worse, I had broken a fingernail. When we got home, my husband went to his office om the first level and I went up to the master suite on the third level. I started to get undressed and then I grabbed a brand new bottle of nail glue to fix my break. Opening the glue was a huge pain and when I finally wrenched it open it had very little glue – great another problem. I did my best with the fingernail and then moved on to other ablutions. After a few minutes I moved to go back into the bedroom – and found I was glued tight to the bathroom floor. Apparently, the glue bottle had broken, dumping the whole bottle onto my bathroom tiles and my foot. Using my little gray cells I started to search for something sharp – to help me peel my foot off the tile – there was nothing within reach. I then tried to pull my foot free – and realized immediately that I would lose the whole bottom of the foot. Not wanting to end up on you tube, I hesitated to call my husband – but after 20 minutes I didn’t care anymore. I yelled for about 20 minutes to no avail. Finally, he decided to come upstairs to change his clothing. To his credit, he took one look at me and ran to the garage to grab the goo gone, freeing my foot before collapsing into hysterical laughter. I’d like to say that this was an unusual event in my life – but I’d be lying.
Romelia: DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN A FEW SENTENCES. TELL US SOMETHING WE DO NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU AND SOMETHING YOU HATE ABOUT THE WORLD.
Robin Leemann Donovan: I started as an English teacher in Watertown, Ct, then I switched to advertising and worked in Connecticut agencies for 17 years. When I applied for a job in the Omaha, Nebraska office of a global ad agency it was a great fit except for one thing, they wanted me for my DRTV planning and buying experience. I kept telling them I didn’t have any – I had direct mail and TV buying but not DR TV buying experience. They hired me anyway (hearing what they wanted to hear I guess) – I scrambled to learn what I didn’t know and ended up owning that ad agency for 20 years.
I love animals. And I’m thrilled that my ad agency has and still does stellar work for the Henry Doorly Zoo – on of the top 5 zoos in the world and a huge contributor to worldwide conservation.
I hate that there is suffering in the world.https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_RIldnS1Jtphnkr&asin=B017T8X3EU&tag=kpembed-20IS IT STILL MURDER EVEN IS SHE WAS A BITCH?, ROBIN LEEMANN DONOVAN
Sunt un om asa cum vor altii sa fiu, am o viata asa cum vor altii sa o am si zâmbesc doar pentru ca asa trebuie nu pentru ca asa simt eu.Vezi toate posturile scrise de Romelia LunguReclameblob:https://rldonovan.com/134c016d-6d32-48da-849e-b686536ca055RAPORTEAZĂ ACEASTĂ RECLAMĂ
Select LanguageEnglishAfrikaansAlbanianAmharicArabicArmenianAzerbaijaniBasqueBelarusianBengaliBosnianBulgarianCatalanCebuanoChichewaChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CorsicanCroatianCzechDanishDutchEsperantoEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchFrisianGalicianGeorgianGermanGreekGujaratiHaitian CreoleHausaHawaiianHebrewHindiHmongHungarianIcelandicIgboIndonesianIrishItalianJapaneseJavaneseKannadaKazakhKhmerKinyarwandaKoreanKurdish (Kurmanji)KyrgyzLaoLatinLatvianLithuanianLuxembourgishMacedonianMalagasyMalayMalayalamMalteseMaoriMarathiMongolianMyanmar (Burmese)NepaliNorwegianOdia (Oriya)PashtoPersianPolishPortuguesePunjabiRussianSamoanScots GaelicSerbianSesothoShonaSindhiSinhalaSlovakSlovenianSomaliSpanishSundaneseSwahiliSwedishTajikTamilTatarTeluguThaiTurkishTurkmenUkrainianUrduUyghurUzbekVietnameseWelshXhosaYiddishYorubaZuluPowered by Translate
Caută:
December 10th, 2018 → 10:33 pm @ Robin Donovan
I usually write all day Saturday and Sunday when I’m working on a novel. I have a portable writing desk and I make myself comfortable on our sectional sofa surrounded by my ipad for thesaurus needs, coffee or diet soda and my three bulldogs and their various antics.
My favorite part of the day is when I can wind down a writing session with a glass of white wine. In the summer I take it out onto the deck and breath in all the beauties of the outdoors. In the winter, I get the fire going and watch nature through large windows and skylights. It’s almost as though my diligence during the day has earned me the right to relax and enjoy nature – and wine.
Sharing ideas
Much of my first novel was written on a ski trip to Utah. After a day of skiing, I would sit in front of a fourteen-foot high window in our rental house, drinking white wine, gazing at the mountains and waiting for deer to pass by. It was amazing how much work I was able to get done in an hour or two each afternoon.
Conversely, when editing, I sit rigidly at the desk in my home office and plow through chapter after chapter. Even those areas that require a fair amount of writing do not get me to budge from my dedicated station. And I don’t look out the windows located behind me,
While writing or editing, I constantly save my work. I save two copies to a flash drive and two copies to my desktop. Whenever I get up to go to the bathroom, take a phone call, grab a bite or get out of the way of a determined bulldog – I save my file four times, sometimes eight when I want to double check. Hmmm, I guess I’m quirkier than I thought.
October 22nd, 2018 → 6:03 pm @ Robin Donovan
Hide things – who me? Hell yes, I’ve hidden a ton. So, you’re asking me to give it all up now? Let’s see where I can begin. Book one, Is It Still Murder Even If She Was A Bitch?, was written after a small group, lead by one of my business partners, who had a fairly public breakdown, tried to stage a coup and throw the other two of us out of our company. There are numerous veiled references to the details of the coup, e.g. wanting financial gain without having to invest, etc. One of the less savory characters in the book has the combined name of two of the conspirators. I could go on, but that would be too much of a spoiler alert. Let’s just say the murder victim will not be sorely missed. And suffice it to say the coup was unsuccessful.
In book two, I Didn’t Kill Her But That May Have Been Short Sighted, a great deal of the back story consists of true events from my early days in advertising. Although they’re not exactly hidden, the reader would never know fact from fiction. The inspiration for the murder victim actually did all of those obnoxious things. The events leading directly up to the murder, however, are all carefully crafted fiction. The hidden part consists of numerous little character traits and foibles that paint a startlingly accurate picture of my victim, right down to the physical description. Once you know the facts, you would never question the accuracy of the fiction. The portrayal of B.J. comes from years of watching and listening to her inspirations’ unprincipled behavior.
In book three, I Don’t Know Why They Killed Him He Wasn’t Really That Annoying, the major hidden message lies in the treatment of one of my former partners. He had joined the company shortly after “the coup” and was fine for a few years. Then had his own version of a breakdown. He’s featured in the first two books as my valued partner and legendary smart ass, Donny Miller. He makes an excellent foil to my protagonist, Donna Leigh. By the time I started writing this third book, the inspiration for Donny’s character had exited the company in a most contentious fashion. Throughout the book, there are references to his departure that are in reality private jokes.
Reading through my response I arrive at two conclusions: I have actually hidden quite a bit (and this is only the tip of the iceberg) and it’s unhealthy to be my business partner if you’re a man.
https://www.thewritingking.com/secrets-books/?fbclid=IwAR3F_vhNDIaNQUDm28fotuhdM1hKDJeGWIj-znKbA9ZI6Vr30QO-9ZdJUl0
October 8th, 2018 → 8:05 pm @ Robin Donovan
Writer Spectacle
Featured Writers
n
What kind of content do you mostly write?
humorous cozy mysteries
How long have you been writing?
novels – 8 years
How many hours do you dedicate to writing per week on average?
8 hours on Saturday and Sunday – when I’m writing a novel
Do you have any formal education, mentoring, or experience related to writing?
I was an English major and took creative writing classes
In one sentence, what motivates you to write?
I have a huge amount of fun when I’m writing comedy.
Do you have any funny or unusual writing habits?
When I was working with a publisher and I would get the manuscript back all marked up, I would have a have a one-sided dialogue as I read through manuscript. If I disagreed with the comment i would become indignant and sometimes yell my objections, and when I felt the comment was an improvement on my work I would complimemt the manuscript graciously. I often wondered how entertaining a video of me reading my manuscript comments would be.
Pick an excerpt from any of your writing that you’re really proud of
“You mean Donny was killed because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time? A victim of circumstance?”
“That’s about it.”
In all the years I knew Donny, through all his bark and bluster, I knew the one thing he would hate about this was the fact that he was insignificant in his own death.
What advice, if any, would you give to a fellow writer who has just been rejected by several large publishers and told he or she has zero chance to make it as a writer?
If you are certain that the work has merit there are other avenues than the large publishers. You owe it to yourself to investigate another way to get your work out there.
What is the most important tip that you can offer other writers?
Manage your expectations. If your work is great and the feedback you get is consistantly positive, that still doesn’t mean you’ll ever be Janet Evanovich. You have to understand and be okay with that. Even if you don’t make millions from your work, there are moments that will make it one of the top 5 (or even 3) experiences of your life.
What would you say are some common traps that aspiring writers should avoid?
That the work is so good they don’t need an editor or a proofreader.
That acclaim will come to you and you won’t have to work your butt off for everything you get.
That you HAVE to take every piece of advice from your editor.
Have you had any adversity or challenges surrounding your writing career? If yes, what?
I wrote the first half of my third book while I was getting ready to edit my second book. When I went back to it after two years, it was just awful. I honestly didn’t think it could be salvaged. I spent some time thinking and came up with an ending that wouldn’t have been possible two years earlier. Once I had that ending, I was able to go back and edit the first half. Then I absolutely loved it and finished the second half of the book with relative ease. I never expected to like that book – and I love it. It would have been extremely defeating to have had to abandon all that work.
A direct link to your most proud of written work
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_13?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=donna+leigh+mysteries&sprefix=Donna+leigh+m%2Caps%2C159&crid=2AVA1BUQ9T752
Amazon link to: Donna Leigh Mysteries
Your website or blog
www.rldonovan.com
If a new writer asked you what you thought was needed to become an internationally famous and successful writer, what you would say or recommend them to do?
Have someone you know well get murdered, and then write a book about it. I have found that there is one absolute besides death (no pun intended) and taxes, if you are personally involved in a murder and you write a book about it – you WILL get a book and movie offers – no matter how badly you write. The more gory the murder the more celebrated the fame.
You are tasked with cleaning up and organizing a dirty, junky 10,000 sq. ft. mansion within 24 hours. The owner of the mansion hasn’t made an attempt to straighten the place out in 3 years. You are given $3000. What would you do to get it as clean and organized as possible for its happy owner?
I would find an OCD therapy group and invite them to a party at the mansion. I would use the money to for food and party favors, you know, Swiffers and windex. All of the party games would revolve around getting an area the cleanest and most organized. Bonus points would earn them extra areas to clean.
Anything else you’d like to say?
I’m kind of a ham and I like to make people laugh. That said, my mysteries hold together. I don’t believe that I can phone in the clues and leave red herrings all over just because my focus is humor. I also don’t believe that smart sleuths will deliberately paint themselves into a dangerous corner – like almost every brilliant, young and gorgeous sleuth tends to do (sure, I’ll meet the heavily breathing, disguised voice creep that calls and invites me to a dark alley at midnight). My sleuth is smart but imperfect, menopausal but cool and she’s a whole lot more relatable than a lot of today’s amateur sleuths because she doesn’t take herself too seriously.
September 12th, 2018 → 8:10 pm @ Robin Donovan
https://www.fictionmasterclass.com/interview-with-robin-donovan/
September 10th, 2018 → 9:35 pm @ Robin Donovan
J.E. Feldman’s Exploits
https://dragonqueen3.wordpress.com/2018/09/10/author-interview-with-r-l-donovan/
Robin L Donovan on Facebook